阅读理解。
We have known for some time that college students coming from Japan and Taiwan to study in the
United States do better than their American peers(同龄人)in maths and science. These general
impressions of Asian superiority(优势)in mathematics and science were proved by studies were made
in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In these studies, the average score of American kindergarteners was below those from Japan. In first
grade the difference increased, and by fifth grade it was very large.Moreover, 60 fifth grade classes in
Japan, Taiwan, and the United States were compared in mathematics. The average score of the highest
scoring American classroom was below that of all the Japanese classrooms and all but one of the Chinese classrooms.
Why is this so? Are the Asian students born smarter? A series of studies in 1986 and 1987 raised
these questions, and their findings seem to point the American and Asian school systems have certain
features in common. But the differences are striking. Test scores on nationwide examinations determine
entry into high school and college in both Japan and Taiwan, but not in the United States. Career paths
too are more closely linked to educational achievements in Japan and Taiwan. As a result, far more
pressure is given to even very young children to study hard and succeed in school in both Japan and
Taiwan than those in the United States.
These are also striking differences in classroom instruction. By fifth grade,for example,t he U. S.
children were observed to spend an average of only 19.6 hours per week in academic activities in
comparison with the Taiwanese and Japanese children of 40.4 and 32.6 hours per week, respectively.
What is more,the U. S.children spent less of their academic time on mathematics. By fifth grade ,the
U. S.classrooms averaged 3.4 hours per week on maths compared to 11.4 hours in Taiwan and 7.6
hours in Japan.
1. The primary purpose of this passage is to ________.
A. show Asian superiority in maths and science to the American students
B. compare the American educational practices with those of Asians
C. warn the American government of the educational problems
D. criticize the American educational system
2. Asian students in the U. S.do better in maths and science than their American peers because________.
A. Americans are less interested in maths and science than Asians
B. Asian students are cleverer than the American children
C. Asian students spend more time in academic activities
D. All of the above
3. Which of the following is NOT one of the differences between the American and the Asian school
systems? ________
A. Entrance into high school does not depend on test scores on national exams in the U. S..
B. Academic achievements are more closely related to jobhunting in Asian countries.
C. Children start kindergarten earlier in Asian countries than in the United States.
D. Asian students pay more attention to classroom activities than Americans.
apart. A century later, we know that this was not the case. However, although the family is still alive in the United States, its size and shape were very different 100 years ago.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were mainly two types of families in the United States: the
extended and the nuclear. The extended family usually includes grandparents, parents, and children living
under the same roof. The nuclear family consists of only parents and children.
Today there are many different kinds of families. Some people live in "traditional" families, that is, a
stay-home mother, a working father, and their own biological children. Others live in two-paycheck families, single-parent families, adoptive or foster, families, blended families (where men and women who were
married before marry again and combine the children from previous marriages into the new families),child
less families, and so on.
What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s the birthrate began to fall and the divorce rate began to rise. Women were suddenly choosing to go to college and take jobs outside the
home. In the 1930s and 1940s, many families faced serious financial, or money problems during the Great Depression, when many people lost their jobs. During World War II(1939-1945),5 million women were
left alone to take care of their homes and their children. Because many men were at war, thousands of
these "war widows" had to go to work outside their home.
During the next ten years, the situation changed. There were fewer divorces, and people married at a
younger age and had more children than the previous generation. It was unusual for a mother to work
outside the home during the years when her children were growing up. Families began leaving cities and
moving into single-family homes in the suburbs. The traditional family seemed to be returning.
In the years between 1960s and 1990s, there were many important changes in the structure of the
family. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, the divorce rate doubled and the birthrate fell by half. The
number of single-parent families tripled, and the number of couples living together without being married
doubled again. In fact, the single-parent household, once unusual, has replaced the "traditional" family as
the typical family in the States. If we can judge from history, however, this will probably change again in the twenty-first century.
The Changes of the American Family
| Main comparisons | Contexts | ||
| Different 1 | There were two 2 types of families in the past, namely, the extended and the 3 . | ||
| Nowadays 4 types of families can be seen than before. | |||
| 5 in different periods. | In the 1900s and 1940s | Many of the women had to work outside due to the 6 of money., thus causing the fall of 7 and the rise of divorce rate. | |
| In the 1950s | Divorce rate slided and there were more children. The families returned to be 8 again. | ||
| In the years between 1960s and 1990s | Different types of families occurred. Traditional families are no longer the__9 ones in America. | ||
| A trend worth noting | |||
| Author"s opinion on changes | The present structure is temporary. 10 from history, we know it will experience changes again in the near future. | ||
| 阅读理解。 “Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.” This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 52 wrote it. We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improve the quality of our lives? Picture this: You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel? Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives. One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10, and Tomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones. The grandmother, Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.” She believed life w  as less materialistic. “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” She said. The boys said they fought less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “fashionable, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things.” Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions! Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your e-mail every day. Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying. 1．The passage is mainly about . A．problems with technology B．improvements of our life with technology C．the important roles technology plays in our everyday life D．major changes which will be likely to happen to technology 2．The writer quoted what a citizen in ancient Rome said at the beginning of the story in order to . A．share a truth about life B．tell us what life was like long time ago C．make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen D．point out that you experience some big problems and they may be the same 3．The family chose to spend some time in a 1940’s house because . A．they liked to live simple lives B．they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions C．they were troubled by modern inventions D．living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them 4．What does the word “available” in the suggestion offered by the writer mean? A．Busy on line B．Free C．Be able to D．Be found by others. | |||
| 阅读理解 | |||
Counterfeit (假的) medicines are a widespread problem in developing countries. Like other counterfeits,
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