In 1883, an engineer named John Roebling intended to build a bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. 1 , experts throughout the world thought it impossible and not 2 .

    Roebling couldn't 3 the vision in his mind of this bridge. He knew deep in his heart it could be done. He just had to 4  the dream with someone else. After much persuasion he managed to   5  his son Washington, a young engineer; that the bridge6  could be built.

    Working together, the father and son developed concepts of 7  it could be accomplished and how the difficulties could be 8 . With great 9  and inspiration, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

    The project started well, but unfortunately an accident took the life of John. Washington was injured and left with a brain damage, 10  him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

    Everyone had a 11 comment to make and felt the project should be trashed. In 12 of his disability, Washington still had a burning 13  to complete the bridge and his mind was still as 14 as ever.

    He tried to pass on his 15 to some of his friends. Suddenly an idea 16  him as he lay in hospital. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best 17 of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He used the method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish 18  the project was under way again.

    For 13 years Washington lapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the Brooklyn Bridge was finally completed.

    Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die 19  that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and 20 an impossible goal.

1. A．Furthermore           B．However            C．Otherwise           D．Therefore

2. A．wonderful              B．creative             C．imaginative.          D．practical

3. A．ignore                 B．mark                C．follow              D．handle

4. A．share                  B．spare                C．enjoy              D．leave

5. A．advice                 B．force               C．convince            D．introduce

6. A．as usual                B．in fact               C．by chance          D．after all

7. A．whether                      B．where              C．why              D．how

8. A．overcome             B．uncovered            C．separated              D．abandoned

9. A．disappointment         B．arrangement          C．excitement          D．treatment

10. A．taking up            B．setting aside           C．resulting in            D．leaving off

11. A．negative             B．persuasive           C．informative       D．active

12. A．case               B．spite                C．place              D．front

13. A．plan                B．suggestion           C．ability              D．desire

14. A．serious              B．skilful                C．sharp             D．special

15. A．power              B．enthusiasm            C．contribution        D．influence

16.A．benefited              B．attacked              C．greeted             D．hit

17.A．use                   B．fun                  C．change             D．advantage

18. A．so                 B．and                 C．or                  D．but

19. A．fortune              B．attitude             C．judgment          D．energy

20. A．explores              B．owns                C．achieves           D．selects

Do you feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just the night before?

   If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.

   But don't fear. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.

   Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body gives out the hormone adrenaline (肾上腺素) which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot or even sick.

   If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.

   When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to "STOP!" This will get your mind off the stress.

   Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help gain your confidence.

   Talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example, "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.

   Last but not least, start test preparation early — three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills — for example, time management and note-taking — will give you the feeling that you are in control.

1. According to the text, people who ______ are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety.

A. worry a lot or are perfectionists                     B. prepare poorly for a test

C. have failed in tests before                       D. all of above

2. Which of the following is NOT the way to beat nerves according to the author?

A. Stop what you are doing and try to relax.       B. Talk to your teacher or friends.

C. Make a full test preparation early.           D. Learn to accept mistakes.

3. The underlined word “it” refers to ______.

A. the stress                                                 B. the body                 

C. the mind                                                D. the hormone adrenaline

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. What is test anxiety                                    B. Why we have test anxiety 

C. How to deal with test anxiety                     D. Develop a positive attitude

Do you feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just the night before?

   If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.

   But don't fear. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.

   Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body gives out the hormone adrenaline (肾上腺素) which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot or even sick.

   If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.

   When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to "STOP!" This will get your mind off the stress.

   Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help gain your confidence.

   Talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example, "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.

   Last but not least, start test preparation early — three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills — for example, time management and note-taking — will give you the feeling that you are in control.

1. According to the text, people who ______ are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety.

A. worry a lot or are perfectionists                     B. prepare poorly for a test

C. have failed in tests before                       D. all of above

2. Which of the following is NOT the way to beat nerves according to the author?

A. Stop what you are doing and try to relax.       B. Talk to your teacher or friends.

C. Make a full test preparation early.           D. Learn to accept mistakes.

3. The underlined word “it” refers to ______.

A. the stress                                                 B. the body                 

C. the mind                                                D. the hormone adrenaline

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. What is test anxiety                                    B. Why we have test anxiety 

C. How to deal with test anxiety                     D. Develop a positive attitude

On the whole, it’s not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it. Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.

       “It’s expensive, but worth it,” says Ashan Sabri, whose daughter Zarreen, is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. “My husband and I tried to tutor her at home, but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen. We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting in a room for different kinds of exams. On the whole, we think one-to-one tuition works best.”

       The real reason is: does tutoring do any good?

“It’s not the magic bullet,” says Professor Judith Ireson, author of a 2005 Institute of Education report on the subject. “It’s still up to the child to do the learning. If he or she isn’t interested, sending them to a private tutor won’t do any good. However, we did find that students who had private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSE achieved on average just under half a grade higher than students who did not have a tutor.”

In which case, surely it’s time to break open the champagne? Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell, head of The Rowans School, Wimbledon, a preparation school which regularly gets children into the best private schools.

“While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn’t English, we don’t encourage it for the others. With the level of education they get here, children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. And our worry is that they might just get used to getting help from last-minute tutoring, but, once they actually get to that school, they won’t be able to cope.”

But Mylene Curtis, owner of Fleet Tutors, one of the biggest tutoring agencies in the country, holds a different view.

“In some respects, the hurdles children have to leap in order to get into these schools are set at a higher level than the reality,” says Curtis. “We often find that, once a child has got into a school, the standard of work isn’t as high as was feared. The trick is to do well enough in the exam to win a place.”

What does Ashan Sabri think of the group revision course?

A. It’s expensive but worthwhile because it works the best.

B. It confuses students because the knowledge taught in it is out of date.

C. It isn’t effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.

D. It is effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.

What do the underlined words “magic bullet” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. Something that cannot help to solve problems at all.

B. Something that solves a difficult problem in an easy way.

C. Something that seems useful but has no use at all.

D. Something that encourages interest in study.

According to Elaine Tyrrell, private tutoring is _______.

A. effective in language learning but not for exams

B. effective for foreign students but not for local students

C. unnecessary in most cases and may harm the further study of students

D. unnecessary in secondary school but helpful to further study

What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A. Fleet Tutors and the Rowans School are competitors.

B. Entrance exams to schools are too difficult for most students.

C. Further study isn’t as difficult as was first thought.

D. Private tuition is worth the financial investment.

What attitude does the author hold towards home tutoring?

       A. Critical           B. Objective         C. Supportive          D. Uninterested

On the whole, it’s not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it. Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.
“It’s expensive, but worth it,” says Ashan Sabri, whose daughter Zarreen, is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. “My husband and I tried to tutor her at home, but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen. We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting in a room for different kinds of exams. On the whole, we think one-to-one tuition works best.”
The real reason is: does tutoring do any good?
“It’s not the magic bullet,” says Professor Judith Ireson, author of a 2005 Institute of Education report on the subject. “It’s still up to the child to do the learning. If he or she isn’t interested, sending them to a private tutor won’t do any good. However, we did find that students who had private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSE achieved on average just under half a grade higher than students who did not have a tutor.”
In which case, surely it’s time to break open the champagne? Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell, head of The Rowans School, Wimbledon, a preparation school which regularly gets children into the best private schools.
“While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn’t English, we don’t encourage it for the others. With the level of education they get here, children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. And our worry is that they might just get used to getting help from last-minute tutoring, but, once they actually get to that school, they won’t be able to cope.”
But Mylene Curtis, owner of Fleet Tutors, one of the biggest tutoring agencies in the country, holds a different view.
“In some respects, the hurdles children have to leap in order to get into these schools are set at a higher level than the reality,” says Curtis. “We often find that, once a child has got into a school, the standard of work isn’t as high as was feared. The trick is to do well enough in the exam to win a place.”
【小题1】What does Ashan Sabri think of the group revision course?