【推荐1】While Finland frequently tops international school rankings, Norway, the richest country in North Europe, performs much worse.     1     She is a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oslo. She found that education policies in Norway are controlled by politics while Finland leaves the development of education policies to researchers and educators.

Compared to students from other highly developed countries, Norwegian students have underperformed in science subjects for years.     2     But in Norway, the policy changes are governed by politicians. For example, politicians decide that how much time should be spent on math per semester.

Afdal also found that although education experts are involved in policy changes as advisors, the politicians are in charge. That was obvious in the most recent educational reform in Norway: It has been closely governed by politicians.     3    

The most recent educational reform in Finland was undertaken in a nearly opposite way. Academic faculties from every university selected their own representatives. They together were responsible for policy changes.     4     The role of educators in this process suggests a strong sense of trust in the Finnish professional environment.

    5     The answer may not be certain. According to Afdal, mending the education system can't be done overnight and simply copying Finland's way will be difficult. "Education policies reflect historical and cultural structures in society, "she said. "I think it's very important that educators and researchers in Norway should be given more room to develop what Norwegian education should be like.”

A．Recently, Afdal looked at the differences between Finland and Norway.

B．The education policies of the two countries are very similar.

C．The Minister has had a very firm control on the reform.

D．The Ministry simply monitored the process.

E．This has resulted in several educational reforms.

F．Is Norwegian education system a failure?

G．Can Finland's success be copied?

【推荐2】Have you ever taken a test that you thought you could have passed easily, only to make some silly mistakes that really hurt your grade? More than a few students have done that. And some seem to do it over and over again.

There are several problem areas that can cause students to goof up or do poorly in a test that they could have passed.

Some students can become overconfident about their knowledge of the subject matter. They think they know the material better than they actually do. It is easy for students to misjudge their own knowledge, and when they realize that they don't know the material, it is too late.

What happens more often, though, is that some students feel they are smart enough to be able to guess their way through a test. So they don't bother studying the material. They are overconfident about their ability to figure things out.

In either case, overconfidence can result in lower grades in tests. Does this apply to you?

Another thing that can happen is that students underestimate the difficulty of the test hey expect an easy test, but the teacher throws in a really tough test that they haven't prepared for. Sometimes the teacher may cover material in the test that students weren't expecting. That can happen, especially if you weren't paying attention in class.

Finally, there are students who don't feel that getting a good grade is important to them, so they don't bother to study or even try to do well. Such students may be trying to punish their parents, have a poor image of themselves, or be just plain foolish. Hopefully, you are not one of these students.

1. The writer believes that many students      .

A．are afraid of exams	B．make careless mistakes
C．hate homework	D．lack confidence in exams

2. What does the underlined phrase "goof up" mean?

A．Be overconfident.	B．Be nervous.
C．Make silly mistakes.	D．Make wrong choices.

3. According to the writer, who will be most unwilling to try his best in a test?

A．Edward, dissatisfied with his parents.	B．Johnson, expecting an easy test for him.
C．Dobby, believing he is the smartest in the class.	D．Peter, being overconfident about his ability.

4. What would be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Ways to prepare for a test.	B．The causes of overconfidence.
C．The causes of a poor self-image.	D．Ways to avoid making such mistakes.

【推荐1】One of the most traditional features of American culture is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may ______ and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.
1. From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that _______.

A．Hagner busies herself by following a trend

B．Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job

C．Hagner is interested in sports and music

D．Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons

2. British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _______.

A．treat their children as sports players

B．give their children little time to develop freely

C．bring up their children in a simple way

D．pay no attention to their children's lessons

3. The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ________.

A．activities in the country are too competitive

B．children should attend four clubs at a time

C．clubs should have more subjects for school children

D．some clubs result in competitive pressures

4. The last paragraph tells us that in Britain _______.

A．parents used to take their children to every club

B．parents have all benefited from children’s clubs

C．parents used to be wise on how to raise children

D．parents have come to know the standard of education

【推荐2】When it comes to cultural heritage protection, the Grand Canal of China is probably the world’s greatest project of its kind.   The big inland waterway system in the north-eastern and central eastern plains passes through eight of the country’s present-day provinces.
The Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was designed as a means of communication in the 7th century AD.   The Canal is the world’s greatest civil engineering project before the Industrial Revolution.
The Grand Canal reached a peak in the 13th century, providing an inland navigation(航行) network consisting of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China, including the Yellow River and the Yangtze. It entered a bid as a UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) cultural heritage site in 2008.
The Grand Canal cultural square is located in Beijing’s Tongzhou district. Ever since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago, the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal has been the life blood of Beijing. Grain and building materials were all transported to meet the endless demands of the big cities. Even today, the Grand Canal plays a major role in the lives of its citizens.
"I grew up near the Grand Canal. In the past the waterway was a lot narrower, but now it’s nice and wide and bridges are built over it. I think if the bid for world heritage status succeeds, it will greatly make Tongzhou more famous in the world, especially with Tongzhou aiming to be a sub-center of the capital Beijing," a citizen said.
The result of the bid is set to be released next week, and no doubt it will certainly make it into the history books if the Canal is listed as a world heritage site.
1. It can be concluded from the passage that .

A．The bid’s result of the Canal will be announced soon

B．the Canal is the UNESCO’s newest world heritage site

C．the Canal is to connect Tongzhou with Zhejiang Province

D．the Canal will be a bid for a UNESCO cultural heritage site

2. The Grand Canal was in the most glorious time .

A．when it was aimed as a means of communication

B．when it crossed the Yellow River and the Yangtze

C．when it was born about six hundred years later

D．when it was designed as an artificial waterway

3. What can we infer by reading the passage?

A．Tongzhou used to be the capital of the Yuan dynasty.

B．Most citizens living in Tongzhou depend on the Canal.

C．Tongzhou will benefit if the Canal is made a heritage site.

D．Some citizens think the Canal not to be a cultural heritage item.

【推荐3】Google has launched its Pixel 5 smart phone—a 5G-compatible flagship device with a more affordable price tag—and an updated Nest smart speaker, alongside new services including google TV．

Although the Pixel 5 had been announced earlier this year when google launched the low-cost Pixel 4a phone, consumers are now being given their first look at the device and its instructions.

The new handset’s stand-out feature isn’t its 6”screen or 90Hz OLED display, but its significantly reduced price tag—coming in at￡599($699), well below the￡669($799)that the last generation Pixel 4 retailed at．

Affordability seems to have been the key factor for Google when developing the new device, with 5G connectivity allowing users to connect to services off of the device, rather than rely on the impressive hardware itself outperforming market competition such as Apple’s iPhone—the latest of which is set to be launched next month．

Access to Google services has always been the Pixel’s main selling point, and a principal advertising image for the new phone shows it being used with a controller for Google Stadia—the company’s games streaming platform．A three-month subscription to stadia pro is presented with the Pixel 5, as are subscriptions to some of the company’s other digital services．

“The global economic crisis will suppress(阻止)the demand for smartphones for at least the next 12 months．” said Marina Koytcheva of analyst firm CCS Insight．

1. What’s Pixel 5’s stand-out feature?

A．Its 6’ screen．	B．Its affordability．
C．Its 90Hz OLED display．	D．Its service．

2. What can we learn about the Pixel 5 from paragraph 4?

A．Apple’s latest is better than Google’s latest．

B．Google’s latest is set to be launched next month．

C．Users rely on the impressive hardware of the device．

D．Users can connect to services when the device is off．

3. Which of the following will be included if you buy a Pixel 5 ?

A．Some of other digital devices．

B．A controller for Google services．

C．A three-month subscription to stadia pro．

D．The company’s games streaming platform．

4. What’the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce a new product	B．To develop a new product
C．To improve a new product	D．To invest a new product