【题目】Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates. Sixth formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude (智能) tests, which are designed to assess (评价) thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional tests to secure a place.

Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer (标准) of ability.

In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight As at A-level. Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional tests to identify the most able candidates. "The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process," he said. "The potential to achieve three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place."

Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university's Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3, 000. A survey of 16, 830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2, 860 had to sit at least one exam.

Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests —a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges—to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.

【1】 What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?

A. Approving.

B. Doubtful.

C. Opposed.

D. Neutral (中立的)

【2】 Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?

A. Harvard.

B. Oxford.

C. Cambridge.

D. Washington

【3】 What can we know about the A-level system?

A. It can indicate the brightest candidates.

B. It was designed to assess students' thinking abilities.

C. It is longer an accurate way to assess students' abilities.

D. It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research.

【4】 What can we infer from the passage?

A. The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones.

B. The reform will be applied by all universities in the future.

C. Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students.

D. Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As.

【5】 What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to get into leading universities.

B. The disadvantages of the A-level system.

C. Different ways to identify students' abilities.

D. Universities using extra exams to choose students.

【题目】 Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.

" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.

The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.

" As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "

9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.

"It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. " There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. "

【1】 One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to ____.

A. program the opening hours of a bar

B. supply you with a picture of the future

C. provide information about your surroundings

D. update the maps and GPS in your smartphones

【2】 The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " ____".

A. develop rapidly

B. get round quickly

C. appear immediately

D. go over automatically

【3】According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are ____.

A. necessary for teenagers

B. attractive to New Yorkers

C. available to people worldwide

D. expensive for average consumers

【4】We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses ____.

A. may have a potential market

B. are as common as smartphones

C. are popular among young adults

D. will be improved by a new technology

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