The UK's education system is ranked（排列） sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The two different education superpowers

B．The result of one report about education system .

C．The UK's education system is worst.

D．Finland and South Korea’S education system

【小题2】According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked       in the world.

A．2nd

B．3rd

C．4th

D．5th

【小题3】All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.

A．At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.

B．Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system.

C．The United States’ education system is one of the best.

D．There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea.

【小题4】What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．比较

B．结果

C．研究

D．考试

【小题5】What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.

Professor Martin's report says that children who attend a number of different schools, because their parents have to move around the country, probably make slow progress in their studies. There are also signs, says Professor Martin, that an unusually large number of such children are mentally affected.

　　The professor says, "It's true, my personal feeling is that children should stay in one school. However, our findings are based on research and not on any personal feelings that I or my assistants may have on the subject."

　　Captain Thomas James, an Army lecturer for the past 20 years and him self a father of two, said," I've never heard such rubbish. Taking me for ex ample, no harm is done to the education of my children who change schools regularly－if they keep to the same system, as in our army schools. In my experience, I've known quite a few of them－Army children are as well－adjusted（调整）as any others, if not more so. What the professor doesn't appear to appreciate is the fact that in such situations children will adapt（适应）much better than grown-ups."

　　When this was put to Professor Martin, he said that at no time had his team suggested that all such children were backward or mentally affected in some way, but simply that in their experience there was a clear tendency（倾向）.

　　"Our findings show that while the very bright child can deal with regular changes without harming his or her general progress in studies, the majority of children suffer from constantly having to enter a new learning situation."

　　1．According to this passage, Professor Martin's personal feeling_______.

　　　　A. is the opposite of what his report has shown

　　　　B. is in a way supported by his research

　　　　C. has played a big part in his research

　　　　D. is based on his own experience as a child

　

　　2．From the passage, we can conclude that Captain James's children_________.

　　　　A. have been affected by changing schools

　　　　B. go to ordinary State schools

　　　　C. can get used to the Army school education

　　　　D. discuss their education regularly with their father

　　

　　3.About children and grown-ups, Captain James says that children______.

　　　　A. are generally well-adjusted

　　　　B. are usually less experienced

　　　　C. can adapt much more easily

　　　　D. can deal with changes quickly

　　

　　4．According to Professor Martin, _________ suffer from changing schools regularly.

　　　　A. Army children

　　　　B. quite a few children

　　　　C. bright children

　　　　D. few children

 

The UN Environment Programme says that rising temperatures could mean the end for some migrating animals.

Migrating or mobile animals move through several environments as they travel away from the cold of winter to warmer areas. Birds may fly from one part of the World to another, perhaps stopping at feeding grounds on the way. Whales and turtles(海龟) cover vast areas of ocean. The report says that changes in any one of the places which these animals use can cause serious harm. "Obviously these animals have developed their travelling patterns over thousands of years. But climate change is almost certain to be extreme over the next 25 to 50 years and it is extremely unlikely that these animals can change their habits fast enough, "said the report author Dr. Robert Hepworth.

Hardest hit by rising temperatures are turtles. Scientists have found that at higher temperatures, turtles produce far more female eggs than male ones. In parts of Malaysia, turtle birthing sites are producing only females, the report says. It also provides evidence that some turtles are more likely to develop cancer as the waters get warmer.

With birds, the main problem is climate-related damage to important areas at either end of the travels or at resting places along the way. About one-fifth of migrating birds are now in danger because of climate-related changes including rising sea levels, land loss and more violent storms, the report concludes.

Other animals picked out as particularly in danger include:

the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose main food (tiny shrimp) is disturbed by the change in ocean flows.

·the White-Nose Dolphin, which is out-competed by other kinds of dolphins in warmer waters.

The report is not all bad news. Even with major climatic changes, protecting the environment can still help mobile animals to recover. "We need governments to start taking action at the national and international level. The clock is running," said Dr. Hepworth. And some animals are already adapting, with the report mentioning whales that are changing their feeding behaviour, finding new feeding grounds and new foods to eat.

What is the main topic of the text ?

       A．The effect of climate change on migrating animals.

       B．How animals are adapting to changes in temperature.

       C．The actions required to save migrating animals.

       D．The need for government policies to prevent global warming.

By saying "The clock is running" in the last paragraph, Dr. Hepworth means that" ______"

       A．it may be too late to save some animals

       B．it is time to start protecting the animals

       C．there is not much time to solve the problem

       D．it takes time to complete the actions

       A．They will only produce female babies.

WhVich of the following is mentioned as a consequence of rising temperatures?

       A．More storms will affect the ability of whales to find their feeding grounds.

       B．20 percent of all birds are likely to die out because of land loss.

       C．Migrating animals are likely to start adapting to the changes more quickly.

D．Warmer oceans will increase the competition between different kinds of dolphins.

What can be inferred about turtles from the text?

       A．They are the only animals besides humans that suffer from cancer.

       B．They have traditionally lived longer than other ocean-based animals.

       C．Those born nearer a hotter area are more likely to be female.

       D．Most kinds of turtles are likely to die out within 50 years.

The crisis at the damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station in northern Japan has raised worries about radiation risks. We spoke Tuesday with Jonathan Links, an expert in radiation health sciences. He is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Professor Links says workers within the nuclear plant are the only people at risk of extremely high doses of radiation.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Of course, we don't know what doses they've received, but the only persons at risk of acute radiation effects are the workers."
For other people, he says, there may be a long-term worry. People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident.
Professor Links says scientists can use computers to quickly model where radioactive material has blown and settled. Then they measure how large an area is contaminated. He says if the situation is serious enough, officials could take steps like telling people not to eat locally grown food or drink the water.
JONATHAN LINKS: "But that would only be the case if there was a significant release and, because of wind direction, the radioactive material was blown over the area, and then settled out of the air into and onto water, plants, fruits and vegetables."
The reactors at Fukushima are on the Pacific coast. But Professor Links says people should not worry about any radioactive material leaking into the ocean.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Even in a worst-case scenario accident, the sea provides a very high degree of dilution. So the concentration of radioactivity in the seawater would still be quite low."
Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it. That memory from World War Two would create a stronger "psychological sensitivity" to radiation exposure, Professors Links says.
Next month is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the explosion and fire that destroyed a reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine. The nineteen eighty-six event was the world's worst accident in the nuclear power industry.
A new United Nations report says more than six thousand cases of thyroid cancer have been found. These are in people who were children in affected areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The report says that by two thousand five the cancers had resulted in fifteen deaths.
The cancers were largely caused by drinking contaminated milk. The milk came from cows that ate grass where radioactive material had fallen.
To get the latest updates, go to www.unsv.com.
Contributing: James Brooke
【小题1】The passage mainly tells us __________.

A．What measures the Japan Government takes to solve the nuclear crisis .

B．Worries and influences caused by the nuclear crisis .

C．With great efforts of scientists , the Japan Government has put the nuclear crisis under control .

D．To explain that the nuclear crisis has less effect on its neighboring countries.

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT the influences caused by the leak of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station?

A．Workers at the nuclear station are suffering the risk of death .

B．People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident.

C．The radioactive material may be blown over the area causing the pollution to water .

D．The concentration of radioactivity in the seawater can not be diluted.

【小题3】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “dilution”?

A．chemical

B．salt

C．dissolution

D．elimination

【小题4】According to the passage which of the following is not TRUE ?

A．Water people drink ,food and vegetables people eat may be polluted by nuclear radiation .

B．Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it.

C．You can go to www.unsv.com. to get the latest news .

D．The nuclear accident in Japan is the worst in the nuclear power industry.

Most of the news in the newspapers is bad but sometimes there is a story with good news. This is one of those stories. Millions of people around the world suffer from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other serious diseases. There are medicines to treat these diseases but for people in poor countries, these medicines are too expensive to buy. When a pharmaceutical（制药的）company produces a new medicine, they receive a special license called a patent. This license means that the new medicine or drug is protected for a period of 20 years. The company that produced the drug can fix the price of the drug and no other company is allowed to produce the same drug or a copy of the drug for 20 years. At the moment, these patents operate all over the world, both in rich countries and in poor countries. The drugs companies say that they need patents so that they can get the money to pay for research to find new drugs and medicines. In rich countries people usually have enough money to pay for these drugs but in poor countries people can’t afford to buy them and cannot treat diseases like AIDS and malaria.

Last month, however, a group of experts published a report which says that patents are very bad for poor countries. The report says that drug companies do not want to find new medicines for diseases of poor people in poor countries. It says that poor countries should be allowed to buy cheap drugs without patents from other countries.

The authors of the report were lawyers, scientists and a senior director from the drug company Pfizer. Of course, the pharmaceuticals industry doesn’t agree with the report, “We need patents so that we can develop new medicines to fight disease both in the developed and developing world,” said a spokesman. But the report is the first sign that there might be a change in the patent system. This change could save millions of lives in the world’s poorest countries. This really is good news.

1. Why are medicines expensive for people in poor countries?

A．They are protected by patents.	B．They are produced in rich countries.
C．They are imported.	D．They can cure the deadly diseases.

2. What does the underlined word “patent” in Para1 mean in Chinese?

A．执照

B．专利权

C．专利品

D．商标

3.Why do drugs companies need patents?

A．To sell drugs in rich countries.

B．To sell drugs in poor countries.

C．To get money to produce new drugs.

D．To compete with other companies.

4. What does the report say?

A．Poor countries should spend more money on drugs.

B．Poor countries shouldn’t obey a pharmaceutical patent.

C．Poor countries should import drugs.

D．Poor countries should be allowed to make copies of drugs.

5.What might happen if the patent system is changed?

A．Millions of lives will be saved in poor countries.

B．Drugs companies will stop producing drugs.

C．Drug companies will make more money.

D．The competition will be canceled.