阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

An independent college claimed to have become the first school in England to make Chinese a compulsory (强制的) subject for its pupils.

 Richard Cairns, the headmaster of Brighton College, said the move aims to recognize the importance of China as the world’s fastest growing economy.

    Chinese will become one of the core subjects at the 1,200-pupil college from September. At present the school has only a “handful” of native Chinese students, but it hopes to attract more in the future.

    Mr Cairns, who made the announcement in his first week as head of the high-achieving college, said, “One of my key tasks is to make sure that the pupils at Brighton College are equipped for the realities of the 21st century, and one of those realities is that China has the fastest growing economy in the world.

“China has replaced Britain as the world’s fourth-largest economy. We in Britain need to face up to this challenge, see it for the trading opportunity that it is, and ensure that our nation’s children are well-placed to thrive (茁壮成长) in this new global reality.

“A better understanding of the language and culture of China will be hugely important to the advantage of the children of Brighton College.”

    Mr Cairns said he hoped the Chinese children already at the college would help and encourage their fellow pupils to learn their language.

    In order to lead the way, Mr Cairns, a historian from Oxford, plans to take part in the first Chinese class as a pupil. “I have agreed to join the first Chinese class as a pupil. I think it is the best way for me to show the pupils here how important I regard this new addition to our core subjects.”

The passage mainly tells us ________.

A. how to face up to new challenges in the 21st century

B. the realities of the 21st century

C. the fastest growing economy in the world

D. about a school which will make all its pupils learn Chinese

The college makes its students learn Chinese mainly because ________.

A. Chinese is a language spoken by the largest population in the world

B. it realizes the importance of China as the world’s fastest growing economy

C. Chinese is the easiest language for the students

D. there are many native Chinese students at the college

What is Mr Cairns’ attitude towards the development of China?

A. He sees it to be a threat.                  B. He thinks of it as a danger.

C. He considers it to be an opportunity.        D. He regards it as an encouragement.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The Chinese students at the college have already helped their fellow students

to learn Chinese.

B. The school is the first in England to make Chinese a compulsory subject.

C. Mr Cairns has just been made head of this high-achieving college.

D. In Mr Cairns’ opinion, learning Chinese will be a great help to his students.

Silence is unnatural to man．He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness．In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else．Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence．If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest headed chatterbox （喋喋不休的人）．He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure （蜡塑人像）．

         The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound．There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito （蚊子）．But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person．Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind．He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing -with his neighbors．

         Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish 1:0 talk．Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new．Some of them are content ．if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people's ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new, plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel．At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conservationists．

1.According to the author, people make conversation to              .

         A．exchange ideas              B．prove their value

         C．achieve success m life          D．overcome their fear of silence

2.By "the buzzing of a fly" （Para．1）, the author means"_____".

         A．the noise of an insect                 B．a low whispering sound

         C．meaningless talks                  D．the voice of a chatterbox

3.According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors___     ．

         A．about whatever they have prepared                       

         B．about whatever they want to

         C．in the hope of learning something new

         D．in the hope of getting on well

4.What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

         A．To discuss why people like talking about weather．

         B．To encourage people to join in conversations．

         C．To persuade people to stop making noises．

         D．To explain why people keep talking．

Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he feats silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest headed chatterbox (喋喋不休的人). He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure (蜡塑人像).

    The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito (蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbours.

    Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other peoples ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conservationists

 72. According to the author, people make conversation to ______

   A. exchange ideas             B. prove their value

   C. achieve success in life   D. overcome their fear of silence

 73. By "the buzzing of a fly" (Para. 1), the author means"________”

    A. the noise of an insect              B. a low whispering sound

    C. meaningless talks                   D. the voice of a chatterbox

74. According to the passage, people usually ______talk to their neighbors ______.

    A. about whatever they have prepared

    B. about whatever they want to

    C. in the hope of learning something new

    D. in the hope of getting on well

75. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? ________.

     A. To discuss why people like talking about weather.

     B. To encourage people to join in conversations.

     C. To persuade people to stop making noises.

     D. To explain why people keep talking.

I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.
In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.
In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.
Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved anywhere else.
【小题1】Why did the writer’s parents move to Edison?

I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.

In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.

In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.

Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved anywhere else.

1.Why did the writer’s parents move to Edison?

A．Because they were born there.             B．Because it was a better educational town.

C．Because the writer began his fifth grade.      D．Because the writer didn’t need to take a test.

2.How many students are from Asia in the writer’s school?

A．About 80.         B．About 160.        C．About 220.        D．About 300.

3.What does the underlined expression “a concentration of” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．None of.          B．The whole of       C．A large number of   D．A small number of

4.Why can’t the writer forget Edison?

A．Because he regards it as his hometown.      B．Because his parents got new jobs there.

C．Because there are many Asians there.        D．Because it is in the state of New Jersey.