High school dropouts(辍学者)earn an average of $ 9,000 less per year than graduates. Now a new study dispels a common belief why they quit. It’s much more basic than flunking out(不及格).

Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can’t cut it. They are lazy,and perhaps not two bright.So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left.

“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school.” John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said. About 1 million teens leave school each year. Only about half of African-American and Hispanic(美籍西班牙的)students will receive a diploma(证书),and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision. So, if failing grades don’t explain why these kids quit, what does? Again,John Bridgeland:"The most dependable finding was that they were bored.” “They found classes uninteresting; they weren’t inspired or motivated. They didn’t see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations.”

The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit. In the US,only one state,New Mexico,has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate. Only four states: California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school attendance until age 18, no exceptions, another researcher,says raising the compulsory attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school.

“As these dropouts look back,they realize they’ve made a mistake. And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and it through to the end, is probably helpful measure.”

New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18. But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses the point-the need for reform. It's been called for to reinvent high school education to make it more challenging and relevant, and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something.  

68. Most high school students drop out of school because          .

A. they have failing grades     

B. they take no interest in classes

C. they are discriminated against    

D. they are lazy and not intelligent

69. The underlined words “stick it out” probably means“         ”.

A. complete schooling                 B. solve the problem

C. love having classes                         D. believe in themselves

70. In the last paragraph, the writer is trying to          .

A. analyze the reason why students quit school

B. suggest raising the compulsory attendance age

C. raise awareness of reforming high school education

D. wish to make laws to guarantee no education

71. From the passage,we can infer the following EXCEPT that          .

A. the grades of most dropouts at school were acceptable

B. about 500, 000 high school dropouts are black and Spanish

C. classes don't appeal to dropouts

D. on average dropouts cannot get good jobs

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless, “he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就).Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many peiole dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy, ’”Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

The turning point in Saunders’life came when _____

A. he started to play ball games

B. he got a mountain bike at age 15

C. he ran his first marathon at age 18

D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training

We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.

A. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

B. built up his body together with Saunders

C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

What do we know about Saunders?

A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.

A. Excited   B. Convinced   C. Delighted    D. Fascinated

It can be inferred tat Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.

A. was accompanied by his old playmates

B. set a record in the North Pole expedition

C. was supported by other Arctic explorers

D. made him well-known in the 1960s

Short and shy,Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports teams.“Football,tennis,cricket—anything with a round ball,I was useless.” he says now with a laugh.But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him.At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest.Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend.Gradually,Saunders set his mind on building up his body,increasing his speed,strength and endurance.At age 18,he ran his first marathon.

The following year,he met John Ridgway,who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean.Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland,where he learned about the old man’s cold­water exploits (成就).Intrigued,Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions,then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys,and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy.“John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say,‘You’re completely crazy’,” Saunders says.

In 2001,after becoming a skilled skier,Saunders started his first long­distance expedition toward the North Pole.He suffered frostbite,had a close encounter (遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole,and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton.His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October,Saunders,27,heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back,a 1,800­mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

51.The turning point in Saunders’life came when________.

A.he started to play ball games

B.he got a mountain bike at age 15

C.he ran his first marathon at age 18

D.he started to receive Ridgway’s training

52.We can learn from the text that Ridgway________.

A.dismissed Saunders’dream as fantasy

B.built up his body together with Saunders

C.hired Saunders for his cold­water experience

D.won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

53.What do we know about Saunders?

A.He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B.He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C.He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

D.He was the first Briton to ski to the North Pole.

54.The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means________.

A.excited                                               B.convinced

C.delighted                                            D.fascinated

55.It can be inferred that Saunders’journey to the North Pole________.

A.was accompanied by his old playmates

B.set a record in the North Pole expedition

C.was supported by other Arctic explorers

D.made him well­known in the 1960s


British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1.British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A.to advertise their production
B.to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C.to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D.to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2.The farmers think that_________.
A.potatoes have had a bad imagine       
B.potatoes are good for people by nature
C.potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D.it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3.John Simpson thinks that _________.
A.the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B.dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C.little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D.it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4.What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A.It is connected with unfavorable meaning.
B.Potato should be used in the expression. 
C.It is borrowed from American English.
D.It refers to a kind of person.

第二节,阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。注意:如果选E,则将A和B同时涂黑;如果选F,则将C和D同时涂黑。

请阅读下列某书店各书架的相关信息:

Section A: Do-It-Yourself Section -- On these shelves customers can find the latest manuals on how to do everything from building a computer to constructing your own home.

Section B: Sports & Leisure Section -- Stocks a large range of the latest books on your favourite sporting teams and events. Pick up the perfect Father's Day present here.

Section C: Humour Section -- A great selection of joke books, funny stories and wonderful real life adventures that are sure to keep the reader laughing for days.

Section D: Business & Finance - Students, business people or anyone interested in the world of commerce are certain to find the book they are after here. We have special subsection for international trade and e-commerce.

Section E: Biography - Find out about the lives of your favourite sports stars, singers, actors and other famous people from today and the past. Learn what they had to go through to become successful and the effect it had on their lives.

Section F: Education - Has a huge range of textbooks and supplementary material covering all the major high school and university subjects. Buyers showing their student cards receive a 15% discount on all purchases from this section.

阅读下列关于各书籍的信息,匹配书籍与其所应放置的书架:

71. The Delighted Eye - by Prof. John Nash - The 1994 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics, whose ideas have influenced a generation of the world's greatest economic minds, tells his life story: growing up in a small town in America, becoming one of America's most influential mathematicians and his battles with mental illness.

72. Mother Tongue: The English Language - by Bill Bryson - Bryson's book is a journey through the history and different aspects of the English language , one that is both informative and hugely entertaining. As with most of Bryson's books, fun comes before facts and readers will be left with a smile on their faces.

73. Into Thin Air - by John Krakauer - is a riveting first-hand account of a disastrous race to the top of Mount Everest. In March 1996, `Outside' magazine sent veteran journalist and experienced climber John Krakauer to join the team led by the famous Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of the race eight people were dead.

74. ReadyMade: How to Make (Almost) Everything - by Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne - beautifully written with great factual information. The theme behind this book is re-use, re-claim, re-cycle and there are many detailed easy-to-do projects for the reader to try such as making a photo frame from a book cover or a pot for your plants from plastic shopping bags.

75. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron - by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind - As the title suggests the authors cover the rise of the American electricity company to become one of the 10 richest companies in the world and its spectacular fall into dishonor and bankruptcy. A perfect guide on what not to do in business.

 

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