根据下列图示, 以 “The New Grading System in Our School”为题, 为某一中学英语报写一篇短文, 说明你校目前新课改中的这一举措以及你对学校实施这一举措的认识。

要求: 词数120字左右, 开头已为你写好, 不计人总词数

参考词汇: 评分体制grading system   参与participation（n.）

① tests

② notes

③ homework

④ class participation

⑤ team work

Like most people, I’ve long understood that I will be judged by my occupation, that my profession is a standard people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.

Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they’d never say or do to their most casual acquaintances（泛泛之交）. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then asked me back with his finger minutes later, complaining he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.

I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon （勤杂工） by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.

Once I graduated, I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked .

I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.

My job title made people treat me politely. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.

It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to satisfy others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.

I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.

72. The author was disappointed to find that ____  ___.

A. one’s position is used as a standard to measure one’s intelligence

B. talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job

C. one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person

D. professionals tend to look down upon manual waitresses

73. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?

A. Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.

B. People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.

C. Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.

D. Some customers like to complain because of the waitress’ poor service.

74. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?

A. She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professional.

B. She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.

C. She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.

D. She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.

75. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 7 means “      ”.

A. those who satisfy others’ needs are sure to be looked down upon.

B. those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.

C. those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.

D. the majority of customers tend to look on a servant as server nowadays.

Advertising means to draw people’s attention to something. It is a central feature of our lives. Sales depend upon it. So does our knowledge of what is available. Read the following adverts and see how much you understand them.

68. About what they advertise, we can safely say that       .

A. Adverts（I）and（Ⅲ）advertise two products

B. Adverts（Ⅲ）and（IV）advertise services

C. Adverts（II）and（Ⅲ）advertise beliefs                    

D. Adverts（I）and（IV）provide jobs

69．How many adverts are trying to be price competitive?

A. 1                     B. 2                     C. 3                     D. 4

70．Which of the following statements about the adverts above is NOT true?

A. A newspaper uses one of them in its own newspaper.

B. All of them advertise for the largest number of customers.

C. All of them list the prices.

D. All of them have included contact information.

71．From these examples of adverts, we can conclude that      .

A. some adverts are provided by newspapers free of charge.

B. newspaper is the most common means of advertising.

C. advertising is an expensive business.

D. adverts should appeal to customers.

In a recent class I was asked “What is a short story?” My first answer was that it was something that could be read in one sitting and brought an illumination（启示）to the reader, sudden and golden like sunlight cracking through heavy cloud. I went on to say that in my opinion a “real” short story was closer to poetry than to the novel.

Here are some definitions of the short story. My favorite is Benet's: “something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime”. One writer said: “the theme of a novel won't fit into the framework of a short story; it's like trying to squeeze a large painting done on a wall into the frame of a miniature （微型画）. And as in a miniature painting, the details need to be sharp. ”

The short story is an example of one aspect of human nature. Often a character undergoes some event, something that offers him or her change. This is why it’s said that short stories usually “say something ”, often a small something, but sometimes delivered with such accuracy that the effect is strongly felt, even a life-moment for some readers, something similar to a religious experience or to witnessing a never-to-be-repeated scene in nature.

Ok, let’s form a definition here: A short story is an account, rarely over 10, 000 words or below 500 words―more commonly 1, 500 to 5, 000 words―a single-sitting read, but with enough time and weight to move the reader. It is narrow and focused to produce an effect through the story, most commonly through events affecting some change in an individual.

Writer Isabelle Allende once wrote: “Novels are, for me, adding up details, just work, work, work, then you're done. Short stories are more difficult―they have to be perfect, complete in themselves. ”

64．The writer of the passage is probably a ______.

A. poet                          B. painter               C. teacher               D. student

65．What should the ideal short story be in length?

A. at most 10, 000 words  B. below 500 words    C. over 5, 000words   D. around 2, 000 words

66．The underlined word “undergoes ” in the third paragraph probably means “________ ”.

A. experiences                 B. discovers             C. discusses            D. appreciates

67．What would be the best title for the passage?

A. How Do You Write a Short Story?                B. What Exactly Is a Short Story?

C. Is a Short Story Similar to Poetry?               D. Are Short Stories Perfect and Complete?

Do you want to see the effects of global warming? Then head north. Recent studies indicate that the North Pole could be underwater during the summer in less than 10 years, instead of coated in thick sea ice. But seeing the Arctic terrain （地带） up close isn’t easy, unless you’re handy with a dogsled. Steger is going to take all of us there．

Steger, 64, is a great polar explorer. He was the first person to make a dogsled trip to the North Pole, and is also a devoted environmentalist who was early to ring the alarm bell on global warming.

Steger is about to lead a team of six young adventurers on a 1, 400-mile, 60-day-long dogsled trip across Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The sea ice in that region should still be frozen. “We want to take our audience to the front lines of global warming, ” says Steger. The team will be uploading videos, stories and photos to the website global warming 101.com as they march along, allowing armchair adventurers and kids in classrooms to follow their progress day to day.

Steger’s team will include some already-famous young explorers. Sam Branson, 22-year old, is an experienced Arctic traveler. Also on the journey will be 27-year-old Norwegian Sigrid Ekran. Last year Ekran become only the second woman in history to win Rookie （新秀） of the Year for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

What they will see may be surprising. Even Steger doesn’t know exactly what to expect. Climate change has already reshaped the geography of the Arctic. “Within a decade or less, it’s going to be impossible to reach the North Pole by dog team, without flotation （漂浮）, ”says Steger.

60．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that        ．

A. climate change happens only in the far north

B. the effects of climate change are obvious in the Arctic terrain

C. climate change is going to be the biggest issue facing human race

D. climate change is the result of pollution

61．It can be inferred that the aim of the dogsled trip is to          ．

A. encourage young people to explore the Arctic        

B. present the Arctic terrain to geography classes

C. study the cause of climate change in polar region

D. raise awareness of the damage that climate change is causing in polar regions

62．Which of the following statements about Steger’s team is TRUE?

A. Sam Branson, a member, is skilled at travelling in the Arctic.

B. Steger, the leader is a great environmental expert.

C. Ekran, a member, is the second woman to have reached the North Pole.

D. All the members are experienced Arctic explorers.

63．Why does Steger NOT know what they will see during their trip?

A. Because it will be the first time for him to go that far north.

B. Because the sea ice in that region should still be frozen.

C. Because the geography there has changed due to warmer temperatures.

D. Because they will go there by boat instead of by sledge.

Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.

“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome （棒的）’, ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.

In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed （破灭） in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.

UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined （受训）.

The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing （展示） our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.

The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.

“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed （压垮）, ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”

The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”

56. How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego （UCSD）?

A. 18, 000                         B. 28, 000                   C. 46, 000                          D. 18

57. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?

A. The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.

B. It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.

C. UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.

D. Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.

58. The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to __________.

A. protect the person who made the mistake              B. punish herself for the mistake

C. make up for the mistake                                      D. help the disappointed students enter the university

59. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.         

B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.

C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”.

D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.

I moved to a new neighborhood two months ago. In the house with a large  36 across the road lived a taxi driver, a single parent with two school-age children. At the end of the day, he would 37 his taxi on the road. I 38 why he did not park it in the garage.

Then one day I learnt that he had another car in his garage. In the afternoon he would come home 39  work, leave his taxi and go out for his  40 affairs in his other car, not in his taxi. I felt it was  41 .

I was curious to see his personal car but did not make it until I 42 to be outside one evening two weeks 43 , when the garage door was  44 and he drove out in his “own” car: a Rolls-Royce（劳斯莱斯）! It shook me completely 45 I realized what that meant. You see, he was a taxi driver. But 46 inside, he saw himself as something else: a Rolls-Royce owner and a（n） 47 . He drove others in his taxi but himself and his children in his Rolls-Royce. The world looked at his taxi and 48 him a taxi driver. But for him, a taxi was just something he drove for a living. Rolls-Royce was something he drove for a（n） 49 .

We go to bed every night and  50 every morning as parents or children, not as bankers, CEOs or professors. We go for a 51 as close friends or go for a vacation as a 52 . We love life as it is. Yet often, we base our entire happiness and success on how high we 53 the social ladder―how much bigger and better a 54 we have. And we ignore our Rolls-Royce, by keeping it dusty in our garage. We should focus more on 55 we are than what we do!

The heavy rain delayed us. But for the rain, we _______ the party on time last night.

A. would attend    B. attended                  C. had attended           D. would have attended

 I want very much to buy this digital camera, but I can’t afford ________.   

A. that                 B. it                           C. one                       D. this