I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family tried to 31 an ant farm at home. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we brought some ants from the backyard and placed them into the 32 home.

Shortly after the new 33 were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew 34 what to do. After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had particular given jobs. With my mom’s help, I kept a journal of what happened each day and 　35 the ants. My favorite was the biggest, Cinderella. I drew a picture of her in my journal, which I still have.

On day five a disaster 36 the ant farm. While I was 37 the ants, I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally tipped it over, 　38 in all the tunnels. Although the ants 39 their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was 40 as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of “frustration”—feeling annoyed and impatient as they couldn’t control the situation. They simply could not 41 the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed. Cinderella was the last to die; she did so while carrying a dead ant on her back.

Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, 　42 it taught me much more. 43 the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of 44 . Working together, they were able to create a(n) 45 world for themselves. I also learned that they should be 46 for their hard work. Day in and day out, each labored at their task. The ant farm demonstrated that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key 47 to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not 48 until recently: Disaster is a natural part of life, and must be 49 . Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face 50 . Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in, we just have to build another.

31. A. create　 　　　　　　 B. purchase　 　　　　　　 C. maintain　　 　　　　　　 D. abandon

32. A. empty　 　　　　　　 B. new　 　　　　　　　　　　 C. strange　　　 　　　　　　 D. distant

33. A. guests　 　　　　　　 B. settlers　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 C. friends　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. members

34. A. probably　　 　　　 B. roughly　　 　　　　　　 C. exactly　　　 　　　　　　 D. normally

35. A. named 　　　　　　 B. trained　　　 　　　 　　　 C. compared 　　　　　　 D. measured

36. A. affected　　　 　　　　　　 B. struck 　　　　　　　　　　 C. kicked 　　　　　　　　　　 D. beat

37. A. removing　　 　　　 B. teaching　　 　　　　　　 C. observing　 　　　　　　 D. collecting

38. A. turning 　　　　　　 B. rushing　　　 　　　　　　 C. filling　　　　 　　　 　　　 D. caving

39. A. experienced 　　　 B. predicted　 　　　　　　 C. faced 　　　　　　　　　　 D. survived

40. A. annoyed　　　 　　　 B. horrified　　 　　　　　　 C. moved　　　　　　 　　　 　　　 D. thrilled

41. A. reflect　 　　　　　　 B. ignore 　　　　　　　　　　 C. confirm 　 　　　　　　 D. stand

42. A. and　　　 　　　　　　 B. but　　 　　　　　　　　　　 C. so　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. or

43. A. In 　　　　　　　　　　 B. For　　 　　　　　　　　　　 C. From 　　　　　　　　　　 D. Over

44. A. teamwork 　 　　　 B. devotion　　 　　　　　　 C. responsibility　　 　　　 D. organization

45. A. relaxing 　　　　　　 B. amusing　　 　　　　　　 C. moving 　 　　　　　　 D. amazing

46. A. supported　　 　　　 B. inspired　　 　　　　　　 C. admired　　 　　　　　　 D. admitted

47. A. certificates　 　　　 B. approaches 　　　　　　 C. ingredients 　　　 　　　 D. circumstances　

48. A. give　　 　　　　　　 B. realize 　　　　　　　　　　 C. take　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. adopt

49. A. accepted　　 　　　 B. suffered　　 　　　　　　 C. achieved 　 　　　　　　 D. managed

50. A. anxiety 　　　　　　 B. confusion　 　　　　　　 C. pressure　　 　　　　　　 D. disappointment

Eight-year-old Bethany and seven-year-old Eliza are having a great time jumping around in the orchard of their home in a village near Penrith. They can play any time they like because they don't go to school. Instead, they are educated at home by their parents, Paul and Veronika Robinson. But they don't have lessons, have never used a timetable and learn only what and when they want to learn. .www..com

“I want my kids to have freedom in their childhood, not spend it in an institution," says 37-year-old Veronika, "School is all about control and following the rules." Veronika and her 56-year-old husband Paul have never experienced the daily rush to get dressed and out of the door that is common in most households with school-aged children. "We get up at our leisure - usually around 8:30," says Veronika. "We might visit a friend, or go to the library, and on Tuesdays we shop at the market. In summer, we spend most of our time outside and the girls entertain themselves a lot.” .www..com

New research due to be published this spring reveals a very different picture of Britain's home educators. "Out of 297 families, 184 said that they never use a timetable,” says Mike Fortune-Wood of Home Education UK. "Ninety per cent never or rarely use textbooks, and nearly all said that happiness, contentment and self-fulfillment were more important than academic achievement. Only 15% felt that planning what to learn was very important.” .www..com

So far, so good. But what, you might ask, are the children actually learning?

"It wasn't important to me that the girls could read by a certain age, but they both picked it up for themselves at around seven," says Robinson. "Weighing cooking ingredients uses maths, and making a shopping list teaches them to write. Observing five hens has taught the girls about survival of the fittest. "

But what about when the children grow up? Can they go to university? The home educators' answer is they can if they want to. There are a variety of routes into higher education, but probably the most common is to join a local college. This is what Gus Harris-Reid has done. "I was educated at home all my life. I'd never had a lesson or been inside a classroom until I started GCSEs," says the 18-year-old. "I'm now studying for 4 A-levels at Exeter Colle ge. I've had no problem with the work or with fitting in." When asked to reflect on his experience of home education, his considered response is, "Like a permanent holiday, really!" Not a bad start for someone who plans to take a mechanical engineering degree next year. .www..com

What is the topic of this article?

　　A. New ways of learning to read and write   B. Problems with UK schools

　　C. Home education in the UK                    D. Wild, undisciplined children

According to the article, in homes with school-going children, ______.

　　A. mornings are rushed and stressful.

　　B. the children hardly ever go outside.

　　C. the family wakes up around 8:30am.

　　D. the children must ask permission to go to the toilet.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A. Most home educators believe that happiness is more important than good grades.

　　B. Most home educators believe that planning is important.

　　C. Most home educators do not follow a timetable or use textbooks.

　　D. Most home educators are not worried about when their children learn to read and write.

What does the article say about home-educated children getting into university?

　　A. They learn so many useful skills at home that universities are happy to accept them.

　　B. They can get into university if they have 4 A-levels.

　　C. They can go to school later and get the qualifications they need in order to enter university.

D. Home education is so relaxed that they are likely to experience problems when faced with the pressures of a degree course.

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile(敌意的)person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.

Mirrors have a very particular　 __36__. They reflect the image in front of them. Just as a　 __37__　 mirror works as the vehicle to reflection, __38__　 do all of the people in our lives.

When we see something beautiful such as a flower garden, that garden　 __39__　 a reflection. When we love someone，it's a(n)　 __40__　 of loving ourselves. We have often heard things like “I love how I am when I'm with that person”. That simply　 __41__　 into “I'm able to love me when I love that other person”.　 __42__， when we meet someone new, we feel as though we “click”. Sometimes it's as if we've　 __43__　 each other for a long time. That feeling can come from　 __44__　 similarities.

Just as the “mirror” or other people can be a positive reflection，it is more likely that we'll　 __45__ it when it has a negative connotation(内涵).　 __46__，it's easy to remember the times when we have met someone we're not particularly　 __47__　 about. We may have some criticism(批评)in our mind about the　 __48__. This is especially true when we get to know someone with whom we would rather spend　 __49__　 time.

Often, when we　 __50__　 qualities in other people, ironically(讽刺地), it's usually the mirror that's　 __51__　 to us.

At times we meet someone　 __52__　 and feel distant disconnected, or disgusted.　 __53__　 we don't want to believe it，and it's not easy or　 __54__　 to look further，it can be a great learning lesson to　 __55__　 what part of the person is being reflected in you. It's simply just another way to create more self?awareness.

36．A.target　 　 　　 B．style　　　C．function　　 D．color

37．A.medical 　 B．physical C．chemical 　　 D．mental

38．A.so 　 B．then 　C．nor 　　　 D．neither

39．A.focuses on 　　 B．applies to C．works with 　 D．serves as

40．A.reward 　 B．evaluation C．reflection 　　 D．example

41．A.grows　 　 B．translates C．enters 　 D．falls

42．A.Obviously 　　　 B．Strangely C．Fortunately 　 D．Frequently

43．A.known　 　 B．supported C．observed 　　 D．recognized

44．A.creating 　 B．lacking C．sharing D．comparing

45．A.ignore　 　 B．keep C．take 　　 D．notice

46．A.In brief 　 B．In addition C．For example D．As usual

47．A.crazy　 　　 B．anxious C．upset　 　 D．concerned

48．A.time B．mirror C．garden D．person

49．A.less B．amazingC．more 　　 D．valuable

50．A.appreciate 　　　 B．dislike C．describe 　　　 D．discover

51．A.shouting B．shining C．speaking D．pointing

52．A.new　 　　 B．nervous C．familiar D．friendly

53．A.If　 　 B．Although C．Since 　 D．Once

54．A.terrible 　　 B．noble C．reliable D．desirable

55．A.figure out　 　　 B．take out C．put out D．give out