C
If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．
But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．
At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．
The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．
So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．
In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．
What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．
46. Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?
A．The government．           B．Public education
C．The Detroit automakers．   D．The Wall Street firms．
47．What is a big problem with American higher education?
A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．
B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．
C．Many college students stay away from classes．
D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．
48．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．
A．running to the end of the line        B．going to college
C．finishing college education     D．working hard in college
49．Why do some students under--match ?
A．Because they have financial difficulty．       B．Because they face ambition crisis．
C．Because they lack confidence．         D．Because they can’t get guidance．
50．The passage is mainly about _______．
A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions
B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence
C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence
D．relationship between American education and its economy

B

As the summer comes, the exhausted consumers start paying attention to the latest cooling devices（仪器）in the market. With the competition rising ,buying an air conditioner (AC) is no longer a big deal; moreover the easy finance schemes make it a device for every life.

Design

Though it carries the standard design for AC, yet it looks elegant(优雅的) when fixed on your wall. As AC is exposed to exterior（外部的）climate, it is bound to get damaged and bring maintenance cost if not taken proper care of. But Haier has solved this problem by providing an anti-corrosion（抗腐蚀的）body to all its AC. It has a remote control which provides you with ultimate flexibility and you can operate it from every corner of your room.

Key Features

It’s proved that this AC steals the show by offering 1tonne cooling capacity at the EER of 9.47. This means it operates at low power and thus helps you save great energy, and consequently it wins popularity with customers. The rotary compressor（旋转式压缩机）is the secret behind its smooth and silent operation, which makes it suitable for public and silent areas.

Core Information

Apart from the above features, it attracts consumers by its unique anti-bacterial filters（过滤器）, which act as a favor to your health by destroying the harmful germs and bacteria and make you breathe very clean air.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The anti-bacterial filters prove to be a favor for our respiratory system（呼吸系统）. When compared to other famous brands such as Samsung, Onida, and LG, it offers great functions at a very friendly price. However, it lacks some additional filters which are seen in other expensive brands like Electrolux EA12SCRLA1.

Conclusion

It’s a masterpiece（杰作） due to its silent operation and uniform（均速的）cooling. Thus, if you desire cool air, then just switch to this AC and feel the magic.

59. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A. most customers are not satisfied with the latest AC

B. the price of AC has been lowered due to the fierce competition

C. Haier AC has special functions but no desirable shapes

D. the real secret behind Haier AC’s silent operation hasn’t been published yet

60. The underlined words “steals the show” can be replaced by________.

A. learns key technologies secretly          B. puts theories into practice scientifically

C. attracts more attention and praise         D. shows some advantages and disadvantages

61. Which of the following plays an important role in guaranteeing our health?

A. The anti-corrosion body.                B. The remote control system.

C. The rotary compressor.                 D. The anti-bacterial filters.

62. Compared with other brands, Haier AC’s biggest advantage lies in ________.

A. the standard design                    B. the low maintenance cost

C. the best after-sales service                   D. the great functions at a low price

C

If you gaze（凝视）through a telescope at a distant galaxy（星系）, it may glow brightly with the light of hundreds of millions of stars. Despite（尽管，不顾） all that light, most scientists think that at the center of a big galaxy lies something very dark: a black hole. A black hole is a region of space with gravity so strong that nothing can escape, not even light.

Astronomers recently announced they had observed a faraway galaxy that may have at its center two black holes, very close together. Based on their observations, the stargazers suspect one of the black holes has more mass than the other. The more mass something has, the stronger its gravitational force, so a larger black hole has a stronger gravitational attraction. The smaller black hole orbits（作轨道运行） the larger black hole, just as the earth orbits the sun.

The biggest galaxies in the universe form when two smaller galaxies collide（碰撞）. If  two galaxies merge（合并）, then all of their stars start orbiting a common center. The black holes at the galaxies’ centers should come together, too. Galaxies are colliding all the time, so we should be able to find lots of black hole pairs. But that’s easier said than done—astronomers rarely find these in deep space.

To find a black hole is complicated. A black hole doesn’t produce any light, so how can you find one in space? Astronomers think when something (like dust) falls into a giant black hole, a jet of radiation, a form of energy, may stream away. If this radiation is strong enough, it forms a quasar（类星体）.

The Arizona astronomers looked at more than 17,000 quasars and finally found a galaxy that may have a double black hole at its heart. Though the finding of their research is still unconfirmed, and they may be mistaken, the truth will be revealed in the future.

63. Which of the following is TRUE about black holes?

A. A black hole is a region in galaxies with nothing in it, even a bunch of light.

B. Black holes are used by astronomers to study how quasars come into being.

C. When different galaxies meet in space, the black holes become bigger and bigger

D. Some scientists think there’s one black hole in a galaxy, but others think there’re two.

64. From the second paragraph we can infer that ________.

A. a larger black hole pushes a smaller black hole away

B. a larger black hole pulls a smaller black hole toward it

C. the places of black holes are fixed, so we can see them clearly

D. a smaller black hole moves around a larger one because of radiation

65. According to the passage, astronomers think that there should be many black hole pairs because____________.

A. a black hole can produce light

B. black holes can attract one another

C. different black hole pairs come into being with the meeting of galaxies.

D. a big black hole can usually be divided into two small black holes

                                 C

If You Make a Mistake, Don’t Worry!

       Yeah, you’ll want to forget about them, but mistakes can be useful. Making a mistake doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. In real life you have to grow and mature, and with that comes some growing pains.

You know you should have studied hard but you went out with some friends instead. You know you should have put the money into the bank for a rainy day instead of spending it on all kinds of things you didn’t need.

It’s the growing pains called mistakes that most people make when they are growing up. Face them. You are going to make them. Learn from them. All of the people you wish to copy, such as all the experts in your business field, have made mistakes. They’ll continue to make mistakes for all their successes.

One of the major differences between people like them and the vast majority（大多数）of others is that they don’t let their mistakes stop them. Instead, they use their mistakes as learning tools.

At the very least, when you make a mistake, you’ll know what not to do. And you can help others by warning them of the mistakes you’ve made. Don’t let mistakes stop you from doing anything. Learn from them, don’t hide in a closet. Facing up to your mistakes now and later will mature.

What mistakes are you making right now? Take a look at anything you might be doing wrong. Take a step back and evaluate your situation, then fix whatever needs to be corrected. Then move forward.

Always remember your mistakes to remind yourself of what not to do for the future.

63. Why does the writer say mistakes can be useful?

       A. Because you can get some growing pains.

       B. Because experts also make mistakes.

       C. Because you can mature by facing and learning from mistakes.

       D. Because next time you know that money shouldn’t be wasted.

64. Which statement is true according to the writer?

       A. Before you make any mistake, you had better lock the closet in your room.

       B. Keep your mistakes in mind in order not to make the same mistakes again in the future.

       C. Don’t go out with some of your friends any more.

       D. Forget your mistakes and move forward.

65. When we make any mistake next time, we should do the followings except _       __.

       A. Think about the reason why we make the mistake.

       B. Try to correct the mistake.

       C. Tell others not to make the same mistake as you do.

       D. Be careful not to do anything.

66. From the text, we can infer that __     ___.

       A. facing mistakes, some people lose heart  

B. mistakes can be useful

       C. mistakes can be called growing pains      

D. Put away money when it is rainy

B

As a teenager of the digital era, it is really hard to say no to fantastic electronic gadgets(电子产品). Many of us can’t get through a day without using our mobile phones or checking our e-mails. No matter if we’re “@home”, “@school” or“@play”, living without technological toys seems more and more unthinkable.

However, although gadgets bring convenience, many of us can start to feel stressed out by them. And, a lot of electronics are fairly expensive. Fashionable gadgets come and go in the digital age in the blink of any eye. So, think twice before you pulling out your wallet.

Here are some of the most popular gadgets and their pros and cons:

Pros: Laptops have made our lives much easier. You can take your books, movies, music and homework everywhere.

Cons: They cost at least 4,000 yuan! If you only want to share photos or games with your friend, then a flash memory stick is a great cheap alternative.

Pros: As well as carrying your favourite music, a video MP3 player can play up to 150 hours of movies and TV programmes.

Cons: The price—sometimes more than 2,000 yuan—is the first concern. Secondly, though music is really important to young people, ask yourself if video is really necessary. A regular MP3 player is a lot cheaper. And remember, don’t let the loud volume damage your hearing.

Pros: New mobile phones combine traditional functions with a digital camera, MP3 player and even a radio. Some can also send and receive e-mails.

Cons: Always trying to keep up with the latest model can be a waste of money. There are always new, improved phones coming out. Don’t be a fool. Do you really need all these functions? Think twice before you buy.   

60. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?

   A. Teenagers can’t live through a day without fantastic electronic gadgets.

   B. Teenagers can hardly live happily without electronic gadgets.

   C. Teenagers’ life is full of expensive electronic gadgets.

   D. It’s all but impossible for many teenagers to live without fantastic electronic gadgets.   

61. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?

A. Never buy the most updated gadgets.   

B. You should buy the gadgets with as many functions as possible.

C. We needn’t always pay the most part to buy the most up-to-date gadgets with many functions.

D. Never buy the latest model, it’s much too expensive.

62. Choose the statement most similar in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph2.

   A. Fashionable gadgets are updated in the digital times in a flash.

B. Fashionable gadgets are transported everywhere in the digital age in the blink of any eye.   

C. People keep buying and throwing away expensive fashionable gadgets in the digital age in the blink of any eye.   

D. People use all kinds of fashionable gadgets all the time in the digital age.

63. What do the words “pros and cons” mean in the selection?

   A. Agreements and disagreements.

B. The views that are favoured and not favoured by people.

C. Benefits and bads.   

D. Advantages and disadvantages.