A few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. “I think half of them fell off their chairs,” Gerner says.

Gerner manages school facilities （设施） for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes （样品）; they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.

Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation （朝向）,”Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”

Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.

How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?

A. They lost balance in excitement.                B. They showed strong disbelief.

C. They expressed little interest.                     D. They burst into cheers.

Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?

A. Assessment — Prototype — Design — Construction.

B. Assessment — Design — Prototype — Construction.

C. Design — Assessment — Prototype — Construction.

D. Design — Prototype — Assessment — Construction.

What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?

A. The large size.                                          B. Limited facilities.

C. The desert climate.                                    D. Poor natural resources.

What does Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?

A. They are questionable.                               B. They are out of date.

C. They are advanced.                                    D. They are practical.

A few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. “I think half of them fell off their chairs,” Gerner says.  

Gerner manages school facilities （设施） for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes （样品）; they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.  

Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation （朝向）,” Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”  

Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.  

63. How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?  

A. They lost balance in excitement.                B. They showed strong disbelief.  

C. They expressed little interest.                     D. They burst into cheers.  

64. Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?  

A. Assessment ― Prototype ― Design ― Construction.  

B. Assessment ― Design ― Prototype ― Construction.  

C. Design ― Assessment ― Prototype ― Construction.  

D. Design ― Prototype ― Assessment ― Construction.  

65. What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?  

A. The large size.                                          B. Limited facilities.  

C. The desert climate.                                    D. Poor natural resources.  

66. What does Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?  

A. They are questionable.                               B. They are out of date.  

C. They are advanced.                                   D. They are practical.

What can be found in the two recent studies?
One showed that adults are much more cooperative if they work in a system based on rewards．Researchers at Harvard University in the United States and the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden did the study, which appeared last month in the journal Science．They had about two hundred college students play a version of the game known as the Prisoner's Dilemma．The game is based on the tension between the interests of an individual and a group．The students played in groups of four．Each player could win points for the group, so they would all gain equally．But each player could also reward or punish each of the other three players, at a cost to the punisher．Harvard researcher David Rand says the most successful behavior proved to be cooperation （合作）．The groups that rewarded most earned about twice as much in the game as the groups that rewarded least．And the more a group punished itself, the lower its earnings．The group with the most punishment earned twenty-five percent less than the group with the least punishment．
The other study referred to children, which was presented last month in California at a conference on violence and abuse．Researchers used intelligence tests given to two groups．More than eight hundred children were ages two to four the first time they were tested．More than seven hundred children were ages five to nine．The two groups were retested four years later, and the study compared the results with the first test．Both groups contained children whose parents used physical punishment and children whose parents did not．The study says the IQs ?or intelligence quotients—of the younger children who were not spanked were five points higher than those who were．In the older group, the difference was almost three points．Murray Strauss from the University of New Hampshire' worked with Mallie Paschall from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation．Professor Strauss has written extensively about physical punishment of children．He says the more they are spanked, the slower their mental development．He also looked at average IQs in other nations and found them lower where spanking was more common．
72．We can learn from the passage that ____．
A．the first study began last month at Harvard University in America
B．the Prisoner's Dilemma is a game that can teach you how to be cooperative
C．the study on the IQs of children was carried out by Professor Murray Strauss
D．Professor Mallie has done lots of researches on family violence
73．What study method was adopted in the two recent studies according to the passage?
A．Observation．       B．Questionnaire．      C．Conclusion． D．Experiment．
74．The underlined word "spanked" in the third paragraph refers to ____．
A．scolded constantly      B．punished physically
C．praised frequendy           D．rewarded mentally
75．Which of the following charts is TRUE according to the passage?

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”
【小题1】The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

(B)
An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to (归因于) the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first –year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done,” he added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector(部门)，which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
50.Professor John Beath’s lectures are_____.
A.given in a traditional way    B. connected with the present situation
C.open to both students and their parents D.warmly received by economists
51.Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their_____.
A. greater stability B.higher pay C.fewer applications D.better reputation
52.According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____
A. wiser in money management   B.have access to better equipment
C.confident about their future careers   D.get jobs in Child Trust Funds
53.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Universities have received more applications.
B. Economics is attracting an increasing number of students.
College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.
Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.