Education is an expensive part of American life．Its size is matched by its variety．Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone．Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself．This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects．It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing , radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages．Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability．The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community.

Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and “Americanizing” the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins．Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns.

The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts．Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities．Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers．Americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives．Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation（积累）of facts．

This is America’s answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, “How can one prepare today’s child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?”

1．The underlined words “reason well” probably means__        .

       A．persuade firmly                                   B．list the reasons clearly 

       C．think logically                                    D．conclude immediately 

2．It is implied in the passage that__        .

       A．all high-school students take the same courses

       B．every student must take practical ability training courses

       C．every public school offers the same academic subjects

       D．the subjects every student takes may vary

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3．American schools place great emphasis on the learners’__      __.

       A．knowledge                             B．accumulation of facts

       C．creativity                             D．ability to work with hands

4．What makes American education different from others?

       A．The large number of schools．          B．The variety of the courses.

       C．Its consideration for immigrants．        D．The basic goal of the education.

WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.

The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.

46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it___________

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ___________

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is ___________.

       A．creative    B．newly made     C．able to recover    D．informative

49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.

50．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.

The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.

46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it         

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot       .

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is          .

       A．creative    B．newly made     C．able to recover D．informative

49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.

50．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

B

WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.

The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.

46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it___________

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ___________

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is ___________.

       A．creative    B．newly made     C．able to recover    D．informative

49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.

50．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

阅读理解

Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. Poland has its folks. Hungary has its czardas. Argentina is famous for the tango. The U.S. is known for jazz, the type of music that has gained worldwide popularity.

Jazz is American contribution to popular music. While classical music follows formal European tradition(传统)，jazz is rather a free form. It is full of energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions (感情) of the people. It is breaking and exciting with a modern sound. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.

The origins (起源)of the music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by American Negroes, or blacks, as they are called today, who were brought to the Southern states as slaves. They were sold to farm owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died his friends and relatives would gather and carry the body to have a ceremony before they buried him.

There was always a band おwith them. On the way to the ceremony the band played slow, solemn music suitable for the situation. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everyone was happy. Death had removed one of their members, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, this music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.

Music has always been important in Negro life. The blacks, who were brought to America from West Africa, had a rich musical tradition. In the fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster. And when they got to Christianity, they made lovely spirituals, which have become an everlasting part of American music.

1．From the passage, we can see that jazz　　   .

A. is a kind of African music

B. started from Africa but is popular in America

C. was started by blacks working in Africa

D. was started by blacks in America

2．Jazz is a kind of music　　   .

A. almost the same as classical music

B. quite different from classical music

C. popular only in America

D. quite different from Africa music.

3．Generally speaking, Jazz is mostly a kind of　　   .

A. American music

B. African music

C. classical music

D. popular music played at funerals

4．Usually we may feel 　　   moods when we listen to jazz music.

A. sad and sorry

B. tiring and hard working

C. exciting and happy

D. lonely and sad

5．Jazz will always be connected with　　   .

A. American blacks

B. slavery in the United States

C. modern times

D. quick development of music