根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

   76  . Not caring about the money, parents in China often send their children to the best schools or even abroad like England, the US or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education.    77  .

Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others.    78  . Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time.    79  . A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence.

An old machine such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with may make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up.

   80  . And that is more important.

E.   Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.

F.   These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, and to use his mind.

G.   What most parents fail to realize, though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.

Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications(申请) from this time last year. With fees having reached ￡9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education—including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home.
That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of ￡4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how—that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree.
Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated(极有主动性的)student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI).“The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible(灵活的), and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.”“You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors(竞争对手)— with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt.”
“I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn’t a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life,” Andy Cain, a distance learning student says.
Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that “being there” is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and—perhaps most importantly—friendships that will go on long after the degrees have been awarded.
【小题1】The number of students applying to universities    compared to this time last year.

The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.

October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life.

However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect (前景) of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking (令人焦虑不安的). Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?

Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.

Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：

● Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette (礼节). Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.

● Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.

● Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves his room.

● Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.

So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s freshers.

1.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. Freshers’ Week usually comes in September in UK

B. all the students are required to join certain clubs in UK

C. many freshers are worried about how to fit university life

D. most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities

2.Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?

A. To pass the busy university life.

B. To help make friends with other freshers.

C. To show yourself a drinker as others.

D. To enjoy the time in a happy way.

3.The main purpose of the passage is to _______.

A. tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities

B. introduce something about higher education system of the UK

C. inform the freshers of British social etiquette

D. advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning

Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green. However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.

Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.

This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves. And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly. Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.

Harry Morrison, chief executive（主管）of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now. But from environmental considerations, the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time. In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium-term benefit for the brand.”

Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions（排放）. Those that have taken early action will have a head start. More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible. This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.

The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing. “When companies are granted（授予）the standard, they can use a logo（标识）in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions,” Mr. Morrison said.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers.

B．Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions.

C．Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home.

D．Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness.

2.The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means“       ”.

A．affect        B．change       C．disturb        D．reject

3.According to Harry Morrison, businesses          .

A．will benefit from cutting carbon emissions

B．should buy carbon allowances for shoppers

C．are required to make up for their carbon emissions

D．have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere

4.We can learn from the passage that businesses will         .

A．have a strong desire to reduce costs

B．use the same logo in their marketing

C．gain advantages by taking early action

D．attract more shoppers by storing goods

The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.

October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life.

However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect (前景) of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking (令人焦虑不安的). Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?

Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.

Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：

● Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette (礼节). Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.

● Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.

● Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves his room.

● Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.

So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s freshers.

1.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. Freshers’ Week usually comes in September in UK

B. all the students are required to join certain clubs in UK

C. many freshers are worried about how to fit university life

D. most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities

2.Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?

A. To pass the busy university life.

B. To help make friends with other freshers.

C. To show yourself a drinker as others.

D. To enjoy the time in a happy way.

3.The main purpose of the passage is to _______.

A. tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities

B. introduce something about higher education system of the UK

C. inform the freshers of British social etiquette

D. advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning