Obviously!

Until Descartes came along in the seventeenth century, everyone assumed that we exited. Obviously. The fact seemed so mind-blowing obvious that it wasn’t really discussed. We could see ourselves in the mirror, we could feel pain and pleasure, we could think thoughts for ourselves and, more importantly, perhaps, all the world’s main religions assumed that we do exist. So we exist.

No you don’t it!

You don’t exist. That’s because it’s impossible to show once and for all that you do. There’s no proof. You might think you exist-that you are sitting at a table reading this book, for instance-but how could you show with 100 percent certainty that this is true? There’s no experiment that could prove it. Although Descartes said just you could prove your own existence by the fact that you are able to think, this isn’t actually, according to the British philosopher A. J. Ayer. Just because we know that we are thinking, this doesn’t mean that there is a “you” doing the thinking. It just shows that the thoughts are happening, not that anyone is having them. Thoughts exists, “You” don’t.

_____________!

What a waste of time this question is. Although you can argue until the end of time whether you exist or not, it doesn’t get you anywhere. Unless you forget about this unanswerable question, you’ll be stuck thinking about it forever, and that isn’t of any use to anyone. Move on. Think about something more important! This very roughly, is the view of almost all philosophers, who prefer to answer other, apparently more useful, questions.

Yes, but…

You exist, but not in the way you might think. According to the great French philosopher Ren Descartes, you can’t show that anything exists—apart from your own self. The existence of the entire world can be doubted in one way or another, but the facts you’re having thoughts shows that there might be something (that’s you) having them. This let Descartes to write the famous philosophical phrase, “ I think before I am”.

1.Which of the following can be the missing heading?

A. Forget about it B. What a ridiculous point

C. Think about it D. What a pointless question

2.This passage is anything but a(n)___________.

A. comment B. discussion

C. argument D. debate

3.The famous answer to the question “Do I exist?” is ___________.

A. No, you don’t exist.

B. I think, therefore, I am.

C. Yes, you do exist.

D. It won’t get you anywhere

Knots are the kind of stuff that even myths are made of.In the Greek legend of the Gordian knot, for example, Alexander the Great used his sword to slice through a knot that had failed all previous attempts to unite it. Knots, enjoy a long history of tales and fanciful names such as “Englishman’s tie, ” “and “cat’s paw. ” Knots became the subject of serious scientific investigation when in the 1860s the English physicist William Thomson (known today as Lord Kelvin) proposed that atoms were in fact knotted tubes of ether（醚）. In order to be able to develop the equivalent of a periodic table of the elements, Thomson had to be able to classify knots — find out which different knots were possible. This sparked a great interest in the mathematical theory of knots.

A mathematical knot looks very much like a familiar knot in a string, only with the string’s ends joined. In Thomson’s theory, knots could, in principle at least, model atoms of increasing complexity, such as the hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms, respectively. For knots to be truly useful in a mathematical theory, however, mathematicians searched for some precise way of proving that what appeared to be different knots were really different — the couldn’t be transformed one into the other by some simple manipulation（操作）. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Scottish mathematician Peter Guthrie Tait and the University of Nebraska professor Charles Newton Little published complete tables of knots with up to ten crossings. Unfortunately, by the time that this heroic effort was completed, Kelvin’s theory had already been totally discarded as a model for atomic structure. Nevertheless, even without any other application in sight, the mathematical interest in knot theory continued at that point for its own sake. In fact, mathematical became even more fascinated by knots. The only difference was that, as the British mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah has put it, “the study of knots became a special branch of pure mathematics. ”

Two major breakthroughs in knot theory occurred in 1928 and in 1984. In 1928, the American mathematician James Waddell Alexander discovered an algebraic expression that uses the arrangement of crossings to label the knot. For example, t2-t+1 or t2-3t+1, or else. Decades of work in the theory of knots finally produced the second breakthrough in 1984. The New Zealander-American mathematician Vaughan Jones noticed an unexpected relation between knots and another abstract branch of mathematics, which led to the discovery of a more sensitive invariant known as the Jones polynomial.

1.What is surprising about knots?

A. They originated from ancient Greek legend.

B. The study of knots is a branch of mathematics.

C. Knots led to the discovery of atom structure.

D. Alexander the Great made knots well known.

2.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. No other application found except tables of knots.

B. The study of knots meeting a seemingly dead end.

C. Few scientist showing interest in knots.

D. The publication of complete tables of knots.

3.According to the passage, ______ shows the most updated study about knots.

A. t2-t+1 B. t2-3t+1

C. Alexander polynomial D. Jones polynomial

4.Which one would be the best title for this passage?

A. Mathematicians VS Physicians

B. To be or Knot to be

C. Knot or Atom

D. Knot VS Mathematics

ELMONT, N. Y. (AP)---Elmont High School senior Harold Ekeh had a plan—he would apply to 13 colleges , including all eight Ivy League schools, figuring it would help his chances of getting into at least one great school.

It worked, And then some, The teenager from Long Island was accepted at all 13 schools, and now faces his next big test: deciding where to go.

“I was stunned, I was really shocked, ”Ekeh told The Associated Press during an interview Tuesday at his home near the Belmont Park racetrack, his four younger brothers running around.

He found out last week he had been accepted to Princeton University. That made him eight for eight in the Ivy League—he had already been accepted to Yale University , Brown University, Columbia University , Cornell University , Dartmouth College, Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania. His other acceptances came from Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Stony Brook University and Vanderbilt University.

“We are so proud of him, ” said his mother , Roseline Ekeh.“Hard work, dedication, prayer brought him to where he is today. ”

Born in Nigeria, Harold was eight years old when his parents brought the family to the United States.

“It was kind of difficult adjusting to the new environment and the new culture, ” he said. But he saw his parents working hard, “and I took their example and decides to apply myself”

He referenced that effort in his college essay, writing, “Like a tree, uprooted and replanted, I could have withered in a new country surrounded by people and languages I did not understand. Yet, I witnessed my parents persevere despite the potential to give in. I faced my challenges with newfound zeal; I risked insults, spending my break talking to unfamiliar faces, ignoring their sarcastic remarks. ”

Harold “is tremendously focused in everything he does.” said John Capozzi, the school’s principal, “He’s a great role model. All the students and faculty are so proud of him. ”

Harold is the second Long Island student in as many years to get into all eight Ivies. Last year, William Floyd High School’s Kwasi Enim chose to go to Yale.

Harold, who has a 100. 51 grade-point average and wants to be a neurosurgeon, said he was leaning toward Yale, and had heard from Enin, offering congratulations. Like Enin, he’s likely to announce his college choice at a press conference later this month. The deadline to decide is May 1.

1.Which is closest in meaning to the underlined phrase“apply myself”?

A. Word hard. B. Write to the college.

C. Make a formal request. D. Make an adjustment.

2.Which of the following is true about Harold?

A. He was born into a Nigerian family in the US.

B. He planted a tree once he moved to the US,

C. He was always welcome and popular in his schools.

D. He paid a lot to make his way to offeres from all Ivies.

3.Harold is probably going to

A. Harvard B. Princeton C. Yale D. MIT

4.What can we infer from this passage?

A. Too many cooks spoil the soup.

B. He who laughs last laughs best.

C. One can kill two birds with one stone.

D. Chance favors only the prepared mind.

任务型阅读,请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸上相应的横线上。

The emotional bond a child secures with its parents has a greater impact on its education than previously thought, a report suggests. The Sutton Trust study says children’s early attachment to parents has far-reaching consequences for their ability to speak, learn and think. Parents who are insecure themselves find it harder to provide children with security, it says. And the report calls for more help so parents can develop such crucial bonds. The study focuses on the application of the theory of attachment—a key theory in child developement and psychology. This says the degree to which children are secure and resilient as they grow up depends on their own early experiences with their mothers and fathers and how they have bonded.

The report from the Sutton Trust education charity, entitled Baby Bonds, makes the case that it has an important impact on children’s future educational chances as well as their emotional well-being. It is based on an analysis of more than 100 studies on the issue, including home visits and assessments and observations of children in a range of countries. The trust argues that although psychologists have been aware of attachment theory, it has not been seen by policy makers as a key influence on educational attainment. And it asks them to take this into account. The report says when babies and toddlers do not form these strong parental bonds—known as secure attachment—they are more likely to exhibit poor language and poor behavior before they reach school.

And it cites international studies which suggest this continues late into life, with insecure children more likely to leave school early or duck out of employment or training. They are also more likely to suffer from aggression, defiance and hyperactivity later in life.

The Sutton Trust says its analysis of the research suggests that about 40% of children in the UK lack a secure attachment with their parents. Lead author Sophie Moullin said that when her team looked at large scale representative studies in a number of countries they all found, from their observations, that between 38% and 42% of children suffered from poor attachment in all the different study locations. She added: “Secure attachment really helps children with emotional and social development and at school it really helps them to manage their behavior. Shouting, looking out of the window, hitting each other…These are the things that teachers will tell you that are stopping children from learning. It’s really only as we understand more about these behavior problems that we have decided that a lot of it goes back to this early bonding with parents. ”

Research director at the trust Conor Ryan said: “Better bonding between parents and babies could lead to more social mobility, as there is such a clear link to education, behavior and future employment. The educational divide emerges early in life, with a 19—month school readiness gap between the most and least advantaged children by the age of five.

This report clearly identifies the fundamental role secure attachment could have in narrowing that school readiness gap and improving children’s life chances. “More support from health visitors, children’s centers together with local authorities in helping parents improve how they bond with young children could play a role in narrowing the education gap. ”

书面表达

This is a picture of a ballet dancer whose left foot looks shockingly different from the right one. Some even jokes that the left foot represents how elegant ballet dancers look. On the contrary, the right one reveals the nature of those dancers’ life. One can hardly imagine how much time and effort have been devoted to endless practice.

【写作内容】

请根据你对所示图片及文字的理解，写一篇150词左右的文章，要点如下：

1. 以约30个词简要描述图片的内容；

2. 以约120个词谈谈你的看法，内容包括：

（1） 图片给你的启示，并举例说明；

（2） 你最想对图片的芭蕾舞者说什么？为什么？

【写作要求】

1. 可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文的句子；

2. 作文中不能出现真实的姓名和学校的名称

3. 不必写标题

【评分标准】

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当

Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of the greatest British writers. February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of his birthday. Yet for many, his language is old-fashioned and his stories often improbable. So why do so many people know and read Dickens today?

One reason is the British government’s insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel at school. Alongside William Shakespeare, Dickens is on every English literature school reading list.

His stories, though often long by today’s standards, are great moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.

Earlier this month, a ceremony was held in Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. Prince Charles said at the ceremony, “Dickens used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social justice… His characterization (人物刻画) is as fresh today as on the day it was written.”

His books stand out from many other writers because of his insight into human nature. Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behavior. They are as true in the 21st century as they were to his readers in the 19th century.

Readers have returned to Dickens’ books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about their own times.

No surprise then that it was Dickens whom Britons turned to during the economic crisis in the last couple of years. Dickens helped them make sense of a world that was rapidly falling apart. The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect illustration of bad times.

As long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

1. In the article, the author intends to tell us ______.

A. why Dickens’ novels still appeal to readers in modern times

B. that Dickens’ works are no longer popular among young people

C. why the British government puts Dickens on school reading lists

D. that Dickens and Shakespeare’s works are required for study at school

2.In Britain, people still read Dickens because of ______.

a) romance in his books

b) moral value in his books

c) his colorful characters

d) his insight into human nature

e) government education requirement

f) his prediction of the current economic crisis

A. abdf B. bcde C. bdef D. abed

3.We can infer from the article that ______.

A. it’s better to read Dickens in time of difficulty

B. Dickens was a great social observer of his time

C. human nature seems worse during bad times

D. Dickens’s novels are short and easy to read

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Little Dorrit is one of Dickens’ best-known novels.

B. Dickens’ novels are of greater value during economic crisis.

C. Dickens’ works have gained more popularity than Shakespeare’s

D. Dickens’ novels are still of realistic significance to today’s world.

Are you still troubled by a disease called overactive bladder(膀胱)? Why not try TOVIAZ, a medicine used to treat adults 18 years older facing such a condition?

You are strongly advised not to take TOVIZ if you have following symptoms:

★ Your stomach empties slowly.

★ You are suffering from eye problems.

★ You’re allergic to any ingredients of TOVIAZ.

Remember the possible side effects of TOVIAZ

★ Dry mouth.

★ Constipation(便秘)

★ Dry eyes.

★ Trouble empting the bladder

Remember to ask your doctor for a complete list, since these aren’t all possible side effects of TOVIAZ.

More Detailed Instructions to take TOVIAZ:

★ Your doctor may give you the lower 4mg dose of TOVIAZ if you have severe kidney problem.

★ Take TOVIAZ with liquid and swallow the tablet whole. Do not chew, divide or crush the tablet.

★ You can take either TOVIAZ with or without food.

★ If you miss a dose of TOVIAZ, start taking it again the next day.

★ Decreased sweating and severe heat illness can occur when TOVIAZ is used in hot environments.

★ Drinking alcohol while taking TOVIAZ may cause increased sleepiness.

1.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To present a discovery on a scientific research.

B. To give information about a kind of medicine.

C. To teach patients ways of recovery from illness.

D. To show the importance of taking proper medicine.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. There are only four possible side effects of TOVIAZ.

B. Don’t take TOVIAZ if you are allergic to its ingredient.

C. It’s unwise for people under 18 years old to use TOVIAZ

D. You may feel excited while eating TOVIAZ with alcohol.

3.Which of the statements about taking TOVIAZ is TRUE?

A. It’s OK to take it with food or without food.

B. Chew the tablet well before you swallow it.

C. Use TOVIAZ in hot environment to cure heat illness.

D. If you miss a dose, do take it right away on the same day.

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He stopped by the fence in front of the house where he lived with his aunt Polly. He looked at it, and all joy left him. The fence was long and high. He put the brush into the whitewash and moved it along the top of the fence. He repeated the operation. He felt he could not continue and sat down.

He knew that his friends would arrive soon with all kinds of interesting plans for the day. They would walk past him and laugh. They would make jokes about his having to work on a beautiful summer Saturday. The thought burned him like fire.

He put his hand into his pockets and took out all that he owned. Perhaps he could find something to pay someone to do the whitewashing for him. But there was nothing of value in his pockets. So he put the bits of toys back into his pockets and gave up the idea.

At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea came to him. It filled his mind with a great, bright light. Calmly he picked up the brush and started again to whitewash.

While Tom was working, Ben Rogers appeared. Ben was eating an apple as he walked along the street. When he came close to Tom, he stopped.

Tom went on whitewashing. He did not look at Ben. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hello! I’m going swimming, but you can’t go, can you?”

No answer. Tom moved his brush carefully along the fence and looked at the result with the eye of an artist. Ben came nearer. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he kept on working.

Ben said, “Hello, old fellow, you’ve got to work, hey?”

Tom turned suddenly and said, “Why, it’s you, Ben! I wasn’t noticing.”

“I’m going swimming. Don’t you wish you could? But of course you’d rather work. You seem to like it very much.”

“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?”

Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth, stepped back to look at the result, added a touch here and there, and stepped back again. Ben watched every move and got more and more interested. Soon he said,

“Tom, let me whitewash a little.”

Tom thought for a moment, was about to agree; but he changed his mind.

“No, no, it won’t do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. It has got to be done very carefully. I don’t think there is one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it well enough.”

“No — is that so? Oh come, let me just try. Only just a little.”

“Ben, I’d like to, but if it isn’t done right, I’m afraid Aunt Polly ...”

“Oh, I’ll be careful. Now let me try. I’ll give you half of my apple.”

“Well, here — No, Ben, now don’t. I’m afraid ...”

“I’ll give you all of it.”

Tom gave up the brush with unwillingness on his face, but joy in his heart. And while Ben worked at the fence in the hot sun, Tom sat under a tree, eating the apple, and planning how to get more help. There were enough boys. Each one came to laugh, but remained to whitewash. And when the middle of the afternoon came, Tom had won many treasures. The fence had been whitewashed three times. If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, Tom would have owned everything belonging to his friends.

He had discovered a great law of human action that in order to make a man or a boy want a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to get.

1.Why did Tom take all his bits of toys out of his pockets?

A. Because he was tired and wanted to play with his toys.

B. Because he wanted to exchange his toys with his friends.

C. Because he wanted to give his toys to his friends.

D. Because he wanted to know if he could buy help with his toys.

2. Tom was about to agree to let Ben whitewash when he changed his mind because ______.

A. Tom wanted to do the whitewashing himself

B. Tom planned to make Ben give up his apple first

C. Tom was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing

D. Tom was afraid Ben couldn’t do the whitewashing well.

3.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. Tom was fond of whitewashing the fence

B. Tom had a lot of friends who were ready to help him

C. Tom managed to let other boys do the whitewashing for him

D. Tom was better at whitewashing the fence than others

4.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A. The Happy Whitewasher

B. Tom And His Fellows

C. Whitewashing A Fence

D. How To Make Things Difficult To Get

E­reading and e­books are slowly conquering the world.Compared to traditional paper books，e­books in some schools and universities attract more interest because the information flow seems much easier to manage and comes in a greatly higher quantity.

Japan is known for the reform­minded attitude towards the gadget(精巧装置) world and for the fact that it is one of the first countries that encouraged in the educational system the emailing of homework.

The digital textbook looks like the logical step in the world of learning.It is natural but it is also completely untraditional.

The plan of the largest publishing companies to get in line with the trend is to save a large quantity of paper and make the kids become interested in learning using a cool gadget.Many USA universities and colleges have made students be used to the procedure of downloading the courses and of course the procedure involves interactive software and also the chance of using the computer.

The traditional education system is still unwilling when it comes to giving up books.The standard approach of information taught out of a book and Shakespeare read out of an old school novel makes studying English as traditional as it can be.

In a world where kids would rather see the movie than read a book，the digital age has brought along a completely different flavor to reading.Bringing that flavor in school will make teaching a greener and also a completely different matter.

1.Why are e­books so popular in the world?

A．It's cheap to buy.

B．It's effective to use.

C．It's convenient to bring.

D．It's the latest fashion.

2.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “reform­minded” in the second paragraph?

A．Old­fashioned. B．Aggressive.

C．Rejecting. D．Progressive.

3.In America，the students are encouraged to________．

A．apply the procedure of downloading the courses

B．communicate with their teachers using computer

C．research some interactive software for their studies

D．do their homework in computer instead of in paper

4.What's the author's attitude to the digital textbooks?

A．Being against. B．Being for.

C．Not mentioned. D．Being neutral.

七选五

Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal – or at least many parts of it have. 1. . Ideas about social class – whether a person is “working - class” or “middle - class” – are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander the rest on beer and betting.

The old style of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was-and still is - inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a most important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. 2. . Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity （or the education and training） to make such long-term plans.

3. . In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much as their middle – class supervisors (管理者). Social security and laws to improve century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about "tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority(自卑感). In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.

4. .They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations. 5. . As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.

A．Nowadays, a great deal has changed

B．Both of these provided him and his family with security

C．As a result, differences in life – styles and attitudes came into existence

D．However, we still have a wide gap between the well – paid and the low - paid

E．In recent years, the working – class people have begun to design long – term plans

F．In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned

G．The changes in both life – styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen among younger people