President Obama's plan to improve former president George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program is an improvement on a good thing. But it doesn't go far enough.

     Obama outlined a goal that by 2020, all grade school and high school students are on a path toward college.

     However, what we need is a practical plan that not only requires all high school graduates to take at least two years of college but also makes it financially possible for them to do so. We've provided a free public education through the 12th grade. If we're going to keep up—or catch up——with some other countries (like China) in preparing young people for careers, a 12-year education programme no longer is enough.

     About 3 million students across the US will graduate from high school this spring. But only 2 million will go on to college, according to a survey by the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCFES). For the more than 1 million who won't go on, money is a main reason. If tuition(学费) were free, about half of them could make up other costs from family or part-time jobs.

     Critics (批评家) of free college tuition will say we can't afford it because of the federal deficit (联邦赤字) and other rising costs. Let's see some government spending in detail:

     In the last nearly 10 years, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us $ 1,000 billion. Federal money which was spent on public primary and secondary education in the last year for which figures are available was $ 47 billion. If we end costly and unnecessary wars and nation-building efforts abroad, the federal government could provide more money on public education, for which state and governments now carry most of the burden.

What's the program No Child Left Behind about this year?

All children being taken good care of by the government.

All grade school and high school students receiving college education.

No child being left alone at home.

All children having good jobs in the future.

The author probably agrees that President Obama's plan ________.

has nothing to do with George W. Bush's program.

will surely succeed in ten years

is about 12-year education for all the children

doesn't contain practical measures(措施) to achieve its goal

If tuition were not paid for, about ________ American students could afford college education.

What can we learn from the passage?

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were necessary.

The federal government has enough money for the plan.

Critics of free tuition think highly of the plan.

Obama's plan might be difficult to carry out.

    The use of the word imitation（模仿） reminds me that we ought to make some more comments on the risk of people imitating what they see on the screen in the way of crime（犯罪） or violence．First there was always a risk of children acting out scenes which could be dangerous．For example,I remember a woman who was head of a middle school telling me that she had happened to look out of her window when the children were on the playground and had seen them putting a small boy on a chair with a rope round his neck and the rope over the branch of a tree;fortunately she was in time to get there before the child was hanged．I remember a film in particular in which the hero who was imprisoned had escaped by electrocuting（通电触死） his guard,the technique of doing this being shown in detail．This was the kind of scene which we could cut for these reasons．

    In films for young people and adults we always tried to keep off the screen the details of criminal techniques,such as how to open a locked door with a piece of hard plastic or how to open a safe;if we were consulted（请教） before production,I used to advise that the details should not be shown．When I gave talks in prisons about film checking I had full support for this,since fathers who were in prison for criminal offences did not want their children to get on crime．

    Every time I gave a talk in a prison someone used to mention the French film Rififi．made by Jules Dassin in 1954．This remarkable film showed in great detail a robbery of a jeweller’s shop,the robbery lasting about half an hour and being backed by only natural sound．．．one of the most brilliant film sequences（连续镜头） of all time．I remember our discussion at the time．We thought that the robbery was finished only with the use of advanced and obviously expensive equipment and that only the most experienced and skilled criminals could possibly imitate it;we believed therefore that it was relatively safe．When talking in prisons some years later I learned that there had been several robberies in which the techniques had been copied,so perhaps we were wrong．

1.The writer thinks that______．

    A．the details of the criminal technique should be kept

    B．the details of the crime should not be shown on the screen

    C．children should not imitate what they see on the screen

    D．it is dangerous to imitate what they see on the screen

2.What is the writer’s attitude（态度） towards the film in which the hero had escaped by electrocuting the guard?

    A．The writer likes it very much．                   

    B．The writer is strongly against it．

    C．The writer thinks the film has some value．       

    D．The writer does not show his/her attitude．

3.All the following statements about“Rififi”are true EXCEPT______．

    A．that the robbery shown needs experience and skills

    B．that some very good tools were used in the robbery

    C．that the film showed the technique in detail

    D．that the technique of the robbery was not imitated

4.It can be inferred from the passage that______．

    A．it is hard for children to tell the differences between real life and the imaginary

    B．only people in prison support film checking

    C．only children imitate what they have seen on the screen

    D．the writer used to advise the details of crime should be shown

阅读下面短文,根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填人最恰当的单词。 注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views. It’s a nice way of gaining a lot of knowledge and views on a topic, or situation that we aren’t either aware of, or haven’t really looked into in detail. It makes you more able to think critically and more confident in speaking. In addition, it helps in appreciating tolerance of others’ opinion and improves your listening skills.

A debate requires one to know how to use words and intelligence to overcome his or her opposing team members. To give great arguments during a debate, first you need to get your facts right. To make what you have in material for a debate contain facts, don’t just depend on the Internet, especially avoid just referring to one website for all your information. You are also required to refer to books, and make sure they’re authors of a high degree, since their materials have reference notes and extensive research projects done on what they are covering.

Second, you should be full of confidence. You need to show that you’re sure of what you’re saying , and point out how flawed their comeback arguments were. The only way to do this is to thoroughly know your material before heading on out to a debate session. Know your statistics, know your history and above all know names, dates and places. Make key notes to refer to. Don’t stammer (口吃), and also don’t level your gaze with your opponent or the rest of them. All this will help you keep confident.

At last, by no means should you lose your calmness, but keep your voice firm and raised enough to sound calm. A good team member should know how to keep his emotions in control as well as keep others under control in his/ her team.

第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）

第一节  阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

In the dining room of my grandfather's house stood a giant grandfather clock．Meals in that dining room were a time for four generations to become one．The table was always spread with food containing love as the main ingredient．And that grandfather clock stood like an old family friend, watching over the laughter that was a part of our lives.

As a child, the old clock fascinated me．I watched and listened to it during meals．Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather's routine．He wound (上发条) that clock with a special key carefully each day．That key was magic to me．It kept our family's magnificent clock ticking and chiming．I remember watching as my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the clock．He inserted the key and wound — not too much, nor too little．He never let that clock wind down and stop．He showed us grandchildren how to open the door and let us each take turns winding the key．I remember the first time I did it I was so excited to be part of this family routine．

After my grandfather died, it was days after the funeral before I remembered the clock!

"Mama! The clock! We've let it wind down."

The tears flowed freely when I entered the dining room．The clock stood there quiet．It even seemed smaller without my grandfather's special touch.

Some time later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key．The old house was quiet．No laughter over the dinner table, no ticking or chiming of the clock — all was still．I took the key in my shaking hand and opened the clock door．All of a sudden, I was a child again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and blue eyes．He was there, winking at me, at the secret of the clock's magic, at the key that held so much power.

I stood, lost in the moment for a long time．Then slowly and carefully I inserted the key and wound the clock．It came back to life．Tick-tock, tick-tock, life and chimes were breathed into the dining room, into the house and into my heart．In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather lived again.

1．Why does the writer say the table was always spreading with food containing love as the main ingredient?

         A．The food was delicious and tasty.

         B．The meal was made by his dear grandparents

         C．The whole family talked about the love of each other over meals.

         D．Four generations lived joyfully and harmoniously to become one.

2．By describing Grandfather’s routine in detail in the 2nd paragraph, the writer expresses___________.

         A．It’s troublesome to make the clock work.

         B．It’s a fantastic thing to play with the clock.

         C．He greatly misses his late grandfather

         D．His grandfather had a preference for the clock.

3．What kinds of mood are shown in the essay?

         A．Sad and hopeful                   B．desperate and hopeful

         C．Heart-broken and hopeless        D．cheerful and hopeful