Do you think your schoolwork is too hard? Do you feel you have too much homework? If you answer “yes”, you are in the same boat as most US kids. However, school life for them is about to get even harder.

    A group of 13 states have decided to make their schools’ workload(工作量) much heavier, especially in math and English. Most students in US high schools work very hard. But it is not like in China, where almost all students have to work from early morning till late in the evening.

    US students have a lot of freedom to decide how hard they should work. “Most students put in a lot of effort (努力), but some do almost nothing,” said Will Gordon, a teacher from North Carolina. “I think stricter rules will help those students who aren’t so focused (集中精神的).”

    “For the most part, it’s good,” said Adam Jorve, 15, a student at Gordon’s school. “A lot of kids in public schools can hardly read when they graduate. However, for me, I wish I didn’t have the extra work.”

81. From the first passage we know that most US kids _______.

A. have a pleasant school life         B. often go boating together

C. have hard schoolwork             D. pay little attention to their schoolwork

82. Compared with Chinese students, kids in the US ________.

A. have a much heavier workload                B. don’t have to work from morning till night

C. spend more time on math and English      D. have no time to relax themselves

83. What freedom do US students have? They have the freedom to decide _________.

A. how hard they should work    B. how long they stay at school

C. what to do and how to do it    D. how much time they should spend on their work

84. In Will Gordon’s opinion, students who almost do nothing in school will be helped ______.

A. by strict teachers                       B. by their parents

C. through the strict management (管理） D. through stricter rules

85. The passage tells us mainly about _______.

A. the heavy load of Chinese students  B. the heavy load of the US students

C. the freedom of the US students     D. the different school life of the US students

Do you have any plans for the Project Hope? Why not spend your time helping others? Don’t listen to people who say that young people today often think only of themselves. It is not true at all. More and more young people in China volunteer(志愿) to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don’t do it for money. Here are some of their stories.

Li Ping, 17

I’m going to help the Forest Center build new hiking paths(山间小路) in the mountains. I’ll spend the whole summer living in a tent(帐篷) and breathing the clean mountain air. I’m going to sleep under the stars. It will be a nice sport, and I’ll be able to do something good at the same time!

Wu Dong, 18

This summer, I’m going to take part in the Spring House Program. They build good, low-cost houses and sell them to families that are not very rich. I’ll help them and they will teach me what to do. I also have a chance to learn how to build houses.

Liu Hui, 16

I’m going to teach children who have difficulties in reading. I’ll work for a program called Reading for Life. Every day, I’m going to help children choose and read books that they like. I love children and reading, and I want to be a teacher. So this is going to be a great experience for me.

1. More and more young people in China ___________.

A. like to help others on school holiday　　　 B. want to make more money by helping others

C. only think of themselves　　　　　　　　 D. have no plans for the Project Hope

2. Li Ping’s plan for this summer holidays is to ___________.

A. living in a tent　　　　　　　　　 B. helping to build hiking paths

C. sleeping under the stars D. breathing the clean mountain air

3. Which of the following about Wu Dong is WRONG?

A. Wu Dong likes reading very much.　　 B. Wu Dong’s family isn’t very rich.

C. Wu Dong is the oldest of the three. D. Wu Dong is kind.

4. Liu Hui will work for Reading for Life because he can _____________ there.

A. play with children　　　　 B. read more books　

C. can help children read D. look after the poor children

5. Which is the best title (题目)for this passage?

A. The Forest Center　 B. Reading for Life　 C. Young Chinese Volunteer D. A Special House Program

How would you like to study at an American university in China? With the news that New York University (NYU) is considering setting up a branch（分校）on Chinese mainland, the possibility of getting an American education becomes a reality. But how will Chinese students deal with a very different style of teaching? One that encourages debate（辩论）, discussion and critical thinking (批判思维)； one which puts little attention on rote learning.

You know how kids ask questions all the time? Asking questions shows they are curious (好奇). So when does that natural curiosity get weak? Not at kindergarten or nursery, nor at primary school. As you grow older perhaps refusing to draw attention to yourself by asking the teacher questions, you grow quiet. If so, that's a pity, because questioning your teachers should be encouraged. After all, they're the ones who've been educated, have a lot more experience than you and perhaps have a little wisdom. When I taught joumalim at college in Scotland I enjoyed answering students' questions. Some of them raised difficult questions. I didn't always know the answers. If I didn't, I'd accept it and try to find out later.

At university we were encouraged to challenge our classmates and teachers. There was often a regular meeting between teachers and some students. A student would prepare a paper on a subject and the other students would criticize it. It could be frightening. But it was a way of developing critical thinking.

We need to differentiate critical thinking with loudmouths. We've all come across loudmouths who speak out quickly as if they knew what they were talking about. I know one loudmouth who is paid a great deal of money by a British tabloid newspaper to entertain readers with his deeply-held prejudices(偏见). You might not agree with columnist(专栏作家) Richard Littlejohn, but you have to say that he is entertaining and there is an internal logic（内在的逻辑）to his statements. Having a logical mind can help develop critical thinking.

My wife doesn't have a logical mind, but she does have emotional intelligence（情商）. I can't say that I have anything like her emotional intelligence. but I'd like to think some of it rubbed off on me. If you can't at least try to put yourself in someone else's shoes, how can you understand their situation, their problems and issues?

So try to develop your powers of critical thinking. Start with books, films, music and newspapers. And don't believe everything you read or see. Think independently.

57. According to the passage, to develop your critical thinking, you can____________.

A. keep curious and follow your heart

B. think logically, not emotionally

C. do more reading and think actively

D. voice your opinion like a loudmouth

58. The underlined words 66rubbed off on mc" in Paragraph 5 probably mean " __________".

A. helped me solve the problem better

B. had some influence on me in a way

C. moved it backwards and forwards

D. advised me to wear others' shoes

59. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Want to be different? Think critically

B. Want to be critical? Think for yourself

C. Choose NYU, choose critical thinking

D. Importance of improving critical thinking