Does going to college really 1_____ English class in college on the short story. Our first assignment was
to read 2_____ short stories and then discuss which one was better. After reading both, I wasn't sure. Over
the 3_____ several months, my professor taught me 4_____ one story was so much better than the other. 
5_____ was rich in mclaphor (隐喻) and character development, while the other was humorous 6_____ too
shallow. I couldn't see this at first. Yet, in a few months, my brain got reeducated and 7_____ could see the
difference between good and bad writing and could appreciate literature at a whole new level.
     Going to college helps build a strong mind, which leads 8_____ greater success in one's life.

     In Denmark, parents are allowed to set up a new school if they are dissatisfied with the school in the area
where they are living. Although these schools have to follow the national courses, they are allowed a lot of
choice in deciding what to teach. Some of these new schools are called "small schools" because usually the
number of pupils in them is only sixty, but a school has to have at least twenty-seven pupils.
     Cooleenbridge School in Ireland, is a small school similar to the ones in Denmark, it was set up by parents
who came from Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, England and other parts of Ireland. They came because
they wanted to live in the countryside and to grow their own food. In June 1986, they decided to start a school.
They managed to get an old, disused primary-school building and started with twenty-four children aged from
four to twelve.
     The teachers say, "The important thing in school is doing, not sitting." And so the courses includes yoga
(瑜伽), cooking, knitting (编织), kite-making, music, fishing, drama (戏剧) and environmental river studies,
as well as reading, writing, maths and science.

1. What are the rules for setting up a new school in Denmark?

A. Parents are allowed to set up their own school.
B. The school has to follow the national courses.
C. The school has to have at least 27 pupils.
D. All of the above.

2. The writer tells about the Cooleenbridge School in Ireland because _____.

A. it was set up by parents who are not people of Denmark
B. it was taken as an example of this kind of "small school"
C. there were only twenty-four children
D. the pupils there were aged from 4 to 12

3. What makes this kind of school special?

A. It is set up by parents not by government.
B. It is free to decide what to teach.
C. The number of pupils in it is only sixty.
D. It has to have at least 27 pupils.

4. "The important thing in school is doing, not sitting." What the teachers say actually means _____.

A. What we should do is teaching in the classroom, not sitting in the office.
B. Children should do more homework at home, not just sit in class to listen to the teachers.
C. Children should learn by themselves not rely on teachers.
D. Children should learn through practice not just from books.

     The United States government has started a website to help children think critically about the advertising
that is aimed at them. The new site is called Admongo. It claims to provide visitors with an "aducation"
through games and other entertainment.
     A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitors to Admongo. "Call me Haiz" he says upon
arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Dabce plays in the background as Haiz tells
visitors that they need to learn about advertising.
     The Admongo website is aimed at children eight to twelve years old. Its inventors say that is the age kids
develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids that age are also a big market for advertisers.
     The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: to identify the advertiser, to know what the
advertiser is really saying, and to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.
     Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose
different skin colors, hairstyles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad- land. They take a
walk through the neighborhood. They seek out the advertising and capture treasures. There are ads on buses
and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the
next level.
     The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be
found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.
     One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Commission says it is an especially big business. The
F. T. C. estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more that one and a half billion dollars on
advertising to young people in 2009.
     The F. T. C. says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and
caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.
     A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First
Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.

1. The purpose of launching the website is ____.

A. to try to influence the biggest market of buyers
B. to advertise the online video game for children
C. to help children know well about advertising
D. to advertise the products of its company

2. What can players do in the website game?

A. They can choose hairstyles for their own character.
B. They can play video games in the trip.
C. They can eat in a fast-food restaurant.
D. They can travel to a supermarket.

3. Children are important for advertising because they ____.

A. are easily influenced by ads
B. are the most potential buyers
C. are the most important for society
D. are easily affected by low-quality products

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. An advertising website aimed at children
B. An "ad-education" website for children
C. A popular online video game
D. The Admongo's guide

     Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose
is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
     The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to
family. Timing is another consideration, Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly
allowance.
     In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the
money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this,
they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget (预算). Parents are usually advised
not to offer more money until the next allowance.
     The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving.
Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for
work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life.
     Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an
understanding of how a business works.
     Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can
share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or
they can save it.
     Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. You have to cut costs and plan for
the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and
investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
     A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest.
     Compounding works by paying interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest
for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of
one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot, but over time it adds up.

1. Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT ____.

A. how much the child should get each time
B. whether the child has made a budget
C. where the money really goes
D. how often a child can get it

2. The underlined part "compound interest" in the passage probably means ____.

A. increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money
B. stronger power to hold one's attention to saving money
C. money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it
D. your parents' money from working in the bank

3. The author of the passage holds the opinion that ____.

A. what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future
B. children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances
C. keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children
D. it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Be Generous to Pay Your Children
B. Be Wise to Avoid Financial Mistakes
C. Saving Allowances Does Good to Children
D. Allowances Help Children Learn about Money

     Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently-animals.
     That's right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years.
Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in
strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to
death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage.
All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming
quake. They moved people away from the danger zone saved thousands of lives.
     One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It's not an
easy job. First of all, not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in
1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The
Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It's also difficult at times to tell the difference
between normal animal restlessness and "earthquake nerves." A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers,
saying that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.
     A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kinds of warnings the animals receive. They know
that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that
people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of earth.
This extra sense probably helps animals predict earthquakes.
     A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken
by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each
quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to
bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as
though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to booming noise. They
also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.
     In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our
machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be
sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and
learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.

1. Through the passage the writer hopes to explore ____.

A. why animals send a danger signal before an earthquake
B. how animals know when an earthquake is coming
C. why animals not humans have a good sense of danger
D. how much animals know about an earthquake

2. During an earthquake in China in 1975, ____.

A. chickens refused to go out of their cage
B. snakes were frozen to death in their caves
C. snakes awoke from their winter sleep earlier
D. cows broke their halters and escaped from their sheds

3. Which of the following is one of earthquake nerves according to the passage?

A. An Arabian horse tried to escape from his enclosure.
B. A cougar had an upset stomach unexpectedly.
C. An Australian horse was perfectly calm.
D. A cat acted very strangely in a zoo.

4. The scientists did an experiment with a group of dogs to ____.

A. find out that the machine could record unusual happenings
B. compare the reactions of animals and those of humans
C. prove that animals could sense more than humans
D. find out what exact warnings animals send

     I recently heard a story from Stephen Glenn about a famous research scientist who had made several very
important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he
thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from
others?
     He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he
was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his
grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor-a real sea of milk!
     When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture or punishing him,
she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle
of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few
minutes before we clean it up?"
     Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like
this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to
do that? We could use a sponge, a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together
they cleaned up the spilled milk.
     His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a
big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you
can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the
top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
     This famous renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to
be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something
new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we
usually learn something valuable from it.

1. The passage is intended to _____.

A. introduce the life story of a famous scientist
B. compare the different ways of family education
C. reveal the secret of the scientist's success
D. inspire the parents to improve their teaching methods

2. From the passage, we can know that Robert _____.

A. was very naughty when he was two
B. was so working hard as to succeed
C. owes a lot to his education from his mother
D. has made some great contributions to physics research

3. On seeing the spoiled milk, what did the mother do firstly?

A. She comforted his son.
B. She cleaned the floor.
C. She taught how to grasp the bottle.
D. She gave the boy a lecture.

4. Which of the following is the best according to the text?

A. It would be great if all the scientists can know the importance of the failed experiment.
B. It would be great if the experiment doesn't work at all.
C. It would be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him.
D. It would be great if we are more creative than the average person.

     Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy
science can be easy; there's no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only
have to share your children's curiosity (好奇). Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom
of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me"textbook questions "about schooling,
salary (薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence.
Finally I said, "Now that we're finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?"
     After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, "Have you ever seen a grasshopper (蚱蜢) eat? When I try
eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?"
     This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
     Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question,
adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase
their "wait time" to three seconds or more, children give more logical (符合逻辑的), complete and creative
answers.
     Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved m a science discussion, don't jump in with
"That's right" or "Very good". These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior (行为).
But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by
saying "That's interesting" or "I'd never thought of it that way before", or coming up with more questions or
ideas.
     Never push a child to "Think". It doesn't make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling
them to. What's more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer
you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target (目标) for your disagreement.
     Lastly, show; don't tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children
can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass
(放大镜), and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water
evaporates (蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

1. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing
    for adults to do is ____.

A. to let them see the world around
B. to share the children's curiosity
C. to explain difficult phrases about science
D. to supply the children with lab equipment

2. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word "lists" could best be replaced by ____.

A. any questions
B. any problems
C. questions from textbooks
D. any number of questions

3. In which of the following paragraph (s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a
    science discussion?

A. The second and third.
B. The fourth and fifth.
C. The fifth and sixth.
D. The seventh.

4. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children's curiosity except
     that adults should ____.

A. tell their children stories instead of reciting (背诵) facts
B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves
C. be patient enough when their children answer questions
D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own