Topping the class academically was certainly an advantage. Studying was a breeze for

Nigel. The reward was certainly incomparable to the little effort that he had to put it. It begin when he was selected to help the teachers in the computer laboratories.

The peak of his school career came not when he topped the school but when he was selected for the nationwide competition. Unlike everyone else, Nigel wanted to join the contest because he liked playing with the Lego sets and making something out of them. Nigel spent the next two months rebuilding the robot. It was during the time that Nigel found out about the prizes for the competition. Its well us auspices competitor. Alicia, from a neighboring school. His early intentions were forgotten. Getting the thousand-dollar prize was more important than anything else. Nigel decided to befriend Alicia. Unaware of his intentions, she told him all about the robot that she had been building for the competition. He even helped her to put the finishing branches to her robot. He was glad with the way things had progressed. His robot looked even better than Alicia’s and it was able to become a ball with its arms, something Alicia had failed to do.

On the day of the competition, he says Alicia. Everything dawned on her the minute she saw him among the competition. She stared at him, puzzled at first, then angry and finally a look of helplessness came over her.

The flashbulbs of the camera exploded in Nigel’s try. The robot bird performed actions so unique and different that the specialist judgments were the same. Nigel was so personal with himself that he did not even notice the girl standing a few feet away from him. Without her, he would never win the competition.

What reward did Nigel receive for doing well in his school work?

A. He was offered a part-time job      B. He was honored with a scholarship

C. He helped his teacher construct a robot      D. He helped in the computer laboratories

Nigel’s original intention of joining the contest was to ___.

A. be the top student of the school             B. being great honor to his school

C. constructs a robot with the Lego sets         D. wins the thousand-dollar prize

Why did Nigel help Alicia finish her robot?

A. He tried to make friends with her       B. He was fond of building robots

C. He intended to help her               D. He didn’t want her to suspect him

What is the author’s attitude towards Nigel’s actions?

A. He is mildly critical           B. He is strongly critical

C. He is in favor of them          D. His attitude is not clear

As teachers, we feel         our duty to teach our children to be good wherever we are.

MOST recently, my world has been shaken by the death of a teacher at my school. He was Dr Allan Woolley and he was only 52. Suddenly he took his own life, which remains a mystery.

That morning, everyone sensed that something wasn't right. During our lessons, an announcement was made that an assembly (集会) was scheduled for morning break, which was only done in emergencies.

Once morning break came, the entire school gathered in the main hall. As our headmaster marched out to announce the "momentous (重大的) news", it felt like the air around us trembled . Many students broke down in tears, and the reaction afterward was intensely powerful and unifying .  

The headmaster said that students were allowed to miss lessons and have a free period to collect themselves if they found the news too distressing (悲伤的). Many students went outside and shared memories of Dr Woolley to control theirselves.

Dr Woolley taught me chemistry two years ago, but up until his death he still taught many of my close friends. Many of my friends were so shocked that they still couldn't believe the person that they had owed (欠) some homework to was now dead.

It was heart-warming to spend time with teachers that morning and get to know more about them. Despite the time of sadness, I feel that every cloud has a silver lining. Although Dr Woolley's death is something nobody wanted to see, we must move on.

What did the students feel at the news of his teacher’s death?

A.unhappy   B shocked    C.surprised    D.silent

What does the underlined word “collect” in Paragraph4 mean?

A. bring something together  B.calm  down  

C. increase in amount        D.get and keep

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A.The real cause of Dr Woolley’s death is known to us.

B.Many students didn’t prepare themselves for the bad news so that they felt very sad.

C.It takes the whole school some time to recover from the dispressing news.

D.Dr Woolley’s death allows students to understand teachers better.

It can be inferred from the underlined sentences in the last paregraph that______.

A.Dr Woolley’s death made students sad.

B.There is still some comfort and hope in trouble

C.Dr Woolley’s death disappointed students greatly

D.We should forget the fact to study better.

The best title for the passage should be_______.

A. Our School Faces a Tragedy 

B. Dr Woolley—A Great Teacher

C. The Living Live For the Death

D. Lesson From the Death.

In a time of low academic (学术的) achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents (答问卷者) listed "to give children a good start academically" as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group. The majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents.

In the recent comparison of Japanese and American pre??school education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. 62 percent of the more individually oriented (强调个性发展的) Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices. An em??phasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education.

Like in America, there is diversity (多样性) in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential (潜力) development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools.

Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.

5. We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe ________.

A. Japanese parents pay more attention to preschool education than American parents

B. Japan’s economic success is a result of its scientific achievements

C. Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic in??struction

D. Japan’s higher education is better than theirs

6. Most American respondents believe that preschools should also attach

importance to ________.

A. problem solvingw。        B. group experience

C. parental guidancew。      D. individually oriented development

7. In Japan’s preschool education, the focus is on ________.

A. preparing children academically    B. developing children’s artistic interests

C. tapping children’s potentialw。     D. shaping children’s character

8. Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens?

A. They can do better in their future studies.

B. They can gain more group experience there.

C. They can be individually oriented when they grow up.

D. They can have better chances of getting a first-rate edu??cation.

The boy the teachers considered ________failed in the final exam, ________ surprised them very much.

A. to be the best; which                       B. as the best student; that

C. to have been studying well; it           D. such as a good student; which