“It hurts me more than you，’’and “This is for your own good．’’These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin，clean my room，stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in educafion in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school．The schools and the educators made it easy on us．They thought that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators，turned on the television，left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation．
Now teachers，faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years，are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake．One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students-“so passive”-and-wonders what happened．Nothing was demanded of them，she believes. Television，says Klompus，contributes to children’s passivity．“We’re not training kids to work any more,” says Klompus．“we’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry．They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying ‘go look it up’，you tell them the answer．It takes greater energy to say no to a kid．”
Yes，it does．It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work．It’s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good．It’s time to start telling them no again.
【小题1】Why are children becoming more inactive in study?

A．Because they watch TV too often

B．Because they have done too much homework．

C．Because they have to fulfill too many duties．

D．Because teachers are too strict with them．

【小题2】To such children as described in the passage         

A．it is easier to say no than to say yes

B．neither is easy-to say yes or to say no

C．it is easier to say yes than to say no

D．neither is difficult-to say yes or to say no

【小题3】We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to lay emphasis on       

A．1earning Latin

B．natural development

C．discipline

D．education at school

【小题4】By “permissive period in education’’the author means a time         ．

A．when children are allowed to do what they wish to

B．when everything can be taught at school

C．when every child can be educated

D．when ehildren are permitted to receive education

【小题5】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Parents should leave their children alone，

B．Kids should have more activities at school．

C．It’s time to be stricter with our kids．

D．Parents should always set a good example to their kids．

On countless mornings over the past year, I stood with my son, James, in our driveway, watching our neighbor hurry off to kindergarten．My wife and I wanted to give James the best  education, but that meant we'd have to change our jobs and spend less time with our kid．I asked myself, "Would this trade-off be worth it?" When I look at the research on child development, I think it might not．Where our kids go to school might matter less than most American parents think．
Social scientists have long tried to determine why some children grow up to be successful．In a 2001 study, Greg Duncan, a professor of education at the University of California, measured the influence that the people in a child's life have on how well the child does in school．Duncan and his team found almost no relationship between how students did on the test and whom they sat beside in class, whom they hung out with after school and who lived in their block．The only meaningful link they found was between siblings （兄弟姐妹） and twins in particular．
For a long time, scholars thought that a family's income heavily affected how well kids did   in life．But that might not be the case．When Susan Mayer at the University of Chicago looked at the relationship between family income and lifetime achievement, she ran a series of experiments to measure it, finding such outcomes weren't caused by income．She argued that the things that make a difference are relatively inexpensive: the number of books a kid has or how often his family goes to museums．
Lareau, another scholar began one of the most in-depth observations of American parenting．He concluded that success is much more related to the amount of time parents spend with their children．He said "Many parents I interviewed are anxious about their children's futures．But they have exaggerated（夸大） the sense of the risks involved if they don't give their children 'the best' of everything．"
So at last, we decided to leave things as it were．More time with our kid is the best we can provide．
【小题1】The first paragraph is intended to _．

A．introduce the topic of the passage

B．confirm the result of a research

C．stress the importance of good education

D．support a research on child development

【小题2】From the passage we know that most American parents _．

A．spend a lot of time with their children

B．like to buy a variety of books for their children

C．think children's achievement largely depends on schools

D．believe their income cannot afford children's education

【小题3】Who believes children's brothers and sisters may influence their academic performance?

A．Lareau．

B．Greg Duncan．

C．Susan Mayer．

D．James．

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Parents' time matters to children's future．

B．School education determines children's future．

C．Family income counts to children's achievements．

D．Less education means more risks for children's success．

In 1901, H．G．Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon．When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities．They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met．In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise．“Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H．G．Wells could only imagine travel to the moon．In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon．People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon．However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one．A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it．
Underground systems are already in place．Many cities have underground car parks．In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas．The “Chunnel”, a tunnel（隧道） connecting England and France, is now complete．
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities．” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on．A solar dome（太阳能穹顶） would cover the whole city．
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space．The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness．H．G．Wells’ “moon people” would agree．Would you?
【小题1】The explorers in H．G．Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” _____．

A．lived in so many underground cities

B．knew so much about the earth

C．understood their language

D．were ahead of them in space technology

【小题2】What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．Discovering the moon’s inner space．	B．Traveling to outer space．
C．Meeting the “moon people” again．	D．Using the earth’s inner space．

【小题3】What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

A．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas．

B．Offices, shopping areas, power stations．

C．Gardens, car parks, power stations．

D．Tunnels, gardens, offices．

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Alice Cities—cities of the future．	B．Space travel with H．G．Wells．
C．Building down, not up．	D．Enjoy living underground．

Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside other traditional subjects such as math and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and they count from one to ten: someone starts, the next voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side.
The aim of the game is to listen for an opportunity to shout out the number without clashing (冲突) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in, but by the fifth time round, they develop a rhythm. The message: give other people space but also confidently claim your own. This is a requirement for social well-being.
The Willy Hellpach School in Heidelberg is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course. It is intended for students preparing for university entrance exams.
"The course isn't there to make you happy," Ernst Fritz -Schubert, the school principal, warned pupils, "but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy."
Cooking a meal together is one of the class exercises. Improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses is another.
The course is taught for three periods a week. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter.
"In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people." said Fanny, 17.
Research by the school shows it is not the first to start happiness classes: they also exist at some U. S. universities, mainly based on positive thinking, using findings from studies of depression.
【小题1】What's the writing purpose of this passage?

A．To help students struggle against being sad.

B．To describe all the traditional courses.

C．To arouse the readers' interest in happiness.

D．To introduce the happiness course.

【小题2】The game intended for the students in the 2nd paragraph is mainly to _________.

A．try their best to get opportunities for themselves

B．practice how to speak in front of people

C．equip them with required social skills

D．confidently speak out one's opinions

【小题3】According to the passage, the happiness course is _________.

A．to help students discover the ways to happiness

B．to make all the students happy all the time

C．required to be taken by the first year students

D．created by the Willy Hellpach School

【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A．the students can certainly become happy after the course

B．the students just took the course as a laughing matter

C．the students' self'-respect can also improve happiness

D．the students waste time learning something without value

There is no denying that over the years college education has been accepted without the slightest doubt. All high school graduates should go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more, become “better” citizens and be more responsible than those who don’t go.
But college can never work its magic for everyone. Now with half our high school graduates attending college, those unfit for the pattern are getting more. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the fierce competition for admission into graduate schools. Others find no stimulation (激励) in their studies, and consequently have to drop out, which is often encouraged by college administrators.
Some observers say the fault lies with young people themselves --- they are spoiled and expecting too much. But that’s a condemnation (谴责）of the students as a whole, and doesn’t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame our society. Both are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can’t absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.
Some campus watchers suggest that college may not be the best, the proper or the only place for every young person after finishing high school. It seems that through the rosy (玫瑰的) glow of our own college experiences, we may have been looking at those surveys and statistics upside down. Perhaps college does not make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, or quick to learn things—maybe it is just the other way around. Intelligent, ambitious, happy, quick-learning people are merely those who are attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful even without college education. This is heresy (异端邪说) to those who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But contrary evidence is beginning to pile up.
【小题1】According to the first paragraph, ______.

A．people now no longer challenge college education

B．people have great expectations for college education

C．the author thinks youngsters should all go to college

D．people still have a low opinion of college education

【小题2】More young people drop out of college because ______.

A．they are no longer motivated in their studies

B．they can start selling shoes and driving taxis

C．they compete for admission to graduate schools

D．college administrators encourage them to do so

【小题3】Who does the author think is responsible for campus unhappiness?

A．young students who are all spoiled and expecting too much.

B．our society that can’t offer enough jobs to college graduates.

C．our society that has not enough jobs for high school graduates.

D．young people as well as our society are to blame for all this.

【小题4】Which of the following statements is TRUE about those surveys and statistics?

A．They prove high school graduates are smarter than college graduates.

B．They are so convincing that we think of our rosy college experiences.

C．They may have been misread because of our rosy college experiences.

D．They prove wrong because they contradict our rosy college experiences.

【小题5】What is the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?     

A．It is just the opposite	B．There is no right way
C．It is the wrong way	D．There’s no other way

【小题6】What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To inform young people college education is no longer important now.

B．To prove college education doesn’t make young people more intelligent.

C．Toargueagainsttheideathatcollegeisthefirst choiceforallyoungsters.

D．To tell young people that there’s something wrong with college education.

It’s not easy being a teenager nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager．You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself．It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you．
Expect a lot from your child，just not everything．Except for health and safety problems，such as drug use or careless driving，consider everything else open to discussion．If your child is unwilling to discuss something，don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind．The more you insist， the more likely that he’ll clam up．Instead，let him try to solve things by himself. At the same time，remind him that you’re always there for him if he seeks advice or help．Show respect for your teenager’s privacy(隐私)．Never read his mail or listen in on personal conversations．
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long，tell him he can talk for l5 minutes，but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time．This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls，but teaches your teenager moderation(节制).Or if you are open to the idea，allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job．
【小题1】The main purpose of the text is to tell parents       ．

A．how to get along with a teenager

B．how to respect a teenager

C．how to help a teenager grow up

D．how to understand a teenager

【小题2】What does the phrase "clam up" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．become excited	B．show respect
C．refuse to talk	D．seek help

【小题3】The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager ________.

A．to use the phone in a proper way

B．to pay for his own telephone

C．to share the phone with friends

D．to answer the phone quickly

【小题4】What should parents do in raising a teenager according to the text?

A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs.

B．Give him advice only when necessary.

C．Let him have his own telephone.

D．Not talk about personal things with him.

In our world today, the media and entertainment industries are constantly focusing on beauty over brains. Movies, television shows, commercials, and magazines all make use of models and actors whose physical attributes(特性) will sell their product.
As our country is trying to reduce the obesity numbers, eating disorder statistics continue to increase due to the push for thinner people. While obesity is a serious medical condition that can lead to many health problems, many of us try to lose weight for appearance purposes. Children as young as elementary school age have begun to worry about the numbers that appear on the scale. In my opinion, it seems that “fat” has become the new“ugly”.
Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Wisconsin television reporter Livingston, who is 235 pounds, received an email from a man named Krause. In the email Krause attacked her, writing,“Your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years. Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular.”
Today, it seems that a vast majority of people care more about how they look and appear to their peers rather than what is inside. The truth is that every person is built differently; we all come in different shapes and sizes. Just because someone is heavier, that doesn’t mean they eat large amounts of junk food around the day. Likewise, even though a person is thin, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily healthy and fit.
If you are reading this and you struggle with your weight or your appearance, please recognize that you are beautiful and special in your own way. You are worth so much more than you realize, and even if I don’t know you, understand that I respect and support you. Beauty is not defined by size; it is defined by how we treat others and respect ourselves. In the words of the talented film actress Kirstie Alley, “There’s a lot more to life than how fat or thin you are.”
【小题1】With so many people losing weight, it will end in        .

A．models’ and actors’ appearance in ads

B．the fall of media and entertainment industries

C．more and more people becoming obesity

D．more people’s suffering from eating disorder

【小题2】The underlined phrase “the numbers that appear on the scale” in the second paragraph may mean     .

A．intelligence

B．weight

C．patience

D．strength

【小题3】The writer used the example of Jennifer Livingston to show        .

A．people think “fat” looks ugly

B．fat people are becoming cleverer

C．physical condition is good

D．young people never follow example

【小题4】What Kirstie Alley said means         .

A．people should pay attention to the appearance

B．there is no need for any people to go on diet

C．people are beautiful when they concern others

D．there’s always someone who understands and supports you

The increase in tuition fees(学费) has led to a “clear drop” in the number of English students applying for university places this autumn. There are 15,000 “missing” applicants this academic year, according to the Independent Commission on Fees. Chairman Will Hutton said: “We’re asking our young men and women to have more debt than any other country in the world — it’s higher than the average debt in the US. It’s not clear whether those lost students this year will return next year, or if it’s a storm warming of a worrying trend.”
But the commission’s report says there does not seem to be an impact on poorer communities. The commission found there was no significant change in the application rate to the key universities, such as Oxford or Cambridge. The decline （下降）in England has not been mirrored in other parts of the UK where fees have not been raised, and the drop can only partly be explained by falling numbers of young people in the population. Students from Scotland attending Scottish universities do not pay fees, while the Welsh Assembly says it will pay fees above ￡3,465 for Welsh students attending UK institutions.
The average tuition fee at English universities this year is ￡ 8,385, rising to ￡ 8,507 next year. UK and EU students have access to govemment-backed loans to pay the fees. And the survey of 1,000 pupils aged 15-18, carried out this April, found that the majority expected to go on to higher education as people continue to understand that university remains a good long term investment in their future.
A spokeswoman at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which is responsible for universities, said:“Students shouldn’t be forced to put off going to university for financial reasons. Most students will not have to pay in advance, and no one will have to start paying back their student loan until they start to earn at least ￡ 2l,000 per year.”
【小题1】From the first paragraph, we know that __________________       .

A．it’s a trend that English students are dropping out of school

B．the rising tuition fees have a great effect on English students

C．the lost English students will find their way back

D．many English students are missing the final examinations

【小题2】Why is there still a drop of applicants though fees have not been raised?

A．Because the students live in poor communities.

B．Because Welsh students will pay fees above￡3,465.

C．Because education is free for Scottish students.

D．Because there are less young students in the area.

【小题3】What’s the students’ attitude to universities in the survey?

A．Most of them are willing to go to university.

B．They feel universities takes up too much time.

C．They will stop applying for university places this autumn.

D．They are anxious to go to a key university.

【小题4】The spokeswoman in the last paragraph advises students to ______________

A．put off going to university

B．reduce the anxiety about the rising fees

C．pay for the fees in advance

D．pay back their loan soon after graduation

Many parents take on the role of being their children’s preschool teacher and the responsibility of readying them for kindergarten. To achieve this goal, it is important for parents to introduce a variety of subjects in a positive and playful manner.
“Learning should not be forced,”says Marion Godwin, who has taught first grade in Moorestown, N. J. for more than 30 years.“ It should be taught according to what they know and do best—and that is‘ play’. When teaching  them, play games and have fun with the subject. And parents should always be looking for‘teachable moments’.”
“You want a child to be a lifelong learner, so you want to show them learning is everywhere,”she says.“If parents take the time to lay a strong educational foundation, their children will keep building on it.”
Introduce children to science with hands-on activities that interest them, such as growing plants from seeds, discussing animals and how to care for pets, and observing the chemical changes that occur during cooking”, she says.
“Sorting activities, simple patterns and counting games are a great way to teach children the basics of math, and taking them on field trips, singing songs and reciting rhymes also are ways to prepare them for the first day of school”, she says.
“I think children are naturals when it comes to computers,” she says.“Let them play educational games on the computer and teach them how to type their first names using the keyboard. When they are more familiar with using the computer, let them find pictures of animals and places on the web. ”
“Don’t criticize the child,” she says. “You can’t force them to learn something. If they don’t get something right, so what? Smile and be happy and make the experience joyful. Parents need to understand that if a child gets something wrong, they may think something is wrong with them. Keep working with them and when they get the right answer make sure you tell them how hard they worked to get the correct answer. ”
【小题1】Marion Godwin tells us that we should teach the children according to their_____        .

A．subjects and needs

B．level and interest

C．teachable moments

D．strong educational foundation

【小题2】According to Godwin, children should ____________________       .

A．keep a pet each and care for it

B．do some cooking every day

C．learn science with interesting hand-on activities

D．learn from the farmers and grow plants from seeds

【小题3】In Godwin’s opinion, children should be encouraged to_________        .

A．learn all by themselves

B．play more computer games

C．learn to type their first names

D．learn online under instructions

【小题4】What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to prepare your children for kindergarten

B．Learning should not be forced

C．How to be a lifelong learner

D．Learning is everywhere

An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first –year lectures—which are open to students from all departments were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He said.
University applications rose 7% last year, but there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector(部门), which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said, “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn(衰退) will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
【小题1】Professor John Beath’s lectures are ___________.

A．given in a traditional way

B．connected with the present situation

C．open to both students and their parents

D．warmly received by economics

【小题2】In the opinion of most parents, ___________.

A．economics should be the focus of school teaching

B．more students should be admitted to universities

C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened

D．children should solve financial problems themselves

【小题3】What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Universities have received more applications.

B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students.

C．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.

D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.