. As I grew up in a small town at the foot of a mountain, the visit to the village scenes of my childhood. A. came up B. called up C. took up D. made up 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fighters. We’re pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids’ college background as a prize demonstrating how well we’ve raised them. But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession(痴迷) is more about us than them. So we’ve created various justifications（辩解）that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesn’t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.
We have a full-developed panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever. What causes the hysteria(歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite（精英）degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All seems right but mostly wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools don’t systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measures—professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams selective schools do slightly worse.
By some studies, selective schools do enhance（提高） their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-point increase in a school’s average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke(偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.
Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s not the only indicator and, surprisingly, its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into college is not life’s only competition. In the next competition—the job market and graduate school—the results may change. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of famous universities didn’t.
So, parents, take it easy（lighten up）. The stakes (利害关系) have been vastly exaggerated. Up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. But too much pushiness can be destructive. The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. One study found that, other things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.
1. Why does the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?
A. They have the final say in which university their children are to attend.
B. They know best which universities are most suitable for their children.
C. They have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application.
D. They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves.
2. Why do parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever?
A. They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college.
B. They hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships.
C. Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to.
D. Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to.
3. What does the author mean by “kids count more than their colleges” Line1, para.4?
A. Continuing education is more important to a person’s success.
B. A person’s happiness should be valued more than their education.
C. Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college background.
D. What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.
4. What does Krueger’s study tell us?
A. Getting into Ph.D. programs may be more competitive than getting into college.
B. Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs.
C. Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores.
D. Connections built in prestigious universities may be kept long after graduation.
5. One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that______
A. they earn less than their peers from other institutions　　
B. they turn out to be less competitive in the job market
C. they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation　
D. they overemphasize their qualifications in job application

In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fighters. We’re pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids’ college background as a prize demonstrating how well we’ve raised them. But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession(痴迷) is more about us than them. So we’ve created various justifications（辩解）that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesn’t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.

We have a full-developed panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever. What causes the hysteria(歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite（精英）degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All seems right but mostly wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools don’t systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measures—professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams selective schools do slightly worse.

By some studies, selective schools do enhance（提高） their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-point increase in a school’s average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke(偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.

Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s not the only indicator and, surprisingly, its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into college is not life’s only competition. In the next competition—the job market and graduate school—the results may change. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of famous universities didn’t.

So, parents, take it easy（lighten up）. The stakes (利害关系) have been vastly exaggerated. Up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. But too much pushiness can be destructive. The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. One study found that, other things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.

1. Why does the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?

A. They have the final say in which university their children are to attend.

B. They know best which universities are most suitable for their children.

C. They have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application.

D. They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves.

2. Why do parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever?

A. They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college.

B. They hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships.

C. Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to.

D. Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to.

3. What does the author mean by “kids count more than their colleges” Line1, para.4?

A. Continuing education is more important to a person’s success.

B. A person’s happiness should be valued more than their education.

C. Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college background.

D. What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.

4. What does Krueger’s study tell us?

A. Getting into Ph.D. programs may be more competitive than getting into college.

B. Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs.

C. Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores.

D. Connections built in prestigious universities may be kept long after graduation.

5. One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that______

A. they earn less than their peers from other institutions　　

B. they turn out to be less competitive in the job market

C. they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation　

D. they overemphasize their qualifications in job application

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. environment B. necessarily C. allowed D. cheated E. hardly

F. admitted G. communication H. necessary I. joy J. difficulty

A relative of mine once asked me: “Why should a Chinese take time to learn a language that is not his own?” Obviously he has ___37___ in learning a foreign language. He is not the only one who is mentally against English learning. One reason, as I suspect, is the way English is taught. The emphasis on memorization is such that no ___38___ is left in the process, only endless irritation. What students are presented in the classroom is not the language in real-world ___39___. A Chinese student with extremely high scores for American standardized tests was ___40___ into one of the most famous universities. But his professors soon found out that he could ___41___ understand them in the classroom. Suspecting that he ___42___ in the tests, the school demanded he repeat them. Again, he passed with high scores. Not till then did they realize that the student had mastered the techniques for dealing with the tests, not ___43___ the skills of using the language.

　　Many people take TOFEL, IELTS, GRE, annual Band 4 and Band 6 exams not because they work in areas where English is a ___44___ tool, but because they have to do it for job promotion or enrolment in certain programmes.

　　Must English learning be such a pain in the neck?

　　Create a(n)___45____ where learning English is natural and painless. Don't make it compulsory for people whose work or major does not require it. China will not become more international by adding millions of people who can only say a simple "Hello."

根据短文选出正确的词并将词填在短文后的横线上, 一空一词。

environment 　　　 cheated 　 international admitted hardly 　　

techniques necessary　　 difficulty　 taught　　 joy 　

A friend of mine once asked me: “Why should a Chinese take time to learn a language that is not his own?”Obviously he has __96__in learning a foreign language. He is not the only one who is mentally against English learning. One reason, as I suspect, is the way English is ___97___. The emphasis on memorization is such that no __98___is left in the process of learning, only endless annoyance. What students are presented in the classroom is not the language in real communication. A Chinese student with extremely high scores for American standardized tests was __99__ into one of the most famous universities. But his professors soon found out he could __100__ understand the lesson. Suspecting that he__101___in the tests, the school demanded he repeat them. Again, he passed with high scores. Not till then did they realise the student had mastered the __102__for dealing with the tests, not the skills of using the language.

Many people take TOFEL, IELTS, GRE, annual Band 4 and Band 6 exams not because they work inareas where English is a___103___tool, but because they have to do it for job promotion.　　 Must English learning be such a pain in the neck? Create a(n)__104__ where learning English is natural and painless. Don't make it compulsory for people whose work or major does not require it. China will not become more___105___ by adding millions of people who can only say a simple “Hello.”

96. _________ 97. _________ 98. _________ 99. _________ 100. _________

101. _________ 102. _________ 103. _________ 104. _________ 105. _________