The A-level question Have 22 continuous years of rises in A-level pass rate made

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The A-level question Have 22 continuous years of rises in A-level pass rate made the exam worthless? David Miliband, the minister for School Standards, insists the answer is a firm " no". And he said it was wrong that " more will mean worse and more education for more people will mean lower standards". Figures show that — despite the rise in A-grades to 21. 6 per cent — only 22,000 out of 600,000 18-year-olds gain three A-grade passes. Put another way, that means — in a primary class of 30 pupils — only one will get three A-grades. The center right Bow Group, in a pamphlet published today, however, says nine out of ten scholars believe A-grades have been devalued over the past ten years.
Two inquiries (调查) — both set up by the Government’s exams watchdogs — one of which included independent teaching experts, refused to accept that there had been any " dumping down" of A-level standards. But while they conclude that the exam questions have not become easier, changes in examining methods have almost certainly made it easier to gain top-grade passes.
As a result of the exams shake-up introduced in 2000, students sit six different types of exams to make up an A-level during the course of their two years of study. Only 20 per cent of the marks are set for the end-of-term exam. This makes it easier for teachers to help their pupils with the right answers.
Mr Miliband said yesterday, " My argument is not that today ‘s generation of pupils are cleverer than their parents; it is that schools and teachers are getting better at getting the best out of them. "
5. From the writer’s point of view, the rise in A-grades to 21. 6 per cent shows ______.
A. it is generally thought more education means lower standards
B. the rise in the A-level pass rate has made the exam worthless
C. the quality of the 18-year-olds has become lower
D. it is still hard for the general pupils to get three A-grade passes
6. The underlined word " they" in the second paragraph refers to ______.
A. the exams watchdogs B. the independent teaching experts
C. the A-level standards D. the two inquiries
7. As a result of the exams shake-up introduced in 2000 ______.
A. the pass rate for A-levels was set to rise continuously
B. the exam became easier than it had been before 2000
C. pupils could have many more choices of test after 2000
D. it soon became popular with teachers and pupils
8. What does this passage mainly discuss?
A. How reliable and effective the A-level grading system is.
B. How the A-level system helps universities select pupils.
C. How the pass rate has been increased in recent years.
D. How the A-level grading system has changed over the years.

答案

5-8 DDCA

解析

5. D 推论题。第一段讲到600，000个学生中只有22000个通过了三个高级毕业标准考试，由此推断A-level examination是很难的。
6. D 词义题。由第二段可推知。
7. C 细节

题。由第三段的意思可以得出正确答案。
8. A 主旨题。文章主要介绍了A-level examination的一些情况，然后提出了如何才能够使这种考试变得更可靠、更有效，这是文章的中心所在。

举一反三

Global warming threatens to hold back human progress, and make unachievable all UN targets to reduce poverty, according to some of the world’s leading international and development groups.
In a report published today, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, WWF and 15 other groups say rich governments must immediately address climate change to avoid even “unbearable levels” of worldwide poverty.
“Food production, water supplies, public health and people’s living environment are already being damaged,” the report says. “The world must meet its promise to achieve poverty reduction and also deal with climate change.”
The report, which draws on UN predictions of the effects of climate change in poor countries over the next 50 years, says poor countries will experience more flooding, declining food production, more disease and the worsening or disappearing of entire ecosystems(生态系统)on which many of the world’s poorest people depend.
“Climate change needs to be addressed now. The poor will bear the burden of it. The frontline experience of many of us working in international development indicates that communities are having to fight against more extreme weather conditions.”
Climate change will play havoc(浩劫)with agriculture and water supplies and will increase diseases. “By 2025 the proportion of the world’s population living in countries of great water stress will almost double, to 6 billion people. Tropical and sub-tropical areas will be hardest hit — those countries already suffering from food shortage”.
Poor countries mostly do not need high-tech solutions, but would most benefit from education, research and being shown how to farm better. The report says unchecked global warming, more than wars or political confusion, will displace millions of people and destabilize (不安定) many countries.
9. ________ should play a leading role in resisting the more extreme weather conditions according to the report.
A. International groups B. Poor countries
C. Rich countries D. Tropical and sub-tropical countries
10. Which of the following is not the effect of global warming according to the report?
A. More natural disasters and starvation. B. Increasing the world’s population.
C. Making millions of people move to other places.
D. Shaking the foundation of a country.
11. Which of the following is not true according to the text?
A. Poverty and climate change are closely linked.
B. More and more people will suffer from the water stress and food shortage.
C. What the poor countries need badly is high technology.
D. International communities have to take steps to resist the bad climate.
12. What is the best title of the passage?
A. International Development Brings in Climate Change
B. Global Warming Is a Bigger Threat to Poor
C. International Groups Work Together to Reduce Poverty
D. Worldwide Poverty Shall Be Avoided

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Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation（模仿）leads on to deliberate（有意的）imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. It is a problem we need to get out. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
1．. Before children start speaking，what is greatly different?________.
A. the amount of listening
B. a number of listening
C. the sound of listening
D. the meaning of listening
2. starters are often long listeners, the sentence means one can ________.
A. be hard to speak fluently
B. begin to speak quickly
C. start with listening
D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly
3. these can not be said to show a baby’s intention to speak, these refer to ________.
A. pain　　
B. happiness
C. kindness
D. above of all
4. according to the writer, we can draw a conclusion that ________.
A. children are fond of imitating
B. these imitation can be considered as speech
C. children get more experience of the world
D. children’s use of words are often meaningless when a child is six months, he
5. When a child is six months, he can ________.
A. call his mama
B. imitate many languages
C. store new words
D. play with sounds

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When I met him, I had a lot of anger inside of me. I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem, but in my neighborhood, there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way, too, but Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact, the scores of our whole class rose. One day, he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera, and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show, he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down

Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angeles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names, Mr. Clark said, “You’re all going.”
On graduation day, there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta, but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education, and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules, The Essential 55. In 2003,
Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit the orphanages(孤儿院). It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to one day start a group of women’s clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.
Without Mr. Clark, the writer         .
A. might have been put into prison
B. might not have won the prize
C. might have joined a women’s club
D. might not have moved to Atlanta
The Essential 55 is_____________
A. a show                                          B. a speech
C. a classroom rule                             D. a book

How many students’ names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark?
A. None B. Three C. Fifty-five. D. All.
What can we learn in the short reading?
A. It was in Harlem that we saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time.
B. Mr. Clark taught us not to talk with our mouths full, and we did.
C. Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year in Los Angeles.
D. In 2003, Mr. Clark moved to Atlanta, and he always kept in touch with us.
In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that .
A. Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked travelling
B. Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women’s clubs
C. a good teacher can help raise his or her students’ scores
D. a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students

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In June, 2007, a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, will begin test-launching (试发射) a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.
The one-kilogram Win-Cub satellite, named for its home city and its shape, will be put into low orbit. Once in space, it can perform for a few months or up to several years, communicating information that could help find the signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide, but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada. 30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite, in cooperation with aerospace (航空航天的) experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba, and with support from two other organizations.
The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper; it is real-world engineering, allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program. It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba. Designing, building and launching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space

“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation (创新), and a strong love for discovery,” said Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjomson. “We want to make science more relevant, interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or, in this case, in space,” Bjomson added.
The Win-Cube program is mainly named at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students. It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.
1. According to the passage, the Win-Cube satellite is        .
A. named after Manitoba and its shape
B. intended for international communication
C. designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size
D. challenged by university students around the world
2. According to Mr. Bjomson,        .
A. those Manitoba high school students are worth praising
B. the study of space can be practically made in classrooms
C. Manitoba high schools are famous for the study of space
D. scientific research is too far away from high school students
3. The primary purpose of the project is to        .
A. find the early signs of earthquakes
B. relate studies to practical
C. help high school students study real-world engineering
D. inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students
4. Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. In Canada there are 80 similar satellite programs in all.
B. These students will have an opportunity to learn more about engineering through the project.
C. These high school will have a strong love for discovery and be interested in science.
D. This Win-Cube program is very successful in Canada.
5. The best title for this passage may be        .
A. Manitoba School                        B. Win-Cube Program
C. Space Co-operation

D. Satellite Launching

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America is a country on the move. In unheardof numbers, people of all ages are exercising their way to better health. According to the latest figures, 4 percent of American adults exercise regularly-up 12 percent from just two years ago and more than double the figure of 25 years ago. Even non-exercisers believe they would be more attractive and confident if they were more active.
It is hard not to get the message. The virtues of physical fitness are shown on magazine covers, postage stamps, and television ads of everything from beauty soaps to travel books. Exercise as a part of daily life did not catch on until the late 195s when research by military doctors began to show the health benefits of doing regular physical exercises. Growing publicity (宣传) for races held in American cities helped fuel a strong interest in the ancient sport of running. Although running has leveled off in recent years as Americans have discovered equally rewarding-and sometimes safer-forms of exercise, such as walking and swimming, running remains the most popular form of exercise.
As the popularity of exercise continues to mount, so does scientific evidence of its health benefits. The key to fitness is exercising the major muscle groups vigorously (强有力地) enough to approximately double the heart rate and keep it doubled for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Doing such physical exercises three times or more a week will produce considerable improvements in physical health in about three months.
5.It can be learnt from the passage that the health benefits of exercise .
A.are to be further studied                     B.are selfevident
C.are yet to be proved                         D.are supported by scientific evidence
6.A growing interest in sports developed after___________ .
A.an increasing number of races were held in American cities
B.research showed their health benefits
C.scientific evidence of health benefits was shown on TV ads
D.people got the message from magazine covers and postage stamps
7.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Exercise-The Road to Health                 B.Scientific Evidence of Health Benefits
C.Different Forms of Exercise                  D.Running-A Popular Form of Sport
8.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase “leveled off” in the paragraph 2?
A.“reached its lowest level in popularity”         B.“stopped being popular”
C.“stopped increasing in popularity”             D.“become very popular”

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