This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13—19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected-much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea.“I suppose I should criticize American schools,”he says.“It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
1. This year teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.| A．twenty three hundred | B．thirteen hundred |
| C．over three thousand | D．less than two thousand |
| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
| B．let students learn something about other countries |
| C．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| D．have teenagers learn new languages |
| A．a better education should include something good from both American and Germany |
| B．German schools trained students to be better citizens |
| C．American schools were not as good as German schools |
| D．the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students |
| A．praise | B．regret |
| C．ignore | D．accuse |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Taking a math test can be pretty stressful. Even if you know the material, you can still get the problem wrong.
Write it out
You can also check a math problem by writing everything out on paper.
problems reduces your chances of missing anything to the lowest possible level, which is a common cause of incorrect answers.
Make sure your answers work by doing the opposite procedure of what your problem calls for,including the answer you got the first time around. In other words, you would use the opposite of this addition problemsubtraction (减法)—to determine whether your answer is the correct one.
Plug in
You may find that a variable isn?t good enough or have a problem where you have to solve for a variable (变量).
| A．Do the opposite. |
| B．Correct the answers. |
| C．Plug the variable in the equation (方程) to check it out. |
| D．Knowing how to go through your math test and checking your work can save you from handing in a test full of mistakes. |
| E．It also helps you to figure out everything after you have already finished the test. |
| F．Check for a reasonable answer |
| G．This helps you to know what information you have and what information you need to solve. |
【推荐2】In the mid-1950s, I was a bored boy student who believed that doing any more than necessary was wasted effort. One day,this approach threw me into embarrassment.
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson,Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals (小数加减法).
Our teacher typically assigned (布置) daily homework,which would be checked in class the following day. On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions.
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets. She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end.
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer. This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations (计算).
However, what I failed to expect was that several students were absent. As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class, I tried my best to think of and decide which math problem I would get. I tried to work it out before she got to me. but my brain couldn’t function at that moment.
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk, she asked what answer I’d got for problem No.14. “I...I didn’t get anything,” I answered, and my face burned with shame.
I thought a lot after class that day. Till now, I still remember what happened in that math class. If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one.
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?| A．The author thought making an effort was important. |
| B．Mrs. Totten asked students to grade their homework themselves. |
| C．The author thought doing the necessary was enough. |
| D．The students were asked to answer homework questions together. |
| A．requested her students to finish their usual questions |
| B．walked up and down when asking questions |
| C．chose two or three questions for the students |
| D．asked questions in a way that the author was familiar with |
| A．several students didn’t come to school |
| B．the class didn’t begin as usual |
| C．Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class |
| D．he suffered from a serious disease |
| A．A Creative Student | B．An Unforgettable Teacher |
| C．A Valuable Lesson | D．An Effective Approach |
【推荐3】The children rise at about 7 AM on school days and later on weekends, to start the day. The counselor(辅导员) is available to help the children with dressing, calming any anxieties, or planning the day ahead. Breakfast is at 8:30 AM in the dining room. The school day begins at 9 AM. Students eat lunch with their classmates in the dining room at noon. At 3 PM each group returns to their dormitory(宿舍) and meets with at least one counselor for a light snack(点心) while discussing the day's events and plans for the rest of the day. The day is planned to suit the individual(个人的) needs of each child. The activities in which the children engage(从事) are widely varied and may be indoors or outdoors, quiet or active, in the dormitory, in one of the recreational areas, or off school grounds. Students periodically(定时地) go on an outing alone with a counselor or with their group and there are several hobby groups and planned activities in which the children join depending on their interests and talents. Some of the group activities include gardening, drama, art, ceramics, dance and movement, basketball, softball, volleyball, and music lessons. Dinner is at 5:45 PM. Evening activities are generally quieter, to help students wind down for the night. Students have an evening snack between 8:30 and 9:30 PM and lights go out at 9:30 or 10:00 PM. A trained residential counselor is in the dormitory at all times while children are present. Since some counselors live at the Orthogenic School, if an emergency(紧急情况) occurs during the night, there are extra adults readily available to help.
1. The whole text mainly give us an introduction to _____.| A．a typical(典型的) day of a school |
| B．some activities of the children at school |
| C．the way the school educates the students |
| D．the success the school has made in the past years |
| A．of many kinds | B．of great use |
| C．of great help | D．of great importance |
| A．their counselors | B．their parents |
| C．the weather | D．their interests or talents |
| A．from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | B．from 7 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. |
| C．the whole day | D．half a day |
【推荐1】The Torch Festival (火把节) is a traditional festival which is celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu, and Lahu, etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The festival came from worship (崇拜) of fire by ancestors ( 祖 先 ). For some ethnic groups, it’s a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them about taking care of crops.
During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races are also held during the festival.
In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally tie fruits to torches with strings. When the strings are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.
For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding torch parades. Big torches are carried by teams of people, which is like a fire dragon. If different teams meet, it’s a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.
1. What can we know about the Torch Festival from the first paragraph?| A．It is a festival to show worship of fire. | B．Its celebrations usually last two days. |
| C．It is a traditional festival of all China. | D．It has nothing to do with farming. |
| A．Why the festival is enjoyed. | B．How the festival is celebrated. |
| C．What torches are used for the festival. | D．Where the festival is celebrated. |
| A．Small torches are put in front of the door. |
| B．Big torches are burnt all day and all night. |
| C．Yi people use torches to form hurdles to get through. |
| D．Young people like singing and dancing around the big torches. |
| A．Struggling for fruits for good luck. | B．Tying fruits to torches with strings. |
| C．Holding torch parades. | D．Using torches as hurdles for a horse race. |
【推荐2】President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today — that business organizations have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.
1. Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?| A．Competition in America’s business. | B．Freedom in America’s business. |
| C．Americans’ different values. | D．Business against government. |
| A．when given equal opportunities |
| B．through doing business |
| C．by protecting their individual freedom |
| D．by means of competition |
| A．Businessmen who compete. |
| B．Customers of those businesses. |
| C．People with the idea of equality and freedom. |
| D．Both business organizations and government. |
| A．business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA |
| B．business problems are very important to the American government |
| C．the competition in business plays a very important role in America |
| D．American business is the most powerful one in the whole world |
【推荐3】Experts using a high-tech laser scanner (激光扫描仪) have discovered thousands of ancient Maya buildings hidden under the thick forests of northern Guatemala, officials said Thursday. Some 60, 000 buildings were found over the past two years in a scan of an area in the northern department of El Peten between Mexico and Belize, said Marcello Canuto, one of the projects’ lead researchers.
These findings are a “breakthrough in Maya archeology(考古),” Canuto said.
The new discoveries in this Central American country include city centers with sidewalks, homes, wide steps, farming facilities and so on, said Canuto, an archaeologist at Tulane University in the United States.
Among the finds was a 30-meter high pyramid (金字塔) that had been earlier recognized as a natural hill in Tikal. Also discovered in Tikal: a series of holes and a 14 kilometer-long wall.
The Maya development reached its height in what is present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Belize, El Salvador and Honduras between 250 and 950 CE. Researchers now believe that the Maya had a population of 10 million, which is “much higher” than previous judgment, Canuto said.
The project depended on a remote (远程的) sensing method known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Aircraft with a LiDAR scanner produced 3D maps of the surface by using light in the form of laser linked to a GPS system.
The technology helped researchers discover sites much faster than using traditional archeological methods. “Now it is no longer necessary to cut through the jungle to see what’s under it,” said Canuto.
Details of the research will appear in a documentary to air on February 11 on the National Geographic TV channel, said Minister of Culture and Sports Jose Luis Chea.
1. What did Canuto think of the new discoveries in the past two years?| A．Leading. | B．Frightening. | C．Annoying. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．It saves time in discovering site. |
| B．It is more convenient for researchers to work in forest. |
| C．Explorers have to go deep into the jungle to research. |
| D．Research can be done at a distance. |
| A．that lay in Africa | B．that was less developed |
| C．whose pyramid was made of a hill | D．with a surprisingly large population |
| A．To inform readers of the new discoveries about Maya. |
| B．To introduce a new method used to discover Maya buildings. |
| C．To show Maya development was of great influence. |
| D．To tell us a new documentary will be launched on TV in Feb. |
【推荐1】Andrea Yoch loves her adult sons, but would also love to not live with them. This is especially true in the 2, 200-square-foot rental in St. Paul, where she and her husband moved after the boys left their childhood home (a 5,000-square-foot property with a pool). But now Ben, 20, and Ryan, 23 are crammed with their parents in a house where a movie playing in one room can be heard in almost any other.
After her sons showed up due to the lockdown after the Coronavirus crisis struck- Ben from Boston, where he is a college student, and Ryan from New York, where he was starting out as an assistant advertising account executive- Ms. Yoch rushed to set up temporary offices in a bedroom and a basement that now also functions as a super crowded gym. "I would give anything for them to restart their lives, "she said.
As the pandemic （流 行 病） continues, Wall Street bankers, Uber drivers, academics, artists and many other adults have given up their independent lives and migrated home. Some fled heavily populated cities for the rural suburban houses where they grew up and the promise of home-cooked meals and free laundry. Others ended up in downsized spaces designed for empty nesters or in apartments already shared with other family members, such as grandparents or teenage siblings.
Parents caught by the increase of layoffs and canceled contracts found themselves feeding grown children who were in the same position. Mothers who had grown accustomed to freedom were suddenly expected to go back to cooking and cleaning.
“Some parents see this as a welcome surprise, but it can also add a lot of financial stress," said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at the investment bank Stifel. You can't assume that parents are necessarily in a better-off position than their adult children: a lot of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have enough savings to accommodate extra people living in their households.”
1. Which word best describes Ms. Yoch's life with her two sons?| A．Exciting | B．Inconvenient |
| C．Satisfying | D．Disappointing |
| A．People without jobs. |
| B．Children staying abroad. |
| C．Grown-ups with no houses. |
| D．Parents with no children around. |
| A．Because they want their kids to be independent. |
| B．Because they don’t like to do all the laundry. |
| C．Because they are in no better financial situation. |
| D．Because they have sold or rented out their houses |
| A．The generation gap between parents and their children. |
| B．The life young people used to live before going to college. |
| C．The parents' life being affected by children in the lockdown |
| D．The economic crisis brought about by the deadly coronavirus. |
【推荐2】A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia and other limitations live independently in their own homes.
The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors (传感器) equipped in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities. It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instruction on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owners to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.
“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Currently, about 50 percent adults over the age of 85 need assistance with everyday activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearby $2 trillion. With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial pressure on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.
RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to apply to their smart home environment. They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that shown how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.
“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said. “The next step in the research will be to test RAS’s performance with a group of older adults to get a better data of what video reminders and other performances they have regarding the robot.”
1. What plays a key role in RAS serving the elderly?| A．Sensors | B．Videos. | C．Signal lights | D．Head size |
| A．It is the first robot used in daily life. | B．Its function remains to be tested. |
| C．It can locate people and do any task. | D．It can cook for owners on its own. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Negative | C．Optimistic | D．Uncertain |
| A．Elderly People Leave the Nursing Home. |
| B．Smart Home Tests First Elder Care Robot |
| C．RAS, the First Robot to Make Home Smart. |
| D．Older Adults Have Benefited from RAS a Lot. |
【推荐3】Ya Ting had taken me under her wing after hearing me speaking Chinese in a hotel in Lijiang．She had been hitchhiking(搭便车旅行) around China for months．She invited me to travel with her, which was how we ended up on the side of the road looking for a ride to the Tiger Leaping Gorge．Within 20 minutes, we had our first ride．The driver couldn’t take us all the way and ended up dropping us at a freeway crossroads．As a new hitchhiker, I thought that would be the end of our luck, but almost immediately we got another ride．
Our most unforgettable ride was when a twenty－something kid picked us up．He couldn’t take us the whole way so his uncle bought us lunch and a bus ticket for the rest of the journey．He felt it was his duty to help us find a way to complete our trip．It brought tears of joy and thankfulness to my eyes．This was the first time I understood how guests are respected(受尊重) in China．
A few weeks later, we said goodbye．I thought we had been so lucky because we had been a local(本地人) and a foreigner travelling together．But now Ya Ting was no longer around to do the talking, nor did I have someone to depend on if something went wrong．When I stood by a highway in Sichuan, I knew all about the difficulties before me．Now I was just a strange foreigner on her own who suddenly had to manage with poor Chinese．
After about 30 minutes, a couple picked me up and took me the whole eight hours to Chengdu．We ate lunch on the way, and they refused to allow me to pay for any of it, which I had come to learn was typical(特有的) of Chinese culture．This made me believe that people weren’t being friendly because of Ya Ting．
1. What do the author and Ya Ting have in common?| A．They both are foreigners． | B．They both live in Lijiang． |
| C．They both are hitchhikers． | D．They both speak Chinese well． |
| A．It was rather tiring． | B．It was very smooth． |
| C．It was full of danger． | D．It was heart－breaking． |
| A．She lost her way． | B．She had little money left． |
| C．She was unable to find her friend． | D．She was a lone foreign traveler in China． |
| A．They dropped her halfway． | B．They lent her some money． |
| C．They offered her a free lunch． | D．They taught her about Chinese culture． |
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1. Which of the following service does the hotel provide?| A．Playing tennis. | B．Reading in the library. |
| C．Cooking delicious food. | D．Playing computer games. |
| A．$829 | B．$849 | C．$969 | D．$999 |
| A．On the phone. | B．On the internet. |
| C．In person. | D．By e-mail. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Canyoning (蹦谷运动)
The sports of canyoning explore the high-energy environment where water meets rock on the coast. Protected by wetsuits and helmets (头盔), people jump from cliffs (悬崖) and waterfalls and discover caves that would not normally be arrived at.
It was first done in the U.K. by TYF Adventure (01437 721611, www.tyf.com) and several thousand people jump from the cliffs near St David’s each year. A half day canyoning trip costs ￡50 (￡30 for children under 16).
Diving (潜水)
Diving is not popular with British people. The difficulties of wild waters are greater because the water is colder and not clear enough, but the coasts of Cornwall, Wales and Scotland have some of the best diving in the world.
The British Sub Aqua Club (0870 112 9133, www.bsac.com) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (01580 819688, www.padi.com) run courses teaching the important skills.
Surfing (冲浪)
The best surfing places in the UK are on the southwest coast where it is warmer, especially in Cornwall. The best time of year to surf in the UK is late summer and autumn when water temperatures are warmer.
The British Surfing Association (01479 861256, www.britsurf.co.uk) has a list of famous surf schools around the country.
Rock climbing
The most popular natural rocks in Britain include the Peak District, the Lake District, while large areas of Scotland are a climber’s ideal place. Climbing courses and climbing walls can be found on the website of the British Mountaineering Council (0870 010 4878, www.thebmc.co.uk) which offers a series of short films that take the new climber through a step-by-step guide to visiting a climbing wall for the first time.
1. If a couple with their child of 15 join in Canyoning for a day, they will pay ______.
| A．￡130 | B．￡160 | C．￡260 | D．￡320 |
| A．01479 861256 | B．0870 010 4878 |
| C．01437 721611 | D．0870 112 9133 |
| A．Canyoning. | B．Diving. |
| C．Surfing. | D．Rock climbing. |
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand(泰国). All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life--no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.
1. The diaries above show the writer stayed for _____ days in Thailand.| A．3 | B．7 |
| C．15 | D．30 |
| A．are friendly to others | B．like to speak English |
| C．are very weak | D．hope to live in the cities |
| A．My First Travel | B．The Outside World |
| C．Traveling in Thailand | D．A Country on the Train |
