This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13 —19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully^① when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize^② American schools,” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
Notes:
①    respectfully  adv. 尊敬地，谦恭地
②    criticize  vt. 批评，责备
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   This year       __ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

   1. A.
      twenty-three hundred
   2. B.
      thirteen hundred
   3. C.
      over three thousand
   4. D.
      less than two thousand
2. 2.

   The whole exchange programme is mainly to        __.

   1. A.
      help teenagers in other countries know the real America
   2. B.
      send students in America to travel in Germany
   3. C.
      let students learn something about other countries
   4. D.
      have teenagers learn new languages
3. 3.

   What is particular in America schools is that        __.

   1. A.
      there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.
   2. B.
      there are a lot of outside activities
   3. C.
      students usually take fourteen subjects in all
   4. D.
      students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car
4. 4.

   After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought        __.

   1. A.
      a better education should include something good from both American and Germany
   2. B.
      German schools trained students to be better citizens
   3. C.
      American schools were not as good as German schools
   4. D.
      the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students

This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13 —19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully^① when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

       Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

       “Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

       At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize^② American schools,” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”

Notes:

respectfully  adv. 尊敬地，谦恭地

criticize  vt. 批评，责备

Choose the best answers according to the above:

This year       __ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

A. twenty-three hundred       B. thirteen hundred

C. over three thousand   D. less than two thousand

The whole exchange programme is mainly to        __.

A. help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B. send students in America to travel in Germany

C. let students learn something about other countries

D. have teenagers learn new languages

What is particular in America schools is that        __.

A. there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.

B. there are a lot of outside activities

C. students usually take fourteen subjects in all

D. students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car

After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought        __.

A. a better education should include something good from both American and Germany

B. German schools trained students to be better citizens

C. American schools were not as good as German schools

D. the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students

I sat at my seat waiting for the school paper to be passed around. I waited anxiously, knowing that once I received it I would know how good a writer I really am.
When the paper arrived at my classroom, I nearly knocked down five of my classmates to get to the first paper. With a school paper in my hands, I returned to my seat. About a month earlier, I had handed in one of, what I believed to be, my best stories. I named it Symbol of Success. The head of the English Department at my school, Professor Cullen had said that she would include some reviews of students’ stories in the latest school paper. Professor Cullen was known for her rough criticism. Impressing her was very hard but I wanted to be the first to do so.
I sat at the edge of my seat as I read through the other story reviews. There wasn’t one story that got more than three stars .I became calm and wasn’t anxious to know my review. It was long after that I heard someone shout out “Five stars?! Seriously!” from behind me. I turned around and saw the shocked expression of Gene’s face, “Peter, your story got five stars!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I turned my attention back to my story and saw the five stars at the end of the review that I had not read yet. I looked through the review written by Professor Cullen. She wrote that I had a gift for story writing.
I was proud that I achieved what I thought was impossible .For so long I believed I wasn’t as good as I thought I was and that my talent was not enough to cover up my lack of wring skills .But this review proved that I was truly a good writer and that there was a future ahead of me in the field of fiction writing. The review and the five stars meant the world of me. Those five stars became the symbol of my success.
【小题1】How did the writer get the school paper?

According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days．Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem．
The homeless population represents all of us Americans．It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants．Its members are from all ethnic groups．What they have in common is poverty．
Currently in the U．S．, thirty-nine million people live in poverty．When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice．Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps．
With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative．
Although men constitute the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them．In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U．S．are teenagers and young children．
People may become homeless for numerous reasons．However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common．They include a lack of adequate education and job skills．A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school．
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor．One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol．While one quarter of the same group uses drugs．
Some members of this population suffer mental health problems．Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”．Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves．
Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes．The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce are also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved．The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads．
【小题1】The writer thinks that the U．S．government’s definition for the homeless reveals ________．

E
Erica David lives in Pinedale,Wyoming，USA，where winter can bring temperatures of below 35 degrees Fahrenheit，howling winds，and a lot of snow．So it was just natural that she chose to study snow for her school science fair in the sixth grade．
Now a junior in high school，Erica is in her sixth year of snow experiments，and is well on her way to becoming a snow expert．She started with a basic question：Could snow fences be built to work better?
Snow fences are used to keep snowdrifts（雪堆）from covering areas like roads of train tracks，or to help build up snow where it can help with water shortages in spring when it melts（融化）．“Also，I wanted to protect my animals better from blowing snow，”says Erica，who raises goats，sheep，and pigs．
Before she could test fence designs，Erica had to figure out what would act like real snow in her experiments. “I tested flour, sugar, and salt before I settled on dishwasher powder , ”she explains.
Science fairs offer students the chance to test theories, present findings to judges, and meet other researchers. Erica’s many achievements include competing at the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge for middle school students and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where students from around the world present their science research.
But perhaps the best reward is that her research is already being put to good use. She has come up with an improved snow fence design, and this year she’s helping think out how to provide water supply to native plants, which have been killed off by drilling at nearby natural gasfields.
“Science fairs are an amazing experience,”says Erica. “Just pick your true feeling and go for it. ”
72. What does the passage suggest to us?
A. Science fairs are held for high school students in America.
B. Erica is the youngest show expert well known in America.
C. The environment brought much convenience for Erica to study snow.
D. The hope to contribute to her hometown made Erica experiment on snow.
73. In Erica’s hometown, snow fences may play a part in ________.
a. reducing the harm blowing snow does to animals
b. supplying water resource to the nearby gas fields
c. making up for the lack of water resource.
d. keeping the traffic smooth
A. a,b,c          B. a,b,d             C. b,c,d            D. a,c,d
74. Science fairs are attractive to students because they ________.
A. can have their research put into practical use
B. can have their scientific ideas tested out
C. are allowed to help protect the local wildlife
D. can learn about the most advanced technology
75. Which of the following material can best replace snowing in Erica’s experiment?
A. Flour.         B. Sugar.           C. Salt.             D. Dishwasher powder.