Directions:  Read the following passage.  Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

     American public education has changed in recent years.  One change is that increasing numbers of American parents and teachers are starting independent public schools called charter schools.

      In 1991, there were no charter schools in the Unite States. Today, more than 2300 charter schools operate in 34 states and the District of Columbia. 575. 000 students attend these schools. The students are from 5 years of age through 18 or older.

     A charter school is created by groups of parents, teachers and community members. It is similar in some ways to a traditional public school. It receives tax money to operate a number of students. The charter school must prove to local or state governments that its students are learning. These governments provide the school with the agreement, or charter that permits it to operate.

     Unlike a traditional public school, however, the charter school does not have to obey most laws governing public schools. Local, state or federal governments cannot tell it what to teach.

     Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach those goals. Class sizes are usually smaller than in many traditional public schools. Many students and parents say teachers in charter schools can be more creative.

      However, state education agencies, local education-governing committees and unions often oppose charter schools. They say these schools may receive money badly needed by traditional public schools. Experts say some charter schools are doing well while others are struggling.

      Congress provided 200 million dollars for establishing charter schools in the 2006 federal budget. But, often the schools say they lack enough money for programs. Many also lack needed space, District officials say they have provided 14 former school buildings for charter education. Yet charter school supporters say officials should try harder to find more space.


Title: 71.

 72 ________

 Independent public school

Similarities

 between charter

 schools and

 traditional schools

●73 ________ to operate U number of students

●Having to prove the students are learning

●Getting 74 ________ to operate from government

 75 __________

between charter

 schools and

 traditional schools

●Not having to obey most laws for public schools

●Being free to decide the 76 ________

●Being free to choose the goals and decide 77 ________  them

●There usually being 78 ________ students in charter

  schools’classes

●Having teachers who are more creative

 Charter

 school's

 problems

Opinions from

 education departments

 These schools receiving money

 badly needed by 79 ________

Not all doing well

 Opinions from

 charter schools

 Lacking enough money

 Lacking 80._________

In Colombia , there are some unwritten rules that people are used to , These rules are not officially established , but people do respect them . For example , on a bus , a person keeps a distance from another person , and people don’t like to touch each other . Many people come to work late because they prefer to wait for another bus if the first one is too crowded . They don’t want to have to stand too close to another person , or maybe they are afraid of starting a conversation .

A friend of mine in Colombia once said his mom got angry because he came home late , so he asked her , “ Mom , what do you think of most people arriving at their jobs so late ? ”  The mother kept silent as she knew no one wants to get on a bus that is too crowded . His mother realized at that moment that customs have a big influence on a person’s life .

Sometimes , people don’t like to make any kind of conversation or make eye contact with others . For example , when they are in line at a bank , they prefer to look up or down rather than look at other people .

Moreover , people usually look down when they are in an elevator . Not only on a bus , in line at a bank , and in an elevator do people usually avoid talking to other people , but also in the streets when they are walking , they prefer to look down and to avoid contact with others .

67. Why do many people get to work late in Colombia ?

   A. They always think the next bus will be better .

   B. They don’t want to get on crowded buses .

   C. It’s an official rule in Colombia .

   D. They get into conversations and miss their buses .

68. From the text we learn that __________ .

   A. customs influence people’s lives    

 B. a mother always understands her son

   C. people respect each other in Colombia    

D. people like to talk in elevators in Colombia

69. When people in Colombia are in line at banks , they __________ .

   A. make eye contact          B. look at other people

   C. make conversation         D. look up or down

70. What would be the best title for the text ?

   A. What People Do in Different Situations  

B. Avoid Getting on a Crowded Bus

   C. Special Customs in Colombia          

D. Obeying Unwritten Rules

 “Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.”

This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 52 wrote it.

We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improve the quality of our lives?

Picture this: You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?

Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.

One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10, and Tomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.

The grandmother, Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.” She believed life was less materialistic. “The more things you have, the more difficult life will become,” she said. The boys said they fought less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy, beer-drinking granny to one who cooked things.”

Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!

Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your e-mail every day.

Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying.

66. The passage is mainly about         .

     A. problems that are caused by technology    

B. improvements of our life with technology

     C. the important roles technology plays in our everyday life

     D. major changes which will be likely to happen to technology

67. The writer quoted(引用)what a citizen in ancient Rome said at the beginning of the story in order to         .

     A. share a truth about life

B. tell us what life was like long time ago

     C. tell us to enjoy our life

     D. point out that should abandon the modern lifestyle

68. Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940’s house? Because         .

     A. they liked to live simple lives

     B. they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions

     C. they were troubled by modern inventions

     D. living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them

69. What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer mean?

A. Busy on line      B. Free            C. Be able to         D. Be found by others.

70. In the passage, the author’s attitude towards modern inventions is __________.

   A. optimistic        B. pessimistic (悲观的)    C. fair     D. indifferent (冷漠的)

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