【推荐1】Allan T. Demaree, a retired executive editor of Fortune magazine, gladly makes donations to Princeton University, his alma matter. His son, who also went to Princeton, points to its endowment of $15.8 billion, and will not give it a penny.

“Why give money to an institution that can seemingly live off its interest when other very deserving entities need money to function tomorrow?” asked the son, Heath Demaree, a professor at Case Western Reserve University who instead donates to Virginia Tech, where he was a graduate student. His question captures how the wealth collected by elite universities like Princeton through soaring endowments over the past decade has widened the divide between a small group of dramaticly wealthy universities and all others.

The result is that America’s already stratified system of higher education is becoming ever more so, and the gap is creating all sorts of tensions as the less wealthy colleges try to compete. Even state universities are going into fund-raising overdrive and trying to increase endowments to catch up.

The wealthiest colleges can tap their endowments to give considerable financial aid to families earning $180,000 or more. They can tempt star professors with high salaries and hard-to-get apartments. They are starting advanced new research laboratories, expanding their campuses and putting up architecturally notable buildings.

Higher education has always been stratified, but the differences were never as large as today. The last decade brought a sea change, as skilled money managers hired by the universities moved their portfolios into high-performing investments, and endowments skyrocketed.

Until recently, top public research universities could rely on enough public subsidy to hold their own, when the taxpayer money was combined with tuition and fund-raising. But that world is changing.

The University of California, Berkeley has a $3 billion endowment, but it is stretched across 34,000 students. And with state budget cuts approaching, Robert Birgeneau, its president, fears he will no longer be able to attract the best professors and students.

“It will cost less for a student from a family with an income of $180,000 to go to Harvard than for a student with a family income of $90,000 to go to Berkeley,” he said, taking into account Harvard’s recent decision to give more financial aid to families earning up to $180,000 annually.

1. What do we learn about Heath Demaree?

A．He donated to Virginia Tech.	B．He donated as much as his father.
C．He donated to Princeton University.	D．He donated to Case Western Reserve University.

2. What is said about state universities?

A．They are expanding their campuses.

B．They are raising funds to increase endowments.

C．They manage to attract elite professors and students.

D．They are starting sophisticated new research laboratories.

3. What can we learn about top public research universities at present?

A．They can not hold their own just with state support.

B．The taxpayer money is combined with tuition and fund-raising.

C．Despite possible state budget cut, they do not need more endowment.

D．They can depend on enough public subsidy to lure professors and students.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Upsides and Downsides of Endowments	B．Harvard or Berkeley?
C．Endowments Widen a Higher Education Gap	D．Farewell to Stratified Endowments

【推荐3】The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and joy to life and to everything.”

This is one of Don Spencer’s favorite mottos that he firmly believes. For the founder of the Australian Children’s Music Foundation, this motto forms the basis of the message he is trying to put across --- that music should be a necessary part of a child’s education.

The power of music

Much research supports both Spencer and Plato. A Stanford University study found that musical training improves the way the brain processes the spoken word. Research from Canada found that children aged four to six years old who had music lessons had better memories, as well as higher ability to read and write and maths levels.

Research shows it’s not that smart kids play music; it’s that music makes kids smarter. It supports Spencer’s call for music to be a standard part of the school curriculum, like English and maths. “It’s sad that many children don’t have access to formal musical education, particularly when it has such an effect on a child’s development,” Spencer says.

It’s up to parents!

Involving our children in music doesn’t have to be expensive. And many parents give their kids musical exposure subliminally (下意识地) through singing, the radio or stereo. But parents can take it to the next level by talking about music and exposing kids to different styles.

For many older children, music is part of their culture and while parents don’t have to like it, they can still engage their kids in conversation about it.

Ideally, Spencer would like every child to learn an instrument. “Kids can access cheap instruments like a ukulele, recorder or harmonica,” Spencer says. He says the Internet has a lot of free videos which teach you how to play instruments.

“I can’t stress enough how important music is,” he says. “It builds relationships, unites people and, most importantly, it is fun.”

1. Plato’s words are mentioned at the beginning of the text to show that ________．

A．Don Spencer admires Plato	B．everything is related to music
C．music has magic power	D．music was important in ancient time

2. Which of the following is the main point Don Spencer states in the passage?

A．Music is important to a child’s mental health.

B．Music is important to a child’s education.

C．Music can improve one’s skills in communication.

D．Music can help people to distinguish different sounds.

3. What can we learn from the different researches mentioned in the passage?

A．Children aged four to six have better memories.

B．There are no professional music teachers in Australia.

C．Music is a standard part of the school curriculum in most schools.

D．Music can make children smarter.

4. It can be inferred from the last four paragraphs that ________.

A．parents always expose their children to different music

B．people can have easy access to a certain kind of musical instrument

C．musical instruments are often expensive and not available

D．parents cannot talk about music with their older children

5. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．When Music Is Taught	B．How Children Learn Music
C．What We Learn from Music	D．Why Music Matters

【推荐1】Bill Gates said his three children understand why he has promised to leave his £70 billion fortune to charity when he dies.

In a revealing insight into his private life, the Microsoft founder, 60, said his children are “proud” of his decision to devote his money to helping the world's poorest.

Gates said that instead of billion-dollar trust funds, his two daughters and son will be given a “great education” to help kick-start their own careers.

But the business mogul did say there would still be a financial safety net in place, adding, “They are never going to be poorly off”.

Gates and his wife Melinda, 52, have three children together, Jennifer, 20, Rory, 17, and Phoebe, 14.

Jennifer is in her second year at prestigious Stanford University, California, where her father donated £5million to the construction of a computer science building in his name. She is also an accomplished equestrian, riding in national competitions.

The Gates will only pass on a fraction of their vast wealth to their children. The rest will go to their charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds health and education projects around the world.

He said, “This money is dedicated to helping the poorest. They know that, they are proud of that, they go on trips with us to see the work that's being done.”

1. What will Bill Gates' children be given?

A．billion-dollar trust funds	B．good education
C．vast wealth	D．nothing

2. What may be the name of the computer science building Bill Gates donated £5 million to construct?

A．Bill Gates

B．Jennifer

C．Rory

D．Phoebe

3. What's the main idea of this passage?

A．Bill Gates experience	B．How Bill Gates allocates his wealth
C．Bill Gates and his children	D．Bill Gates fortune

【推荐1】Forty-three years ago, a man took a “small step” on the moon and brought mankind a “giant leap” forward. As the first person to walk on the moon, American astronaut Neil Armstrong is a man whose name will be remembered for generations to come.

But being the first is never easy. With so many unknowns about space at that time, Armstrong himself was astonished that Apollo 11 actually worked. He thought he and his partners had merely a 50 percent chance of a successful landing back in 1969.

It was tough indeed. When the module (登月舱) was approaching the moon’s surface, the computer wanted to rest them on a steep slope covered with rocks, but Armstrong realized it was an unsafe place to stop.

As a last minute decision, he safely landed the module by himself. When they finally touched the ground, “there was something like 20 seconds of fuel left,” he said in an interview earlier this year.

Unfortunately, some people doubted his visit to the moon, saying it was faked. But Armstrong responded with a chuckle (轻声笑), saying: “It was never a concern to me because I knew one day, somebody was going to go fly back up there and pick up that camera I left.”

For all his global fame, Neil Armstrong is a remarkably modest man. He rarely gave interviews and didn’t like talking about his achievement. He stopped giving his signatures when he found that people sold them for thousands of dollars.

“I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger (记账簿) of our daily work,” Armstrong said in a CBS interview in 2005. When asked how he felt knowing his footprints would be likely to stay on the moon’s surface for thousands of years, he said: “I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up.”

Armstrong passed away last month at the age of 82, but he will be memorized. “The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink (眨眼示意),” his family said to Reuters.

1. It can be inferred from the article that before his expedition to the moon, Armstrong _______.

A．was certain that Apollo 11 would work well

B．believed the module would land safely on the moon

C．had prepared himself to face possible failure

D．planned to land the module on the moon by himself

2. How did Armstrong respond when people suspected that he had been to the moon?

A．He was annoyed and upset.

B．He was extremely happy about it.

C．He tried to find evidence that they were wrong.

D．He believed they would be proved wrong some day.

3. By saying “I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work”, Armstrong meant that __________.

A．the more daily work you’ve done, the more easily you will be recognized

B．things that look spectacular are not as useful as ordinary successes

C．achieving greatness can make other successes feel less important

D．everyday’s hard work is more appreciated than one successful moment

4. Which of the following best describes Armstrong?

A．He was ambitious.

B．He tried to avoid the spotlight.

C．He balanced his life and work well.

D．He was talkative and loved telling jokes.

【推荐2】A great woman once said, “Women must try to do things as men have tried.When they fail, their failure must be a challenge to others.” These are the words of US pilot Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), a pioneer in aviation, who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Her story ended in mystery when she disappeared without a trace during a flight over the Pacific Ocean.Theories about what happened to Earhart were proposed, but nothing was ever confirmed — until now.A study published in March conducted by Richard Jantz from the University of Tennessee, US, determined that bones found in 1940 on a remote Pacific island belonged to Earhart.

Following the discovery, the world’s memories of the legendary female pilot were brought back to life.

Earhart was born in 1897.When she was young, she was very interested in stories about women who were successful in male-dominated professions, such as engineering and law.

But in 1920, Earhart’s life changed after her first experience of being a plane passenger.As soon as the plane left the ground, Earhart knew that she loved flying, so she found herself a teacher and started to learn how to fly for herself.To pay for the lessons and buy a plane of her own, she took all sorts of jobs.

In 1932, Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic, becoming the first woman ever to do so.She also designed a flying suit for women and went on to design other clothes for women who led active lives.

When she was nearly 40, Earhart was ready for a final challenge — to be the first woman to fly around the world.Her first attempt was unsuccessful but she tried again in 1937, with her navigator Fred Noonan.But one month later, they disappeared in bad weather in mid-flight.

Even though it’s still not clear how she ended up on the island, we’re one step closer to finding the answer.

And no matter what, Earhart will be forever remembered as a brave pioneer, both as a pilot and as a woman.

1. When did Earhart first fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone?

A．In1920.

B．In 1937.

C．In 1932.

D．In 1940.

2. What started Earhart’s-interest in flying?

A．Her parent’s influence.	B．Her teachers’ encouragement.
C．Her childhood love for engineering.	D．Her first experience as a passenger.

3. What’s the article mainly about?

A．The discovery of Earhart’s bones.	B．The inspiring life story of Earhart.
C．Some possible causes of Earhart’s death.	D．What made Earhart a great pilot.