Last month when I was taking part in a US college interview, I was asked, “ what makes you special ? ” In fact I had answered questions likes this many times since I decided to go to college in the US .college paid special attention to different achievement . For example, a person who is very good at math can go to a famous college but also can be a good football player .

This experience made me think again that I must try to find where my own interests might lead me . To be honest, it was not easy . However, I never felt sorry to choose this way because it helped me understand myself . If I took the College Entrance Examination,as we call it gaokao in China, it could never possibly do .

When I entered high school, I took gaokao seriously because it seemed to me a great way to show how good at my lessons . However,as I grew older, I realized gaokao did make me work hard at my lessons, but the pressure also pushed many other activities out of my life, like guitar―playing . Although I had no time for it, I will still get to it in the future .

No doubt, gaokao provides a way of choosing those who are successful in their studies . But it is really important for all of us to rethink what “ talent ” really is today . This is because we now live in a world in which all of our other human qualities ( 品质）are needed for success, not just the high grade .

Ken Robinson once said, “ the society depends on different kinds of talents . ”  However, gaokao pays too attention  to a person’s grades but little to his other qualities. And it is these qualities that makes life colorful and fun .

As high school students, we can not change the present situation of eduction, but we are always free to think outside of the box . Although good school grade is still useful, I hope one day we will see our education also welcomes the amazing possibilities in different people .

1.The US College pay special attention to ________.

A．students’family background .

B．the different achievement

C．students’ideas about way of life .

D．the school a student is from .

2.When at high school, the writer ________.

A．had a lot of activities .

B．did not work hard at her lessons .

C．did well in gaokao

D．had no time to play the guitar .

3.From the passage, we know that the writer may ________.

A．go to college in America .

B．give up the US college interview .

C．become a good football player in the US.

D．change the present situation of eduction .

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. My school life abroad.             B. Different exams in the US.

C My view on gaokao           D. The importance of school grades

Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.

If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering(不开花的) plants.

Flowering plants can make seeds(种子). The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit.

Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores(孢子). Spores are very, very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores fall on wet and shady(阴凉的) places, they usually grow into new plants.

1.What fact does the passage lead you to believe?

A. Of all living things, animals are most important.              

B. Spores are seeds.

C. All fruits of flowering plants have seeds.                          

D. Without plants, man will die out.

2.The paragraph following the passage will be about ________.

A. how plants can make food from air                                   

B. how spores grow into new plants

C. why some plants have no seeds                      

D. why non-flowering plants are more important than flowering plants

3.This passage is most likely to be taken from ________.

A. a story book                                            B. a novel

C. a science magazine                                             D. a laboratory report

The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2010. The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere(氛围). A lot of activities were held. There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on. All the teachers and students were very happy. They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities.
Handwriting was for the students in lower grades. Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it. In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers. They copied some articles from books or newspapers. And then they decorated（装饰）them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them. How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8. These students always like cartoons, so they got interested in this activity. Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them.
The most important event was the English show on the last day. The students and teachers performed a lot of English songs and English operas. Each program won a lot of applause.
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot. Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week. It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies.”

1. 1.

   In this passage, the English week is described as__________.

   1. A.
      surprising
   2. B.
      boring
   3. C.
      enjoyable
   4. D.
      serious
2. 2.

   Which of the following is NOT true?

   1. A.
      All the students took part in the handwriting contest.
   2. B.
      The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8.
   3. C.
      The English show was the most important event.
   4. D.
      Teachers also took part in the English week.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?

   1. A.
      Noise
   2. B.
      Cheer
   3. C.
      Sound
   4. D.
      Music
4. 4.

   What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?

   1. A.
      Students usually don’t like English.
   2. B.
      Learning English in the classroom is useless.
   3. C.
      The activities should last longer.
   4. D.
      The activities are a good way to learn English.