Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students feel that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don’t want to go to school any longer. They became dropouts.

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends—they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.

Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in the school bags. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.

1.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．The Trouble in Japanese Schools

B．The Problems of Japanese Students

C．The Pressures of the Students in Japan

D．Education in Japan

2. “Dropouts” are those who ___.

A．make troubles in and out of schools

B．go about or stay home instead of being at school

C．try hard but always fail in the exams

D．lose hope and give up some of their subjects

3. Why do Japanese students work very hard at school and feel unhappy?

A．They want to find a good job.

B．They want to pass exams.

C．They’re under pressure from their parents.

D．They’re not clever enough.

4. Failure in examinations cause students to ___.

A．chop out of school

B．quarrel with their parents

C．go to schools opening on weekends

D．have their parents lose hope

5. According to the passage, it’s necessary to teach students ___.

A．how to study well	B．how to get on with others
C．to show love and care for others	D．all above

 

Living in the foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences . They discussed that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought the waitress wasn’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot she went into a store and asked, “ Do you have any cold drinks ?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question again. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She has raised her eyebrows , which in Micronesia , it means, “yes”.

 Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the writer, “Do you have cabbage today ?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class , he asked his students if they understood . They answered with different nods and shakes of heads. He thought some people hadn’t understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, the did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake heads in different ways . It depends on where they come from.

1.These Americans teaching English in other countries found that they _____________.

A.  needed to learn foreign languages.

B.  should often discuss their experiences

C.  had problems with communications

2.People in Micronesia show “yes” by _________.

A. nodding heads          B. raising the eyebrows         C. shaking hands.

3. Tom misunderstood his class at first because __________.

A.  he didn’t know much about Indian culture

B.  he didn’t explain everything clearly enough

C.  he didn’t know where the students came from

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.  In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”

B.  Jan taught English on a Pacific island

C.  Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

  

5.The passage is mainly about _________.

A.  body language in foreign restaurants

B.  class discussion in Indian schools

C.  miscommunicaions in different cultures

 

 

Most American families like to have a vacation in summer. Summer is a good season for vacation. It is often hot in July and August.

Children do not go to school in those two months. Some people like to stay at home, read books, or watch TV. Many families take their lunch to eat at a place with many trees or a nice lake. Some people have enough time and money to travel to other countries like France, Japan and Australia. They usually fly to these countries. Many families travel by car or train to see interesting places in their own countries. Their favorite cities are New York, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Not everyone likes to go to busy cities. Some families travel to mountains or beautiful valleys.

1._____ is a good season for vacation.

A. Spring  B. Summer  C. Autumn  D. Winter

2.Some people like to stay at home during their vacation. They don’t _____.

A. read books  B. visit their friends

C. watch TV  D. go to work

3.Many families like to have their lunch _____ during their vacation.

A. in the office  B. near a cinema

C. near a big factory  D. near a nice lake

4.If you have _____, you can travel to other countries.

A. money and friends  B. friends and time

C. money and time  D. food

5.Which of the following is “芝加哥”? 

A. Chicago. B. New York. C. Miami. D. Los Angeles.

 

Here is an examination notice. Mrs. Dickson gave it to her students last week. Read it and answer the questions.

To the students of Class 3

◆Examinations start on June 22 and end on June 23.

◆The time for each of the subjects is:

English   June 22     9:30 A.M.－ 10:30 A.M.

Math     June 22     11:00 A.M.－ 12:00 A.M.

History   June 22     2:30 P.M.－ 3:30 P.M.

PE       June 23     8:00 A.M. － 10:00 A.M.

Music    June 23     1:00 P.M. － 3:00 P.M.

◆For the PE test, go to the playground. For the music test, go to the Piano Room. All else are     written(书面) tests. They will be held in classroom 3.

◆No student can get into the examination room more than 15 minutes after the exam starts.

◆No food or drink during ANY test.

◆No dictionaries during the English exam.

◆Wear sports shoes and clothes for the PE exam.

If you have questions, go to the Teachers’ Office before the tests.

1.How many written tests will the students get ready for?

    A. Two           B. Three              C. Four              D. Five

2.Who could not take the English exam?

A. Nancy. She wore her sports shoes on June 22.

B. Richard. He did not have breakfast before the exam.

C. Wendy. She forgot to take an English dictionary with her.

D. Tony. He went to school at 9:50 on the morning of June 22.

3.Where were the students of Class 3 at 8:30 A.M., June 23?

         A. In the playground.                               B. In their classroom.

  C. In the Piano Room.                           D. At the Teachers’ Office.

4.On the morning of June 23, What should Helen, a student of Class 3 get ready for?

         A. Food and drinks. Because there is no food or drinks during any test.

         B. Dictionary. Because she isn’t good at English.

         C. Sports shoes and clothes. Because there will be a PE exam.

         D. Nothing. Because all the exams are ended.

5.Tom still has some questions about the exams, he can       .

         A. ask his teacher at any time

         B. find his teacher in the playground

         C. ask his teacher on June 22 or June 23

         D. go to the teachers’ office on June 21 and ask about them

 

Now, there is a new-type school in New York, which has no everyday lessons, no class teachers and even no school buildings. It is called “City-as-School”. The name just means the city itself is the place where students learn their lessons. They are from the age of 15 to 18. The students choose areas of work which interest them. Then they help to do that work. One girl spends her week in a government office helping the public with problems like housing. Then she goes to help in a theatre for a day and she spends a week for first-year courses at college.

Well, students have to pass Maths and science exams before they enter the “school”. These subjects are not easy to provide in“City-as-School”. Teachers watch the progress of the students. The success rate (比率) is high. 80% of the students go to college after the “City-as-School”.

The students like the duty of their work. They have the sense of purpose. They know a lot about different kinds of work in the city. One of the students, Lizette Martinez, writes “ I want to say that I do not know where I would be right now if I had never become part of City-as-School. Leaving my regular high school and going to City-as-School was the best decision I have ever made. The way the school works to get you to go out there and learn different fields instead of sitting in a classroom is wonderful. For all those who are in between school and dropping out, go to CAS and it will change your life forever.”

City-as-School High School is the nation’s leading (引导) external (外部地) learning or experiential (来自经验的) learning model for high school students.

1.What can we learn about“City-as-School”?

A. It has no teachers.                

B. It has no school buildings.

C. It has only girl students.             

D. It is the only school in the city.

2.What do students do in“City-as-School”most of the time?

A. They do whatever they like.        

B. They learn Maths and Science.

C. They help with work in a certain area. 

D. They learn all the college courses.

3.According to the passage,“City-as–School” can help _________.

A. all the students go to college      

B. students forget the duty of their work

C. students earn much money while studying

D. students learn a lot about different kinds of work

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. A New City                   B. A New School   

C. A New-type School              D. A Girl in New York