One is never too old to learn. Life learning (sometimes called un-schooling or self-directed learning) is one of those concepts that are almost easier to explain by saying what it isn’t than what it is. And that’s probably because our own schooled backgrounds have convinced us that learning happens only in a fine building on certain days, between certain hours, and managed by a specially trained professional.

Within that schooling framestudy, no matter how hard teachers try and no matter how good their textbooks, many bright students get bored, many slower students struggle and give up or lose their self-respect, and most of them reach the end of the process unprepared to enter into society. They have memorized a certain body of knowledge long enough to rush back the information on tests, but they haven’t really learnt much, at least of the official curriculum.

Life learners, on the other hand, know that learning is not difficult, that people learn things quite easily if they’re not compelled and forced, if they see a need to learn something, and if they are trusted and respected enough to learn it on their own timetable, at their own speed, in their own way—no matter what age and no matter whether we’re at school or at home.

Life learning is independent of time, location or the presence of teacher. It does not require mom or dad to teach, or kids to work in workbooks at the table from 9 to noon. Life learning is learner-driven. It involves living and learning—in and from the real world. It is about exploring, questioning, experimenting, making messes, taking risks without fear of making mistakes, being laughed at and trying again.

Furthermore, life learning is about trusting kids to learn what they need to know and about helping them to learn and grow in their own ways. It is about providing positive experiences that enable children to understand the world and their culture and to interact with it.

1.It is implied in the text that it is hard to ______.

A. tell the nature of life learning 　　      B. carry life learning through

C. learn without going to school 　　      D. find a specially trained teacher

2.According to the author, the schooling framestudy often ______.

A. produces slow students with poor memories

B. ignores some parts of the official curriculum

C. fails to provide enough knowledge about life

D. gives little care to the quality of teaching materials

3.Life learners recognize that learning will not be difficult if they are ______.

A. able to respect other people　                  B. careful to make a time table

C. clear about why to learn　　                     D. cautious about any mistakes

4.According to the author, life learning ______.

A. could prevent one from running risks

B. teaches a kid how to avoid being laughed at

C. makes a kid independent of his parents

D. could be a road full of trials and errors

5.Through life learning, children ______.

A. will grow without the assistance from parents

B. will be seperated from the negative side of society

C. will be driven to learn necessary life knowledge

D. will learn to communicate with the real society

 

The dream of flying into outer space, cherished by the Chinese people for centuries, will soon come true.
　　China launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft （飞船）“Shenzhou Ⅳ” on December 30 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province. It was the 27th consecutive（连续的 ）and successful launch of China - made rockets since October 1996. This launch has made it more realistic for China to send a person into space on its own following Russia and the USA.
　　Qi Faren，leading designer of the spacecraft system, said all the functions （功能） designed for manned flights have withstood （经受住）the test of three previous, successful launches and return landings of the “Shenzhou” spaceships.
　　China launched the “Shenzhou Ⅰ ”, “Shenzhou Ⅱ ”and “Shenzhou Ⅲ ”spacecrafts in 1999,2001 and 2002 respectively.
　　“Shouzhou Ⅳ” was to make it a more comfortable place in which astronauts can live and work. All parts of the application system for manned flight are aboard the “Shenzhou Ⅳ”craft in all test flights.
　　China’s manned flight programme began in 1992. A number of unmanned test flights will be launched before Chinese astronauts are sent into space.
　　Leading scientists in charge of China’s manned space programme said the successful launch of the “Shenzhou Ⅳ” laid a solid foundation for the country’s future task of sending Chinese astronauts to outer space.
　　The spacecraft returned to the earth on January 5, after completing seven experiments in space.
　　Officials at the centre said that“ Shenzhou Ⅴ”, a manned spacecraft, is expected to be launched later this year.
【小题1】How many countries can send a person into space on its own by now？

A．Not mentioned.

B．3.

C．4.

D．2.

【小题2】.China’s manned flight programme began in ________.

A．1992

B．October 1996.

C．1999

D．January 2003

【小题3】As a matter of fact, ________ .

A．“Shenzhou Ⅴ ”has been launched

B．“Shenzhou Ⅳ” was a manned spacecraft

C．“Shenzhou Ⅲ ”and“ Shenzhou Ⅳ” were not launched in the same year

D．the dream of man flying into outer space has come true in China

【小题4】.Which is the most suitable title for the passage?

A．The Successful Launching of “Shenzhou Ⅳ ”.

B．The Landing of “Shenzhou Ⅳ ”.

C．Chin a’s Manned Flight Programme.

D．The Third Country Sending a Person into Outer Space.

　　In the United States, it is important to be on time, or punctual, for an appointment, a class, a meeting, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian university. The two-hour class was scheduled (制定) to begin at 10 a. m and end at 12 a. m. On the first day, when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom Many students came after 10 a. m. Several arrived after 10:30 a. m. Two students came after 11 a. m. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students' behavior.

　　The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation: lunch with a friend and in a university class, respectively. He gave them an example and asked them how they would react. If they had a lunch appointment with a friend, the average American student defined (定义) lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes.

　　In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. In contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but they also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students leave the class at noon; many remain past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.

　　The explanation for these differences isn't simple. People from Brazilian and North American cultures have different feelings about lateness. In Brazil, the students believe that a person who usually arrives late is probably more successful than a person who is always on time. In fact, Brazilians expect a person with high social position to arrive late, while in the United States lateness is usually considered to be disrespectful and unacceptable. As a result, if a Brazilian is late for an appointment with a North American, the American may misread the reason for the lateness and become angry.

　　As a result of his study, the professor learned that the Brazilian students were not being disrespectful to him. Instead, they were simply behaving in the appropriate (合适的) way for a Brazilian student in Brazil. In the end, the professor was able to change his own behavior so that he could feel comfortable in the new culture.

(1) What is the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．Lateness is a way of disrespect.

B．It is important to be on time for class.

C．The importance of being on time differs among cultures.

D．People should learn the importance of time when they are children.

(2) Why did the professor study the Brazilian students' behavior?

[　　]

A．To make the students polite.

B．To make the students come to class on time.

C．To understand why the students came late.

D．To change his own behavior.

(3) Which of the following is right according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Most North Americans think a person who is late is disrespectful.

B．Few American students leave immediately after the class is finished.

C．In a Brazilian class, the students leave immediately after the class is finished.

D．As a result of the study, the professor changed the Brazilian students' behavior.

(4) What do you think will happen according to the passage?

[　　]

A．An American host will feel unhappy if a guest arrives at the party 20 minutes late.

B．An American student will think he is more successful if he is late for class.

C．A Brazilian guest will say sorry to the host if he is 20 minutes late.

D．A Brazilian teacher will go on with his class after the ending time.

The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money.

Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of

bread was offered to dieters (节食者) with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf.

　　On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising.

　　Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.

56. Advertising can persuade the consumer to buy worthless products by _________.

　 A. stressing their high quality

　 B. convincing him of their low price

　 C. maintaining a balance between quality and price

　 D. appealing to his buying motives

57. The reason why the bread advertisement is misleading is that ________.

　 A. thin slices of bread could contain more calories

　 B. the loaf was cut into regular slices

　 C. the bread was not genuine bread

　 D. the total number of calories in the loaf remained the same

58. The passage tells us that _______.

　 A. sometimes advertisements really sell what the consumer needs

　 B. advertisements occasionally force consumers into buying things they don’t need

　 C. the buying motives of consumers are controlled by advertisements

　 D. fire insurance is seldom a worthwhile investment

59. It can be inferred from the passage that a smart consumer should ________.

　 A. think carefully about the benefits described in the advertisements

　 B. guard against the deceiving nature of advertisements

　 C. be familiar with various advertising strategies

　 D. avoid buying products that have strong emotional appeal

60. The passage is mainly about ________.

　 A. how to make a wise buying decision

　 B. ways to protect the interests of the consumer

　 C. the positive and negative aspects of advertising

　 D. the function of advertisements in promoting sales