Men have always believed that they are smarter than women. Now, a study has found that while this is certainly true, men also have to deal with the fact that they are also more stupid than the fairer sex.

In the study, scientists measured the IQ of 2500 brothers and sisters and they found an uneven number of men not only in the top two percent, but also in the bottom two percent.

The study's participants were tested on science, maths, English and mechanical abilities.

Though there were twice as many men as women in the smartest group, there were also twice as many men among the bottom.

The aggregate（总数）scores of men and women were similar.

One of the study's authors, psychology professor Timothy Bates, said that the phenomenon may be because men have always been expected to be high achievers and women have been restricted to spend more time taking care of their homes.

"The female developmental program may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and the safety of the middle ground.," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Bates, of Edinburgh University, as saying.

The research tallies with past results that men were more likely than women to receive first class University degrees or thirds and women secured the seconds.

It has been said that men are more ready to take risk when it comes to academics. Women have always found to be steadier in their learning.

A past study has shown that women are securing more firsts and seconds, while men are continuing to receive more thirds.

The argument for the change is that the increase of coursework at the cost of exams favors women's steady approach.

1.The purpose of the passage is to tell us that ________.

A．man are smarter then women

B．man are more stupid the women

C．a new fact about the IQ of men and women has been found

D．men are more likely to receive first class university degrees

2.According to Timothy Bates, less women are in the smartest group because _________.

A．they are born stupid

B．they have to spend more time to tale care of their homes than men

C．they don’t like to take risk

D．they are not expected to be high achievers

3.The underlined word tallies with in the eighth paragraph means________.

A．agree with         B．deal with          C．go against         D．go with

4.It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A．Women are steadier in their learning.

B．men are more ready to take risk in everything

C．women are securing more firsts and seconds

D．women are doing much better in academy

5.Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage? _________.

A．Why are men smarter than women?

B．Why are men more stupid than women?

C．How does the result go along with the past research?

D．How can we help the men in the bottom?

 

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖) on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development, of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However, while sonic seem to be lost in die desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only die winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken-belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.

1.What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect.

B．Opinions about competition are different among people.

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition.

2.The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means______.

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who value competition most highly

C．those who are against competition most strongly 　

D．those who rely on others most for success

3.Which point of view may the author agree to?

A．Every effort should be paid back.

B．Competition should be encouraged.

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

 

“Whatever",totally tops most annoying word in the poll (民意测验).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of‘ whatever"’ in conversations. The popular term of indifference (不感兴趣）was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.

“Whatever"easily beat out “you know",which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were "anyway"(at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11percent) and “at the end of the day(2 percent).

"Whatever" is an expression with staying power It left everyone a deep impression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”,later that decade. It is still commonly used, often by younger people.

It can be a common argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently(始终地) disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, income or where they live.

“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever’，is in a special class, probably, said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It's a word that -and it depends on how a speaker uses it -can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.” Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other’ ” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever” was judged more annoying than the ever-popular “you know”.

1.Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'

A. Whatever.              B. You know

C. Anyway.         D. It is what it is.

2.What can we know about the word "whatever"?

A. It became popular because of Nirvana.

B. It can be commonly used at the beginning of an agreement.

C. Old people like it while young people don't.

D. Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it.

3.In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”, was judged more annoying may be that_____.

A. most of the people don't like it

B. it can be used in place of other neutral phrases

C. it carries certain negative meaning sometimes

D. the poor don't like it

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A.Adams is not only a writer but also a professor.

B.“Whatever” is a signal of concern.

C.Adams is angry at the word “whatever”

D."Whatever" will be replaced by "You know”

 

首先请阅读下列William J. Bennett家庭教育系列读物的封面及基本信息：

   

A .Bennett gives this thrilling account of the virtues of America

and the many brave men and women who have made

it the powerful nation it is today. The tale of human struggle

and victory captures what is unique about America.

     

B．Filled with stories of the heroes and virtues, this book presents stories and poems that show children what it means to be an American, so this book is a national popular one and the best seller of the year.

C．The book intends to inspire children to find heroes in their lives,

such as Jackie Robinson, Abraham Lincoln and this book also includes tales about everyday people, such as a young boy who goes in search of an angel to watch over him, only to find that he has one—his mother.

D．This collection of stories will help children develop their most important quality, character and includes stories from the Bible, and from sources

as diverse as well-known fairy tales, the philosophy of Plato,

the poetry of Robert Frost and Aesop’s fables.

E．This book is a treasury of timeless stories which teach young

people the importance of showing virtues in one’s daily life.

It is a perfect gift for graduation or other special occasions.

Well-known works from Aesop, Dickens and Shakespeare are

presented to teach virtues.

     

F.This inspiring book offers examples of good and bad, right

and wrong in great works from literature and in stories from

history. Organized by stages along life journey, these stories

serve as reference on moral compass, guiding the readers

through challenges in their life.

以下是购书者对这些书籍的简要评论。请将简要评论与封面及基本信息匹配起来。

1.This great book by Bennett guides the kids to find heroes in their lives through a collection of stories. Also it just tells us stories about common people as heroes, which is very instructive. So it is very popular among the kids.

2.Drawn from familiar western history as well as a wide selection of tales from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the stories are great, designed to inspire as well as instructive. This book is a good guide that will help family members meet the challenges of life at any age.

3.Bennett will make you feel terrific about America. The big topic of politics and war reclaim the place they used to enjoy in the old histories. He never misses the chance to tell a good story. He has an eye for the strange and the surprising about America.

4.This book is well-received for children in America, because it is full of stories and poems to tell our kids how to be a hero and what virtues they should have, which can be their moral compass to their life and that will mean a lot to be American kids.

5.Bennett selected stories and poems to teach young people the importance of virtues in their daily life, which is really a perfect gift for graduation or other special occasions. This book belongs on every young person’s bookshelf.

 

B

He is a lesson to every boy who ever picked up a basketball and dreamed that it would change his life.

The lights were never brighter and the crowds were never bigger for a homegrown sports hero than they were a quarter-century ago for Ray Hall. But his athletic achievements, as impressive as they are, are to my mind not what is most admirable about the man.

Known as “Sugar Ray” in his teens, Hall was rated among the country’s top 25 high school basketball players. An inner-city kid from a solid family, Hall took on the challenge of lifting Canisius College — still recovering from its failure — back to respectability, rejecting more favorable offers. His status of a savior (救世主) brought more pressure than any 18-year-old should have to handle. However, I watched him mature into the player who led Canisius back to daylight.

After college Hall played professionally in Italy and Greece for over 10 years until a car accident at 32 ended his basketball career. The news that he would never play again shocked Hall but unlike so many others he was ready for life after basketball. When I met Hall — still fit at 46 — for lunch Monday, he wore a cut-sharp gray suit, designer tie and blazing white shirt that screamed Success. “That was always the question — when the cheers end, where do you go? Who do you turn to?” he said. “It starts and ends with that person in the mirror.”

Hall got the concept of academics-first from his parents. He graduated from Canisius a semester early. “No matter how good of an athlete you are, you are just one injury away from losing it all,” he said. “But if you take care of things academically, you are prepared until you leave this earth.”

For the past 14 years, he has been in a computer sales job at Ingram Micro. He married his college sweetheart. They have three kids and a nice house in the suburbs. He figured out early what others learn too late: Athletics is part of a journey, not the destination.

Congratulations, Ray, you made it. In more ways than one.          

1.Ray was regarded as a savior because ________.

A．he liked to take on challenges

B．he helped his team to regain its glory

C．he was faithful to his hometown city

D．he fought hard against failure at a young age

2.According to the writer, which of the following best describes Ray’s success?

A．Unlike other athletes, he was academically superior.

B．He defeated his injury and returned to the playground.

C．He enjoys a successful job and a happy family.

D．He has gained impressive athletic achievements.

3.What’s the right order of the events related to Ray?

a. He was rated among the best high school basketball players.

b. He was in a car accident.

c. He graduated from Canisius College.

d. He started his computer sales job.

e. He gave up his athletic career.

A．a, c, b, e, d         B．a, c, e, b, d         C．c, a, b, d, e         D．c, a, e, b, d

4.We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Ray was from an academic family

B．Ray was very mature in his teens

C．Ray was once desperate facing the cruel reality

D．athletics was not Ray’s final goal in life

5.What was the writer’s intention in writing this passage?

A．To describe the difficulties of being a professional athlete.

B．To explain the importance of choosing the right college.

C．To emphasize the need for a good education.

D．To warn against playing professional basketball.