Drmiinnggg! That’s the sound that kids all over the country hate to hear—the alarm bell. The new school year has just started and children across the UK have to wake up early in the morning to go to school.
But students at one school in north-cast England are lucky. They can lie in bed for an extra（额外的）hour before they go to school. Monkseaton High School has been allowing its pupils to come into school an hour later than other schools.
The headmaster, Dr Paul Kelley, says that this new way helps students pay more attention to their lessons in class. He feels that young people are more energetic and can perform better for the rest of the day. And he adds that for their school students, a late start at school may be better than an early one.
Dr. Kelley tells the BBC that teenagers don't perform very well in the morning and their need to sleep is biological（生物的）.
It seems that this new approach to teaching shows positive（乐观的） results. The number of students who sleep in class drops quickly. Besides, the school has already seen a drop in the number of pupils who play truant（逃学）by 27%. More importantly, Dr. Kelley also says that exam results have improved by 20%—30% over the past year.
Classes at Monkseaton High School begin at 10 a.m. and finish at 3:40 p.m. However, the school opens from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The students can come early and leave late if they want.
1. This passage is a speech given by a headmaster.2. The students in Monkseaton High School can go to school an hour earlier than the students in other schools.
3. According to the passage, Dr. Paul Kelley agrees with the new approach.
4. Thanks to the new approach, the number of pupils who play truant drops.
5. From the passage, we know that classes usually begin at 9:00 a.m. in schools in the UK.
相似题推荐
Everyone has the occasional classmate who hands in his work ahead of time with really beautiful handwriting. Some teachers may cheerfully get the homework by saying "Of course you did it early.I'm sure you've done a good job!" Some teachers may feel annoyed because "The deadline is not until next Friday." Behind this student's back are tons of whispers from his classmates, "Ugh, he is such an
overachiever and it's so annoying ..."
If you ask the same student to explain his behavior, he probably says that he is simply "motivated". Such students refuse to call themselves overachievers but prefer "motivated" instead. They want to shy away from the unpleasant term
"overachiever" but choose to embrace the word "motivated" .
Why is the term "overachiever" used as an insult (侮辱 )? Do we not all work hard to achieve our goals? Why does the "motivated" student not proudly call himself an "overachiever" ?
In my personal experience, being called an overachiever in front of my classmates is not pleasant at all. The word is often connected with an unkind smile or sometimes a hint ofjealousy (嫉妒 )."Overachiever" carries the implied (暗指的 ) sense which "over" lends it - you have done too much and you have gone too far. Anyway, it is beyond the proper degree and just annoying to those students who refuse to put in the effort themselves and get unhappy with you for doing so.
A student would rather think of himself as an excellent student and it is motivation that drives him to do his best. What is the implied meaning of "motivated" ? Connected with positive words like willpower, spirit and determination, the "motivated" student would appear to be competing in an event of the brain Olympics.
Although there are differences in their implications, the student who calls himself "motivated" could actually be a secret overachiever, going over the top for all his work; while the "overachiever" is nothing more than a motivated student, driven by the simple desire to do well and willing to put in time and effort. In fact, the choice lies within the student: to overachieve or not to overachieve; to find the motivation to do well and be driven by it, or to sit back and blame others for overachieving to hide his inability to achieve.
1. According to the passage, overachievers
| A．are popular with their classmates | B．hand in homework ahead of time |
| C．are much loved by their teachers | D．look down on others for being slow |
| A．understand | B．explain | C．doubt | D．accept |
| A．Teachers expect students to benefit from their extra work. |
| B．Students compete with each other to become overachievers. |
| C．Classmates may laugh at overachievers to hide their inability to achieve. |
| D．The writer has some pleasant experiences of being called an overachiever. |
| A．students shouldn't be encouraged to be overachievers |
| B．students without motivation will become overachievers |
| C．motivated students make better progress than overachievers |
| D．motivated students have something in common with overachievers |
I have many teachers now and I love them all, but I think I love my English teacher, Mrs. Li, best.
Mrs. Li is from Fengcheng. But she loves Yichun very much.
Do you know what she likes for breakfast? Bread and milk? No, she doesn’t.
Mrs. Li has a daughter.
She studies hard.
We have English from Monday to Friday.
| A．Mrs. Li loves sports. |
| B．She thinks Yichun is great. |
| C．We don’t have classes on Friday. |
| D．So Mrs. Li is very busy. |
| E．She only has noodles. |
| F．Mrs. Li loves shopping(购物). |
| G．Her name is Yangyang. |
【推荐3】I decided at 10 that I was going to be a teacher because I had a burning desire for super powers. As a boy, I could clearly see some of my teachers had such powers.
There was an English teacher in fifth grade who could magically take us to different worlds every day by telling us stories and reading to us from books we would otherwise never pick up. This was our secret and fun time because fifth graders were considered too old to have stories read out to them.
It was even shocking that my teacher could see the hidden. I was one of those who had no insight(洞察力), yet my teacher would notice me and the unspoken message in her eyes suggested that she could see me through. She had another super power and even after forty years, I could still remember her lessons about the great masters of art and great geographers. She did this even though her major(专业) was neither art nor geography. Her lessons went beyond the textbook. I knew I wanted to be one of those all-seeing ones with super powers that made children feel safe and valued.
I know being a teacher isn’t the easiest or the most financially rewarding(经济回报) of jobs. And there are job risks—your knees can become worn out from years of carrying piles of notebooks up and down the school steps, and your voice can suffer from too much talking. Even so, there are still those choosing this job. To them, teaching is not just a job, but a science, an art and it requires lots of effort.
All my life, for thirty years now, I’ve gone to work early each day with a spring in my step. Sometimes, I meet my former students. Their love for me and sweet memories of our time together are my rewards. When I meet others who thirst for super powers, like a new teacher trying to perfect her skills with a brave face on, or the one in a lonely, village school travelling 70 kilometers each day just for his pupils, I feel proud to belong to the same group.
1. The author made up his mind to be a teacher because ________.| A．teachers have super powers |
| B．he wanted to make much money |
| C．he had a deep admiration for teachers with super powers |
| D．his English teacher wished him to be a teacher |
| A．were told in a magic way | B．were written by the teacher |
| C．included some students’ secrets | D．left the students with happy memories |
| A．Intelligent and strict. | B．Hard-working and selfless. |
| C．Professional and humorous. | D．Knowledgeable and sharp-eyed. |
| A．He suffered a lot in his knees and voice. |
| B．He traveled 70 miles each day to work. |
| C．He thought teaching was more than spreading knowledge. |
| D．He had some ideas of how to be a good teacher at a young age. |
| A．To Be a Teacher | B．To Honor a Teacher | C．To Challenge a Job | D．To Gain Rewards |
The first part, broadcast on August 4th, showed the students performing morning exercises, taking part in a long-distance running race and learning how to do eye exercises during breaks.
It was tough on the teachers, because they had to spend a great deal of energy and time keeping the noisy students quiet, and the leading teacher complained that the classroom was always “chaotic(混乱的)”. At the same time, many students complained that the teachers were too strict, the lessons were boring and they found it difficult to get used to the new ways.
The TV documentary causes a debate(争论). Some people say that Chinese teachers are too strict and fail to engage students’ interest. In their opinion, Chinese teachers prefer spoon-feeding education that will help students pass exams, but it will be useless in the real world. However, supporters say that the Chinese education system can produce hard-working and polite students.
1. Which of the following things was NOT showed in the first part?
| A．Having breakfast with teachers. |
| B．Taking part in a long-distance running race. |
| C．Performing morning exercises. |
| D．Learning how to do eye exercises during breaks. |
| A．friendly | B．strict | C．kind | D．patient |
| A．Talk with. | B．Keep. | C．Attract. | D．Teach. |
| A．Chinese teachers are helpful. |
| B．Chinese education system is better than the British one. |
| C．British students are very good. |
| D．The debate about a BBC documentary. |
Andria, a north London secondary school teacher, said she wanted to bring about a classroom revolution (变革). “We are going to make a change,” she said. “I’ve started a project to improve the teaching of the arts in our schools.”
The project results from the difficulties many schools have in getting artists of any sort—whether an up-and-coming local musician or a major movie star—into schools to work with and inspire children.
Andria has worked on the project at Alperton Community School, her place of work for the past twelve years. “I’ve seen those magic moments when children are talking to someone they are inspired by their eyes are shining and their faces light up,” she said. “We need artists more than ever in our schools.”
Artist Michael said: “Andria’s brilliant project to bring artists from all fields into direct contact with children is particularly welcome at a time when the arts are being downgraded (低估) in schools.” “It was a mistake to see the arts as unnecessary,” he added.
Historian Sir Simon is also a supporter of the project. He said that arts education in schools was not just an add-on. “It is absolutely necessary. The future depends on creativity and creativity depends on the young.”
1. Andria will do with her prize money to ________.
| A．make a movie | B．build new schools |
| C．run a project | D．help local musicians |
| A．useful | B．clever | C．awful | D．responsible |
| A．is particular difficult | B．increases artists’ income |
| C．openns children’s mind | D．deserves greater attention |
| A．Sir Simon thought arts education in school was unnecessary |
| B．Andria made her project successful both at school and around the country |
| C．the project was welcome by students very much |
| D．the young is our future and we should pay more attention to them |
| A．Bring Artists to Schools | B．When Historians Meet Artists |
| C．Arts Education in Britain | D．The World’s Best Arts Teacher |
【推荐3】While Jennifer was at home taking an online exam for her business law class, a monitor a few hundred miles away was watching her every move.
Using a web camera equipped in Jennifer’s Los Angeles apartment, the monitor in Phoenix tracked how frequently her eyes moved from the computer screen and listened for the secret sounds of a possible helper in the room. Her Internet access was locked-remotely-to prevent Internet searches, and her typing style was analyzed to make sure she was who she said she was: Did she enter her student number at the same speed as she had in the past? Or was she slowing down?
In the battle against cheating, this is the cutting edge and a key to encourage honesty in the booming field of online education. The technology gives trust to the entire system, to the institution and to online education in general. Only with solid measures against cheating, experts say, can Internet universities show that their exams and diplomas are valid-that students haven’t just searched the Internet to get the right answers.
Although online classes have existed for more than a decade, the concern over cheating has become sharper in the last year with the growth of “open online courses.” Private colleges, public universities and corporations are jumping into the online education field, spending millions of dollars to attract potential students, while also taking steps to help guarantee honesty at a distance. Aside from the web cameras, a number of other high-tech methods are becoming increasingly popular. Among them are programs that check students’ identities using personal information, such as the telephone number they once used.
Other programs can produce unique exam by drawing on a large list of questions and can recognize possible cheaters by analyzing whether difficult test question are answered at the same speed as easy ones. As in many university classes, term papers are scanned against some large Internet data banks for cheating.
1. Why was Jennifer watched in an online exam?| A．To correct her typing mistakes. | B．To find her secrets in the room. |
| C．To prevent her from slowing down. | D．To keep her from dishonest behaviors. |
| A．advanced technique | B．sharpening tool | C．effective rule | D．dividing line |
| A．they can attract potential students | B．they can defeat academic cheating |
| C．they offer students online help | D．they offer many online courses |
| A．checking the question answering speed | B．producing a large number of question |
| C．scanning the Internet test question | D．giving difficult test question |
| A．The Advantages of Online Exams | B．The High-tech Methods in Online Courses |
| C．The Fight against Cheating in Online Education | D．The War against the Booming of Online Education |
【推荐1】There is good news for students of vocational (职业的) colleges in China: the government has announced plans to develop modern vocational education. Premier Li Kegiang said the government should speed up the development of modern vocational education to meet the need for skilled workers and technicians (技术人员) in the job market. High school graduates and workers with no special training are encouraged to study in higher vocational colleges. Li said that the number of the new students in higher vocational colleges in China should go up by 1 million this year. This is the first time the central government has a clear plan.
This comes after the news of the large shortfall (不足) in highly skilled technicians, although China has millions of technical workers. China is expected to face a shortfall of 3million skilled workers who can operate the newest machines by 2020. The shortfall will grow to 4.5 million by 2025. Also, vocational education is unsatisfactory (不令人满意的), although there are many vocational colleges in China. In some vocational colleges, the education methods and courses cannot meet the need of upgrading (升级), manufacturing (制造业). As can be seen from the job market, some companies still can't find highly skilled technicians even with high pay.
To deal with the problem. some vocational colleges have worked with companies to teach students. They have hired skilled technicians from companies as teachers. With the rising of the skilled workers' social position and pay, it is believed the vocational education system in China will start to play a bigger role in the development of China.
1. What's the main purpose of the development of modern vocational education in China?| A．To train more highly skilled technicians for the job markets |
| B．To help vocational college graduates get higher pay from their work. |
| C．To ask more people to live on themselves with technical skills. |
| D．To encourage more companies to upgrade manufacturing. |
| A．Higher vocational college teachers are not well paid and valued.. |
| B．There are only a small number of higher vocational colleges in China. |
| C．The education methods and courses in vocational colleges are unsatisfactory. |
| D．Some of the vocational college teachers are skilled technicians from companies. |
| A．hopeful | B．doubtful | C．unsatisfactory | D．worrying |
【推荐2】Do you ever find yourself sitting down to work on a project for your job, study for an important test, or even just get a simple chore done, but find yourself almost immediately scrolling through social media for hours at a time? While plenty of fun, social media can, unfortunately, stop us from focusing on business.
Losing focus can be a result of a distracting environment, not preparing yourself mentally for your work session, or not having the right systems in place to make sure you stay on task. Luckily, focusing is something we can learn and practice. There are many simple things you can implement right away to start seeing results.
First, prepare by writing out your to do list the night before. If you know you’re going to need to focus for a long period of time the next day, take a few minutes to write down a list of all the tasks that you want to accomplish. Make sure this list is as specific as possible. For example, instead of simply writing down “study Spanish”, write down something like “memorize 20 Spanish words”.
Next, make sure you get enough sleep. Poor sleep can make it incredibly difficult to accomplish anything. Your mind doesn’t have the energy it needs for intense periods of focus. If you really have to focus on a project even though you’re running on low sleep, try taking 10-minute naps in-between tasks so you can start to regain some of your energy.
Your environment is also incredibly important when it comes to maximizing your focus. More extroverted people may focus well in a coffee shop with other people around. More introverted people may prefer the quiet of their home office. Have a clean workspace. Remove any projects or items that don’t have to do with what you re immediately working on. Perhaps most importantly: turn off your phone or other distracting electronics and place them in another room. Like they always say: “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Keep working on focusing for extended periods of time, and you’ll eventually work your way up to be able to focus for quite a long time. Just remember that focusing for too long isn’t always the best idea. Take breaks, stay healthy, and you’ll find yourself focusing like a doctor in operation.
1. How does the writer introduce the topic?| A．By listing sayings. | B．By listing an example |
| C．By showing contrast. | D．By showing comparison |
| A．If you are outgoing, you can focus on your work in a coffee shop. |
| B．You’d better turn off your phone when you’re working. |
| C．You should do your to-do-list as quickly as possible to save more time. |
| D．You can’t force yourself to focus too long. |
| A．Better late than never. |
| B．You will be anxious if the thing is not around you. |
| C．We can’t live without phones, |
| D．Thing not seen is easily forgotten. |
| A．How to stop losing focus | B．The dangers of social media |
| C．Keep away from social media. | D．Keep working on focusing |
| album BrE/'ælbəm/; AmE/'ælbəm/(noun) 1. a collection of several pieces of music, made available as a single one on a CD, the internet, etc. Have you heard their new album? 2. a book with plain pages, used for collecting together and protecting photos, stamps, etc.) We’ve put our best party photos in the album? arrange BrE/ə'reɪndɜ/; AmE/ə'reɪndɜ /(verb) 1. to plan, prepare for, or organize something They arranged to have dinner the following month. 2. (put something somewhere) to put a group of objects in a certain order She arranged her birthday cards along the shelf. | carpenter BrE/'ka:pɪntər/; AmE/'ka: rpɪntə/(noun) a person whose job is making and repairing wooden objects and structures conclusion BrE/kən'klu:ɜən/; AmE/kən'klu:ɜən /(noun) The opinion you have after considering all the information about something Did you come to any conclusions at the meeting this morning? groan BrE/grəʊn/; AmE/'groʊn/(verb) 1. to make deep, long sound showing great pain or unhappiness 2. to complain or speak unhappily “Not again” he groaned(=said in a low, unhappy voice). |
1. The word “album” is a noun.
2. The word “arrange” is pronounced differently in British English and American English.
3. A carpenter may build things out of wood.
4. When someone groans, he is usually very happy.
5. We can get the word spelling, parts of speech, pronunciation, meaning and some sentences in the dictionary.
【推荐1】Small independent bookstores in neighborhoods across the United States are places to discover new books and make friends. About 20 years ago, stores like these were closing in large numbers because of competition from large bookstores and online book sales. But about 10 years ago something unusual happened: Independent bookstores seemingly came back to life.
In a Virginia community called Arlington, many people buy their books at a store called One More Page Books. Customer Kate Oberdorfer looks through an unusual mix of books: mysteries, cookbooks and biographies（传记）of famous people. Oberdorfer talks about a few of the books with Lelia Nebeker. "I do think it's a special place for people to come," says Nebeker. She lives nearby and often buys books from the store, which opened eight years ago.
After almost dying off, small independent bookstores grew by 35 percent between 2009 and 2015. The American Booksellers Association says sales at the more than 2,400 bookstores across the country have risen by about 5 percent over the past year.
Independent bookstores know they have to sell more than books. One More Page Books tries to attract people by offering them wine or chocolate they can take home along with a book. It's also a place where customers can come for events, meet writers, get books signed and buy books they might not necessarily find on their own, including books by Ed Aymar, a local writer. He is talking in One More Page Books to customers about his latest book, The Unrepentan. Nearby a woman is performing songs related to the story.
Angie Kim, another local writer, comes to support Aymar. "I've been here for 5 events just in the last couple of months," she says. "I think it's just a way to show the bookstore that we care about spaces like this and that we want them to continue."
1. What does the writer mainly want to show in Paragraph 1?| A．The fall of bookstores in the past. | B．The role of small bookstores in history. |
| C．The rise of independent bookstores in the US. | D．The competition between different bookstores. |
| A．It has had its ups and downs. | B．It provides many fee books. |
| C．It is mainly supported by local writers. | D．It offers many different kinds of books. |
| A．Create more needs. | B．Offer more services. | C．Provide more books. | D．Perform more duties. |
| A．To make herself known to customers. | B．To attract more local writers' interest. |
| C．To continue the events she attended before | D．To help to develop independent bookstores. |
One day, Mr. Morrie came into the classroom and said he had a game for us to try. He divided us into two groups. One student from the first group, stood in front of us with his eyes closed, and then fell backwards(向后地). The second group stood behind him. Before he fell on the floor, they should catch him and not let him get hurt. Most of us were uncomfortable with this. We were afraid that they wouldn’t catch us and we would hit the floor. So we didn’t move. We just stood there and laughed in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl called Sarah, decided to move. She crossed her arms in front of her body, closed her eyes, and slowly fell backwards. She looked quiet but brave.
For a moment, I was sure that she was going to fall on the floor. But before she hit the floor, the other students caught her, held her and finally helped her stand up.
“Whoa!!” We were all surprised, and also encouraged(受鼓舞的). The girl was happy, too. Seeing this, Morrie smiled and said to the girl, “When you close your eyes, you can’t see anything. You won’t feel safe. When you are falling, the feeling gets stronger. You are not sure whether you will hit the cold, hard floor or the warm, soft hands of your friends. But if you are brave enough to trust them, they will not let you down(使人失望).”
1. What is Morrie?
| A．A student. | B．A teacher. | C．A manager. | D．a farmer. |
| A．They didn’t want to play the game. |
| B．They thought the floor was dirty. |
| C．They didn’t understand Marrie. |
| D．They were afraid of falling down. |
| A．Careful. | B．Active. |
| C．Quiet but brave. | D．Careless. |
| A．She fell on the ground. | B．She felt sad. |
| C．Only the writer helped her. | D．The other students caught her. |
| A．They felt they could trust each other. | B．They could stop the game finally. |
| C．They wanted to do something else. | D．They thought they won the game. |
【推荐3】Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
This is an old English saying. Have you heard of it before? It means that we must go to bed early and get up early in the morning. Then we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich and clever.
This is true. The body must have enough sleep to be healthy. Children of young age should have ten hours' sleep every night. Children who do not have enough sleep cannot do their work very well.
They will not be wise and they may not become wealthy!
The body also needs exercise. Walking, running, jumping, swimming and playing games are all exercise. Exercise keeps the body strong. Exercise also helps the blood (血液) to move around inside the body. This is very important. Our blood takes food to all parts of our body. The head also needs blood.
Exercise helps us to think better!
1. If we get up early and go to bed early, we'll _____.| A．have enough exercise | B．be healthy |
| C．think better | D．have strong blood |
| A．becomes wise | B．won't do well in his work |
| C．goes to school in time | D．has enough sleep |
| A．body | B．blood | C．children | D．head |
| A．Exercise does good to a person's head. | B．A student should have 10 hours' sleep. |
| C．It's good for you to get up early and go to bed early. | D．If you have enough blood, you'll be wise. |
