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American kids are taking more tests than ever before, and they're stressed out. Is help on the way? Just the sight of a test booklet makes some kids sweat. For others, it is a blank answer sheet. Then there are the dreaded words, "Take out your Number 2 pencil." All these fill 10-year-old Chelsea Logo with fear. "I start to tap my pencil on the desk," says the fifth grader from Toluca Lake Elementary, near Los Angeles, California. "Then I feel the butterflies in my stomach."
Chelsea is not alone. In a recent survey by Kids Health£.org, more than 70% of kids aged 9 to 13 said they worry about tests. It's no wonder. Across the United States, public schools give more than 250 million standardized tests each year.
Why do kids have to take so many tests? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires that students in grades 3 through 8 be tested each year. The law's goal is for all students to be at grade level by 2014. Students must pass the tests and meet other requirements or their schools may be shut down.
The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants to change NCLB. But that doesn't mean he favors getting rid of tests. Duncan believes tests should be used mainly to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses. Tests, Duncan says, should not be used to punish kids or their schools for failure. "The goal is to focus on great teaching and learning," Duncan said.
Under NCLB, each state sets its own standards for students to meet. The result, Duncan says, is that states are making the tests easier. To fix this problem, 48 states are now working together to create common standards. "I want to set a high bar for kids, " Duncan says, "so they'll be in great shape to achieve their 
dreams."
Like them or not, tests are here to stay. So how can you handle test nerves? Schools are teaching students to relax through. deep breathing. and stretching (伸展运动) . In Oakland, California, Principal Zarina Ahmad of Piedmont Avenue Elementary leads her students in a cheer to get them excited about learning.
"Kids are under high pressure," says Ahmad. "There has to be time for kids to be kids. Still, we need tests to help us assess what students have yet to learn."
1.The underlined part "the butterflies in my stomach" can be replaced by .
A. nervous B. guilty C. exciting D. proud
2. According to the passage, the NCLB law .
A. is focusing on teaching methods in schools
B. is requiring schools to make the tests more difficult
C. is trying to make schools be responsible for students
D. aims to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses by means of tests
3. We can learn from the last two paragraphs that .
A. it's possible to get rid of tests
B. schools have no good way to deal with students' stress
C. tests help assess what students have to learn
D. schools are aware of students' stress caused by tests
4.What would be the best title of the passage?
A. Why kids are more stressed than before?
B. Kids' tips for test success
C. How to deal with test stress
D. Put kids to the standardized test
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More students than ever before are taking a gap year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated (起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).
That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible.” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to £ 15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,” he said.
1.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
A.It is flexible in length. B.It is a time for relaxation.
C.It is increasingly popular. D.It is required by universities.
2.According to Tony Higgins, students taking a gap year .
A.are better prepared for college studies
B.know a lot more about their future jobs
C.are more likely to leave university in debt
D.have a better chance to enter top universities
3.How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon?
A.He’s puzzled. B.He’s worried.
C.He’s surprised. D.He’s annoyed.
4.What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
A.Attend additional courses. B.Make plans for the new term.
C.Earn money for their education. D.Prepare for their graduate studies.
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More students than ever before are taking a gap year(间隔年) before going to university. It used to be the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated(起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).
That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship – young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacating periods,” he said.
1.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
A. It is flexible in length.
B. It is a time for relaxation
C. It is increasingly popular
D. It is required by universities
2.According to Tony Higgins. students taking a gap year ____.
A. are better prepared for college studies
B. know a lot more about their future job
C. are more likely to leave university in debt
D. have a better chance to enter top universities
3.How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon?
A. He’s puzzled
B. He’s worried
C. He’s surprised
D. He’s annoyed
4.What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
A. Attend additional courses.
B. Make plans for the new term
C. Earn money for their education
D. Prepare for their graduate studies
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“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before, ” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达). ” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don, t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable, Don, t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you, re in touch with won, t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn′t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we′d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph I?
A．People can tell good from bad behavior.
B．Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C．People care little about their behavior.
D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
A．they are becoming less patient
B．they are growing too independent
C．they have to handle many important messages
D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward.
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is
A．Ridiculous B．disgusting C．acceptable D．reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．We should applaud good behabior.
B．Technology can neber be blamed
C．We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D．Technology will take over lives one day.
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More people are travelling than ever before, and lower harriers to entry and falling costs means they are doing so for _______ periods.
The rise of “city breaks” --48-hour bursts of foreign cultures, easier on the pocket and annual leave balance has increased tourist numbers, but not their _______ spread. The same attractions have been used to market cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Venice for decades, and visitors use the same infrastructure as residents to reach them. “Too many people do the same thing at the exact same time,” says Font. “For _______, the city no longer belongs to them.”
This starts with marketing, says Font, who notes that Amsterdam has started advising visitors to seek _______ outside of the city centre on its official website. “That takes some balls, really to do that. But only so many people will look at the website, and it means they can say to their residents they’re doing all they can to ease congestion.”
But it also _______ a better way, it is called “detourism”: sustainable travel tips an _______ itineraries for exploring an authentic Venice, off the paths beaten by the 28 million visitors who flock there each year.
A greater variety of _______ for prospective visitors ------ ideas for what to do in off-peak seasons, for example, or outside of the city center ------ can have the effect of diverting them from already saturated landmarks, or _______ short breaks away in the first place. Longer stays _______ the pressure, says Font. If you go to Paris for two days, you’re going to go to the Eiffel Tower. “If you go for two weeks, you’re not going to go to the Eiffel Tower 14 times.”
Similarly, repeat visitors have a better sense of the __________, “We should be asking how we get tourists to __________, not how to get them to come for the first time. If they’re coming for the fifth time, it is much easier to integrate their behavior with ours.”
Local governments can foster this sustainable activity by giving preference to responsible operator and even high-paying consumers. Font says cities could stand to be more selective about the tourists they try to attract when the current metric for marketing success is how many there are, and how far they’ve come. “You’re thinking, ‘yeah but at what cost...’.”
He points to unpublished data from the Barcelona Tourist Board that prioritizes Japanese tourists for spending an average of €40 more per day than French tourist as a(n) __________ that fails to take into account their bigger carbon footprint. __________ tourists are also more likely to be repeat visitors that come at off-peak times, buy local produce, and __________ to less crowded parts of the city ------ all productive steps towards more __________ tourism, and more peaceful relations with residents.
1.A. longer B. shorter C. wider D. clearer
2.A. environmental B. national C. economic D. geographic
3.A. locals B. tourists C. visitors D. cleaners
4.A. transports B. accommodation C. restaurants D. service
5.A. addresses B. paves C. proposes D. receives
6.A. separate B. individual C. alternative D. objective
7.A. reform B. guidance C. invitation D. support
8.A. convincing B. discouraging C. preventing D. resisting
9.A. pace B. escape C. withstand D. ease
10.A. culture B. knowledge C. entertainment D. ability
11.A. take over B. bring up C. come back D. lay off
12.A. distinction B. harmony C. association D. comparison
13.A. French B. Italian C. Spanish D. German
14.A. carry out B. give into C. spread out D. impact on
15.A. slight B. complex C. temporary D. sustainable
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“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before，”says Patsy Rowe，“ Manners_have_fallen_off_the_radar(雷达)．”Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint(抱怨)about the noise.Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet.To them，dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward.It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds.When you have dinner with friends，you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone.We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings lifechanging news，so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with.What is worse，some people even tend to send anonymous(匿名的) rude messages by email.
However，rudeness is never acceptable.Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you.If you have something awful to say，have the courage to face the person and say it，write a letter or email and sign it，or forget it.Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings.Technology is here to help us，but we should not allow it to take over our lives.An important step ia acknowledging our shortcomings.People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A．People can tell good from bad behavior.
B．Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C．People care little about their behavior.
D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because________.
A．they are becoming less patient
B．they are growing too independent
C．they have to handle many important messages
D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward.
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is________.
A．ridiculous B．disgusting
C．acceptable D．reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．We should applaud good behavior.
B．Technology can never be blamed.
C．We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D．Technology will take over our lives one day.
-
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with complaining about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的）rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because__________.
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward.
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ___________.
A. Ridiculous B. disgusting
C. acceptable D. reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We should applaud good behavior.
B. Technology can never be blamed
C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D. Technology will take over lives one day.
-
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达)．” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with complaining about the noise．Here are some examples of rudeness．
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet．To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward． It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds．When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone．We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with．What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的）rude messages by email．
However, rudeness is never acceptable．Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you．If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it．Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting．
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings．Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives．An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings．People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them．
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A． People can tell good from bad behavior．
B． Radar is able to observe human behavior．
C． People care little about their behavior．
D． Radar can be used to predict human behavior．
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because__________．
A． they are becoming less patient
B． they are growing too independent
C． they have to handle many important messages
D． they have to follow an evolutionary step backward．
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ___________．
A． Ridiculous
B． disgusting
C． acceptable
D． reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A． We should applaud good behavior．
B． Technology can never be blamed
C． We should keep pointing out mistakes．
D． Technology will take over lives one day．
-
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的）rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward.
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is
A. Ridiculous B. disgusting C. acceptable D. reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We should applaud good behavior.
B. Technology can never be blamed
C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D. Technology will take over lives one day.
-
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and annoying.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is admitting our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly recognize good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because ________.
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________.
A. ridiculous B. hateful C. acceptable D. reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We should praise good behavior.
B. Technology can never be blamed.
C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D. Technology will take over our lives one day.
dreams."