Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy. He’s happy that he’s sitting the senior high school entrance exam (中考) in 2014 instead of 2016.
On Oct 22, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (北京市教委) announced that, from 2016, the English scores in the senior high school entrance exam will be reduced from 120 to 100. Of the 100 points, the listening ability scores will increase to 50. Meanwhile, the points for Chinese will increase from 120 to 150.
“The change won’t affect me. I feel so lucky because English is my strongest subject,” said Wang.
Why such a change? It places the importance on Chinese in our study, and reduces students’ pressure, said Li Yi, spokesman of the commission.
“The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage of English,” said Li. “ Students will be encouraged to learn to understand English menus and read English news on mobile phones.”
There isn’t news that other cities will have the same change. But several places are making changes to English tests in the college entrance exams.
For example, Shandong is considering taking out the listening part of the English exam in its gaokao.
But, “being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly.,” Bai Ping wrote in China Daily.
English has long been the world’s most commonly used language. Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji once said: “In a globalizing economy, if you cannot interact with foreighers, how can one be part of the world economy?”
Wang Jiaming said he understood the change. “Chinese, not English, is our mother tongue,” he said. “But still, I think English is both interesting and useful.”
【小题1】 In the Beijing senior high school entrance exam of 2016, __________.

根据首字母完成短文

Once when Tom was a boy, his mother went out for a picnic. Before she went, she said to him, “Tom, while I am away, stay near the door, and watch it a __________（1） the time. ” She said this b__________ （2） there were lots of thieves in their town. Tom sat down beside the d__________ （3）. After an hour one of his uncles came. He said to Tom, “ Where is your m _________ （4）? ”

“At a picnic,” he answered. “ Well , ” said the uncle, “ we are going to visit y__________ （5） house this evening. Go and t_________ （6） her.” His uncle then went a__________ （7）, and Tom began to think. “Mother said, ‘Watch the door all the time.’ and u__________ （8） said, ‘Go and tell her!’” He thought and t________（9）, then at last, he pulled the door down, put it on his back and went to his mother w_________ （10） it!