Speaking in his first National Day Rally speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien said Singapore’s education system was set for more reforms in the years ahead, particularly for the primary and secondary education．Read the summary of his thoughts on education below．

For a start, the Government is prepared to send and additional 3,000 teachers to Singapore schools, cut the courses of study even further and change the way the mother tongue, especially Chinese, is taught．But, for the changes to be successful, parents need to help．

Singapore has a devoted group of teachers and principals and quite a few of them are outstanding, but the Republic’s schools can be even better．To help the schools make a jump in quality, the Government plans that within the next 6 years, it will send 1,000 more teachers to primary schools, 1,400 to secondary schools and 550 more to junior colleges．Each school would decide how to use its extra teachers．Some may want to make classes smaller so students get more individual attentions while others may have new teachers assist more senior teachers, but the overall goal is to give teachers the time and space to come up with ways to bring out the best in their students．

More teachers must not mean more homework, however．In fact, the Prime Minister wants to see the courses cut down so that there is less pressure on the students．Good grades are important but they should not be the only goal students have．PM Lee is convinced that “we must teach less so that our children can learn more．”

Another change will be in the teaching of the mother tongue so that students can become more fluent．The key is to teach Chinese as a living language not just an academic subject like Latin．Therefore, the focus should be on speaking and reading the language．To do this, there must be an environment outside the classroom that is contributing to strengthening the Chinese lessons．

1.The text is mainly about         in Singapore．

        A．the education reform         B．adding more teachers

         C．the mother tongue             D．ways of teaching

2.The general goal of using extra teachers is to          ．

         A．make classes smaller         B．assist more senior teachers

         C．teach more                  D．help teachers improve teaching quality

3.PM Lee holds that the students should         ．

         A．do more homework           B．give up higher grades

         C．study more courses      D．be given more time to learn more

4.The key to teaching Chinese well is to          ．

        A．make it academic                    B．have a creative environment

         C．give more Chinese lessons        D．encourage speaking and reading a lot

．—Have you read the book Oliver Twist?

—Who_______it?

语音知识（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

    从A、B、C、D四个选项中，找出其划线部分与所给单词的划线部分读音相同的选项。

sudden    A．support  B．umbrella  C．bush    D．university

handkerchief  A．think    B．dangerous  C．husband  D．handbag

great     A．break B．feather C．league    D．real

soft      A．tongue   B．consider   C．comb      D．geography

headache   A．merchant  B．chief     C．chemistry D．machine

语音知识（共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分）

从A、B、C、D四个选项中，找出划线部分与所给单词划线部分读音相同的选项。

1. anger 

A. single         B. young                C. tongue           D. strength

2. prove 

A. stone          B. route                C. stove                D. hook

3. journey

A. merchant       B. courtyard            C. energy           D. serious

4. animal 

A. ache           B. anything         C. advance          D. anxious

5. watched

A. judged         B. refused          C. worked           D. wanted

Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．

Recite and repeat in conversation．

    When you hear a person’s name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat．

    You can let other people help you remember their names．After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names．

    Admit you don’t know．

    Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say．“I’m working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again?”

    Use associations．

    Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair.” To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

     Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

     When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

     Go early.

     Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.

1.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

 A. They will be moved.                B. They will be annoyed.

C. They will be delighted.              D. They will be discouraged.

2.If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

   A. tell him the truth                   B. tell him a white lie

   C. ask him for pity                    D. ask others to help you

3.When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

   A. all their names                     B. a couple of names first

   C. just their last names                 D. as many names as possible

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

   A. Tips on an important social skill.      B. Importance of attending parties.

C. How to make use of associations.      D. How to recite and repeat names.