题目
题型：不详难度：来源：
Professor Shireen Motala says basic education is no longer a problem in South Africa. Most children stay in school until they are about sixteen. The problem is that large numbers of them leave without completing high school.
Students take an examination known as the “matric”(高考) in Grade Twelve. Professor Motala says, “Less than half of the children who started school in 2000 sat for the matric last year. Many dropped out of school, so only around 45% took the matric. And the worry is where those students actually go.” Those who drop out have to compete with better educated people for jobs.
Educational researchers also point to another problem. South African schools do not produce enough students with the skills for higher education in maths and science. Many schools are not well-equipped. Children do not see laboratories, and, as a result, their science marks are not very good. They do not have libraries at school. Also, many teachers do not have the skills or training to do their jobs.
In South Africa, a number of teachers were poorly trained before. Secondly, teachers have been confused by the many educational reform efforts in the last fifteen years. Finally, language differences in the classroom have not got as much attention as they should, which is a huge problem. Subjects such as maths and science are taught in English starting at about the age of ten. But South Africa has eleven official languages.
South Africa’s minister of basic education promises a number of improvements. Angie Motshega says teacher development efforts will focus on subject and content knowledge, making sure that the correct teachers are in the correct jobs.
小题1:From the first paragraph we can learn that ______.
| A．South Africans are badly in need of education |
| B．South African teenagers do very well at school |
| C．the South African government takes education seriously |
| D．South African teenagers have become more clever |
| A．Something is wrong with the country’s basic education system. |
| B．Most children have to find a job at an early age. |
| C．The final exam is too difficult for most children. |
| D．Most children cannot complete high school until they are 16. |
| A．they don’t work hard enough |
| B．their schools do not have laboratories |
| C．they cannot get help from libraries |
| D．there are not enough skilled teachers |
| A．Schools should focus more on maths and science than any other subject. |
| B．More educational reforms should be carried out in South African schools. |
| C．The more teachers teach maths and science, the better marks students may get. |
| D．More attention should be paid to language differences in maths and science classes. |
答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:D
解析
试题分析：本文介绍了南非基础教育的问题，有学校基础设施方面的，也有师资方面的，以及任何解决这方面的问题。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：Since the 1990s, education has been required for all South Africans from age seven to fifteen.可知南非政府很重视教育。选C
小题2:细节题：从第三段的句子：And the worry is where those students actually go.” Those who drop out have to compete with better educated people for jobs.可知是很多学生很早就要去找工作。选B
小题3:排除题:从第四段的内容可知：南非的学生在科学领域表现差是因为：学校没有实验室和图书馆还有有技术的老师也不够。选A
小题4:推理题：从倒数第二段的句子：Subjects such as maths and science are taught in English starting at about the age of ten. But South Africa has eleven official languages.可知应该关注数学和自然科学教学的语言问题。选D。
点评：这篇文章考查推理题主旨题较多，对考生要求较高，既要对文章有整体把握，也要理解有些重点的句子。集中考查了句意理解题，要求考生有较强的细节理解能力。
核心考点
试题【Since the 1990s, education has been required for all South Africans from age sev】；主要考察你对题材分类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing, and all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it’s devastating for biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things that are all interconnected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. Insects, worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich. And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and sea. In fact, all life on the earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things.
The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. “It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans,” said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as the “father of biodiversity”. He warned, “We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible (不可挽回的).”
But what can we do? The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague (含糊的). People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reserve the decrease in the sea-life caused by industrial fishing, stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes (wild dogs) in Australia, among many other things.
There is a lot to do. And we’d better act quickly if we don’t want to end up with a planet that can’t sustain life!
小题1:The writer thinks it ________ to pull down Big Ben to make way for a car park.
| A．unreasonable | B．necessary | C．difficult | D．reasonable |
| A．nature is badly polluted by humans |
| B．species are becoming fewer and fewer day by day |
| C．rainforests are being cut down every day |
| D．nature is full of mysteries |
| A．it doesn’t matter to reduce biodiversity |
| B．people have done enough to preserve biodiversity |
| C．the situation of biodiversity is very serious |
| D．biodiversity loss has become irreversible |
| A．people might not clearly know what is biodiversity and what should be protected |
| B．people are not aware that giant pandas are endangered |
| C．people don’t realize that biodiversity is vital to everyday life |
| D．people hunt sea creatures for food |
| A．The UK government. | B．The concept of biodiversity. |
| C．The action to deal with the problem. | D．The Guardian newspaper. |
The program allows users to display alerts (warning) on the missing computer’s screen and even to set a spoken message. Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind.
Owners must report their laptop missing by visiting a website, which sends a message to the model: a red and yellow “lost or stolen” sign appears on its screen when it is started. Under the latest version of the software, users can also send a spoken message.
The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it. “One customer sent a message saying, ‘You are being tracked. I am right at your door’,” said Carrie Hafeman, chief executive of the company which produces the program, Retriever.
In the latest version, people can add a spoken message. For example, the laptop’s speakers will say: “Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen. If you are not my owner, report me now.”
The Retriever software package, which costs $29.95 but has a free trial period, has the functions of many security software programs. Owners can remotely (远程地) switch to an alternative (可替换的) password immediately if they fear that the thief has also got hold of the access (进入, 使用) details.
If a thief accesses the Internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the Internet service provider in use, so that the police can be alerted to its location.
Thousands of laptops are stolen every year from homes and offices, but with the use of laptops increasing, the number stolen while their owners are out and about has been rising sharply.
Other security software allows users to erase data remotely or lock down the computer.
小题1:The underlined expression “to give the thief a piece of their mind” in Paragraph 2 can be understood as “_______”.
| A．to give the thief an alert mind |
| B．to express the owners’ anger to the thief |
| C．to remind the thief of his conscience (良心) |
| D．to make the thief give up his mind |
| A．record the stealing process |
| B．help recognize the lost laptop |
| C．lock down the computer remotely |
| D．send a spoken message |
| A．change some access details for switching on the laptop |
| B．turn on the laptop by using the original password |
| C．operate the laptop by means of an alternative password |
| D．erase the information kept in the stolen laptop |
| A．With no Retriever, thousands of laptops are stolen every year. |
| B．A new software provides a means to reduce laptop theft. |
| C．Retriever has helped to find thieves and lost computers. |
| D．A new program offers a communication platform with the thief. |
| A．the alert message | B．the computer |
| C．the program | D．the laptop |
So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success?
First, do what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it in any situations, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them.
Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What’s more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Always be ready to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you!
As you sow, so will you reap. With your perseverance (毅力) and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to give congratulations and compliments on your achievements. “Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.” The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well worth the effort!
小题1:Those who are truly confident _______.
| A．succeed without effort and hard work |
| B．encourage people around to become confident |
| C．appear more attractive and thus become successful |
| D．gain the confidence of others and feel successful |
| A．praise | B．imitate (模仿) | C．punish | D．laugh at |
| A．praise them in return |
| B．gain further improvement |
| C．politely accept the compliments |
| D．expect them to congratulate you again |
| A．Look before your leap. |
| B．It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| C．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. |
| D．Learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones. |
| A．tell people how to become successful |
| B．convince people to do what they believe to be right |
| C．encourage people to build confidence and achieve success |
| D．criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career |
Finding ways to give kids more classroom time，through longer hours，a longer school year，or both，is getting more attention．“If you want to look at schools where the achievement gap is narrowing, they"re saying they couldn"t do it without the added time，”says Jennifer Davis．“Even when you get good teachers into schools，you also need more time．”
According to studies, low-income students fall back more than two months in their reading skills over summer vacations．“It"s over the summer months that poor kids fall behind，”says Karl Alexander，a sociologist．“If you have parents who themselves didn"t succeed at school and aren"t highly educated，kids aren"t going to get those skills at home．”
Schools are asked to take a full year to plan how to best use the extra time—a process involving teachers，principals，students and parents．They are given outside support to help them base their plans on the best available analyses of student needs．It"s still early，but officials are already seeing stronger test scores and a narrowing achievement gap．
But some critics are worried．“We risk producing something that"s very expensive and time-consuming, and that will give educators a lot of trouble，”says Frederick Hess．“Before we spend all that extra money，I"d much rather see if we can figure out how to get 50 percent more instructional time out of the current school day．”
小题1:From the first paragraph，we learn that ．
| A．the longer schedule is harmful to kid"s health |
| B．all Chicago students had a holiday on Columbus Day |
| C．Sydney Shaw supports the added time |
| D．few kids are bored with the lack of holidays |
| A．no good teachers are willing to teach them |
| B．they can"t get help from their parents |
| C．their parents are unwilling to hire private teachers |
| D．they themselves have no desire to learn |
| A．it will have a bad effect on the kids’ futures |
| B．the current school day has been too busy |
| C．no one supports the idea |
| D．it will be costly and time-consuming |
| A．whether a longer school day will help narrow the achievement gap |
| B．how students have benefited from additional school hours |
| C．why the achievement gap among students needs to be narrowed |
| D．what causes the achievement gap among students |
Sian Beilock: “They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about it as your cognitive horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.”
Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.
Sian Beilock: “what we think happens is when students put it down on paper , they think about the worst that could happen and they reassess the situation. They might realize it’s not as hard as they might think it was before and, in essence, it prevents these thoughts from popping up when they’re actually taking a test.”
The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.
The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.
Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.
Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.Prefessor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.
Sian Beilock: “What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention, all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most likely to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these testing situations.”
But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.
小题1:What may happen if students have the problem of test anxiety?
| A．Test anxiety can improve students’ performance to some degree. |
| B．Students’ attention and memory resources run out when worried. |
| C．Students may not be admitted into their favorite college if worried |
| D．Test anxiety is sure to cause students to fail the test. |
| A．The result in the math test agrees with that in the biology test. |
| B．In the first math test, students who sat quietly performed better. |
| C．In the second math test, students who wrote about their feelings did worse. |
| D．Some college students are highly anxious test-takers while others are not.. |
| A．Giving out | B．Fading away |
| C．Becoming clear | D．Appearing suddenly |
| A．It is a common practice for students to get worried before a test. |
| B．Being worried before tests does harm to students’ performance. |
| C．Anxious students overcome test anxiety by writing down fears. |
| D．It is important for students to overcome test anxiety. |
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