词汇运用（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

根据下列各句意思，用方框内单词的适当形式填空完成句子。(请将答案写在答题卡上相应番号后的横线上)

poor  project     measure    agree    feature    produce    figure   crowd    similarity    entertainment

1.The buses are so        during the rush hour.      

2.A cinema is a place of        .

3.They     the length of the garden yesterday.

4.He has an income of six      .

5.I don’t know the exact terms(条款) of the      .

6.Where can we buy fresh farm        ?

7.Wet weather is a      of life in Scotland.

8. The boy knows much about the           and differences between pop music and

classical music.

9.Our goal is to reduce the number of the families in         in the village.

10.They formed a        to build a new school building.

 

GCSEs not fit for purpose

GCSEs （General Certificate of Secondary Education，普通中等教育证书）encourage "teaching to the test" and may be past their sell-by date, according to Britain's leading business organization. The Confederation of British Industry（CBI） warns that the qualification is stopping teachers delivering an "inspirational classroom experience" and should be replaced.

John Cridland, the CBI director general, said industry faced a shortage of key skills, particularly in science and maths. The CBI（英国工业联合会）, which represents more than 240,000 companies, is also concerned about the 40% of young people who fail to achieve the benchmark of five good GCSE passes including English and maths. The percentage of pupils who reach this standard is the main measure of school success.

Speaking at the launch of a CBI inquiry into education, Cridland argued that abandoning GCSEs could help deliver a full education. "There's something about this GCSE limitation which produces a form of learning ------ teaching for the test.’’

"It frustrates teachers because it stops them delivering that inspirational classroom experience."

The CBI head suggested that raising the school leaving age to 18 – a change that comes into effect in 2015 – is an opportunity to reform the system. "It seems to me that we've raised the participation age to 18 and we're left with an education system that focuses on 16," said Cridland. More than 600,000 children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to take GCSEs this summer.

Many other countries do without a public exam at 16. Finland, the highest performing school system in Europe, has just one public exam, at 18, though children are regularly tested at younger ages.

1.What does the author intend to tell us in paragragh1？

A.“Teaching to the test” should be encouraged.

B. We should stop teachers delivering “inspirational experience”.

C. The current qualification is out of date and should be replaced.

D. The Confederation of British Industry should be replaced.

2.What’s the main idea of the passage？

A. The British GCSEs are no longer practical and should be reformed.

B. In the GCSEs system , teachers don’t have freedom.

C. Five good GCSEs is hard to achieve.

D. The British Education Department will reform education system.

3.The meaning of the underlined word “benchmark” in paragraph 2 may be ______.

A. success                       B. target               C. standard      D. excellent grades

4.Where can we find this article?

A．TV series                              B. radio news

C. newspaper education section        D. government report

 

Broken rubber bands and flat tires requiring replacement could soon be a thing of the past．

French researchers have developed a new kind of rubber that can repair itself when broken．The new rubber is made from widely available materials including vegetable oil and a common industrial chemical．All the materials are considered safe to the environment and can be easily reused．

The best part is that the new rubber can be repaired and used again and again without losing its strength or ability or stretch．When cut, the rubber can be made new again, simply by pressing the two broken ends back together．

The product can be repaired at room temperature, around twenty degrees Centigrade；other self-healing materials require higher temperatures for repair．

Traditionally, rubber substances are made from huge molecules（分子）connected by strong chemical links, or bonds．The new rubber is made of smaller molecules．The molecules are linked together using hydrogen bonds．When connected in this way, the molecules act like one long molecule, forming what is called supramolecular networks（超分子网）．When the rubber is cut, the molecules attempt to connect with whatever molecule is near them．When pressed together, the molecules are able to repair themselves at the molecular level, making the repaired rubber like new．

However, time is an important element in the process．If the broken ends are not brought together quickly, a repair is not possible．This is because molecules will form bonds with molecules on their own side．The inventors say the surfaces of the rubber can be repaired within a week of being separated．

The rubber is the creation of scientists at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Education Institution in Paris．The organization is part of France's National Center for Scientific Research．The new material is described in greater detail in the research publication Nature．

1.According to the introduction, which of the following is NOT the advantage of the new rubber?

A．It can be made as easily as common rubber．

B．It is environmentally-friendly．

C．It can repair itself at room temperature．

D．It is made of smaller molecules．

2.What does the 5th paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Why the new rubber is unique．

B．Why the new rubber can repair itself．

C．The new rubber is made from huge molecules．

D．The new rubber is different from the common rubber．

3.If we want to know more about the technology of this kind of new rubber, where can we get the information?

A．In the researchers' diary．                B．In a guide book．

C．In a research magazine．                 D．In a newspaper．

 

Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.

▲INSTANT COLOR TV

In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

▲SAN SERRIFFE

In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven –page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.

▲NIXON FOR PRESIDENT

In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.

1.Which of the following countries in NOT mentioned in the text?

A．India

B．The UK

C．The United States

D．Sweden

2.Who worked as a host on the radio?

A．Kjell Stepson

B．Rich Little

C．Richard Nixon

D．John Huckleberry

3.When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?

A．In 1962

B．In 1977

C．In 1992

D．Never

4.Where can we probably read this article?

A．In the ad.

B．In a magazine

C．In a novel

D．In a news report

 

It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.

Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.

 “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”

On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.

“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”

Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.

He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”

The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.

1.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.

A. to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy.

B. to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information.

C. to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos.

D. to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A. Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time.

B. Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously.

C. Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time.

D. Apple and Google have decided to make a change.

3.Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.

A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.

B. can be used if permitted.

C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information .

D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.

4.If the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.

A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy.

B. The companies will be closed.

C. The companies will be fined.

D. The senators will turn to legislation.

5.Where can we read about the passage?

A. In a newspaper.                    B. In a magazine

C. In a science report.                 D. In a textbook.