Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China’s higher education reform? It’s too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll(招收)50 students, so-called child prodigies(奇才), to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education-unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.

The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.

The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.

Private investment marks the school out from other higher learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.

The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China’s higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence the school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.

Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill.

1. What will makes those 50 students different from others?

A. They are all child prodigies.

B. They will study much longer time.

C. They are willing to challenge the Ministry of Education.

D. They will receive an unauthorized diploma.

2. Over 1,000 students and parents visited the school because             .

A. they believe that the school will have a bright future

B. they believe the government is sure to approve the school

C. the school models itself on Hong Kong University successfully

D. they will never do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions

3.The trouble the students in the school may have is that             .

A. the government will have no voice in the school

B. they won’t receive any diploma when graduating from the school

C. other schools are unlikely to accept their diploma from the school

D. they will not learn how to be competitive

4. What does the author think of Nanfang University of Science and Technology?

A. It is another kind of diploma mill.

B. It’s impossible for the school to be competitive.

C. It will never get the approval from the Ministry of Education.

D. Its independence from the government may benefit the education reform.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. University of New Style.               B. China’s Education Reform.

C. Modeling Hong Kong University.        D. Authorized or Not?

Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. “If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza.”
Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. “We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity.”
You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”.
Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use computers to play games (some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left.
What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back. “The Internet is just 20% invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake Winebaum. “The last 80% is happening now.”
【小题1】What can we learn from the Microsoft’s remark?

A．There is a link between income and computer ownership.

B．Many American children don’t put computers to good use.

C．Studies show that boys are more computer literate than girls.

D．The U.S. will stay ahead in the information technology in years.

It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”
【小题1】It can be learned from the text that _________.

Technology has utterly transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.

According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated. The study reveals, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that American have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.

From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls sustain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.

On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy(治疗) center. As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist(临床医学家). After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their SUV, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones.

But, alas, not to each other.

51. What does the passage lead you to believe?

  A. Americans are more socially connected today.

  B. Americans are more socially isolated today.

  C. Technology plays a bigger role in American society.

  D. Americans don’t make good use of technology.

52. Which of the following has nothing to do with the isolation among Americans?

  A. Age.                   B. Education.                      C. Skin color.                       D. Sex.

53. The author himself _______.

  A. has a wider range of friends because of technology

  B. has failed to take advantage of technology

  C. can only find true friendship through the Internet

  D. can’t make true friends in actual life

54. What is true about the mother and son in the passage?

  A. They came for therapy in the same car.

  B. They were quite close to each other.

  C. There was not much communication between them.

  D. They preferred talking to each other on cell phones.

55. The author probably feels ________ with the mother and son.

  A. puzzled             B. disappointed          C. amused                      D. surprised

(D)
The ’80s’ “important role” in the family has also meant a greater concentration and focus on the individual. And, it has made the word “me” one of the most frequently used words. Everything seems to be about “me”. This generation has a greater awareness of itself.
Some people do not seem to agree that all this is self-centred. When Cai Fuchao, Beijing’s publicity head, was asked to comment on the lack of responsibility of university students during the SARS period, his reply was: “Modern university students are ambitious, knowledgeable and have a very strong sense of responsibility to the society.”
As news analyst from sina.com, Pan Fengliang, echoed（随声附和）that, saying that blindly blaming them(for running away during the SARS outbreak) was prejudiced and unfair and not backed with evidence.
No doubt, the development of information technology has contributed its bit to broadening, or bending, the minds of the 80s generation.
Some people even call Gen’80 “the E-generation”. They get in touch with each other via email, QQ, ICQ and MSN.
While the people of the ’60s and ’70s swarmed（涌往）to Shanghai to catch Luo Dayou, Gen’80s were on the BBS saying that it was “really dumb”.
“The internet is so much more to those of the ’80s than you can imagine,” said Wu Junyong, an IT engineer who was born in 1978.
In Wu’s opinion, it’s the Internet that separates the 70s from the 80s, “Many of the’70s don’t see why those from the ’80s can spend everyday in front of a computer.”
A new weekly Magazine/163.com survey last year found that 40 percent of the 7,000 people surveyed, born in the ’80s, thought the computer was the most important article in life; more than 70 percent of their parents preferred the home.
67. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The development of information technology contributed to the ’80s’greater awareness of itself.
B.The E-generation rushed to Shanghai to catch Luo Dayou.
C.All the ’80s can spend every day in front of a computer.
D.Not all people think that the “born in the 1980s” are selfish and irresponsible.
68. What can we infer from the passage?
A. All the ’80s have a strong sense of responsibility to the society.
B.Computers play a more important part in the life of the ’80s, who perhaps can’t live without them.
C.The ’80s generation are ambitious, knowledgeable and responsible.
D.People can’t imagine why the ’80s like internet so much.
69. The best title for this passage could be ______.
A. The self-centred generation              B. The internet generation
C. The “born in the ’80s”generation         D. The life of the ’80s
70. The purpose of this passage is to tell us _______.
A.people’s different opinions towards the ’80s generation.
B.the ’80s are the E-generation.
C.the ’80s are different from others in society.
D. the’80s have their own characteristics and we shouldn’t lose confidence in them