第二节 任务型读写(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

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

Setting off firecrackers(爆竹) is the happiest part of the Spring Festival for most Chinese kids, which is the typical Chinese custom. While setting off firecrackers can bring kids so much fun, these firecrackers can also be a danger. Therefore, many Chinese big cities including Beijing began to ban them in the 1980s. Such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities because the government considered it was not safe, and polluted the air. As a replacement, some buy tapes with firecracker sounds to listen to, some break little balloons to get the sound too, while others buy firecracker handicrafts(手工制品) to hang in the living room.

However, a few years ago the ban on firecrackers was cancelled（取消）. Hearing the news, many kids were wild with joy.

According to Chinese custom, lighting firecrackers is a must during the Spring Festival. People believe the sound of the firecrackers drives away bad luck for the coming year. Their beautiful colors and sound also bring much excitement during this most important traditional Chinese festival.

 Since the ban, people complained that the Spring Festival was too quiet and not traditional enough. Children lost the fun and grown-ups lost their childhood memories.

Some even worried that if the ban continued, the next generation would only know the custom of lighting firecrackers through books. This would be a great loss for tradition. So in recent years, many cities have brought back the old custom.

However, every year there are kids injured by setting off fireworks in a dangerous way. So while enjoying yourself, please keep safety in mind..

Don’t light fireworks among crowds, inside a bottle or with a part of your body right over it.

No matter how much fun firecrackers are, the most important thing is to keep away from danger. We wish every kid an exciting and safe Spring Festival!

第二节任务型阅读(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。

Recently 3 kinds of foods are very popular in the US.

Convenience Foods

Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. There are also many canned convenience foods, such as soups and vegetables.

Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like cuisine or washing dishes. But they often cost more money than fresh, unprepared foods and may contain man-made additives. Also they don't taste as good as home cooked foods.

Health Foods

In the 1960s, a "back-to-the earth" movement was started by young people in the US. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. Many people now prefer natural and organic foods to the prepared foods sold in food stores.

Diet Foods

These, days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet foods as diet soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. However, some of the diet foods are unbelievable. There are tricks in their advertisements.

第二节任务型阅读(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。

Recently 3 kinds of foods are very popular in the US.

Convenience Foods

Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. There are also many canned convenience foods, such as soups and vegetables.

Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like cuisine or washing dishes. But they often cost more money than fresh, unprepared foods and may contain man-made additives. Also they don't taste as good as home cooked foods.

Health Foods

In the 1960s, a "back-to-the earth" movement was started by young people in the US. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. Many people now prefer natural and organic foods to the prepared foods sold in food stores.

Diet Foods

These, days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet foods as diet soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. However, some of the diet foods are unbelievable. There are tricks in their advertisements.

第四部分写作(共两节，满分20分)

  第一节任务型读写(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

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

In a society, such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism-the difference among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students don't memorize information. Instead, they work individually and find answers themselves. There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.

In most Asian societies, by contrast, people have the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the Orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea often work together and help one another in assignments. In the classroom, the teaching methods are often very formal. The teacher lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion. Instead, the students recite rules of information that they have memorized.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these systems of education. For example, one advantage to the system in Japan is that there much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.

The advantage of the educational system in North American, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.

Title：  66   of Educational System between North America and Asia

第四部分  写作(共两节，满分35分

第一节  任务型读写(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词，请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

President Barack Obama shouldn’t be surprised if his approval rating among students has plummeted( 陡然变差 ). In a recent speech about US education, he called for extending the school day and year. "The challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom. Why more time? Because US students are falling behind students in other countries," he said.

More school

US schools need to lengthen school days and the school year. If we intend to stay competitive with the rest of the world on test scores and in the job market, we need to add classroom hours and get rid of summer break almost entirely. As President Obama said. South Korean students spend mere than a month longer in school — and achieve better results than us.

The current two-term school year and the school days that form it were developed based on an old system of agriculture. The long summer break allowed children to be home to help tend the fields. It is not necessary anymore. It may not be popular to cut summer break or extend school days, but that’s the only way to improve US education and get back the American jobs lost to foreign countries.

Home Time

Adding school hours won’t solve the problems with our school system. The USA is different from other countries. US families have full schedules, with participation in sports, community groups, and other interests. In places such as South Korea, where only several hours of a day aren't spent on school work, children don t have time to participate in many of those activities.

Giving kids time outside of school allows them to grow in other areas. That’s just as important as learning fractions (分数). Fingers shouldn't be pointed at the school year for being too short, but at teachers and schools that don't challenge their students and just pass kids along to the next grade. We do need to hold ourselves accountable for an education system falling behind other countries, but we also need a solution that actually works.