Who are the top students in the world, do you know? Last week the Organization for Economic Co-operation Development (经济合作与发展组织) picked the best students in the world. They are Finnish (芬兰的). The OECD gave a test to 280 000 15-year-old students from more than 40 coun­tries and regions (地区) last year. The OECD wan­ted to know how well students were doing at school.
Finnish students were No. 1 in the reading test and second in maths after Hong Kong students. Those from Japan and Finland were top in science. In the problem solving, Finnish students came sec­ond to those from South Korea. The test also showed Finland had more top students than the other countries.
Finns (芬兰人) of your age have done a really good job but don’t have a sense of envy. You can learn from them. Most Finnish students make good use of the Internet. Of course not for computer games, but for doing more exercises and finding out more information.
Libraries are also important. Finland spends a lot of money on them. Many students have a free card. They read for at least one or two hours a day.
What do you usually do on the Internet? How often do you go to libraries?
【小题1】Students from which country or region did best in the reading test?

A.South Korea.B.Hong Kong.C.Finland.D.Japan.
【小题2】Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Hong Kong students were No. 1 in maths.
B.Finnish students were the first of all the tests.
C.Finnish students did well in the problem sol­ving.
D.Japanese students were top in science.
【小题3】From this passage we know that_________.
A.the test can make the students lose their in­terest in learning
B.the test is designed to find out good ways to use the Internet
C.it’s hard to tell who the best students in the world are
D.Finnish students make better use of the In­ternet and libraries

Dear Mr Heppell,
I am Sabrina Akhtar studying in a high school and I’ve noticed that forests are disappearing (消失).
You know, forest are disappearing around the world each year. This is because of many different reasons including, farming, tourism pollution(旅游污染), etc, If we stop doing these things, there will be a good future for people of tomorrow.
Now I’m writing to ask you to help stop forests from disappearing. You can help by getting shops to stop selling paper made from trees and changing to tree-free paper (paper not made from trees). This will help forests so much . There are many , many things we can do to help forests. If you would like to know more, please visit http://www.Rainforestweb.Org/. By changing the little things, we can make a big difference.
If you would like to contact ( 联系 ) me, please see the above address or e-mail me at shazadinol @ hotmail.co.uk. Thank you for taking your time in reading this letter.
Yours sincerely
Sabrina Akhtar
【小题1】 The writer of this letter is ______.

A.a studentB.a teacher
C.an officerD.a driver
【小题2】 ______ is one of the reasons why the forests are disappearing.
A.RainB.Tourism pollution
C.PlantingD.Breathing
【小题3】 The writer advises Mr. Heppell to _____.
A.stop shops from using paper any more
B.use paper which is made from tress
C.stop shops selling paper made from trees
D.plant more and more trees in the future
【小题4】 How can Mr. Heppell contact the writer ?
A.By calling herB.By interviewing her
C.By visiting herD.By e-mailing her
【小题5】 What’s the purpose (目的) of this letter ?
A.To know more about Mr. Heppell
B.To make friends with Mr. Heppell
C.To ask Mr. Heppell to teach in the school
D.To ask Mr. Heppell to help protect forests

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary(薪水).
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
【小题1】Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A.The writer’s studies. B.The writer’s future job
C.Dinner plansD.Wars around the world
【小题2】We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.
A.doesn’t want the writer to major in English
B.doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor
C.gets along very well with the writer
D.doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea
【小题3】The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.
A.agreesB.shoutsC.complainsD.smiles
【小题4】Which of following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?
A.He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.
B.He wants to find a job in his community in the future.
C.He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.
D.He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

Napping(小睡) after learning something new could help improve your memory--- as long as you dream, scientists say.
They found people who dream about a new task do it better on waking than those who do not sleep or do not dream.
Volunteers were asked to learn the layout(布局,设计) of a 3D computer maze(迷宫) so they could find their way several hours later. Those allowed to take a pap and who also remembered dreaming of the task, found their way to a landmark quicker.
The researchers think the dreams are a sign that unconscious(无意识的) parts of the brain are working hard to process information about the task..
Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, said dreams may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem at many levels.
Study tips
Co-author Dr. Erin Wamsley said the study suggests our non-conscious brain works on the things that it deem(认为) are the most important.
“Every day we are gathering lots of information and new experiences,” she said. “It would seem that our dreams are asking the question, “How do I use this information to inform(影响) my life?”
The scientists say there may be ways to use this phenomenon(现象) for improving learning and memory. For example, students might be better studying hard before bedtime, or taking a nap after a period of afternoon study.
【小题1】 Scientists say ______ could help improve your memory.

A.dreamB.napC.nap and dreamD.nap without dream
【小题2】 What were volunteers asked to do?
A.Take a nap.B.Dream a task.C.Learn about 3D computer.D.Find their way out of a maze.
【小题3】Which is right about dreams?
A.They are a sign that parts of the brain is unconscious.
B.They can help us fall asleep and improve learning and memory.
C.They tell us how to use this information to inform our life.
D.They may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem.
【小题4】When is the best time for study?
A.Before bedtime.B.After bedtime.C.Before taking a nap.D.In the afternoon.

 

Angela Chang (张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career (失业). She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.

“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.

She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.

“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”

But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired (解雇). Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene (一场戏) right.

“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”

Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings (隐形的翅膀). They fly me to the skies and give me hope.”

1.The phrase “turned down” in the first paragraph means “______”.

         A. 承认                             B. 拒绝                             C. 开除                      D. 雇用

2. Many record companies refused to co-operate (合作) with her because ______.

         A. she looks very common                                          B. she is too young

         C. she doesn’t sing very well                                 D. she looks young and small

3. Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______.

         A. she is strong-minded                                          B. people like her films 

         C. she is interested in acting                                               D. she acted in the popular TV plays

4.Which do you think is the best title of the passage?

         A. The Small Girl.                                                           B. Four Albums.

        C. I have a Pair of Invisible Wings.                 D. A Poor Actress.

 

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