The UK c_______ of three countries.

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?

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".

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

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

A．2nd              B．3rd              C．4th              D．5th

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.

4.What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．比较             B．结果             C．研究             D．考试

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.

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"

1. 1.

   What’s the main idea of the passage?

   1. A.
      The two different education superpowers
   2. B.
      The result of one report about education system
   3. C.
      The UK's education system is worst
   4. D.
      Finland and South Korea’S education system
2. 2.

   According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked       in the world

   1. A.
      2nd
   2. B.
      3rd
   3. C.
      4th
   4. D.
      5th
3. 3.

   All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________

   1. A.
      At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia
   2. B.
      Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system
   3. C.
      The United States’ education system is one of the best
   4. D.
      There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea
4. 4.

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

   1. A.
      比较
   2. B.
      结果
   3. C.
      研究
   4. D.
      考试
5. 5.

   What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?

   1. A.
      The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose"
   2. B.
      The developed economy
   3. C.
      The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents
   4. D.
      Having a culture that is supportive of learning

British people have the worst quality of life in Europe, according to a report which highlights （强调) the long hours, bad weather, low life expectancy and high price of many goods.

In a study of ten of the largest European countries, Britain, which was considered a popular country to live in, now comes last followed by Ireland, with France and Spain topping the table.

Though British families enjoy the highest income in Europe, they still have to fight with a high cost of living, with fuel, food and alcohol all costing more than the European average.

With the high price of petrol, the UK is the second most expensive country in Europe. However, diesel (柴油) is more expensive in the UK than anywhere else in Europe.

The report by the website uSwitch analyses 10 European countries against 17 different benchmarks(基准点), from the price of gas, electricity, fuel, food and drink to the money each country spends on education, health to working conditions and the weather.

The top three countries are France, Spain and Denmark, with Sweden, Ireland and Britain coming eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

The study comes less than a week after the United Nations moved Britain out of the top 20 list of most desirable countries to live in for the first time.

Although France and Germany were at the beginning hit hard by the global financial crisis, both have officially got out of the trouble, while Britain has yet to prove this has happened. Later this week, despite (尽管) signs of recovery in the housing market and rising sales, unemployment is still expected to have climbed to above 2.5 million for the first time since 1994.

Which country has the best quality of life in Europe according to the report?

 A. Ireland.        B. France.         C. Sweden.         D. Denmark

Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. British families are suffering from the high cost of living.  

B. The report comes after the website uSwitch analysed 10 Asian countries.

C. The price of petrol is higher in Britain than anywhere else in Europe.

D. The quality of British life is reported to be terrible because of the bad working conditions.

The underlined word “desirable” probably means           .

A. terrible      B. attractive         C. expensive       D. different

What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Britain is still struggling to get out of the global financial crisis.

B. Unemployment in Britain is expected to go down soon.

C. Recovery in the housing market leads to unemployment in Britain.

D. Britain has recovered from the crisis together with France and Germany.