Universities in the UK

Universities in Britain are a magnet for overseas students． There are currently over 200,000 from outside Britain studying at British universities． The largest single group is Chinese students． There are currently 50,000 in the UK． The British government expects the total number of overseas students to be around 900,000 by 2020, and also thinks that a quarter of these will be Chinese．

But why is the UK such a popular destination for university students? Well, the quality of your course is guaranteed． All courses are assessed by an independent system, so you can be assured that your course is officially approved and has wide international recognition．

The British education system is very flexible in order to provide for the needs of a modern, complex society． It is also cost-effective． Degree courses are usually shorter and more intensive than in other countries． There are lots of scholarships available． You normally need 3 A-levels, which are the exams taken by people leaving school at 18, in order to enter an undergraduate degree course． You also need an IELTS score of at least 5．5, but many universities offer foundation or access courses to prepare students for their studies．

British universities offer a personalized but independent approach． The emphasis is on creative and independent thought, which helps develop the skills you will need to compete in the global job market． Tutors not only teach but also provide support and guidance． As a result, international students have a very low drop out rate and a very high pass rate．

It is very simple to become an international student in the UK． The British “Council offers a free and impartial service to anyone who is interested in studying in the UK, and an organization called UCAS assists you in finding a course and making an effective application．

The UK is a dynamic(充满活力的) place． The countryside is beautiful, and the theatres, museums, architecture and rich history make it a fascinating place to live and study． __________．

1．By 2020, how many Chinese students are expected to study at British universities?

       A．About 50,000．   B．About 225,000．  C．About 160,000． D．About 300, 000．

2．According to the passage, the followings are the features of the UK’s education system EXCEPT __________．

       A．personalised guidance and support

       B．international recognition and official approval

       C．cheaper, longer but more effective courses

       D．foundation or access courses for the overseas students

3．Which of the following statements is NOT the reason for overseas students choosing the UK as their destination for education?

       A．Tutors not only teach but also provide support and guidance．

       B．A low pass rate guarantees the quality of graduates．

       C．The flexible education system provides various choices for students．

       D．The universities in the UK emphasize the creativity and independence of students．

4．Which of the following sentences do you think is the best closing sentence for the last paragraph?

       A．Have great fun in the UK!                    

       B．What a charming country the UK is!

       C．To pay a visit to the UK is everyone’s dream．

       D．Why not give it a go?

Americans spend their free time in various ways．

America is a country of sports — of hunting, fishing and swimming, and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras （管弦乐队）, make their own films or recordings, go camping, visit museums，attend lectures, travel, garden, read, and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes, sewing their own clothes, even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．

But as much as Americans enjoy their free time, the country is at the same time a “self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education, chiefly by going to school in the evening, during their own free time, at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities, Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, parks, community centers, and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities, often without any pay．Why do they do it?

There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．

When the country was first founded in 1776, it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities, rather than give the government more control．

Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid, to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work; or they are learning from the experience．

No matter what the reason is, hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard, unpaid work on one or another community need．

1.This passage is mainly about ________．

       A．why America is a country of sports

       B．how Americans spend their free time

       C．why America is a “self-improvement” country

       D．how Americans are devoted to their community activities

2.The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ________．

       A．the early history of America

       B．the American people’s determination to live

       C．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility

       D．the American people’ s love for freedom

3.Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?

       A．work time           B．energy                 C．effort                  D．spare time

4.What can we infer from the text?

       A．The first settlers left their hometown for political and religious reasons．

       B．Many Americans don’t trust the central government．

       C．American people enjoy building things for their homes just for fun．

       D．Americans continue their education at their own expense．

Isabella Stewart was born in New York City in 1 840．Her father made a great deal of money in the trade．During school，her parents took her to Italy to explore the country’s many cultural treasures．   

One of the private art collections Isabella visited in Milan had a deep influence on her．She wrote to her friends about her dream of owning a house one day with an art collection like the one she had seen in Italy．

In Paris，Isabella became close friends with one of her classmates，Julia Gardner，whose family was from Boston．Julia would later introduce Isabella to her brother，Jack．In 1 860，Isabella Stewart married Jack Gardner．

The couple had too much art to fit inside their home．So they decided to start planning a museum．Mrs. Gardner didn’t like the cold and empty．spaces of many museums during her time．She wanted a warm museum filled with light．She once said that she decided years ago that the greatest need in her country was art．America was a young country developing quickly in other areas．But the country needed more chances for people to See beautiful examples of art．

After her husband’s death in 1 898．Isabella knew she had no time to lose in building her museum．She bought land，hired a building designer，and supervised(监督)every detail of her museum’s construction．

Mrs．Gardner opened her museum on January 1，1 903，which was then called Fenway  Court．She invited her friends that night for a special musical performance．The next month，she opened the museum to the public．At first，visits were limited to twenty days out of the  year．Visitors paid one dollar to enter．

Isabella Stewart Gardner died in 1 924 in Boston.In her will，she left the museum a million dollars and a series of requirements about how it should be managed, one that the permanent collection cannot be changed．

  56．The text is mainly about            ．

    A．how Isabella Gardner realized her dream of being an artist

    B．how Mr．and Mrs．Gardner added to their collections of art

    C．how Isabella’s museum was opened

    D．Isabella Stewart Gardner and her museum

 57．By saying“the greatest need in her country was art”in Paragraph 4．Mrs．Gardner  meant that               ．

    A．America was still a young developing country

    B．there were no museums in America at that time

    C．art fell far behind other fields of the American society

    D．Americans had no chance to enjoy the beautiful art

 58．In order to achieve her dream of owning an arts museum，Mrs Gardner             

    A．raised money from her friends and relatives

    B．sold out all her land and houses

    C．held special musical performances for money

    D．watched over the process of building the museum

 59．Which statement is NOT true according to the text?      

    A．Isabella-and Jack were classmates when studying in Paris．

    B．The museums at that time was not comfortable.

    C．Isabella opened the museum about five years after Jack’s death．

    D．Great as the museum was，visitors had to wait and pay to enter．

60．From the passage，we can learn that the museum               ．

    A．helps earn much money for its collections of art

    B．is called Fenway Court by the visitors

    C．was opened to the public on January 1st，1903

    D．is still affected by Isabella Gardner in management now

BUILDING up a close bond (关系) with friends is important in all cultures. But different cultures have different ways of socializing.
The Chinese love going to restaurants. Family, friends and colleagues all go out to eat as a way of relaxing. So Chinese restaurants are much louder and noisier places compared with those in the Western world.
Although British people do socialize by going out for dinner, most people meet in pubs. They go there in the evening and sometimes during the day. Most people order wine or beer.
Going for a drink with colleagues after work is a particularly important British tradition. A recent survey of office workers found three-quarters of people regard the after-work drink as the key to building positive relationships with colleagues.
But for the French, the preferred place to socialize is in cafés. They are a central part of daily life in France and its culture. People will go to cafes at all times during the day.
In the morning, people may go there to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee. At lunch they may go there for something to eat. Then when it's evening they may return to enjoy a glass of wine.
While the meeting place is different from culture to culture, "Essentially (本质上) they serve the same purpose, which is that humans need a place to come together to meet," said Aidan Saunders, a professor of social history at the University College London. "We are sociable animals."
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?      

One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen—Listen when they are talking. Don’t say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it’s not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them—If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don’t do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them—Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control, but if you can’t stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don’t want to stay with your friends when they’re in hard times, then you don’t deserve to be with them when they’re having a good time!
_________—Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you’ll remember these things when you’re all old!
【小题1】 While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should______________.

A．Life without a friend is death.

B．A friend is easier lost than found.

C．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

D．A man is known by his friends.