题目内容

This year’s Newsweek list of the top 100 high schools shows that today those with fewer students are rising.

Ten years ago, when the first Newsweek Top School List based on college-level test participation was published, only three of the top 100 schools had graduating classes smaller than 100 students. This year there are 22.

Fifty years ago, they were the latest thing in educational reform: big, modern high schools outside the cities with thousands of students. Big schools meant economic efficiency, a greater choice of courses, and better football teams. But only years later did we understand that it involved the difficulty of strengthening personal connections between teachers and students. SAT scores began dropping; on average, 30% of students did not complete high school in four years, a figure that rose to 50% in poor city neighborhoods. High schools for a variety of reasons seemed to have made little progress.

Size isn’t everything, but it does matter, and the past decade has seen a noticeable trend toward smaller schools. This has been partly due to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has invested $1.8 billion in American high schools, helping to open about 1,000 small schools — most of them with about 400 kids, each with an average enrollment of only 150 students per grade. About 500 more are on the drawing board. Districts all over the country are taking notice, along with mayors in cities like New York, Chicago and San Diego. And most noticeable of all, there is the phenomenon of large urban and suburban high schools that have split up into smaller units of a few hundred.

Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California, is one of those ranking No.423 — among the top 2% in the country. In 2003, Hillsdale remade itself into three “houses”. 300 students arriving ninth graders are randomly assigned to one of the houses, where they will keep the same four core subject teachers for two years before moving on to another for 11th and 12th grades. Teachers meet with students in groups of 25, five mornings a week, for open-ended discussions of everything from homework problems to bad Saturday-night dates. The advisers also meet with students privately and stay in touch with parents. Along with the new structure came the percentage of freshmen taking biology jumped from 17 to 95.”It was rough for some. But by senior year, two-thirds have moved up to physics,” says Jeff Gilbert. “Our kids are coming to school in part because they know there are adults here who know them and care for them.”

But not all schools show advances after downsizing, and it remains to be seen whether smaller schools will be a cure-all solution.

Ranking schools is always controversial. Over the years this system has been criticized for its simplicity — list of top U.S. high schools was made merely according to the proportion of students taking college-level exams. This year a group of 38 superintendents (地区教育主管) from five states wrote to ask that their schools should be excluded from the calculation. “It is impossible to know which high schools are ‘the best’ in the nation,” their letter read. “Determining whether different schools do or don’t offer a high quality of education requires a look at many different measures, including students’ overall academic accomplishments, their later performance in college, and taking into consideration the unique needs of their communities.”

1.What can we learn about the schools sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?

A. They are often located in poor neighborhoods.

B. They are popular with high-achieving students.

C. They are mostly small in size.

D. Another 150 schools invested by the Foundation are planned to be set up.

2.According to Jeff Gilbert, the classes at Hillsdale were set up so that students could ______.

A. tell their teachers what they did on weekends

B. experience a great deal of pleasure in learning

C. maintain closer relationships with their teachers

D. deal with the demanding biology and physics courses

3.Newsweek ranks high schools according to ______.

A. their students’ academic achievement

B. the number of their students admitted to college

C. the size and number of their graduating classes

D. their college-level test participation

4.What attitude does the author have towards the present trend in high school education?

A. Subjective.                      B. Objective.                                 C. Indifferent.                      D. Disapproving.

5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Providing Good Education for Baby Boomers

B. Top School List Winning National Support

C. Small Schools Rising in popularity

D. Students Meeting Higher Academic Standards

 

【答案】

 

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.C

【解析】

试题分析:本文讲述了美国教育方面的话题:小规模学校在崛起以及学校规模小型化后的教学质量的评估给美国教育主管部门所带来的新的课题。

1.C 推理判断题。根据第四段中“This has been partly due to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has invested $1.8 billion in American high schools, helping to open about 1,000 small schools — most of them with about 400 kids, each with an average enrollment of only 150 students per grade.”说明由the Bill and Melinda Gates 基金会赞助所建的学校规模都比较小。

2.A 细节理解题。根据第五段中“Teachers meet with students in groups of 25, five mornings a week, for open-ended discussions of everything from homework problems to bad Saturday-night dates.”可以知道目的是让学生跟老师交流他们所做的一切。

3.D推理判断题。根据第一段和第二段,我们可以推出“新闻周刊给高中学校排名”的依据是“college-level test participation高等学校水平测试的参与度”。

4.B 推理判断题。纵观全文,作者对“小规模学校在崛起”这种趋势的作者只是叙述,没有发表自己的见解。所以既没有表示“主观的Subjective”也没有表示“漠不关心的Indifferent”的态度,更没有表示“不同意Disapproving”,而是表明了客观的态度。

5.C主旨大意题。本文讲述了美国教育方面的话题:小规模学校在崛起。

考点:社会生活类教育话题阅读理解

 

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One day each month,we visited hospitals bringing a little happiness to the children there. But there were two rules placed on me during a visit. First, I could not go anywhere in the hospital  without permission. And second, I could not physically touch anyone within the hospital. They did not want me to carry germs(细菌)from one patient to another. Breaking either of these rules, I was told, I could lose my job. One day, as I was heading down a hallway and on my way home, I heard a little voice coming through a half­opened door,“Ronald,Ronald.”
I stepped in and saw a boy,about five years old, lying in his dad's arms, Mom with a nurse on the other side. I knew by the feeling in the room that the situation was grave. I asked his name. He told me it was Billy and that I did a few simple magic tricks for him. As I stepped back to say good­bye, he asked me “Ronald, would you hold me?”
At such a simple request, my heart was screaming, “Yes!”But my mind was screaming louder. “No!You are going to lose your job!”
“Hold me” was such a simple request, and yet I searched for any reasonable excuses that allowed me to leave, but none. It took me a moment to realize that in this situation, losing my job may not be the disaster I feared. Then, I picked up this little boy. He was so weak and so scared. We laughed and cried for 45 minutes. With tears in my eyes, I left them. Less than 48 hours later, I received a phone call from Billy's mom that Billy had passed away. She and her husband simply wanted to thank me for making a difference in their little boy's life.
Billy's mom told me shortly after I left the room. Billy looked at her and said, “Momma, I don't care any more if I see Santa this year because I was held by Ronald McDonald.”
For the record, McDonald's Corporation did find it out, but, given the situation,permitted me to go on with my job. I continued as Ronald for another year before leaving the corporation to share the story of Billy and how important it is to take risks.
【小题1】The underlined word “grave” in Paragraph 3 means “________”.

A.weakB.seriousC.interesting D.exciting
【小题2】When Billy asked the author to hold him, at first the author ________.
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C.hesitated to do soD.hurried to do so
【小题3】What lesson did the author draw from his experience?
A.To amuse others is enjoyable.B.To take risks is important.
C.To break rules is necessary.D.To be fired is not fearful.
【小题4】We learn from the story that ________.
A.the author left the corporation because he broke the rules
B.the author left the corporation because he didn't like the rules
C.the boy was quite happy with the experience with the author
D.the boy was quite happy with Santa at Christmas


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Elizabeth Guider, editor of The Hollywood Reporter, remarked on Winfrey’s “great cultural influence” and said she could be “the most influential woman in America”.
Winfrey, 54, jumped from the No.6 spot on the entertainment trade paper’s 2007 list to No.1 this year. The Hollywood Reporter noted that a study by University of Maryland economists found Winfrey’s support for Obama won him more than l million votes nationwide.
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B
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“Write All About It”
Centerville High School Essay(论文)Contest
Rules
1. Students are asked to hand in essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work. Any essay containing material copied from another source will be disqualified.
2. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, with the student’s name, address, and grade level on a separate sheet of paper.
3. Essays must be turned in by 4:00 P.M. on November 30. They can be brought to Mrs. Elton in Room 104 or to Mr. Markham in the school library.
Essay-Writing Tips
1. Catch your reader’s interest—Your opening should immediately pull your reader into your essay. Asking a question or starting with a story, or surprising statement is some good ways to do this.
2. Create a picture—Use active words that show your reader what is happening. Instead of telling your reader that “the room was disordered,” paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives.
3. Have a purpose—Well-written essays do more than just describe an event or express a viewpoint; they also communicate a message.
4. Check for mistakes—Read your paper over to check for mistakes. Ask another student to read your paper. Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you have missed.
5. Format your essay—Neatly type your essay on white paper Choose an attractive cover for handing in. The computer lab will be open after school from 3:15 to 4:45P.M. each day this month so that students can use the computers.
Prizes
Winning essays will be published in the Centervile Times. Everyone who takes part in it will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity this year.
First Prize: $50 savings bond
Second Prize: Dictionary and reference book
Third Prize: Pen set and journal
【小题1】Which of the following rules is set for the essay contest?

A.Students can write something exactly as it is written in other books.
B.Students’ personal information should be listed on another piece of paper.
C.Essays must be brought to Mr. Markham in the computer lab on November 30.
D.The students winning the second prize will be awarded a dictionary and a book.
【小题2】Which of the following writing tips is given in the passage?
A.Drawing a picture to go with the essay.
B.Trying to communicate an important idea to readers.
C.Asking a teacher to find the mistakes you haven’t found.
D.Making the essay short enough to hold the readers’ interest.
【小题3】The article is written to           .
A.convince the students of the prizes available
B.explain how to write a good essay
C.inform the students of the essay contest
D.show how to organize an essay contest

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