A certain student passed all his examinations．Then he went to college to continue his   1   ．There he put down his name for a course in geography．but after the first   2   ，he did not go to it any more．

    The geography lecturer   3   that this student was always   4   and thought that the student had changed to another course，so he was   5   when he saw the boy’s name on the   6   of students who want to take the geography   7   at the end of this year．

    The lecturer had prepared a   8   examination paper，which followed his lectures very closely，and he was   9   to see how this student would answer the questions．He   10   that the boy’s answers would be very bad，but when they   11   him soon after the exam and he examined them   12   ，he was able to find only one small mistake in them．   13   this surprised him very much，he examined the paper again and again but was   14   not able to find more than that one small mistake so he   15   for the student to question him about his work．

    When the student came into the room and sat down，the lecturer said to him，“I   16   that you came to my first lecture and you have been absent from all the others．But now I have examined your   17    very carefully and I have been able to find one small mistake in it．I am   18   to know your explanation for that．”

    “Oh，I am very   19   about that mistake。” answered the student．“After the examination，I realized what I ought to have   20   ．I would not have made that mistake if I had not been confused(搞乱) by your first lecture．”

1．A．classes

B．studies

C．researches

D．work

2．A．week

B．lecture

C．time

D．sight

3．A．heard

B．noticed

C．wondered

D．believed

4．A．absent

B．late

C．lazy

D．careless

5．A．surprised

B．angry

C．pleased

D．regretful

6．A．exam papers

B．list

C．desk

D．letters

7．A．subject

B．test

C．cotes

D．course

8．A．simple

B．difficult

C．secret

D．strange

9．A．sure

B．worried

C．glad

D．eager

10．A．hoped

B．discovered

C．expected

D．checked

11．A．showed

B．gave

C．handed

D．reached

12．A．hurriedly

B．carefully

C．anxiously

D．quickly

13．A．So

B．But

C．Though

D．As

14．A．still

B．certainly

C．even

D．luckily

15．A．eared

B．searched

C．sent

D．looked

16．A．promise

B．know

C．advice

D．guess

17．A．lessons

B．paper

C．notebook

D．exercises

18．A．disappointment

B．easy

C．satisfied

D．curious

19．A．sorry

B．sad

C．nervous

D．worried

20．A．done

B．made

C．written

D．got

    The geography lecturer   3   that this student was always   4   and thought that the student had changed to another course，so he was   5   when he saw the boy’s name on the   6   of students who want to take the geography   7   at the end of this year．

    The lecturer had prepared a   8   examination paper，which followed his lectures very closely，and he was   9   to see how this student would answer the questions．He   10   that the boy’s answers would be very bad，but when they   11   him soon after the exam and he examined them   12   ，he was able to find only one small mistake in them．   13   this surprised him very much，he examined the paper again and again but was   14   not able to find more than that one small mistake so he   15   for the student to question him about his work．

    When the student came into the room and sat down，the lecturer said to him，“I   16   that you came to my first lecture and you have been absent from all the others．But now I have examined your   17    very carefully and I have been able to find one small mistake in it．I am   18   to know your explanation for that．”

    “Oh，I am very   19   about that mistake。” answered the student．“After the examination，I realized what I ought to have   20   ．I would not have made that mistake if I had not been confused(搞乱) by your first lecture．”

1．A．classes

B．studies

C．researches

D．work

2．A．week

B．lecture

C．time

D．sight

3．A．heard

B．noticed

C．wondered

D．believed

4．A．absent

B．late

C．lazy

D．careless

5．A．surprised

B．angry

C．pleased

D．regretful

6．A．exam papers

B．list

C．desk

D．letters

7．A．subject

B．test

C．cotes

D．course

8．A．simple

B．difficult

C．secret

D．strange

9．A．sure

B．worried

C．glad

D．eager

10．A．hoped

B．discovered

C．expected

D．checked

11．A．showed

B．gave

C．handed

D．reached

12．A．hurriedly

B．carefully

C．anxiously

D．quickly

13．A．So

B．But

C．Though

D．As

14．A．still

B．certainly

C．even

D．luckily

15．A．eared

B．searched

C．sent

D．looked

16．A．promise

B．know

C．advice

D．guess

17．A．lessons

B．paper

C．notebook

D．exercises

18．A．disappointment

B．easy

C．satisfied

D．curious

19．A．sorry

B．sad

C．nervous

D．worried

20．A．done

B．made

C．written

D．got

High school graduation is worth celebrating. It marks a big change in the lives of young adults. However, it ought to mean even more. It ought to mean that the graduate is ready for college or career.
In a report issued last year, we found that almost half of recent Illinois high school graduates required remedial courses(补习课) upon enrolling(注册) a community college. These courses require time and money to complete, yet offer no credits toward a degree. Too often, students never get through those remedial courses and end up dropping out of college.
Why is the remediation rate so high? A large part of the reason is that we have not set high enough standards for what our students need to learn from kindergarten to high school. They simply aren’t equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
The same is true for careers. In Illinois, good jobs continue to go vacant(空缺) even while we are trying hard to go through tough economic times. This is due largely to the mismatch between the skills and knowledge we provide our students with and what employers in a modern economy need workers to know.
The good news is that in Illinois we have a plan to help get our students ready for life in the real world. We have already taken an important first step by becoming one of the 45 states to adopt the Common Core State Standards and have begun introducing them to classrooms this year. The new standards provide fewer, clearer and higher benchmarks(标准) for academic progress. They focus on deeper knowledge required at each grade level, give teachers the opportunity to explore topics fully and ensure students can apply what they’ve learned.
Research shows that when expectations are raised, students rise to meet them. Adapting to higher standards and raising expectations may prove challenging, but they are the steps we must take so that our students are successful in high school and prepared for college and careers. Readiness is worth a celebration.
【小题1】According to the passage, in most cases, students taking part in remedial courses ___.

High school graduation is worth celebrating. It marks a big change in the lives of young adults. However, it ought to mean even more. It ought to mean that the graduate is ready for college or career.

In a report issued last year, we found that almost half of recent Illinois high school graduates required remedial courses(补习课) upon enrolling(注册) a community college. These courses require time and money to complete, yet offer no credits toward a degree. Too often, students never get through those remedial courses and end up dropping out of college.

Why is the remediation rate so high? A large part of the reason is that we have not set high enough standards for what our students need to learn from kindergarten to high school. They simply aren’t equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

The same is true for careers. In Illinois, good jobs continue to go vacant(空缺) even while we are trying hard to go through tough economic times. This is due largely to the mismatch between the skills and knowledge we provide our students with and what employers in a modern economy need workers to know.

The good news is that in Illinois we have a plan to help get our students ready for life in the real world. We have already taken an important first step by becoming one of the 45 states to adopt the Common Core State Standards and have begun introducing them to classrooms this year. The new standards provide fewer, clearer and higher benchmarks(标准) for academic progress. They focus on deeper knowledge required at each grade level, give teachers the opportunity to explore topics fully and ensure students can apply what they’ve learned.

Research shows that when expectations are raised, students rise to meet them. Adapting to higher standards and raising expectations may prove challenging, but they are the steps we must take so that our students are successful in high school and prepared for college and careers. Readiness is worth a celebration.

1.According to the passage, in most cases, students taking part in remedial courses ___.

A．come from wealthy families

B．leave college before finishing their courses

C．are offered credits toward a degree

D．are likely to develop their academic interest

2.The author uses the third and fourth paragraphs to __.

A．provide solutions to the rising remediation rate

B．show the present situation of unemployment in Illinois

C．suggest knowledge learned in school be put into practice

D．explain why students aren’t prepared for college and a career

3.Which of the following statements about the Common Core State Standards is TRUE?

A．They were first adopted in Illinois.

B．More benchmarks are required.

C．They benefit teachers as well as students.

D．They ensure students’ success in college.

4.Based on the last paragraph, what is the author’s attitude to raising expectations of students?

A．Supportive                            B．Critical

C．Doubtful                              D．Worried