Is early childhood education really necessary? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical, sensory, communicational and social development．Early childhood education has become a concern of the government, who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for Kindergarten．

There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education．Studies have shown that orphaned children who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school, and even in life．Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school, less likely to end up in Special Education classes, and are less likely to receive public help or go to jail．

There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early．Time Magazine online explains that “the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work．” I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school．Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school, the better off he or she is, so they push to start children earlier．

Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years, studies also show that this head start is really a “false start”, as the gains are lost in middle and high school years．It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life’s success than early education．Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children．Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap．

The purpose of the government valuing the early childhood education is ________．

A．to develop the children’s communication

B．to give orphaned children good care and education

C．to get the children prepared for the kindergarten

D．to train the children formally and regularly

According to the studies, which of the following is True?

A．Children with good early education may have a rich life．

B．The orphaned children are usually unhappy in their life．

C．Children without early education can do well at school．

D．Head Start programs are helpful to the poor children．

“the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work．” suggests that _________．

A．the early childhood education is helpless to the child’s grade

B．it is good for the young children to receive early education

C．the early education can help the children follow the grade

D．the younger the children are, the cleverer they will be

The author’s attitude toward the early childhood education is _________．

A．puzzling             B．objective   C．indifferent      D．approving

The main idea of the last passage is that __________．

A．the early childhood education is very necessary

B．Head Start programs have helped the children a lot

C．environment is the most important to life’s success

D．better ways should be found to help the poor children

第二卷（共23分）
第一节 单词拼写（共10小题；每小题0.5分，满分5分）
1.In American English, an e___________ is what carries people up and down inside buildings.
2.In summer, when a thunderstorm comes up, there is always l____________ and thunder.
3.If you c____________ someone to do something, you order them to do it.
4.More and more American people have moved from old rooms into new _____________(公寓).
5.He sent a s___________ of stamps as my birthday gift.
6.She walked four ______________(街区) down High Street.
7. ---My daughter has passed the exam.
--- C_________________! She is really intelligent.
8. She is so ____________(痴狂) about English that she cannot live without it.
9. A dead body was found under the bridge, but it was hard to determine the ___________(身份).
10.She ________________(更喜欢) the red dress to the green one because it fits me better.

Michelle Obama is the first lady of American fashion, appearing on the cover of the March issue of Vogue.

Every first lady since Lou Hoover—except Bess Truman—has been appeared in the high-fashion magazine, but Mrs. Obama is only the second to appear on the cover. She appears wearing a silk dress by Jason Wu.

Vogue’s editor Andre Leon Tally recalled his interviews with Mrs. Obama ahead of US president Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony（就职典礼）. “One of the best experiences of my life .” “She is so easily reached, natural and normal.” he said.

Mrs. Obama described her role as “Mom in chief” to 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. “I’m going to try to take them to school every morning, as much as I can,” she said. “But there’s also a measure of freedom. And clearly there will be time I won’t be able to drop them off at all. I like to appear in my kids’ school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents.”

Being in Vogue, though, the chat finally turns to clothes. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t care about it,” she said. “But I also have to be very practical. Someone will always not like what you wear---people just have different tastes. ”

Most cover models have their clothes chosen for them by Vogue, or at least editors work as advisers. Not this time. “She doesn’t need any help. She loves fashion and knows what works for her,” Talley said. “She has never had a talk with me about, ‘What do you think?’ or ‘How does this like?’ And I’m glad for that.”

45. From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 we know____.

A. every first lady has appeared on the cover of Vogue

B. only Bess Truman has appeared on the cover of Vogue

C. only two first ladies have appeared on the cover of Vogue

D. only Mrs. Obama has appeared on the cover of Vogue

46. From the forth paragraph we know Mrs. Obama ____.

A. loves their daughters very much

B. likes to do housework very much

C. likes to do all for her husband

D. has nothing to do after daughters go to school

47. From the last paragraph we know Mrs. Obama ____.

A. is a woman of kindness

B. has her own sense of beauty and idea

C. herself is a clothes designer and model

D. doesn’t like to be watched changing clothes

48. Which of the following is the best title?

A. First ladies of Vogue Cover Model

B. First Lady Michelle Obama Read Vogue Too

C. First Ladies Like to be Vogue Cover Model

D. First Lady Michelle Obama Is Vogue Cover Model

Two worlds come together

Imagine landing in a foreign country where you cannot speak the language, understand the culture and don’t know anybody. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend who could help you out?

John Smith, an English explorer who landed in America in 1607, found the best friend ever. She was a Native American named Pocahontas (1595-1617). And she did more than teach Smith the language: she saved his life, twice.   

Smith was captured(捕获) by members of Pocahontas’s tribe (部落) and was going to be killed. But for some reason, the Chief’s daughter, Pocahontas, felt sorry for Smith (who was probably the first white man she had ever seen) and threw her body over his to protect him. Smith returned safely to the small village he was living in.

During the winter the English settlers did not know how to get food from nature. Pocahontas often brought food for Smith and his friends.

A year later Pocahontas’s father tried to kill Smith again because the Native Americans were very scared the English would try to take over their land. Pocahontas warned him and he was able to escape.

Later she became a Christian and eventually married an Englishman named John Rolfe.

She spent the last year of her life in London.

Pocahontas has become an American legend. Her life story has been re-created in many books and films, including Disney’s 1995 film, Pocahontas.

One of the reasons she is so popular is that many Europeans look at Pocahontas as an excellent example of how a minority can adjust into the majority. Pocahontas is also respected because of her selfless love. She proved that people can be kind and loving even to people of a different race or culture. John Smith was very different from Pocahontas but she could see he was a good man and that was all that mattered. No race or country owns goodness, love and loyalty.

1. What difficulties might early European settlers meet in America EXCEPT ________?

A. the fierce conflict with Native Americans   B. bad-tempered natives who enjoyed killing

C. unfamiliarity with a foreign land          D. lack of food in winter

2. Pocahontas saved John Smith twice because ______.

A. he was the first white man she had ever seen in her life

B. she wanted to become a Christian and marry an Englishman

C. she believed in general kindness even to people of a different race

D. she was on the settlers’ side and against her cruel father

3. According to the text, Europeans think Pocahontas _____.

A. was brave to break away from her own tribe       

B. set a good example for other natives to accept the white settlers  

C. was a selfless Christian who can love her enemy

D. was open to a more advanced culture

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A. The battles between early settlers and Native Americans resulted from their fighting for land.

B. The Europeans think the early settlers should have learned to adjust to the local cultures.

C. The creation of America is based on the settlers’ victory over the Native Americans.

D. People from different cultures can never really get along well with each other.

She is so _____ that she cried for days when her pet rabbit died.

A. sensitive  B. sensible  C. imaginative  D.impressive