When Harvard was founded in 1636, there were no other colleges in the American c

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When Harvard was founded in 1636, there were no other colleges in the American colonies, and it would become the model for many of those that followed. When it began requiring applicants to take a test known as the SAT in 1935, Harvard started another trend. Two years ago, after it announced an aggressive new financial-aid policy, it helped push social class to the center of the national debate over higher education and forced two of its main competitors, Stanford and Yale, to follow its lead.
Last week. Harvard began to make another effort to affect higher education in its image, its president, Derek Bok, announced that the college would abandon its early admissions program, which for decades has allowed high school seniors to apply in October and get an answer yes, no or maybe – in December, shortly before the regular deadline for applications.
Harvard officials argue that the program is beneficial to rich students who don"t need to compare financial-aid offers from various colleges. After the announcement, many people within education urged other colleges to take a similar step.
"We"re thrilled," said Laurie Kobick, a college counselor (顾问) at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. "I think it"s going to make admissions better in so many different ways. It will indeed go a small way toward leveling the field among applicants. Of course, it will also have an effect on colleges, and the biggest winner will almost certainly be Harvard. a fact that may prevent many other colleges – perhaps all of them – from following Hazard this time. Because any college that does so will risk losing some of its best applicants."
小题1:From the first paragraph we can learn that Harvard ____.

A．was the first college in the American colonies

B．was best known for the SAT

C．was muck better than Stanford and Yale

D．refused to offer financial-aid to applicants

小题2:By abandoning early admissions program, Harvard wants ____.

A．to attract the public"s attention

B．to influence higher education in its own way

C．to save money spent in attracting students

D．to allow its competitors to admit more students

小题3:Early admissions program is good for rich students because ____.

A．they have more chances to enter college

B．they can enter college with a lower score

C．they have special right to be admitted into college

D．they have no problem in supporting their studies

小题4:Why does Laurie Kobick think other colleges may not follow Harvard?

A．Because they think the action will harm high education.

B．Because they are afraid that the action is not practical.

C．Because they may attract fewer top students than he[ore,

D．Because they are afraid the action will damage their reputation.

答案

小题1:A
小题1:B
小题1:D
小题1:C

解析

小题1:事实细节题。根据第一段中“When Harvard was founded in 1636, there were no other colleges in the American colonies. ”可知。
小题1:推理判断题。根据第二段中“Harvard began to make another effort to affect higher education in its image. ”可知。
小题1:事实细节题。根据第三段中“Harvard officials argue that the program is beneficial to rich students...from various colleges. ”可知。
小题1:推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Because any college that does so will risk losing some of its best applicants. ”可知。

举一反三

Most people hate change, which is sad since we often go through intense changes in life. And for some of us, even the smallest changes can upset our day. So the question is: Why do most of us find making adjustments to our lives so hard?
Fear of change is nothing new. Over a century ago, the Parisians were unhappy over a particular addition to their city: the Eiffel Tower. In fact, the citizens were so angry about the plans for the tower that they protested its construction. As strange as it may seem, their anger was completely natural. They were given no choice about the huge change that was going to be made, so they became angry.
But we get upset over changes even when we do have a say in the matter and think about them carefully. Changes are brought about every day by the decisions we make: which school to attend, which job to take, whom to marry. Voluntary changes also make most of us uneasy because we don’t know how those changes will affect our future.
People have discovered that the key to overcoming the fear and anger associated with change is to be flexible. When they are flexible, people can adapt to new situations more easily. Being flexible is especially important in the 21st century as technology makes change occur faster than ever before. Those who oppose change, especially with technology in the workplace, may find themselves out of a job.
When change comes, and you have no choice but to face it, embrace it. A positive attitude helps a lot. In fact, the change may turn out to be the best thing for you. That new job you got may end up being much better than your old one. You may make the best friends of your life in the new city you moved to. Don’t merely focus on how you feel about change; instead decide to accept the change. The change is the reality, and it’s up to you whether the change will be a success or a failure. You never know – your next change may be your life’s Eiffel Tower!
小题1:Why did the building of the Eiffel Tower make the Parisians unhappy?

A．Because they didn’t like the design of the Eiffel Tower.

B．Because they couldn’t avoid accepting the Eiffel Tower.

C．Because it was no use building the Eiffel Tower.

D．Because the Eiffel Tower seemed strange.

小题2:According to the passage, it can be inferred that what won’t disturb us are _____________.

A．the changes that have agreement with one’s will

B．the small changes we meet in our daily life

C．the changes whose effect we can predict and control

D．the changes that we discuss or consider thoroughly

小题3:How should we overcome negative emotions that the changes bring?

A．We are not supposed to face the changes and let them alone.

B．We should actively accustom ourselves to the new circumstance.

C．We should not take the changes seriously and avoid them as much as possible.

D．We should know that the changes merely bring us bad influence.

小题4:What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The change will

probably make you fail like the Eiffel Tower.

B．The change is like the Eiffel Tower which is not good for our future life.

C．Your future life is never known just like the Eiffel Tower unknown to the Parisians.

D．Your future life is likely to be a great achievement due to the change.

小题5:What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Psychology of Change	B．The ways to Overcome the Fear
C．Changes That Disturb Us	D．The Bad Effect of Changes

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Most recently, it"s very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews． Naturally, it"s easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us． We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them．As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me．So, I"ll let them fail．
I"ll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow．And failure is along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc．—will be part of growth for them．Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today．From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish．
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate （协商） everything now．It"s a small price to help them learn a skill they"ll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don"t accompany them on job interviews．
小题1:Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?

A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties．

B．Because they think they can help them on the questions．

C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews．

D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so．

小题2:According to the author, what is beneficial to kids" development?
A．Sheltering them． B．Keeping them safe．
C．Leaving them alone． C．Blaming them．
小题3:Why does the author stress failure in kids" life?

A．To make them stronger than other kids．	B．To help them grow in this tough world．
C．To help them develop all social skills．	D．To make them learn to compromise．

小题4:Which of the following might be the best title for die text?

A．Never Shelter Your Kids	B．Let Your Kids Fail
C．Be Eager to Grow Up	D．Live Without Parents

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US researchers have found traces of an anc

ient lake on Mars recently, increasing hopes of discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life.
The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 80 square miles and was up to 1,500 feet deep, said the team from the U

niversity of Colorado.
“This is the first clear evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars,”said Boulder’ s research associate, Gaetano Di Achille, in a study published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters.
“The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago.”
Analysi

s of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon (溪谷) in which it was found, which then opened out into a valley depositing (使淤积) sediment (沉积) which formed a delta (三角洲).
“Finding shorelines is a great discovery to us,” said assistant professor Brian Hynek, adding it showed the lake existed at a time when Mars was thought to have been cold and dry.
Scientists believe the oldest surfaces on Mars formed during the wet and warm era known as the Noachan epoch, about 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago.
The newly discovered lake is believed to date from the Hesperian era and postdates the end of the warm and wet period on Mars by 300 million years, according to the study.
Scientists believe deltas next to the lake may well hold secrets about past life on Mars as such places on Earth have become the natural deposits of organic carbon and other markers of life.
小题1:The size of the lake found on Mars is ______.

A．80 square miles	B．1,500 square miles
C．3.4 billion square miles	D．300 million square miles

小题2:When the lake existed, the weather on Mars was ____.

A．hot and wet

B．wet and warm

C．cold and dry

D．cold and wet

小题3:Why do scientists think deltas near the lake may hold secrets about past life on Mars?

A．Because similar places on Earth have become natural deposits of marker

s of life.

B．Because someone has put secrets about past life on Mars there.

C．Because past life has been found in other deltas on Mars.

D．Because some people are said to have already seen life marks there.

小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The Noachan epoch was a wet and warm era.

B．The lake might have existed 3.4 billion years.

C．The discovery can’ t fully prove that the Mars once hosted life.

D．The lake traces prove that there exists life on Mars now.

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I have been a student at Bentley College in Waltham for some time now, so I have a lot of experience and know how things work at Bentley. As a freshman(新生)at Bentley College you will be living in the Tree Dorms, Slade Hall or Miller Hall. I would highly suggest that you choose to live in the Tree Dorms because this is where most fresh-men are going to be living. There will be a lot of activities going on in the building and you will meet lots of people. Slade Hall is next to the parking lot(停车场)and not far from the Tree Dorms, so that would be your second choice. As Miller Hall is small and far away, it would be my last choice for freshmen housing. If Bentley offers you the chance to live with second or third year students you’d better refuse their offer and live with freshmen. Living with your classmates will make the transition (过渡) into college life a lot easier.
As a freshman your classes should be easy. After freshman year your classes will become a lot more difficult, so I advise that you get down to business early in the first year. There are two very easy things you can do to increase your knowledge as a freshman. The first is to just go to class and the second is to always do your homework. I also highly advise that you do it on your own and try to stay disciplined(遵守纪律的). It is too easy to put your homework away and then get really behind and not be able to learn everything before a mid-term or final exam.
小题1:The author advises freshmen to live in the Tree Dorms because ___________.

A．it is across the parking lot from Slade Hall

B．it is small and quite far away from the playground

C．there are many second and third year students there

D．there are many freshmen and more activities

小题2:Where is Slade Hall?

A．Near Miller Hall.

B．Far from Tree Dorms.

C．Beside the car park.

D．Near the classrooms.

小题3:According to the author, how can freshmen improve knowledge?

A．Remember to do homework by discussing it with others.

B．Finish homework and go to class every day.

C．Try to spend more time in the library.

D．Be able to learn something before a mid-term or final exam.

小题4:The author writes the passage to ___________.

A．tell new students how to get used to college life

B．tell new students about their teachers and dormitory

C．show the differences between college and high school

D．tell readers about some funny things at Bentley College

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Having put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, you have ended 12 years of hard study. 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 ( 佩带在扣眼上的花). 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, in 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 take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.
小题1:The word "prom" is probably closest in meaning with________.

A．a party to celebrate graduation	B．a dancing competition
C．a fashion show	D．an election ceremony

小题2: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 informal dresses.

小题3: What clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?

A．Music is played at the prom.

B．They take pictures at the prom.

C．The King and Queen dance with each other.

D．They wear formal clothes or special clothes.

小题4:For what do the students just talk to friends at a prom?

A．They don’t want to get help from their parents.

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

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

D．They want to be elected by their friends as the Prom King or Queen.

小题5:How is the prom significant to the students?

A．They can be relieved from the study pressure.

B．They are going to say goodbye to their friends.

C．They have chances to be elected as the Prom King or Queen.

D．The prom marks the graduation and after it they will be independent.

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