题目内容
"No man is an island" is a well-known line from John Donne's Devotion, written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. Without other people, life became empty and sad. 51
For some of us, though making friends is not difficult, we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.
There are many books about friendship, but Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, written in 1936, is the most famous. 52 It was later put into 28 languages.
Here is the list of advice from his book:
l 53
Always greet with a smile. Begin with "excuse me" or "would you please", when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say "thank you" and try to be as helpful as you can.
l Go out of your way to be nice.
54 Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you, but it will make your neighbour feel a lot better.
l Remember names.
They say that the sweetest music to a person's ears is the sound of his or her own name.
l 55
Try to understand other people's ways and ideas and learn something from them.
l Listen patiently.
When someone is talking to you, look at him or her, listen carefully and say something when necessary.
A. Be open-minded.
B. Be friendly and polite.
C. So we all need to have friends.
D. Save some time to help others.
E. This "How to" book became a best seller.
F. Try to help your friends out of danger.
G. It's also important to keep close friends in our daily life.
CEBDA
Kuss Middle School serves students in Fall River, Mass. , a former mill town that has struggled economically for decades. Students at Kuss have struggled, too, usually falling short of making the academic progress required under the No Child Left Behind law.
Then, last year, the school experimented with extending the school day. Teachers got paid at a higher hourly rate.
Students weren't thrilled at first with leaving school at 4:15 p.m. instead of at 2:20 p.m. But the added hours gave them more time for physical education and let them select special interest classes. By the end of the year, student scores had risen by enough to enable Kuss to make the progress required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The only surprise is that more districts haven't lengthened school schedules set decades ago to accommodate (适应) a farm economy rather the information economy of today.
|
School days The USA ranks 36th of 40 industrialized nations in average weekly instructional time. Selected countries: 1) Thailand--30.5 hours 2) Korea--30.3 hours 7) China--26.5 hours 14) France--24.6 hours 15 ) UK--24.6 hours 16) Mexico--24.2 hours 23 ) Japan--23.8 hours 26)Canada--23.6 hours 36)USA--22.2 hours 40)Brazil--19 hours |
New research suggests the time is ready for a change:
Matched against 39 other developed countries, the United States is near the bottom in the rankings of average weekly instructional time in school. Measured over 12 years, students in the top-scoring countries spend the equivalent of a full extra year in school.
US students perform poorly on math and science tests compared to their international peers, according to a US Education Department comparison released earlier this month. In math, American 15-year-old scored near the bottom among the study's 30 developed countries.
Most countries that boost the number of minutes spent on math instruction find pay offs in improved math scores, according to a study released this month by the Brookings Institution. Small in creases in the school day are more effective than a longer school year, the report concluded.
The most encouraging news about the benefits of extending the school day comes from Massachusetts, where an experiment with 10 schools, including Kuss, appears to be working. Those 10 schools lengthened their instructional days by 25% and boosted their state scores in math, English and science at all grades.
Perhaps the concept won't work everywhere. Certainly, it won't instantly be popular. But it's obvious that a problem exists or that adding class time seems to help.
1.What is the main idea of the above passage?
|
A.Experiments with extended school hours produce academic gains. |
|
B.Kuss Middle School sets a good example for US education. |
|
C.Academic progress has achieved under the No Child Left Behind law. |
|
D.Information age calls for more instructional lime at all schools. |
2.A longer school day is suggested for the following reasons except that _________.
|
A.students from many developed countries spend more time at school |
|
B.American students do a bad job at science subjects |
|
C.teachers are paid at a higher rate with time added |
|
D.a longer school day works better than a longer school year |
3.Which statement is true of Kuss Middle School?
|
A.Kuss Middle School lies in where a farm economy is changing to an information one. |
|
B.Kuss Middle school has joined the federal "No Child Left Behind" progrann |
|
C.Neither teachers nor students are happy with the longer school day. |
|
D.Adding class time functions at Kuss Middle School. |
4.The writer has expressed ____________.
|
A.a positive attitude towards adding school time |
|
B.a negative attitude towards adding school time |
|
C.a changing attitude towards adding school time |
|
D.a right attitude towards adding school time |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. "I was a clothes addict, "he jokes." I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled." Today David wears casual clothes – khaki pants and sports shirt – to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. "I'm working harder than ever," David says, "and I need to feel comfortable."
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as "dress-down Friday" or "casual Friday." "What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing." said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it's easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. "A lot of young people don't want to dress up for work," says the owner of a software company, "so it's hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code." Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale (士气). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. "Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day," one person said. "For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes."
1.David Smith refers to himself as having been "a clothes addict," because .
|
A.he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
|
B.he couldn't stand a clean appearance |
|
C.he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
|
D.he didn't want to spend much money on clothes |
2.David Smith wears casual clothes now, because .
|
A.they make him feel at ease when working |
|
B.he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
|
C.he looks handsome in casual clothes |
|
D.he no longer works for any company |
3.According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
|
A.Many employees don't like a conservative dress code. |
|
B.Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
|
C.A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
|
D.All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear. |
4.According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
|
A.Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago. |
|
B.Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s. |
|
C."Dress-down Friday" was first given as a favor from employers. |
|
D.Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
5.In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except .
|
A.saving employees' money |
B.making employees more attractive |
|
C.improving employees' motivation |
D.making employees happier |