Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests fill my own children’s school week. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then skim the text for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated state test.

Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some sensible methods of assessment (评价) to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First one looks at a test, which is intended for money. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.

The ability to read or write or calculate might imply the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition(习得) of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skill make this misunderstanding because people are only interested in the test rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.

Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can’ t see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.

1. The author gives an account of Erica’s performance in her study in order to show      .

A. her cleverness in test- taking    

B. the incompetence of teachers

C. there is something wrong with the current practice in teaching 

D. the best way to read textbooks

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The phenomenon of teaching to the test has aroused curiosity in many educators.

B. Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students.

C. Ability to read and write is one thing, and ability to do well in standardized tests is quite another.

D. Preparation for test of a skill does not necessarily mean the acquisition of that skill.

3. The author insists that        .

A. mandated state tests be replaced by some more sensible methods of assessment

B. teachers pay more attention to the nature and quality of what is taught

C. students not be concerned with grades but do more reading and thinking

D. main changes be brought about in the general teaching

4. We can safely conclude that ____may cause educational problems.

A. teaching to the test          B. standardized tests  

C. test-taking                 D preparation for mandated state tests

What is “Dads Make a Difference”?

A service-learning opportunity for teens that deals with fatherhood, parenting, and so on.

Older teens, grades 10—12, teach younger teens, grades 6—9, about the importance of fathers in children’s lives, the legal and financial responsibilities of parenting.

Teen teacher training goals & objectives

The goal of the teen teacher training is to better understand the complex problems surrounding legal fatherhood in our society. By discussing what makes healthy families, explaining the meaning of paternity（父亲的身份）, and examining the risks people take in their lives, teens will develop the skills needed to make informed decisions in their own relationships and, finally, teach this information to others.

What’s in it for me?

An opportunity to:

Learn life skills like communication, decision making, and problem solving.

Get the chance to use knowledge in meaningful and effective ways.

Develop leadership, planning, teamwork, time management, and organizational skills to help you in every aspect of your life.

Forming lasting relationships with adult mentors（导师）.

Comments from teen teachers

“ ‘Dads Make a Difference’ made me realize how permanent and expensive parenthood is.”

“Speaking in the form of groups and directing people in activities, I feel, is a valuable skill to have that I will use throughout my life.”

“I wish I would have gone through this program when I was in Junior High. I know it would have helped me to really think about the future and to make good decisions.”

“ ‘Dads Make a Difference’ has helped me to know the effects of my actions before I take them and I know what risks not to take to protect my future.”

1. “Dads Make a Difference” is a(n)_____.

   A. name of a school   B. training center   C. social organization   D. education program

2. “Dads Make a Difference” can _____.

   A. provide teens a chance to be a teacher in Junior High   

B. help teens learn more about parents

C. help teens develop their life skills                  

D. advise teens how to avoid risks in life

3. According to the passage, who will benefit most from “Dads Make a Difference”?

   A. fathers and sons                B. mothers and daughters

   C. teen teachers and adult mentors    D. teens and societies

4. The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

  A. effects     B. actions     C. risks    D. courses about “Dads Make a Difference”

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway and on busy street corners. Just talk.

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, “Talk to Me”, they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion. So what’s the point?

“To see what happens,” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication.”

Shortly after the September 11,2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

“It started as a crazy idea,” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”

Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

Marcia had lost her husband because of a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.

To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join in their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they’ll consider.

1. What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

   A. Chatting with people            B. Setting up street sings

   C. Telling stories to strangers        D. Organizing a speaker’s corner

2. What they have been doing can be described as _____.

   A. pointless        B. successful       C. crazy       D. normal

3. Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

   A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.

   B. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

   C. They organized the get-together in the city park.

   D. They happened to meet the writer of the text.

4. What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

   A. Go in for publishing                     B. Do more television programs

   C. Continue what they are doing                     D. Spend more time reading books

A new eight-kilometer road is under construction that links the port area with the motorway system. It is expected to carry 20,000 trucks and cars a day, which greatly reduces the overcrowded traffic in the center of the city. As part of the project, two four-kilometer road tunnels are being built below the central area of the city, one for traffic to the north and the other for traffic to the south. The two tunnels are about 20 meters below the surface and are 12 meters wide, providing for two lanes of traffic in each direction. 

   In the upper part of the tunnel two air-conditioning pipes remove the waste gas of trucks and cars and keep the quality of air inside the tunnel. The lighting is at the top of the tunnel, practically at its highest point. There will also be electronic signs at frequent intervals. They show traffic conditions ahead and can be seen clearly by drivers. The wall is made up of four main elements, which include a waterproofing covering and, on the inside of the tunnel, a concrete lining.

              Each tunnel is roughly round and the lower part of the tunnel is somewhat flat. The surface of the road lies on the base, which is made of concrete and steel. The drainage system, just below the road surface on one side, removes any extra liquid, particularly water. In the event of fire, the fire main, which is made of steel, pipes water to many fire hydrant stations at regular intervals along the length of the tunnel. The fire main is at the side of the tunnel and at the level of the road surface. Other systems in the tunnel will include emergency phones.

1. Each of the tunnels under construction is _____.

   A. eight kilometers long and twenty meters wide

   B. eight kilometers long and six meters wide

C. four kilometers long and twenty meters wide

   D. four kilometers long and six meters wide

2. Which part of the tunnel in the diagram is used to pipe out extra water?

   A. 1           B. 3            C. 5               D  6 

3. Driving in the tunnel, one can know the traffic conditions ahead through______.

  A. the lights                       B. the electric signs    

C. the trucks and the cars            D. the emergency phones

4. The passage is mainly about _____.

 A. the construction of a road                B. the design of a road  

  C. the construction of two tunnels            D. the design of two tunnels

阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后面的要求答题。（请注意问题后的字数要求）

Called “The School of the Future” and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently – opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers eschew traditional subjects for real – world topics and parents can track their child’s work on the Internet.

The school, which costs the school district $ 63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams. The 170 ninth – grade students were selected at random from 1500 applicants.

Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other schools around the world. “You have become instant role models,” Vallas said. “People are going to be watching you.”

Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on computer and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access the school’s network to read teacher feedback on their child’s progress.

Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem – solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview. “It’s not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式) and then presenting them in a test,” Grover said. “It’s about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality – of – water problem or how it might he used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu.”

David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to “turn over a new leaf ” after discipline problems in his previous school left him with an “average to really bad” academic record. “This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “In other schools, I would not          .”

1．What’s the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)

2．Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

 Although the students have their lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software.

3．Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.)

4．Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)

5．Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese.

                                  ____                                        

请以 On exams in schools 为题，结合考试的作用以及自己对考试的感悟提出对考试的合理化建议。字数120-150。

In memory of China’s Youth’s Day, ____________ celebration evening took place on our campus． It was ___________ success．

A．a; /         B．the; the          C．a; a            D．the; a

__________ are cheap enough to be accessible to the students in schools．

A．All of reference these books                       B．All these of reference books

C．These all reference books               D．All these reference books

－Will $200 __________ the cost of the damage?

－I’m afraid not． I need at least $ 100 more．

A．do         B．include           C．cover           D．afford

We’ve just installed central heating, __________ should make a tremendous difference to the house next winter．

A．what         B．it             C．that             D．which