Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures(压力) from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted(有天赋的) enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don’t want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts.

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents serif their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends — they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.

Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists(心理学家) now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.

1.“Dropouts” are those who _______.

A. make troubles in and out of schools

B. go about or stay home instead of being at school

C. try hard but always fails in the exams

D. lose hope and give up some of their subjects

2.According to the passage, it’s necessary to teach students _______.

A. how to study well                B. how to get on with others

C. to show love and care for others     D. All above

3.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. The Trouble in Japanese Schools

B. The Problems of Japanese Students

C. Education in Japan

D. The Pressures on the Students in Japan

Education cuts(削减) have become routine (惯常的) over the past few years, which has made it difficult for students to learn. The results of a survey of 1,850 Los Angeles County high school students show just how much the cuts are affecting students.
Because of teacher layoffs (解雇), class sizes at some high schools have risen to 50 students — even in math and English classes. Some 37 percent of students report that they sometimes don’t have a desk to sit at. Sixty-seven percent say crowded classrooms make them feel the teachers don’t have enough time to teach, and 30 percent say they’ve not been able to join in a program because it’s no longer offered at their school.
At a time when technology is an important skill, 52 percent of students say there aren’t enough computers. Or they’re often broken, and there’s no one to fix them. Fifty-one percent say they’ve had to share textbooks with a classmate because there aren’t enough copies to go around. Fifty-seven percent say they’ve had to copy information because their school doesn’t have enough paper to make copies.
“We have only one science teacher for the entire(整个的) high school,” writes Felix Ruano, a 16-year-old student. He goes on to describe how that teacher, who is only qualified to teach chemistry, is teaching physics — or, at least, is trying to do so. “He shows physics videos and we teach ourselves from our textbook,” says Ruano. And, as has been seen elsewhere, “all but one of the restrooms” at Ruano’s school “have been closed because we don’t have enough people to clean them.”
Ruano notes that though faced with the challenges, 97 percent of students say they plan to go to college. But without “properly trained teachers and the best resources,” says Ruano, it’s not likely that every student will achieve that goal. “Unless schools fix these problems,” he says, “students could lose hope.”
【小题1】According to the text, education cuts have led to the following results EXCEPT that _____.

Every day Shairley tries to make at least one person she knows happy. For years she has become addicted to this and she can’t pass a day without making someone happy.

This started when she was 11 years old. That year, she wanted to travel to see her best friend. After she saved all the money needed, she packed her bags and went to the airport. By the time she got to pay for her ticket,she realised that her purse had been stolen.

She went to the restroom and cried. While she was in the restroom stall and totally at a loss what to do, someone knocked on the door. “Leave me alone” was the sentence she said over and over again after hearing the repeated knocking. After a long time, she opened the door and went out only to find an envelope at her feet. She opened the envelope and found a letter. It said,

 “Dear child, you locked yourself inside and avoided facing the people who were outside and you might miss this letter. Reading it now means that after all you decided to face the outside world again. Never lock yourself in for any reason ! Never lose hope ! Never forget to trust yourself. Be a reason for other people’s smiles, sow hope in their hearts and you will gain your happiness in your own heart.”

 She folded the letter to put it in the envelope only to discover that inside were a window seat ticket and double the money she needed. So she traveled and told the story to everyone she met. She said.“ From that day on ,I took it as my task, half for me and half for someone’s happiness.”

Shirley found that her money had been stolen         .

A. when she was heading for the airport

B. when she was buying a ticket

C. after she packed her bags

D. when she went to the restroom

Why didn’t Shirley open the door of the stall when she heard the knocking?

A. Because she was disappointed and at a loss.

B. Because she was afraid of the person outside.

C. Because she wanted to keep calm by being alone.

D. Because she was crying and didn’t hear the knocking.

What did Shireley learn from the letter?

A. A letter is powerful enough to make one smile.

B. Face the outside world and never lose hope.

C. She should always notice who is outside her door.

D. She should try to make herself happy first and then others.

We can learn that after reading the letter, Shirley was          

A. interested     B. disappointed     C. ashamed    D. encouraged 

    The incident took place on Sunday，the 25th of June. On that particular day，a south wind had been gusting(劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern，so we carried on our daily work, not suspecting what was about to happen.

    The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then，we were not really worried，as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then，just as the clouds had moved inland，the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.

    Instantly，we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded，they should be safe there.

    In the meantime，my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off，it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone(旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.

    The storm raged for four hours，pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected，the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock..

    Then，just as we were beginning to lose hope，the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe，and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,”said my mother.

56.When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance,           .

   A. the family were surprised    B. they were extremely worried

   C. they were preparing for the worst    D. they faced the storm bravely

57.“There was very little we could do about the crops” indicates that           .

   A. little damage would be done to the crops           B. they had everything ready for the crops

   C. they felt unable to protect the crops                  D. the crops should be safe enough there

58. The underlined word “ stock” in the third paragraph refers to          .

   A. money owned by the family                      B. goods for sale

   C. supplies for family use                             D. farm animals    .

59.It can be inferred from what the mother said that          ·

   A. they had no damage at all                                B. everything went beyond their expectation

   C. everything was under control                    D. the family could have suffered a greater loss

“ I’d like to be at a healthier weight , ” a friend told me . “ But we just don’t have the money to buy expensive diet foods and there isn’t enough money to join a gym .” Many people feel that way—that a healthy diet and exercise plan is out of reach because of their high cost . Don’t lose hope ! We’ll be looking at ways to make healthy choices without spending too much money .
First you don’t need to buy the expensive pre-prepared “ diet foods . ” Back in the early 1970s when I started housekeeping , 90% of the food I bought was ingredients . Very few things were preprocessed（预处理的）. Now 90% of the food you find in the store is quick food . That’s a bad thing .
Quick foods like boxed “ just add hamburger ” meals have had the fiber removed to make them faster to prepare . Take a look at the label on that box . It often has low numbers listed under “ fiber ” because fiber takes longer to digest . If the low fiber meal is digested , the result is that your body begins to store fat . Besides , your body is short of nutrients（营养物质）. You will be driven to eat more to try to make up for the low quality of the food you are eating .
And then there are the chemicals the producers add to the quick meals to make them palatable . If not , the stuff would taste like cardboard and you wouldn’t enjoy it . However , these chemicals certainly aren’t good for your health .
What’s the answer ? Buy whole ingredients and give up the expensive , low nutrition , processed foods . Do the cooking yourself and you will have control over what is in your food —and it will cost less , too .
【小题1】People who find it hard to get a healthier weight think        .