As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I often hear from students: “I’m only a 1,050.” The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Schoolastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice, or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all. The SAT score, whether it is 800, 1,100 or 1,550, has become the focus at his time of their life.

It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores, then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number. Students who perform poorly in the exam are left feeling that it is all over.The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.

According to a study done in the 1990s, the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student’s future performance in most cases. Interestingly, it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators--like a student’s academic proficiency(学业水平).They will never be able to test things like confidence, efforts and willpower, and are unable to give us the full picture of a student’s potentialities. This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process. The SAT is an excellent test in many ways, and the score is still a useful means of testing students. However, it should be only one of the many methods used.

The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ _________.

A. strong will      

B. academic ability 

C. full potentialities  

 D. confidence in school work

Students’ self-respect is influenced by their_______.

A. scores in the SAT   

B. achievements in mathematics

C. job opportunities   

D. money spent on education

“ A prestigious university” in para.2 is most probably _______.

A. a famous school    

B. a technical school

C. a traditional school  

D. an expensive school

The passage is mainly about_______________.

A. how to prepare for the SAT

B. stress caused by the SAT

C. American higher education

D. the SAT and its effects

What is the writer’s attitude towards the SAT?

A. Subjective    

B. Objective

C. Critical 

D. Approving

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Some friends invite you over and serve you a delicious dinner. Someone loans you his car while yours is being repaired. You are sick, and a friend brings you a meal and cares for you   1    

Sometimes simply saying thank you is enough. At other times, it is thoughtful to say thank you in a more specific way. Be sure to tell that person what it is that you appreciate and why you appreciate it.

Here are some common ways to say thank you.

2   . People are very busy these days. A handwritten note shows you took time to tell some one you appreciate him or her. Or you can call and thank the person. You would be surprised how this can make someone’s day. Another idea is to send a thank-you e-mail or e-card.  3   

To say thank you in a creative way, you can:

★Select some flowers from a florist, Attach a thank-you note.

★Present the person with a basket of fresh fruit or a homemade treat.

★Treat a friend to a movie, meal, snack or coffee.

★Give a gift card for a bookstore or a restaurant.   4  

★Find out what the person likes and give something related to that.

★To say a big thank-you to some one, throw a party or have a barbecue in honor of that person.

As you can see, there are many ways to say thank you.  5      .You will feel good trying one of the ideas, and the person being thanked will feel good too. It’s a win-win situation.

A．Think of some ways of your own.

B．You can write a thank-you note.

C．How do you show your gratitude(感激)?

D．The best way is to go and thank him in person.

E.        Apologize if you forgot to show your thanks at the spot.

F.        That way the person can pick out a favorite book or eat out.

G.        This is not quite as personal, but it still shows your appreciation.

第二节（共5小题，每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）

根据短文内容，从下框的A ~ F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

E. Scan before you read

F. Take notes in class

How to become a better student 

Maybe you are an average（普通的；平常的）student with an average intellect. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to be. The following suggestions may be helpful to you.

56.

When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. Be sure to set aside enough time to complete the work that you are normally assigned each week. Of course, studying shouldn’t occupy all of your free time. Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment, hobbies and relaxation.

57.

Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything, but study materials. No radio or television. When you sit to work, concentrate/focus on the subject.

58.

This means looking a passage over quickly but thoroughly before you begin to read it more carefully. Scanning a passage lets you preview the material and get a general idea of the content. Scanning will help you double your reading speed and improve your comprehension.

59.

Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says. Real listening in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

60.

When you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher mentions and you will remember them longer.

Develop a good attitude about tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. Tests do more than just provide grades; they let you know what you need to study more, and they help to make your new knowledge permanent(长久的；永久的).

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retried employees. To make this possible,  a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must  take life long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately , as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable  answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some workplaces especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

What is the passage mainly about?

A. The problem faced by the old in society.

B. Why we should take responsibility for the old.

C. How we can improve the lives of the old

D. Where the old can go to get their pensions.

According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

A. Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire

B. Increase saving levels of people during their working years

C. Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old

D. Make available pensions for those who have retired

The underlined word “viable” most probably means ____.

A. impossible   B. practical   C. usefull   D. successful

What can be concluded from the passage?

   A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money

   B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age

   C. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people

   D. There is no single solution to the problem of the old

What is the writer’s main purpose of writing this article?

   A. To point out the need for government supporting for old people

   B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people

   C. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem

   D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

 This is not an economical way to get more water; ____, it is very expensive.

A．on the contrary     B．on the other hand   C．in short           D．in all