Now, there is a growing movement to pay the students in American schools---in some cases, even just for coming to class.

Students at one school in New Mexico can earn up to three hundred dollars a year for good attendance. In Baltimore, Maryland, high scores in state graduation tests can be worth more than one hundred dollars. And a New Jersey school system plans to pay students fifty dollars a week to attend after---school tutoring programs.

Schools that pay students can be found in more than one---fourth of the fifty states. Other schools pay students with food or other rewards.

Robert Schaefer is a public education director. He says paying students may improve performance in the short term, but students develop false expectations for the future. He sees a lack of long term planning in these programs because of the pressure on schools to raise test scores.

Public schools need to show improvement under the education reform law. Low---performing schools may lose their federal money; teachers and administrators(行政人员) may lose their jobs. Often these schools are in poor neighborhoods where getting students to go to school can be a continual problem.

Critics(评论家) say paying students sends a message that money is the only valuable reward. But some students say it makes school more exciting. And some teachers have reported getting more requests for extra help.

In two thousand four, the city schools in Coshocton, Ohio, launched a program. They wanted to see if paying elementary school students as much as one hundred dollars would help in passing the state exams.

Now, Eric Bettinger of Case Western Reserve University (EUCWRU) has reported mixed results. Math scores increased, but only white students were able to get paid. And there was no evidence of higher scores in reading, social studies and science. Official will decide later this year whether to continue the program.

1.Paying students who show improvement in tests __________.

A．has been done in most American schools

B．is becoming a growing practice in the USA

C．is not very popular with teachers

D．only aims at high scores at school

2.According to the text, Robert Schaefer _____________.

A．is a very excellent teacher

B．thinks highly of paying students

C．thinks students will show improvement in study in the future

D．thinks people should make a careful plan for the paying program

3.From the last paragraph we can see __________.

A．EBCWRU has got great success in its paying program

B．not all the students in EUCWRU have made progress in all subjects

C．only students who study math can get paid

D．EBCWRU will go on with the paying program

4.The text is mainly written to _____________.

A．persuade teachers to give students more prizes

B．tell people how to become an excellent student

C．introduce something about American paying students program

D．explain the advantages of American paying students program

The koala(考拉) is possibly one of the best known Australian animals, and is found in four states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The word “koala” comes from an Australian aboriginal word meaning “no drink”.

Sometimes people call them “koala bears” but koala is not a bear. It belongs to a special group of Australian mammals, called marsupial(有袋类). Female marsupials have a pouch where the baby animals live after they are born.

Koalas have soft, thick, grey or brown fur on their backs. The fur on the stomach is white. Koala that live in the south have thicker fur than those in the north because of the cold winters, whereas the koalas in the northern part of the country live in warm to hot weather most of the year so have thinner fur. A koala has a large hairless nose and round ears. Koalas don’t have tails. Adult koalas measure between 7 and 14 kilograms.

Koalas spend nearly all their time in the trees using their sharp, curved claws and long toes to climb about and to hold on to the tree branches. They sleep most of the day, and feed and move from tree to tree mainly at night.

The reason koala sleep for much of the day is because their food eucalyptus(桉树) leaves are very tough so they use a lot of energy to digest. Sleeping saves energy. Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to almost every other animal. Koalas rarely drink water; they get water from the leaves they eat.

Each koala has a home range made up of several trees that they visit regularly. They normally do not visit another koala’s home trees except that a male is looking for a female to mate with.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true about the name “koala bear”?

A．The name was given by the native in Australia

B．The word “koala” is an original English word

C．The name describes one of its living habits

D．The name is partly false

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “punch”？

A．House            B．Cave             C．Pocket            D．Nest

3.Why do the koalas live in the south have thicker fur than those in the north?

A．The thicker fur can protect them from the colder weather

B．It’s always hot in summer in the north

C．It’s always cold in the winter in the south

D．They have to move to the north in the winter

4. Why do koalas sleep much in the day?

A．Their foods are poisonous

B．They want to save energy for the activities at night

C．They can’t get enough energy from their tough foods

D．They can’t get enough water from their leaves

BEIJING — China’s education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.

Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get ‘‘extra credits’ up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students’ chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.

“It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.

Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. uIt will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.

The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges(优先权).

The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.

Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.

But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My - 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math，and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.

A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”   

Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider  the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance  examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China，” lie said.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A．high school students with talent in sports are weak in academic performance

B．students who win awards in Olympic competitions can’t get extra credits in 2011

C．the number of competitions whose winners can get extra credits will be smaller

D．the extra credits have reduced students' chances of being admitted by famous colleges

2.What does the underlined word “geek” probably mean?

A．a winner          B．a smart learner     C．a competitor       D．a dull student

3.Which person in the passage was strongly against the new policy?

A．Xiong Bingqi       B．Chen Lei          C．Dong Wen         D．Yuan Guiren

4.What might be the best title for the text?

A．“Extra credits policy in China to be adjusted

B．Promotion of national Olympic competitions

C．Advice on the national college entrance exam

D．Chinese government to push education reform

第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

This morning I went to the shop to change

the coat I bought it yesterday. But the salesgirl          1.________

treated me coldly. At first, she didn’t admit that the    2.________

coat sold in her shop and then she said I made            3.________

it dirty. She gave various excuse to refuse my            4.________

request. So I got angrily and quarreled with her.          5.________

Then the manager turned up and asked how was              6.________

the matter. Before I told him the whole thing,            7.________

he said sorry for me and criticized the salesgirl.         8.________

At last, they changed another coat for us. With           9.________

satisfaction I take the new coat home happily.            10.________

假设你是育才中学的李华，将参加主题为“Let’s Ride Bicycles”的英语演讲比赛，请撰写一份演讲稿，主要内容包括：

目前汽车带来的空气污染和交通堵塞等问题；

骑自行车的益处，如节能环保、有利健康等。

参考词汇：低碳生活（low-carbon life）;节能（energy saving）

注意1. 词数：120词左右；

演讲稿开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。

Good morning, everyone.

I’m Li Hua from Yucai Middle School.

The topic of my speech is “Let’s Ride Bicycles”…                                                                                                                                                                         

(请将短文改错和书面表达写在答题卡上，写在此试卷上无效)

The people there were friendly and the food was delicious. _________, The party was pleasant.

A．After all           B．Above all          C．In all             D．All in all

There is no _________ to the house from the main street.

A．access            B．avenue           C．expose           D．edge

On a dark night, They made their way to  the nearest shelter with strong wind_______ by heavy rain.

A．company          B．accompanying      C．accompanied       D．companion

We ________ you to complete the work within one month.

A．suggest           B．desire            C．hope             D．insist

_________ for two weeks, the village now is short of food.

A．To flood                               B．Having flooded

C．Having been flooded                     D．Being flooded