With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts. However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages. The boarding schools of fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships. However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention. Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms. Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in light of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world.
Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently. Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior.
Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can look after and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.
However, Parents are a child’s most natural support and best role models to learn from. If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone. Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child.
To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not.
【小题1】What do we know from the passage?

The young boy and his father sat quietly watching the snow fall on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

“Dad, my friend told me that every snowflake is  36   . But they look all the same to me. How can we tell?” the child asked.

Dad felt it was his  37 to give a more satisfying answer. “Son, snowflakes are like people. We are each   38 in a very special way. We can test it right now,” he said.

The child stood up, put out his hands, and  39 as snowflakes landed on his gloves. “These snowflakes are all different on my gloves, but those in the yard look the same. Together they are even more_ 40 and striking. Then if people are like snowflakes, why don't they    41 ?”

“Choice,”Dad said. "Their choices  42  them what they are.”

“  43  choice is a bad thing?” the boy asked.

“Oh, no. Only when we choose the 44 things.”

“How do we tell right from wrong?" the child asked.

Dad was given the chance to build upon the foundation of his son's  45  . He reached down and began to  46  with the snow. He  47  the snow into two sides, three large snowballs on one side and several smaller ones on the other.

“Which side did the right thing?” he asked the boy.

The child looked at both sides but 48   answer. Then Dad placed the three larger snowballs on top of each other.

“It’ s a snowman! The side 49  made me snowman!” the boy replied with  50

Yes, all these people came together and recognized how special each of them was, so they joined in a(n) 51   to build up mankind,” Dad said.                    

The child then stood up and  52 an arm full of the smaller snowballs. One by one he began to throw them at the other small piles of snow. He said,”This is what happens when people can't work together. They have a(n)  53  .”

Dad was shocked. He stood up, lifted the boy and  54 him tightly, whispering to him, “I hope that your world will learn to work and live together. I hope you will make the right   55 

and learn to build the best snowman ever.”

1.                A．similar          B．different        C．freezing D．special

2.                A．challenge       B．trouble         C．responsibility  D．position

3.                A．private         B．associated       C．unique   D．isolated

4.                A．inspected       B．watched        C．glanced   D．glared

5.                A．beautiful        B．effective        C．comfortable   D．significant

6.                A．get along       B．take care        C．cheer up D．break up

7.                A．remain         B．appear         C．become  D．make

8.                A．Though         B．However        C．So   D．While

9.                A．exact          B．coincident       C．fortunate D．wrong

10.               A．interest        B．concern        C．worry D．faith

11.               A．communicate    B．work           C．mix   D．relate

12.               A．separated       B．divided         C．distinguished   D．parted

13.               A．couldn' t        B．shouldn' t       C．wouldn' t  D．needn' t

14.               A．that           B．what           C．how  D．when

15.               A．disappointment  B．frustration      C．enthusiasm D．humour

16.               A．power         B．effort          C．organization    D．attempt

17.               A．gathered       B．sorted         C．threw D．formed

18.               A．war           B．debate         C．agreement D．negotiation

19.               A．trembled       B．swung          C．pulled D．held

20.               A．steps          B．turns          C．choices   D．points

Your living room
Feng shui is all about balance. Try to arrange sofas and chairs in a square around a circular table. Avoid an L-shaped arrangement as this leaves a missing corner. The centre of the living room should be left clear. Make sure there is a lot of light, which will promote good energy.
Put plants in the corners of the room, as they attract good energy and will energize your health, but not ones with sharp leaves such as yuccas or cactus. Fresh flowers also bring good energy, but throw them away as soon as they begin to die, and don’t have dried flowers.
Mirrors are vital because they reflect energy. Round or oval ones are best, but they should not be opposite each other, nor should they reflect a door, otherwise your good fortune will go out of it.
To promote harmony between the members of your family, have photos of them around the room, preferably smiling. If you want to find a partner, energize the south-west corner of your living room or bedroom by placing a floor light at least 1.75m high there, and turn it on every evening. Surround yourself with decorations and objects in pairs, such as ducks or birds.
To avoid blocking the positive energy in the room, keep everything tidy. Don’t accumulate too many unnecessary things. Take a look at every object, and ask yourself, “Do I really need it? Do I really like it?” If the answer is no, get rid of it.
Your bedroom
You should have the head of your bed placed against a wall, as this gives you a sense of security. Avoid having a bed under a window, as you are exposed to danger and bad energy from outside. If this is impossible, use blinds or heavy curtains to cover the window. Never sleep in a place where you can’t see the door—you should always be able to see someone who’s coming in.
Avoid hanging pictures or lights above your bed, as this leads to a subconscious feeling of threat. Don’t put mirrors opposite the bed either, as they “break up” the image, and therefore the relationship reflected in them.
Keep lighting low and soft, and decorate preferably with dark colors. Do not hang paintings of fierce animals, abstract subjects, or water in the bedroom. Water is very good elsewhere, but in the bedroom it suggests financial loss. Make sure you never put plants in the bedroom, and don’t have a TV facing the bed, or at least cover it when it is not in use.
Your study
Don’t use the same room for your bedroom and your study, as the different energies will be in conflict. If you have to do this, try to separate the areas either symbolically with plants, or with a screen. Put away piles of files or unfinished work—don’t leave them on your desk. Being tidy promotes positive energy. Wherever you study make sure your desk is in the north-east corner, especially if you are preparing for exams, as this area symbolizes education.
A bookcase is bad feng shui, as its sharp corners generate negative “arrows”, and if you have one you ought to put a climbing plant on it to avoid this effect. Cupboards are better than open shelves.
【小题1】 As for lights, which of the following statements is false?

Diamonds may be forever. But what’s a girl to do when she gets dumped (失恋) or divorced (离婚) and those rings, necklace and love gifts lose their emotional (情感) sense?
Help is just a click away on new Web sites that provide an outlet for selling jewelry(珠宝) from past relationships, sharing break-up stories and helping broken hearts heal (愈合).
“You go through a divorce. What do you do with that ring? Maybe you have a child you can pass it on to. Maybe you don’t. It just sits there, ” said Megahn Perry, who with her stepmother (继母) Marie Perry runs www.exboyfriendjewelry.com.
Three months after its start with the slogan(口号) “You Don’t Want It. He Can’t Have It Back,” the web site has 3,000 registered users and more than 600 postings of rings, bracelets and earrings for sale—all with a personal tale attached.
As one woman posting a diamond ring for $3,500 wrote:
“Beautiful ring came with a wrong man. Decided to sell to regain the money that I spent finishing payments on the ring that my ex didn’t.”
The idea was born when Megahn Perry, a Los Angeles actress and writer, was looking for a safe place to sell a wedding set after a divorce and realized others might have former boyfriends’ jewelry with memories(记忆) that make them too painful to wear.
The local pawn shop(当铺) proved an unattractive choice. So she teamed up with her stepmother Marie, researched the market and found a gap in it.
【小题1】 The passage is mainly about _____.

A couple from Miami, Bill and Simone Butler, spent sixty –six days in a life-raft (救生艇) in the seas of Central America after their boat sank.

Twenty-one days after they left Panama in their boat, Simony, they met some whales (鲸鱼). “They started to hit the side of the boat,” said Bill, “and then suddenly we heard water.” Two minutes later, the boat was sinking. They jumped into the life-raft and watched the boat go under the water.

For twenty days they had tins of food, biscuits, and bottles of water. They also had a fishing-line and a machine to make salt water into drinking water— two things which saved their lives. They caught eight to ten fish a day and ate them raw (生的). Then the line broke. “So we had no more fish until something very strange happened. Some sharks (鲨鱼) came to feed, and the fish under the raft were afraid and came to the surface. I caught them with my hands.”

About twenty ships passed them, but no one saw them. After fifty days at sea their life-raft was beginning to break up. Then suddenly it was all over. A fishing boat saw them and picked them up. They couldn’t stand up. So the captain carried them onto his boat and took them to Costa Rica. Their two months at sea was over.

68. Bill and Simone were traveling ______ when they met some whales.

A. in a life-raft    B. in Miami     C. in Simony     D. in Panama

69. During their days at sea, ______ saved their lives.

A. tins of food and bottles of water    B. a fishing-line and a machine

C. whales and sharks               D. Twenty passing ships

70. After their boat sank, the couple ______.

A. jumped into the life-raft          B. heard water

C. watched the boat go under water   D. stayed in the life-raft