1 . Skills vs. Knowledge in Education
Education systems all over the world are based on the idea that students get and remember information from teachers and books. These systems test this knowledge with standardized tests which compare students to each other. They only test the kind of information which is possible to measure(测试，测量) in tests. The goal is gaining information, not developing skills by which to use and make information. Unlike the old style of education where people remembered things in order to pass tests and get higher scores than other students, the modern world calls for a new kind of education in which the focus(焦点) is deep understanding, creativity and information management skills.
Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Use information in creative ways. Knowledge is what other people have created. Understanding is all about what you think about something. Everybody sees, hears, feels and thinks differently. No two people in the world have the same understanding of the same thing. It is impossible to give tests on a point of view. Because of this, tests are illogical. The only reason tests exist is to label(归类) students as "smart" or "stupid". There are many kinds of intelligence(智力，智能), however. One of the most famous researchers in the field of intelligence, Gardner, found at least seven different kinds of intelligence. Intelligence and understanding are related. Unfortunately, tests only measure one kind of intelligence.
In the modern world skills are more important than knowledge. If a person knows many facts, it is impressive, but not very useful. It is of much greater importance to be able to find information quickly, organize that information, analyze(分析) and understand the main ideas, put different pieces of information together, and create new information. Together these skills make what we call information management and innovation, the skills which are most desired(期望) in the business world.
Most people in the world believe that education is about remembering things to take tests which measure one's performance against other people who have studied the same information.
However, this idea no longer matches the reality of the modern world in which knowledge is less important than creativity and deep understanding. To be successful in the age of technology, education must focus on helping students gain information management and innovation skills.
1. The new kind of education in the modern world doesn't focus on ________.| A．creativity | B．gaining information |
| C．deep understanding | D．information management skills |
| A．You do as what your teacher tells you in class. |
| B．You examine a text first carefully to understand what it means. |
| C．You organize your ideas so that people can understand and follow you. |
| D．You come up with a solution by asking the questions and understanding the problem. |
| A．How people can live in the age of technology. |
| B．What knowledge tests measure in the age of technology. |
| C．How students develop themselves in the age of technology. |
| D．What education helps the students to gain in the age of technology. |
2 . There are about 80,000,000 mines (地雷) under the ground in more than 60 countries. It is difficult and dangerous to clear these mines. About 50 people including many children were killed or hurt each day. In 2003, APOPO, a Dutch research company that trains the animals, came up with the idea of using rats to search for the mines.
The animal trainers found that a kind of rats from Africa were clever and had a sharp sense of smell. The rats were about 75 cm long and weighed about 1.35kg, light enough to run across a minefield without setting off the mines.
In January 2004, the APOPO started this project. First, the trainers let the 4-week-old baby rats get familiar with humans. A few weeks later, the rats were not afraid of people and the things around them anymore. Then they were trained to connect a click sound with food. After the rats had learned that, the trainers then taught them to tell the difference between the smell of mines and other smells. When the rats could do it, the click was sounded and they were given a bit of banana. The method was called clicker training. "The training isn't easy," said trainer Abdullah Mchomvu. "You have to be patient. Sometimes I get angry, but then again, I tell myself these are animals".
After nine months' training, the rats were taken to a minefield. They ran across the minefield, stopped, sat and searched the ground to tell the domineers (排雷员) that they smelt out a mine. Then the mine was cleared. It had taken two domineers a day to clear a 200 ㎡ minefield, but with the help of two rats they could finish it in two hours.
The rats and the domineers saved thousands of lives, "The rats did this job much better than we expected. So far they have helped to make almost 2,000,000 ㎡of land safe. "They are heroes". Said Bart Weetjens, the head of the APOPO.
1. While training the rats, the trainers have to be ________.| A．clever | B．patient | C．brave | D．serious |
| A．Each day about 50 children were killed or hurt by mines. |
| B．The APOPO started to train the rats in January 2004. |
| C．The trainers gave the rats food after they smelt out a mine. |
| D．The rats and the domineers saved thousands of lives. |
| A．Mines are all over the world and very dangerous. |
| B．Rats are very clever and useful. |
| C．People can train the rats to help them clear mines. |
| D．It is very difficult for people to find out the mines. |
3 . Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, homeless dogs lead a different kind of life. The expression “to lead a dog’s life” describes a person who has an unhappy life.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person becomes successful at a particular time of his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new skills. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things.
Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary(结婚纪念日). She might tell him that he is in the doghouse. She may not treat him nicely until he says sorry.
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
1. What is this passage mainly about?| A．How to take care of dogs. | B．The reasons why Americans love dogs. |
| C．Expressions with the word dog. | D．A dog-eat-dog world. |
| A．Every dog has its own life. |
| B．Every dog wants to be successful one day. |
| C．Older people do not like to learn new things. |
| D．Everyone can get success in some period during lifetime. |
| A．“He is in the doghouse” | B．“He leads a dog’s life” |
| C．“He lives in a dog-eat-dog world” | D．“Every dog has its day” |
| A．it rains cats and dogs |
| B．we’re leading a dog’s life |
| C．we are having the dog days of summer |
| D．we’re in the dog’s house |
One day, I took my daughter to the playground in the park. As soon as we got there, my daughter ran to the swing and asked for a push. When I was helping my daughter, I saw another girl trying to make her own swing go high by herself. Her old grandmother was sitting on the chair nearby and smiled at me.
I gave my daughter one big push and then walked to the little girl. I asked if she wanted me to give her a push. She smiled and said “Yes”. For the next two hours, I pushed the swings, and played with my daughter and the little girl. When we went home, I was very tired. But my heart was flying much higher than the swings.
One day two years later, I was a little tired after working for eight hours. But I needed to pick up my daughter before going home. While I was waiting outside the school gate, a little girl came over and smiled sweetly at me. What a surprise! She was the girl I helped in the park. She gave me a big hug before catching her school bus. As I watched her running away, I didn’t feel tired anymore.
In life, the love we give others will find its way back to us. The love we share, the kindness we give, and the happiness we create will always come back to us with a pleasant surprise.
1. How long did the writer push the swing?| A．For two hours. | B．For eight hours. |
| C．For one day. | D．For one week. |
| A．found her way back | B．gave the writer a hug |
| C．gave the writer a kiss | D．walked to her school |
| A．helping others is to enjoy yourself |
| B．hugging the girl brings kindness |
| C．working for hours keeps us healthy |
| D．pushing swings makes people happy |
5 . Most people hope to have a memory which helps them succeed in study, work and life. Can memory be improved? Luckily, hundreds of studies in the past 50 years have already given us a clear answer.
A healthy lifestyle keeps your brain young and memory sharp. First of all, it is necessary to have a healthy diet. Eating more food rich in B vitamins and Vitamin E, such as vegetables and lean meat, helps you have a better memory. Second, doing exercise can keep your brain alive, too. Proper exercise provides much needed oxygen for the brain. Running, riding a bike, swimming and even walking two or three times a week are helpful. Third, getting enough sleep is important. Only when your brain gets a good rest, can it work well. The healthier your lifestyle is, the better your memory will become, but do not expect a sudden change—it takes a long time to make a difference.
Memory skills help you remember things better. The following three are the most widely used. Chunking is a way of remembering a piece of information by cutting it into smaller ones. For example, to memorize a ten—digit telephone number 2127983630, you can divide the digits into three groups: first 212, then 798, and lastly 3630.This method is much more effective. Organization means organizing information into groups of the same kind. For example, trees, grass and flowers are plants; tigers, pandas, horses and cows are animals. Imagery is remembering newly learnt information by using your imagination and connecting it with something that you are familiar with.
However, memory skills will hardly work if you don't understand the information. What's more, only a regular (有规律的) review can make the memory last long. That is why students are always advised to go over what they have learnt after one day and then after three days, and then use it as regularly as possible.
Human brains are like muscles that need nutrients and exercise to become stronger. If you make a few lifestyle changes and try some memory skills, you can certainly improve your memory.
1. How many ways of keeping a healthy lifestyle are mentioned in the passage?| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
| A．Remembering the word "yellow" by putting it into the group of "color". |
| B．Remembering the meaning of the word "red" by connecting it with fire. |
| C．Remembering a long and difficult passage by understanding its meaning. |
| D．Remembering the post number 0708591 by diving it into 070 and 8571 |
| A．To use it better every day | B．To understand it in a better way |
| C．To improve memory skills | D．To remember it for a longer time |
| A．Does Good Memory Help You Succeed. |
| B．A Healthy Lifestyle, A good Memory. |
| C．Memory Needs Skillful Training. |
| D．A Healthy Lifestyle with Memory Skills, You Get a good memory. |
6 . Do you want to be a very successful person? Being successful needs a lot, such as knowledge, hard work and maybe sometimes luck. Some experts(专家)share advice on how to become successful. Most experts agree on one thing：starting your day on the right foot is the most important.
Collected from the advice, here are some ideas on how to start your day off right:
Get up an hour early. People who get up early in the morning have a jump on the day. The morning may be the best part of your day when you can do your best work. "The early bird gets the worm." It means that people who get up early have a head start so they are more possible to succeed.
Drink a glass of lemon water. Why? Health experts say that drinking some lemon water first in the morning jump-starts the body's metabolism(新陈代谢). Not only does it jump-start your body's cells(细胞), but this kind of drink keeps them moving throughout the day.
Don' t answer email or jump into social media(社交媒体) as soon as you get up. During breakfast, you decide to check your email or open up your Wechat. You see some Wechat moments from friends. They post pictures to tell about something happy, sad, interesting or boring. Before you notice it, 10 minutes has passed! You hurry out of the door not to be late for school. This is not a good way to start your day.
Exercise! Running on the playground with friends may be a great way to start your day. Exercise experts often suggest some exercise in the morning because the middle of the day is busy for most people. By the day's end, you may feel too tired to exercise. How many times have you finished school and said to yourself, "I'm too tired to exercise! I'll do it tomorrow."
Think about your day at night, Take time at the end of the day to think back on all the things that you have done. You probably didn't have time to do everything you planned. But that's fine. If you did one thing, that means you are one step closer in reaching your goals(目标). And spend a little time thinking about tomorrow.
You will be successful as long as you start your day on the right foot.
1. Some experts think if we want to become successful, it is the most important to ________.| A．have some good luck | B．work very hard at night |
| C．learn some knowledge | D．begin our day in the right way |
| A．it's a great way to share moments on Wechat in the morning |
| B．drinking lemon water in the morning can help us fight colds |
| C．people who get up early in the morning are all very successful |
| D．it's good to do one thing that you plan a day and get close to your goals |
| A．How to start your day on the right foot | B．How to set a goal for tomorrow |
| C．What exercise to do in the day | D．What to think about at night |
7 . Some people think that they have an answer to the problems of traffic and pollution in large cities. Their answer is the bicycle or bike.
In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York City, some bike riders have even formed a group called "Bike for a Better City". They claimed that if more people rode bicycles to work there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown section of the city and therefore less dirty air from car engines.
For several years this group has been trying to get city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to paint special lanes (车道)—for bicycles only—on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there may be more accidents. "Bike for a Better City" feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bicycle lanes have been painted yet. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Taxi drivers don't like the idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business. And most people live too far from downtown to travel by bike.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest open place in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But "Bike for a Better City" says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown. Until that happens, the safest place to bicycle may be in the park.
1. The underlined word "automobiles" in the second paragraph means ________.| A．trains | B．cars | C．planes | D．ships |
| A．Special lanes are needed on every street. |
| B．The Central Park is closed to cars on weekdays. |
| C．"Bike for a Better City" members ride bicycles to work. |
| D．Accidents won't happen if cars and bikes are on different lanes. |
| A．the idea isn't accepted by all |
| B．the main streets are not wide enough |
| C．the store owners on the main streets will have less business |
| D．there's no need for most people to travel by bike |
| A．city problems and "Bike for a Better City" |
| B．"Bike for a Better City" and the city government |
| C．the government's idea on traffic and city pollution |
| D．a suggestion on the city problems of traffic and pollution |
8 . Online classes
Taking online classes is becoming increasingly popular, but students have different opinions about it.
| Wang Qi, 14: I love taking online courses. They give me a lot more choices and freedom. We can choose to learn whatever we want. Also, online classes enable us to study whenever and wherever we want, which is very convenient. |
| Wu Jun, 13: I don’t think taking online classes is a good way to study. There are many temptations (诱惑) on the Internet. Students can be distracted (使分心) from their courses easily. The whole learning process is not as organized as it is in the classroom. |
| Zhou Siya, 13: Online classrooms are beneficial (有益的). We might feel more focused on learning when we are alone in front of a computer with no one to distract us. In addition, taking courses online also means we can have more time to use a computer, which is a good way to practice our computer skills. |
| Li Chunjie, 14: I think the idea of taking online courses is crazy. It can increase our exposure (接触) to computers and the radiation (辐射) from them could do harm to the human body, especially our eyes. Also, sitting in front of a computer for a long time without exercising can be harmful to our health. |
1. How many students support online learning?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
| A．there are many courses to choose from | B．it helps improve students' computer skills |
| C．students can feel more focused | D．online courses are free to take |
| A．Suggestions for taking online courses. | B．Different opinions on taking online courses. |
| C．Suggestions for becoming organized learners. | D．Different ways of studying on the internet. |
An elderly man once paid a visit to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a famous 19th century poet and artist. The old man had some sketches (素描) and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good.
Rossetti looked them over carefully. Soon, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. But Rossetti was kind, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value.
The visitor was disappointed. He then said sorry for taking up Rossetti's time, but asked if he would just look at a few more drawings - these were drawn by a young art student. Rossetti looked over the second batch (一批) of sketches and immediately became interested in them. "These," he said, "Oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given praise and encouraged to continue in his career as an artist. He will have a great future if he works hard and keeps on trying."
Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply moved. "Who is this fine young artist?" Rossetti asked. "Your son?" "No," said the old man sadly. "It was me-40 years ago.
"Once upon a time, I was a boy who was so interested in drawing. I spent my free time going to the nature and drawing beautiful butterflies, mountains and forests and whatever I like. I got a feeling of satisfaction when sitting quietly near the river, watching and drawing. But people around me told me never to waste my time on drawing. They laughed at me for dreaming of being an artist as a son of a farmer. They kept advise me to work hard on the farm instead of day-dreaming and running away to avoid farming work."
"If only I had heard your praise then! For you see, I got discouraged and gave up too soon."
1. What did Rossetti think of the old Man's drawings?| A．Excellent. | B．Worthless. | C．Interesting. | D．Boring. |
| A．Rossetti was the old man's drawing teacher and thought he was not talented in art. |
| B．Rossetti thought the second batch of sketches are as good as the first batch of drawings. |
| C．Rossetti thought the young art student should be encouraged to continue drawing. |
| D．Rossetti preferred to teach the old man's son to draw because of his drawing talent. |
| A．It's necessary to have a famous artist to be your teacher. |
| B．It's common to lose our talent in drawing when we grow up. |
| C．It's important to believe in ourselves and follow our dreams. |
| D．It's stupid to listen to people who laughed at your drawings. |
10 . Time is not a fixed object. The idea of time in any given culture is largely a product created by beliefs, traditions, and values. In some cases, time is thought of as formless and is based on what is going on at the moment, rather than as a planned object. Others regard time as a machine: a real thing which is fixed, which can be divided into schedules (日程安排) and can be wasted.
Similarly, cultures are also likely to think of the passing of time in different ways as well. A society can be moved towards a specific (特定化的) understanding of history. Many cultures, such as British, Native American, Greek, French, Japanese, and some other Asian cultures, take the past, cultural history, and traditions as having the most importance, and use them as a guide in making present-day decisions. Some cultures see the present moment as the most important. Tradition holds little importance, and planning for the future is not the most important thing, but rather the present time is more valued, and these kinds of lifestyles are relaxed. Other societies can be future-oriented (关注未来的), and place an additional focus on planning and forward movement, and the present activities are treated as a bridge to this future goal. This is the common agreement in the United States.
How a person thinks of time can be understood in the way they work together with others. Someone with a focus on the future will hold schedules and times to be very important, as they are necessary for moving on to the next step. However, someone who lives more in the present may consider a certain meeting time as not fixed. In Italy and in many Arab countries, it is normal for people to be 30 minutes late for a meeting. It is different in the United States or Britain, for example, where lateness is accepted only up to 5 or 10 minutes.
The concept (概念) of time, and its flexibility (灵活多变), meaning, and even the nature of its existence (存在) is something which is deeply laid in the base of any culture. It is very important when entering into an agreement with someone, whether socially, or in a business setting, to realize that they may have a different idea about the importance of deadlines and schedules. No one can be right or wrong in their own way, but still people can be accidentally insulted (冒犯) as a result of a misunderstanding.
1. From the first paragraph, we can know that ________.| A．people think of time as a sign of culture |
| B．people have different opinions about time |
| C．time is about what's going on right now |
| D．time is either a planned object or a machine |
| A．it helps us to make present decisions | B．it helps us to plan for the future |
| C．traditions bring us much pride | D．old countries have a long history |
| A．Making a plan for tomorrow's work. | B．Planning a tour to the Forbidden City. |
| C．Eating dumplings during a festival. | D．Never paying attention to the weather report. |
| A．The Concept of Time | B．The Importance of Time |
| C．The Tradition of Time | D．The Management of Time |
