LONDON（Reuters）—Achieving three A grades at A-level will no longer be enough to ensure a place at a top university, academics warned on Wednesday.
From September sixth-formers will begin studying A-level exams which will include a higher grade of A for those getting marks of 90 percent or above in their papers.
Those applying for Oxford or Cambridge will need new top grades to win a place, the 1994 Group of 19 leading universities said in a report.
It said it expected the two elite universities to take a large majority of those awarded three or two A grades.
Outside Oxbridge, students will need at least two A grades and standard A grade to be confident of getting a place at their chosen university.
The extra grade is being added to meet complaints from universities that too many pupils gain maximum grades in A-levels, making it hard to select the most able.
But the 1994 Group, which does not include Oxford or Cambridge, said there were concerns among its members that pupils from fee-paying independent schools would dominate the A grades.
It said this could set back efforts by its member universities, who include Durham, St. Andrews and Warwick, to widen the social range of their intake.
The report estimated that just 3,500 out of 660,000 students would be awarded three A*s when they take the first exams in the new A-level courses in 2010.
That compares with the 26,200 students who gained three A grades in A-levels in 2006.
The government said there was no evidence to show that state school pupils would be disadvantaged by the introduction of the new grade.
“It is up to institutions to decide how they balance their assessments of applications with their desire to be fair and to offer places to applicants with the greatest potential, regardless of background,” said a spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools & Families.
1．What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Independent schools dominate the A* grades
B．Straight A’s no longer enough for top universities
C．Pick up applicants with the greatest potential
D．Top universities need top students
2．The underlined word “elite” in Paragraph 4 means “ ”.
A．best B．expensive C．worst D．cheapest
3．We can infer from the passage that .
A．only students with at least 3 A* can be admitted to Oxbridge
B．fee-paying independent schools provide a better education than state schools
C．the new assessment system of A* will be carried out in 2010
D．students’ involvement in social activities is a must to be admitted to the 1994 Group
4．Why does the new assessment system have to be invented?
A．Few students have gained three A grades in A-level exams.
B．Oxbridge wants to distinguish themselves from other universities.
C．Top universities are pushing for the reform of the assessment.
D．The present A-level exams fail to pick out the most talented students.
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：2011-2012学年福建省莆田二中高一下学期期末考试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：完型填空
Charlie Chaplin was the first international star of the modern times. He was especially beloved for his Little Tramp 36 . He was the first screen artist to write, 37 and perform in his own films; in fact, 38 , Charlie Chaplin even wrote the music for his movies. He was also the first artist to use his work to pass a 39 of equality and justice for all－ 40 for the “little guy”. Charlie Chaplin’s career and life made 41 the first global icon (偶像); his too small hat, his too large shoes and his trademark moustache were instantly 42 by audiences from Chicago to China, from Iowa City to India. And they 43 are today. All of these make Charlie Chaplin the first citizen of our global village.
Chaplin, a native of London, was born in 44 on April 16, 1889 to music hall performers. Chaplin only saw his 45 twice until the age of seven. The man 46 him and his mother about a year after Chaplin was 47 . During Chaplin’s earliest years, his mother was a (n) 48 and performer. Then her voice gave out, her stage career 49 , and she began actively 50 Church of England services. At the age of 51 , Chaplin’s mother was considered insane and sent to Cane Hill lunatic asylum(疯人院), and the 52 sent Charlie and his brother to live with his father, 53 had by then stopped all payments of child support.
Charlie Chaplin lived with his father only a short time 54 his mother was released from the lunatic asylum and then 55 Charlie and his brother to live with her once again.
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科目：高中英语 来源：山东省济宁市实验中学2010届高三4月份阶段检测英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
C
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate (照亮) me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared, and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell…” We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing (愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
66. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to _________.
A. become serious about her study B. go to her friend’s house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school D. share poems and stories with her friend
67. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means _________.
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
68. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _________.
A. call each other regularly B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other D. dream of meeting each other
69. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ________.
A. seek professional help B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend D. break the silence
70. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Unforgettable Experiences B. Remarkable Imagination
C. Lifelong Friendship D. Noble Companions
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年高三名校精华重组（2）英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
（D）
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have．It’s likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen will have a washing machine and a microwave oven．Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need． You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week．
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for．Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world．They feel that the long-hour work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes．Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting_is one of them．
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year．One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz．They used to work in central London．He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank．They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs （郊区）, leaving their two children with a nanny（保姆）．Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings．They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by．
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales．“I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift．It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it．We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays．However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier．”
Liz, however, is not quite sure．“I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours．I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals．One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children．My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all．”
68．What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A．People seldom work long hours to make money．
B．People hardly buy more things than necessary．
C．People are sure everything they own is in the right place．
D．People realize more is involved in life than just making money．
69．Daniel agrees that the move to the farm __________．
A．was easy to organize B．has improved family life
C．was extremely expensive D．has been a total success
70．The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph means ________．
A．repairing your car by yourself
B．spending money carefully
C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年高考模拟试卷（山东）英语 题型：阅读理解
E
Many cities in the world are benefiting from the nocturnal (夜间活动的) activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队的) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the exploits (开发) of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look dismal (凄凉的) in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to revitalize (恢复活力) neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
1. According to the text, guerrilla gardeners got their names ______.
A. because of the residents’ advice B. from the local governments
C. for the nature of their work D. based on the local cultures
2. These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.
A. at the request of the government B. nearby their house
C. often in return for others’ help D. of their own free will
3. Why do the guerrilla gardeners often return to their former working places?
A. To look after these plants. B. To enjoy these beautiful flowers.
C. To help plants live through winter months. D. To change the types of these plants.
4. Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants with the purpose of ______.
A. making the neighborhood more beautiful B. agreeing with his own job
C. advertising some products in his agency D. killing his spare time
5. It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.
A. are mainly from the United Kingdom
B. will later get well paid
C. are still not accepted by the local people
D. become more and more organized
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年河北省邢台一中高一第四次月考英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
Imagine, one day, getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours, and then, after a full day of work, going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.
Sounds unusual, doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic, with the development of China’s high-speed railway system. And that’s not all. China has an even greater high-speed railway plan— to connect the country with Southeast Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe.
China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years, eventually reaching London and Singapore.
China has proposed three such projects. The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia. Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and possibly to Germany. The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward, people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days.
The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard. And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as some airplanes.
China’s bullet train (高速客车), the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou, already has the world’s fastest average speed. It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours.
Of course, there are some technical challenges to overcome. There are so many issues that need to be settled, such as safety, rail gauge (轨距), maintenance of railway tracks. So, it’s important to pay attention to every detail.
But the key issue is really money. China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion.
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment. Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development.
It’ll be a win-win project. For other countries, the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business, tourism and so on, not to mention the better communication among those countries.
For China, such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources, but would also help develop China’s far west. We foresee that in the coming decades, millions of people will migrate to the western regions, where the land is empty and resources unused. With high-speed trains, people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all. And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.
【小题1】China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because _______.
| A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions |
| B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways |
| C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries |
| D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism |
| A．technical issues | B．safety of the system |
| C．financial problems | D．maintenance of railway tracks |
| A．Critical. | B．Reserved. | C．Doubtful | D．Positive. |
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