D
“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.
“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson said.
Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she understood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”
This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.
Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.
“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.
Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.
“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”
53. What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
B. To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
C. To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes.
D. To analyse the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far.
54. According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.
A. schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence.
B. children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now.
C. those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school.
D. children are learning more about guns from educational issues.
55. Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?
A. Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago.
B. The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools.
C. Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves.
D. Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie.
56. What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. A kind of costume.                           B. A real gun.
C. A toy weapon.                                 D. A kind of plastic.

Why does a large education nation like China have so few world renowned scientists as the US? Educationists from China and the US try to find out the answer to questions like this at a forum on the basic education strategy.
The forum, held recently, was jointly organized by the Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education in China and the Postgraduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. It aims to find out similarities and differences that exist between two countries in their educational system.
While some educationists in China keep a doubtful eye to the country’s educational system in recent years. Their American counterparts give a positive answer to the basic education in China, saying that it is still one of the best in the world.
An American educationist told reporters that the basic education in the US was criticized in recent years due to its political tendency. On the contrary, Chinese government’s stress on basic education and qualified teachers has set a good example.
At primary and middle school, pupils in China did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils. However, few grow to be world “masters”. Why? Educationists attributed this to China’s stress on examination rather than students’ interest.
Deputy Director of the postgraduate school of Pennsylvania University said American teachers encouraged students to focus on their strong points. In China, students are driven to study to pass the entrance examination test and they do not pay much attention to their own interest.
At the forum, director of the Education Development Research Center Mr. Zhang said in the future, the research center would make its middle and long-term basic education strategy by taking some references from other countries including the US.
He also revealed that for a long time in the future, China would make a breakthrough in setting the policy for quality education.
【小题1】This passage is mainly about _________.

A.quality education development in the future
B.why China’s education cultivates few world masters
C.China’s good basic education
D.genius education at the primary stage
【小题2】 The underlined word “renowned” in the first paragraph probably means ________
A.famousB.activeC.qualifiedD.experienced
【小题3】The following statements are true EXCEPT that _________
A.basic education in the US is associated with the government’s political interest.
B.the forum aims to find out the reason why there few world masters in China.
C.all the educationists in China cast doubts in the country’s educational system.
D.Chinese government’s stress on basic education is spoken highly of.
【小题4】 Few pupils in China who did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils grow to be world “masters”, because _________
A.The US government spends more money on basic education
B.American pupils are cleverer than Chinese pupils
C.basic education in China is not as successful as that of the US
D.Chinese people pay less attention to students’ interest
【小题5】China’s educational system will _______ in the future.
A.help students to study even harder to pass the examination
B.apply more attention to quality education referring to systems of other countries
C.allow students to pay more attention to their own interest without their test results
D.copy the educational system in the US

Why does a large education nation like China have so few world renowned scientists as the US? Educationists from China and the US try to find out the answer to questions like this at a forum on the basic education strategy.
The forum, held recently, was jointly organized by the Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education in China and the Postgraduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. It aims to find out similarities and differences that exist between two countries in their educational system.
While some educationists in China keep a doubtful eye to the country’s educational system in recent years. Their American counterparts give a positive answer to the basic education in China, saying that it is still one of the best in the world.
An American educationist told reporters that the basic education in the US was criticized in recent years due to its political tendency. On the contrary, Chinese government’s stress on basic education and qualified teachers has set a good example.
At primary and middle school, pupils in China did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils. However, few grow to be world “masters”. Why? Educationists attributed this to China’s stress on examination rather than students’ interest.
Deputy Director of the postgraduate school of Pennsylvania University said American teachers encouraged students to focus on their strong points. In China, students are driven to study to pass the entrance examination test and they do not pay much attention to their own interest.
At the forum, director of the Education Development Research Center Mr. Zhang said in the future, the research center would make its middle and long-term basic education strategy by taking some references from other countries including the US.
He also revealed that for a long time in the future, China would make a breakthrough in setting the policy for quality education.
【小题1】This passage is mainly about _________.

A.quality education development in the future
B.why China’s education cultivates(培养) few world masters
C.China’s good basic education
D.genius education at the primary stage
【小题2】The underlined word “renowned” in the first paragraph probably means ________
A.famousB.activeC.qualifiedD.experienced
【小题3】Few pupils in China who did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils grow to be
world “masters”, because _________
A.The US government spends more money on basic education
B.American pupils are cleverer than Chinese pupils
C.basic education in China is not as successful as that of the US
D.Chinese people pay less attention to students’ interest
【小题4】 China’s educational system will _______ in the future.
A.help students to study even harder to pass the examination
B.apply more attention to quality education referring to systems of other countries
C.allow students to pay more attention to their own interest without their test results
D.copy the educational system in the US

If you know exactly what you want, the best way to get a job is to get specialized training. A recent survey shows that companies like graduates in such fields as business and health care who can go to work immediately with very little on-the-job training. 
That’s especially true of booming fields that are challenging for workers. At Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, for example, bachelor’s degree graduates get an average of four or five job offers with salaries ranging from the high teens to the low 20s and plenty of chances for rapid advancement. Large companies, especially, like a background of formal education coupled with work experience. But in the long run, too much specialization doesn’t pay off. Business, which has been flooded with MBAs, no longer considers the degree an automatic stamp of approval. The MBA may open doors and command a higher salary initially, but the effect of a degree washes out after five years.
As further evidence of companies gradually losing faith in specialized degrees, Michigan State’s Scheetz mentions a pattern in hiring practices. Although companies tend to take on specialists as new hires, they often seek out generalists for middle and upper-level management.  “They want someone who isn’t constrained(限制)by details to look at the big picture,” says  Scheetz. This sounds like a formal statement that you approve of the liberal-arts (文科)graduates. Time and again labor-market analysts mention a need for talents that liberal-arts majors are assumed to have: writing and communication skills, organizational skills, open-mindedness and adaptability, and the ability to analyze and solve problems. David Birch, manager of the Boston Red Sox, claims he does not hire anybody with an MBA or an engineering degree, “I hire only liberal-arts people because they have a less-than-canned way of doing things,” says Birch.
For a liberal-arts degree, students focus on some basic courses that include literature, history, mathematics, economics, science, human behavior—plus a computer course or two. With these useful and important courses, you can feel free to specialize, “A liberal-arts degree coupled with an MBA or some other technical training is a very good combination in the marketplace,” says Scheetz. 
【小题1】
What kinds of people are in high demand on the job market?

A.Students with a bachelor’s degree in humanities.
B.People with an MBA degree from top universities.
C.People with formal schooling plus work experience.
D.People with special training in engineering
【小题2】
By saying “…but the effect of a degree washes out after five years”(Para 2), the author means     
A.most MBA programs fail to provide students with a solid foundation
B.an MBA degree does not help in the future promotion
C.MBA programs will not be as popular in five years’ time as they are now
D.people will not forget about the degree the MBA graduates have got
【小题3】
According to Scheetz’s statement ( Para. 3), companies prefer people who     
A.have a strategic mind B.are talented in fine arts
C.are ambitious and aggressive D.have received training in mechanics
【小题4】
David Birch claims that he only hires liberal-arts people because they     
A.are more capable of handling changing situations
B.can stick to established ways of solving problems
C.are thoroughly trained in a variety of specialized fields
D.have attended special programs in management
【小题5】
Which of the following statements does the author support?
A.Specialists are more expensive to hire than generalists.
B.Formal schooling is less important than job training.
C.On-the-job training is, in the long run, less costly.
D.Generalists will do better than specialists in management.

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