Question

 When students and teachers at School 16in Rochester,NY, start the new school year in a newer school building,they'll leave their old building's list of problems behind.

As teachers finish unloading boxes and setting up their new classro?oms,they hope the newer buildings will give students renewed pride in their school. Ed?ucation experts say the move could also bring a rise to the school's flagging test scores,because better school buildings actually improve academic performance.

When School 16  was moved to a newer building,the school's old building was in terrible condition：bathrooms lacked sinks and privacy; stairs were missing safety rails; and the 100-year-old building was crowded. Students describe peeling paint and rats in the classrooms.

Teacher Michele Michel says the poor condition of the old building weakened the school of its spirit. "You look at that and it's like,why? Why do you want to take care of your school?" Michel says. "So what if I throw a piece of paper on the ground? It doesn't make a difference; there's other paper on the ground."

More than bad looks,bad buildings are a drain on academic performance,ac?cording to Glen Earthman,a professor. "Students see surroundings that are not very pleasant,and it does reduce their desire to learn”，Earthman says.

He says students who attend schools in disrepair score 3  to 10 percentage points lower on state tests than students in satisfactory buildings,and the effects are worse over the years students spend in the buildings.

With bigger hallways and larger classrooms,teacher Michele Michel says the boost to student confidence in the new building will improve academics. "I think if you come in and you're happy,you know,you will be all about this place," Michel says. "I think you will get it,and you'll get more successful."

But Jaida Thomas,an eighth grader,says she is not sure all of her peers will take pride in their new building. "With the negative people in the school? they'll probably just mess up the school," Thomas says. "They'll just mess it up for themselves."

1. The underlined word "flagging" in Paragraph 2 may mean "      

   A. pleasing   B. rising   C. falling   D. surprising

2. What statement may Michel agree to?

   A. Students are concerned about the safety of old buildings.

   B. Students have no mood to care for buildings.

   C. Students make no difference to the school buildings.

   D. Students behave badly in poor school buildings.

3. According to Glen,bad buildings         .

   A. make students lose interest in learning

   B. leave students in poor condition

   C. cause students to suffer pain in their eyes

   D. are to the advantage of students

4. Thomas' attitude towards the effect of new building is         .

   A. hopeful   B. doubtful   C. optimistic   D. unclear

Answer 1

本文主要介绍了一个学校的师生搬进了新的教学楼，老师们希望新的教学楼会激发学生们的学习兴趣。1. C词义猜测题。根据画线词前面的"…bring a rise to…"和后面的"―better school buildings actually improve academic performance."可知，这个词是"下降"的意思。

2. D推理判断题。根据第四段的"'So what ifl throw a piece of paper on the ground? It doesn't make a difference; there's other paper on the ground.'"可知，他认为在那种脏乱的教学楼里，学生们根本不会介意恶劣的行为，他们认为大家都这样，他们做出的一些坏的行为不会有什么影响，故选   D.

3. A细节理解题。从第五段的"'Students see surroundings that are not very pleasant,and it does reduce their desire to

i_earn”…"可知他认为在脏乱差的环境中，学生会对学习失去兴趣，故选A.

4. B 观点态度题。结合最后一段"…she is not sure all — 'They'll just mess it up for themselves."'可知,Thomas认为她的同学不一定都对这个新教学楼感兴趣并引以为豪，有的学生还是会把它搞得一团糟，故选   B. B