| A. Solving Problems Scientifically B. Making a Hypothesis C. Recognizing the Problem D. Organizing the Information E. The Experiment F. Collecting Information |
| 阅读理解。 |
| Providing small classes for at least several grades starting in early primary school gives students the best chance to succeed in late grades, according to groundbreaking new research from a Michigan State University scholar. The research by Spyros Konstantopoulos, a professor of education, is the first to examine the effects of class size over a period and for all levels of students. The study appears in the American Journal of Education. He is also a member of a group for the Department of Education"s Institute of Education Sciences that will give official advice on class size to the states. He said the advice will mirror his research: the best plan is to provide continuous small classes(13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first grade. "For a long time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the benefits," He said."I don"t believe that. I think you need at least a few years in a row where all students, and especially low-achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later." His research used data (数据)from the Project Star study in Tennessee that analyzed the effects of class size on more than 11,000 students in primary and middle school. He found that students who had been in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had actually higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who been in larger classes early on. Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found."But low-achievers benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap (差距) with high -achievers in science, reading and math," he said. Although the study didn"t consider classroom practices, he said the reason for the narrowing gap is likely due to low-achieving students receiving more attention from teachers. "This is especially important in poorer schools because teacher effectiveness matters more in schools with more disadvantaged and low-performing students," he said. |
| 1. The professor argues about _____. |
| A. the size of the class B. the period of the class C. the attention from teachers D. the achievements of students |
| 2. The result of the research shows that _____. |
| A. small classes for one year in early grade are enough B. continuous small classes help students achieve more C. it"s best to attend small classes in kindergarten D. small classes do equal good to students of all levels |
| 3. What can we infer from the passage? |
| A. High achievers will not benefit from small classes. B. Continuous small classes have not been widely accepted. C. Low-achievers should be separated from high-achievers. D. Teachers" attention matters less than classroom practices. |
| 4. The underlined word "This" in the last paragraph refers to _____. |
| A. the gap between low and high achievers B. continuous small classes C. classroom practices in later grades D. the Project Star Sturdy |
| 选做题：阅读下面短文，并根据短文后的要求答题请注意问题后的词数要求。 |
| Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently- opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their children‘s work on the Internet. The school, which costs the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams. The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants. Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be watching you." Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on the computer and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access to the school‘s network to read the teacher’s feedback on their children’s progress. Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview. "It‘s not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式) and then presenting them in 8 test," Grover said. "It’s about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality of water problem or how it might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu." David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to "turn over a new leaf" after discipline problems in his previous school left him with an "average to really bad" academic record. "This is a great opportunity for me," he said. "In other schools, I would not _____." |
| 1. What‘s the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Although the students have their lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese. ______________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 阅读理解。 |
| There was great excitement on the planet of Venus (金星) this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since. The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan (named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago). Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer (碟) landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology. "We have come to the conclusion, based on last week"s satellite landing," Prof. Zog said, "that there is no life on Earth." "How do you know this?" the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked. "For one thing, Earth"s surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive." "What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?" "We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned." "Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?" "Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering (盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We don"t know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there." "Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer." "If all you say is true, won"t this set back the flying saucer program several years?" "Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds." Prof. Zog replied. |
| 1. During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information as to _____. |
| A. the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth B. the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer C. the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth D. the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan |
| 2. According to Prof. Zog, the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because _____. |
| A. they need it in their way to the planet of Earth B. the Earth"s atmosphere is filled with deadly gases C. there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians D. there is no air on the planet of Earth |
| 3. The "dark black cloud" on the photo refers to _____. |
| A. the polluted air hovering over the surface of Earth B. the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth C. the mass of small things moving through the air D. the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks |
| 4. The author wishes to call our attention to the fact that _____. |
| A. that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extend that he might destroy himself if he went on like this B. that there is a point in spending billions to land a flying saucer on Earth C. that pollution has become so serous a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable. D. that it is difficult if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth |