When you put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves!

There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.

High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It's to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.

At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres (a small collection of flowers they pin to their jackets). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.

Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.

High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure cruise boat.

But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.

The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair takes very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.

Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the prom. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to be saying goodbye.

If you like the idea of a prom, why don't you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?

What does the word “prom” probably mean in the passage?

A．a dancing competition.         B. a party held to celebrate graduation.

C．a fashion show.         D. an election.

Which of the following is an economical way to hold the prom?

A．renting a ballroom             B．taking a cruise boat

C．holding it in the school gym      D．wearing formal dresses

Which of the following clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?

A．They take pictures at the prom. B．They wear formal clothes or special clothes.

C．Music is played at the prom.   D．Teachers and parents attend it.

Why do some students attend the prom with their friends?

A．They want to be elected by their friends us the Prom King or Queen.

B．They don’t like to be accompanied by their parents.

C．They don’t want to depend on their parents.

D．They will part with their friends in a short time.

From Europe and Asia to the Middle East, many expressed amazement that the US could overcome centuries of racial conflict and elect an African-American president.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, said Obama gave the world __31___   courage to dream.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf — the first woman ????___32___  (elect) to head an African country — said she did not expect to see a black American president  ___33____  her lifetime.

“All ____34____ (Africa) now know that if you persevere（坚持）, all things are possible,” she said.

In Indonesia, where Obama lived  ___35____  child, hundreds of students at his former elementary school erupted in cheers when he  ____36____  (declare) winner, pouring into the courtyard  ___37___  they hugged, danced in the rain and chanted “Obama! Obama!”

“I remember in the class book, all students were writing down  ___38___  goals and wishes. Some said they wanted to be lawyers, soldiers, pilot and doctors,  ____39___  he was the one who said he wanted to be president,” said Dewi Asmara, a former classmate. “We never understood  ___40___  was on his mind that day.

For Chinese students the end of their senior year is filled with studying and stress as they prepare for the college entrance exams in June. But for American high school seniors the experience couldn't be more different. The end of senior year is a celebration of their time in high school and involves parties, games and fun.

Senioritis(高年级倦怠症) is a commonly used expression. It means seniors have a disease which makes them unable to do work. This starts in April when seniors find out whether they have been accepted to university.

Unwilling to do school work, seniors have plenty of other activities to focus on.Many schools have a "Senior Show", in which only seniors are allowed to perform. Some seniors sing or dance but many of them perform skits (滑稽短剧), where they make fun of their favorite teachers or their friends. For example, a group of boys may dress up and imitate（模仿） a group of their girl friends. It is all very light-hearted.The "Senior Show" is usually a part of Senior Week, which is a week specifically dedicated (专用的) to seniors. During this week, seniors usually get academic or athletic awards they have won over their high school careers. The seniors also vote for one of their male and female classmates who they believe is the best-looking or funniest or most involved, etc. These are then published in the yearbook.

The yearbook is an important part of high school for seniors. It is usually dedicated to them and has all their pictures and some words from them in it. Then seniors go around and get it signed by their friends so they can always remember their time together.

Of course during all of this time, seniors are preparing for the Senior Prom（正式舞会）, which is an important moment in American culture. It is the most important dance in a young American's life.

The end of senior year is a truly special and wonderful time for American students. It's something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?

A. For American high school seniors, things are quite different.                  

B. It doesn't make difference at the end of the senior year.

C. For American high school seniors, it is the best time of the year.

D. It is the period filled with stress and workload.

Why are seniorities unable to do work? 

A. Because they have a "disease".

B. Because they are busy for the university.

C. Because it is illegal for them to work.

D. There's too much for them to learn in high school.

What activities that seniors would like to do according to the passage? 

A. School work.             B. Voting for the film star.

C. Singing or dance contests.   D. Senior Show and Senior Prom.

Which is NOT true according to the passage?           

A. All students are allowed to perform in the Senior Show.

B. The yearbook is a reminder for the seniors.

C. Seniors elect the Prom Queen at the end of the Senior Prom.

D. Senior Prom is the most important dance for the seniors .

What will most probably be talked about in the next paragraph of the passage? 

A. Activities on the sports field.

B. The graduation ceremony where they receive their high school diploma.

C. Their favorite film stars.

D. The health of seniors.        

The campaign is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.

The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?

Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”

Recent polls（民意测验）also suggest that Obama’s victory has given Americans new optimism about race relations. For example, a USA Today poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites “will finally be worked out”. This is the most hopeful response since the question was first asked during the civil rights revolution in 1963.

However, it’s still too early to tell whether Obama’s presidency will begin to solve many of the social problems facing low-income black communities.

Although blacks make up only 13 percent of the US population, 55 percent of all prisoners are African-American. Such numbers can be blamed on any number of factors on America’s racist past, a failure of government policy and the collapse(瓦解)of the family unit in black communities.

It is unlikely that Obama will be able to reverse (扭转) such trends overnight. However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence.”

In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.

“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift (心理转变) for both the white people and the colored ones in the world.”

1.For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.

A．Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks

B．blacks could only find role models on the basketball court

C．minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life

D．American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area

2.According to Bill Bank, ____________.

A．it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them

B．young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama

C．blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality

D．Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans

3.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．The First African-American President	B．America’s New Role Model
C．Obama-- A Successful Black .	D．Choosing a Right Role Model

4.What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?

A．The other three leaders all support Obama.

B．Obama is an African-American president.

C．None of the four leaders is white.

D．The other three leaders except Obama are from Asian countries.

 

In American schools there is something called Home-coming Day. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation(毕业) or commencement(授奖典礼) day. Students plan homecoming day for many weeks in advance(预先).

Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate(装饰) the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.

The members of school clubs build booths(摊位) and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors.

During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.

Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Home-corning Queen or King appears. All the students vote a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.

Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.

1. The most important event of the year in high schools and colleges is ________.

   A. homecoming     B. the football game                        C. graduation  D. winning the game

2. When do students begin to arrange everything for Homecoming?

   A. The day before Homecoming.           B. Many weeks before the day.

   C. when the guests arrive.              D. In the days before Homecoming.

3. Which of the following is NOT done on Homecoming?

   A. To see old friends.                                        B. To call on teachers they remember.

   C. To watch the football game.          D. To go home to see their family.

4. The underline words “vote” in the fifth paragraph means ________.

   A. attend a meeting                                           B. elect or choose    

   C. hold a celebration(庆祝)          D. have a football match

5.Who can probably become Homecoming Queen or King?

   A. The students who is liked most by the others.             

B. The guest who is most popular with the students.

   C. The students who is most liked by the guests.             

D. The player who plays best in the football game.