D

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, some high schools in America wanted the students to pledge allegiance（宣誓效忠） to the flag. Is it necessary or not? Let’s see how the kids think of this requirement.

Lea Mouallem, Marymount High School

I believe that saying the Pledge of Allegiance is a way of reminding our country that no matter what happens, we are united. I don’t think our president wants us to go and join the army now, but he wants to tell us that we will be able to overcome the disaster as a whole nation that is working together.

Harry Chin, 15, Culver City High School

I am not for the Pledge of Allegiance and I am not against the Pledge of Allegiance because I just say it so many times that it loses meaning. I say it every day at school in the second period. It doesn’t mean anything any more.

David Tran, 15, Warren High School.

The Pledge of Allegiance is another sign of country. We should have some respect to it. In many schools, we don’t say the Pledge every morning-we just stand up and let the National anthem ring through the silence. We said the Pledge of Allegiance on Sept. 12.

Danny Maryanor, 16, Santa Monica High School

I wonder why we were suddenly asked to recite the Pledge when many of us stopped after elementary school; and the Pledge was recited before the play of “Ode to Joy” （欢乐颂）with recorders. This was not to express patriotism（爱国主义）, or even to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

I feel I cannot support a nation that in this time of crisis looks outward for revenge（报复）instead of inward for peace. Perhaps we should think more about our problems.

68.Saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag first appeared in American schools______

    A．after Sept. 11, 2000     B．before Sept. 11, 2001

       C．on Sept. 11, 2001           D．after Sept. 11, 2001

69．Who were for the Pledge of Allegiance?

       A．Lea Mouallem; David Tran         B．Harry Chin; Danny Maryanor

       C．Lea Mouallem; Danny Maryanor    D．Harry Chin; David Tran

70．Which of the following is TRUE?

       A．Harry Chin thought the government required them to join the army.

       B．Lea Mouallem thought the Pledge of Allegiance of no meaning.

       C．Danny Maryanor felt the terrorist attacks happened partly because of America’s own problem.

       D．The Pledge of Allegiance is of another country.

71．According to the passage, it can be imagined that________.

       A．all high school students say yes to the Pledge of Allegiance.

       B．all high school students say no to the Pledge of Allegiance.

       C．all kids don’t agree to the requirement of saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

       D．all high schools will require their students to pledge allegiance to the flag.

In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(认知的) skills didn't get any smarter.

More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet and answering general knowledge questions. All participants were given a sort of I.Q test before and after the experiment.

Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet. On some sections of the test, the people who surfed the Net scored higher than those playing the games.

"If you're (playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, the study's lead author. "But if you're expecting (these games) to improve your I.Q., our data suggests this isn't the case," he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

One maker of brain games said the company's games have been proven to boost brain power.

"Their conclusion would be like saying, 'I cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes and therefore it is impossible to do so," Aldrich said in a statement.

"There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, who was not linked to the study and has no ties to any companies that make brain training games.

Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can spark(激发) new connections between nerves and produce new brain cells. "Fitness changes the building blocks of the brain's structure," he said.

. It can be inferred that the online brain games mentioned in the text are_____________.

A. costly     B. unreliable      C. illegal    D. effective

. Which of the following statements is true about the experiment in the second paragraph?

   A. The experiment lasted for a week.

B. Age didn’t affect the result of the research.

C. Every person played online brain games three times a day.

D. People who didn’t play online brain games did better in I.Q test

. What can we learn from the text?

   A. Playing games which are fun can improve your I.Q.

B. There is a lot of evidence to suggest skills can transfer to the real world.

   C. Do physical activity can boost your brain power.

D. Playing online games can spark new brain cells

The underlined sentence suggests that ___________.

   A. The research was not linked to the study  

B. Those playing the games can score higher in the test

C. playing the games can spark new connections between nerves

D. This isn’t the case that these games can improve your I.Q. 

In the dinning room of my grandfather’s house stood a heavy grandfather’s clock. Meals in the dinning room were a (1)______ for our four generations to become one. The grandfather’s clock always stood like a trusted old family friend, (2)______ us playing jokes and telling stories, which was already a (3)______ of our life.

As a child, the old clock interested me. I watched and listened to it during (4)______. I was surprised how at (5)______ times of the day, the clock would strike three times, six times or more, with a wonderful great (6)______ that echoed throughout the house. The clock chimed year after year, a part of my (7)______, a part of my heart.

Even more (8)______ to me was my grandfather’s special action each day. He meticulously (9)______ the clock with a special key each day. The key was magic to me. It (10)______ our family’s magnificent clock ticking and striking all year round.

1. A. time                     B. possibility   C. problem            D. pleasure

2. A. seeing                   B. hearing              C. watching           D. looking

3. A. start                     B. part                   C. signal         D. mark

4. A. stories                  B. jokes                 C. periods              D. meals

5. A. busy                     B. urgent        C. happy        D. different

6. A. shock                   B. sound         C. song                 D. music

7. A. memories              B. minds         C. comfort            D. information

8. A. comfortable          B. hopeful              C. wonderful  D. skillful

9. A. opened                 B. wound              C. turned        D. started  

10. A. made                  B. controlled          C. kept                  D. fixed

In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(认知的) skills didn't get any smarter.
More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet and answering general knowledge questions. All participants were given a sort of I.Q test before and after the experiment.
Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet. On some sections of the test, the people who surfed the Net scored higher than those playing the games.
"If you're (playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, the study's lead author. "But if you're expecting (these games) to improve your I.Q., our data suggests this isn't the case," he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
One maker of brain games said the company's games have been proven to boost brain power.
"Their conclusion would be like saying, 'I cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes and therefore it is impossible to do so," Aldrich said in a statement.
"There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, who was not linked to the study and has no ties to any companies that make brain training games.
Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can spark(激发) new connections between nerves and produce new brain cells. "Fitness changes the building blocks of the brain's structure," he said.
【小题1】. It can be inferred that the online brain games mentioned in the text are_____________.

In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit(IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tones of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse. Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10-20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes. A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．the new operation can solve the water crisis.

B．The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness.

C．a similar operation has been set in other universities.

D．The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system.