In Britain all children have to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16. In the US children must go to school from the age of 6 to the ages between 14 and 16, depending on the state they live in.

　　In England and Wales the subjects taught in schools are laid down by the National Curriculum, which was introduced in 1988 and sets out in detail the subjects that children should study and the levels of achievement they should reach by the ages of 7, 11, 14, and 16, when they are tested.

　　The National Curriculum does not apply in Scotland, where each school decides what subjects it will teach.

　　In the US the subjects taught are decided by national and local governments.

　　Whereas British schools usually have prayers and religious instructions, American schools are not allowed to include prayers or to teach particular religious beliefs.

　　At 16, students in England and Wales take GCSE examinations. These examinations are taken by students of all levels of ability in any of a range of subjects, and may involve a final examination, an assessment of work done during the two-year course, or both of these things. At 18 some students take A-level examinations. usually in not more than 3 subjects. It is necessary to have A-levels in order to go to a university of polytechnic.

　　In Scotland students take the SCE examinations. A year later, they can take examinations called Highers, after which they can either go straight to a university or spend a further year at school and take the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies. In Scotland the university system is different from that in England and Wales. Courses usually last four years rather than three, and students study a large number of subjects as part of their degree.

(1) According to the passage, children have to go to school between the ages of ________ in both Britain and the US.

[　　]

(2) In which parts of the world are the subjects taught only decided by the nation?

[　　]

(3) As for the A-level examination, it involves ________.

[　　]

(4) Which of the following can be inferred from this passage?

[　　]

A．In the US, only local government can decide the subjects.

B．In Scotland, students can take either the SCE examinations or the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies.

C．In England, Wales and Scotland, students need to study religion.

D．As for a 16-year-old student in England and Wales, he has to take both GCSE examinations and final examination.

  If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.

The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives—the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因)engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do—as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.

  It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送)electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read—sports and international news, etc. .

        I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something  just  on  a screen.

1..

. What is the best title for the passage?

A The Best Way to Get News

B The Changes of Media

C  Make Your Own Newspaper

D The Future of Newspaper

2..

In the writer’s opinion, in the future,_____.

A. more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news

B. newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer

C newspapers will cover more scientific research

D more and more people will watch TV

3..

 From the passage, we can infer____.

A newspapers will win the competition among the different media

B newspapers will stay with us together with other media

C television will take the place of newspaper

D the writer believes some media will die out

4..

. The phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means____.

A depend on         B compete with                    C fight with        D kill off

Half a century ago, during the Sino-Japanese War, I was a student at National Southwest Associated University at Kunming in southern China, Lectures were often accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain on the tin roofs of the classrooms; that mud floors were full of holes; and wind blew through paneless windows. As for the library, it was a bare skeleton. A good reference book was used for years and journals usually arrived after a couple of years’ delay.
But despite such hardship, I had the best of my student days in Kunming. Although we were short of research materials, we were uncompromising（坚定的）in our pursue of knowledge and truth. I spent six years at Southwest and obtained my first and second degrees in physics here. I still value those days fervently. In fact it was at Southwest that I first came across Reader’s Digest. To me, the magazine’s insistence on perfection both in style and accuracy—as well as its celebration of life even in the face of hardship—is similar to the values I learned at Southwest.
Later, I went to the United States to study under Enrich Ferimi, the famous physicist who directed the world’s first nuclear chain reaction. One of the first things Ferimi emphasized to me was that physics shouldn’t be so overwhelming（压倒性的）that it is beyond the average man. Physics research, he said, should be connected with our daily lives and physicists should devote most of their efforts to solving practical problems. I couldn’t agree more. Indeed, I think this simple, close-to-life.
Approach applies other attempts too. Reader’s Digest is highly informative, but it is easy to read, and easy to understand, never exaggerating or mystifying. This truthful, down-to earth quality is what I treasure now.
【小题1】What is the author?

If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles． He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought． It’s nothing personal． Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．

But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius． In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities． More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries． These schools teach both Chinese language and culture． The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy． Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy． Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese． So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States． Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers． 

So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is．

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______．

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_______．

3.What is the best title for the passage?

4.The passage is likely to appear in _______．