My Experience in a Free School

At first I couldn’t believe it! There were no ___1___ in rows; no bells rang; no one had to go to ___2___. Although we all lived 搃n? ___3___ made us go to bed at a certain time; there was no 搇ights out?

The ___4___ thing was that practically all the students went to class, ___5___ very few people stayed up late at night. Only the new people stayed up or ___6___ class. The new ones always went wild ___7___, but this never lasted long. The ___8___ took some getting used to. Our teachers treated us like ___9___; never did we have to ___10___ “stand up”, “sit down”, “speak out”. I don’t ___11___ one student who didn’t try his best.

The subjects were the same as those in ___12___ school, but what a difference in the approach(方式)! For example, in botany(植物学) we had ___13___ classes in the spring or fall, but instead we ___14___ two gardens, a vegetable garden and a flower garden. ___15___ in winter we each studied a few ___16___ things about what we had grown. In math the students built three different kinds of storerooms ?small ones ___17___, but usable. They did this instead of having lessons in the classroom. They really had a ___18___ time too, designing everything, drawing the blueprints, ___19___ the angles(角度) and so on. I didn’t take ___20___. I can’t stand it! Besides, I could do the basic things with numbers. That’s ___21___!

___22___ I think I am a ___23___ person for having gone to the school. I can read and write as well as anyone else my age, and I can think better. That’s probably a real big ___24___ between the free school and regular school ?the amount of ___25___.

1. A. desks     B. lights  C. students      D. buildings

2. A. home     B. bed     C. class   D. work

3. A. anybody B. nobody      C. teachers      D. parents

4. A. sad B. last     C. good   D. strange

5. A. and B. but     C. so       D. yet

6. A. attended B. took    C. missed       D. studied

7. A. from then on B. at first C. once more  D. just then

8. A. freedom B. habit   C. time    D. people

9. A. workers  B. pupils C. gardeners   D. grown-ups

10. A. understand   B. study  C. play    D. say

11. A. hear from    B. feel like     C. think about D. know of

12. A. night    B. regular       C. small  D. real

13. A. all B. short   C. no      D. indoor

14. A. planted B. studied       C. drew   D. toured

15. A. Still     B. Then   C. Yet     D. Next

16. A. wild     B. successful   C. usual   D. particular

17. A. as well B. after a whileC. of course   D. as a result

18. A. funny   B. great   C. convenient  D. thoughtful

19. A. looking out  B. taking out   C. finding out D. figuring out

20. A. math    B. care    C. botany       D. notice

21. A. dull      B. interesting  C. enough       D. dangerous

22. A. On the whole      B. Once again C. Sooner or later   D. After a while

23. A. careful B. better  C. busier D. lovely

24. A. problem      B. chance       C. difference   D. change

25. A. reading B. gardening   C. teaching     D. thinking

Name: Off the Beaten Path

Cover price: $30.00

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The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.

Name: Container Gardens by Number

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A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.

Name: Best Weekend Projects

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Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.

Name: l80l Home Remedies

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Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.

Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters(水泡) to allergies(过敏), and hiccups(打嗝).

You can most probably read the passage in a ___________.

A. newspaper  B. travel guide              C. reference book         D. textbook

How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?

A. $6.46                B. $l0. 20                    C.$l3.96                  D. $l9.8

Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor? [来源:

A. Off the Beaten Path.                       B. Container Gardens by Number.

C. l80l Home Remedies.                                   D. Best Weekend Projects.

What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To share his opinion about the books with readers.

B. To advise readers to read more in spare time.

C. To share the pleasure of reading with readers.

D. To advise readers to buy their books.

I then listened to the boy ______ the person written on the blackboard.

A) being read          B) to read    C) reading     D) read

He found his uncle　　 the reading of a workers? newspaper.

A.absorbing　　　　　　　　　　　　B.absorbed

C.buried　　　　　　　　　　　　　D.absorbed in

The average person learns most of the 30 000～40 000 words whose meanings he or she recognizes by hearing them or getting familiar with them in the context or simply absorbing them without conscious(意识到的) effort. The best way to build a good vocabulary, therefore, is to read a great deal and to participate in a lot of good talks. There are relatively few words that we learn permanently(永久的)by purposefully referring to dictionaries or keeping word lists. However, even those extra few are of value, and no one will make a mistake by working on developing a larger vocabulary. Here are some suggestions of how to do it.

Read plenty of good books. When you come across a new word, or a new meaning of an old word, stop and see if you can understand it from its context. If you can't, and if you can manage without interrupting the thought of the book too much, look it up in a dictionary or ask somebody and then repeat its meaning to yourself a couple of times. If you are really conscientious(认真的), write the word and its meaning in a personal vocabulary list — preferably using it in a sentence, or you can keep a special vocabulary notebook. Go over the list from time to time. Further, try to use a new word in writing or conversation a few times over the next several days.

Listen to good talks and be alert to new words you hear or to new meanings of words you already know. Then treat them just as you treat the new words you read.

Learn and be alert to the parts of words: prefixes, suffixes and roots. Knowing them enables you to make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words.

If you are studying a foreign language, be alert to words in that language which relate to words in English. English has inherited(继承) or borrowed much of its vocabulary of 500 000～600 000 words from Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German.

1. When you meet a new word in reading, what should you do?

A. Guess its meaning.                       B. Ask somebody.

C. Look it up in a dictionary.                     D. All of the above.

2. According to this passage, the best way to build a good vocabulary is _______.

A. to remember a lot                          B. to read a great deal

C. to take part in a lot of good talks            D. both B and C

3. The phrase “be alert to” in the third paragraph may best be replaced by “_______”.

A. look at                                        B. pay attention to 

C. write down                                  D. learn by heart

4. In the fourth paragraph, the word “them” refers to _______.

A. the parts of words                          B. prefixes

C. suffixes                                         D. roots