1 . If tests can make students nervous, anxious and even scared, shouldn’t schools just get rid of them?     1     Teachers and schools give students tests for very important reasons:

    2     Giving a test is a way for a teacher to see which students are learning the skills and knowledge they should be learning, and which ones are having trouble. Depending on how kids do on the test, the teacher will know if he or she must go back over some things, or if it’s okay to keep moving forward.

To see how well your school is teaching you. All parents want their kids to finally graduate with the ability to earn a living.     3     And one way to do this is to have them take test.

To assign(指定) grades.     4     Besides your homework, tests are one of the best ways for you to show the teacher that you’ve really learned what’s being taught, and for the teacher to figure out what grade you should get. Grades are also a way to show your parents how you’re doing in school.

To keep you motivated. Admit it: you work harder if you know someone is checking up on your work. For example, if your mum tells you to clean your room but you know she will never go in and check, then you might not do it, right?     5     Because you know that you’ll eventually have to take a test on the material and you might be more likely to give it extra effort and make sure you know everything you’re supposed to know.

A．To ensure that you are totally prepared.

B．To see if you’re learning.

C．Students must work hard to get good grades.

D．Well, believe it or not, tests don’t just exist to trouble you.

E．So schools have to prove they’re trying their best to educate students.

F．Grades are important in most schools, and tests play a big role.

G．Well, tests help make sure that you don’t leave your homework behind.

2 . Fun classroom activities for high school students

Classroom activities can help students relax after long-time lessons. They can educate as well as entertain the students at the same time.     1     They will help spread knowledge and awareness(意识) among them.

Debate

Children are very enthusiastic(热情的) when it comes to debates. You can choose any topic, either a political one or a topic from the textbook. Divide the class into two groups, and make one group argue in favor of the topic and the other against it.    2     Debates will improve spur-of-the-moment(一时冲动的) thinking of the students. They will also improve their communication skills and help them think more logically.

History activity

The only problem with history is remembering the dates.     3     All you have to do is ask the students to prepare themselves for any two battles or wars for this activity. Then make notes with different events that took place in any one war or battle. Mix them up and distribute(分发) them among the students. Then ask the students to open their notes and arrange themselves according to the dates of the events in the notes.     4    

Quiz competition

Choose a topic and ask the students to prepare for it. Then divide the class into three teams and make a set of questions.     5     See which team scores higher.

A．Choose some simple questions.

B．Ask the teams these questions one by one.

C．Make this task more fun through this activity.

D．It can help a student learn the values himself.

E．Record which side makes more good points during the argument.

F．Given below are some fun classroom activities for high school students.

G．The students would have to remember the dates in order to arrange themselves correctly.

3 . You return from work on a muggy(闷热的) August evening. Your unwashed teenage son is on the sofa playing the game Fortnite, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so long?

This is a more serious question than it sounds. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. One study from the American South found that this summer learning loss‖ could be as high as a quarter of the year’s education. Poor children tend to be the worst affected, since rich ones typically live in homes full of books and are packed off to summer camp.

A study from Baltimore found that variations(差别) in summer loss might possibly account for two-thirds of the achievement gap between rich and poor children by the age of 14-15. Long holidays definitely tighten the budgets of poor families, since free school meals stop and extra child care kicks in.

Youngsters will hate the idea of a longer school year. Many grown-ups will object to it, too. It would cost taxpayers more, since teachers would have to be paid for the extra days. Schools in hotter areas would spend a fortune on air-conditioning. Skeptics(怀疑者) also note that, although those rarely rested South Korean pupils do well in exams, they are often unhappy. Is that really what you want for your darlings?

More time in school doesn’t necessarily mean repeating the same old lessons. But for those falling behind, the summer could be a time for different kinds of learning: critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms—schools should be free to experiment. Space should not be a problem. Many school buildings sit idle(闲置的) in the summer.

Well-off children often already use the summer to broaden their minds or doing summer jobs found through connections. Schools should help the rest catch up. Other public services do not simply disappear for a quarter of the year. It would be unthinkable for hospitals or the police to do so. So why do schools get away with it? Their responsibility to educate does not end when the temperature rises.

1. With the example in Paragraph 1, the author intends to .

A．show the author’s bad mood

B．lead in the topic of the passage

C．criticize the son’s bad behavior

D．prove the harm of long holidays

2. To help the children falling behind during summer holidays, schools should .

A．have them learning the previous lessons

B．pack them off to various summer camps

C．offer them various chances of learning

D．provide summer jobs in public services

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The school summer holidays should be shorter.

B．Students are suffering summer learning loss.

C．Schools should arrange more practical learning.

D．The achievement gap between students is widened.

4 . University Room Regulations

Approved and Prohibited Items

The following items are approved for use in residential(住宿的) rooms: electric blankets, hair dryers, personal computers, radios, televisions and DVD players. Items that are not allowed in student rooms include: candles, ceiling fans, fireworks, waterbeds, sun lamps and wireless routers. Please note that any prohibited items will be taken away by the Office of Residence Life.

Access to Residential Rooms

Students are provided with a combination(组合密码) for their room door locks upon check-in. Do not share your room door lock combination with anyone. The Office of Residence Life may change the door lock combination at any time at the expense of the resident if it is found that the student has shared the combination with others. The fee is ＄25 to change a room combination.

Cooking Policy

Students living in buildings that have kitchens are only permitted to cook in the kitchen. Students must clean up after cooking. This is not the responsibility of housekeeping staff. Kitchens that are not kept clean may be closed for use. With the exception of using a small microwave oven(微波炉) to heat food, students are not permitted to cook in their rooms.

Pet Policy

No pets except fish are permitted in student rooms. Students who are found with pets, whether visiting or owned by the student, are subject to an initial fine of ＄100 and a continuing fine of ＄50 a day per pet. Students receive written notice when the fine goes into effect. If, one week from the date of written notice, the pet is not removed, the student is referred to the Student Court.

Quiet Hours

Residential buildings must maintain an atmosphere that supports the academic mission of the University. Minimum quiet hours in all campus residences are 11:00 pm to 8:00 am Sunday through Thursday. Quiet hours on Friday and Saturday nights are 1:00 am to 8:00 am. Students who violate quiet hours are subject to a fine of ＄25.

1. Which of the following items are allowed in student rooms?

A．Ceiling fans and waterbeds.	B．Wireless routers and radios.
C．Hair dryers and candles.	D．TVs and electric blankets.

2. What if a student is found to have told his combination to others?

A．The combination should be changed.	B．The Office should be charged.
C．He should replace the door lock.	D．He should check out of the room.

3. What do we know about the cooking policy?

A．A microwave oven can be used.

B．Cooking in student rooms is permitted.

C．A housekeeper is to clean up the kitchen.

D．Students are to close kitchen doors after cooking.

4. When can students enjoy a party in residences?

A．7:00 am, Sunday.	B．7:30 am, Thursday.
C．11:30 pm, Monday.	D．00:30 am, Saturday.

5 . Learn to Cite Sources (引用资料)

During your university education, you’ll be exposed to ideas and scientific theories of scholars and scientists. Unavoidably, your own ideas will be shaped by the ideas you come across.     1     That means you should go beyond what you learn in your textbooks or in the library. Your original work is the basis for your professor’s evaluation of your performance. Thus, academic honesty is fundamental in your university education. It demands that you cite the source materials you base your own work on.     2    

Correctly citing your sources helps you distinguish your own ideas from those of other scholars. On the readers’ side, it permits a reader to determine the depth of your research.     3     On the contrary, lack of citing will only raise your reader’s doubt.

So you need to learn when to cite and how to provide an adequate or accurate reference list. If you fail to cite your sources, whether deliberately or carelessly, you will be found responsible for plagiarism (抄袭) .     4     If you are not sure, ask your professor for guidance before submitting the paper or report. Keep in mind this general rule: when in doubt, cite!

    5     For example, students from East Asia may think that copying directly from sources is the proper way to do research. Students in France, preparing for the final examination, may be encouraged to memorize whole passages and copy them into papers. Those cultural differences can lead to false assumptions about academic expectations in the country you study in.

A．Some university students may cheat in different ways.

B．These include other scholars’ ideas, figures, graphs and so on.

C．The academic challenge you face is to make something original.

D．Often, students want to use others’ opinions to support their own essays.

E．It also allows a reader to appreciate your original contribution to the research.

F．For international students, it is important to know local academic expectations.

G．Not knowing academic regulations is an unacceptable excuse for such behavior.

6 . Homework is made up of out-of-class activities and at-home activities teachers assign to students. It can include practice assignments that emphasize newly acquired skills.     1     Projects that have to be worked on in agreement with schoolwork also form a part of homework.

    2     For example, to complete their homework in time, children start dividing their time into studying and playing, thus learning to complete their scheduled tasks within the time they have. They learn to do things on their own. They manage their time and complete their work independently.

Homework can also help build up children’s confidence.     3     Teachers’ positive remarks can help develop students’ confidence and encourage them to keep up with their good work.

In addition, homework gives students a chance to learn from their mistakes and overcome their weakness. It provides them with a platform to express what they know or have newly found, and exhibit their talents.     4     This helps them improve their academic results.

However, to be as beneficial to students as possible, homework should be assigned properly. The amount and difficulty level of homework assignments should match the ages and abilities of students.     5     Homework proves to be beneficial only if it does not put students under stress or pressure.

A．Otherwise, it will become a punishment.

B．Homework can benefit students in many ways.

C．Teachers give comments on the work that students do.

D．It also gives students the practice of whatever they learn in school.

E．Completing homework requires planning, organizing and acting upon it.

F．Students can gain a sense of accomplishment after completing homework.

G．It can be preparation assignments to make students ready for class activities.

7 . The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

1. Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world. Remember that the point of life is for you to enjoy it.     1     Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.

2.     2    . Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends. Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

3. Keep your grades up.     3    This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

4.     4    . Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

5. Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way to gain experience and to meet other people.     5    This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

A. You should also find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.
B. Be happy, and life will reward you.
C. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).
D. Choose your friends wisely.
E. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your prior work experience.
F. Be sociable.
G. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't slack off in school.

8 . How to Enjoy Life As a Teen

The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

1. Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world.     1    . Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one.

2. Go for it! If you have a special girl/guy you want to ask out, dance with, etc. just ask! You probably won't be rejected but if you are, remember that there will always be someone else that likes you for who you are.    2    . About 90% of the girls or guys you talk to will like you back, only about 10% probably will reject or badmouth you.

3.    3    . There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's). This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

4. You can pursue interests you enjoy. Video games, for example, are good if you're the type who can get into that kind of thing.     4    . Use your "hobby time" to either A) Volunteer (to gain practical skills for college apps, job resumes, and scholarships) B. Learn an instrument, or get into something else in the creative field like painting or dance, because this is the time to start developing and uncovering passions that might otherwise lie dormant.

5. Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way to gain experience and to meet other people. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your prior work experience. This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

6.    5    You'll still be going to games for free like the jocks if you are in pep band, and you have as many opportunities to meet new people as the jocks. Band and choir sometimes involves going on trips, and are great memories to have for high school and college. If you are not good at either music or sports, you can join other activities, start other hobbies, or get a job.

A. You should also find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.
B. Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends.
C. Choose your friends wisely.
D. Don't go to sleep that night wishing you would have asked them.
E. Remember that the point of life is for you to enjoy it.
F. Keep your grades up
G. If you are not good at sports, join a band or choir

9 . A report released this month found that grouping children by ability is on the rise again—teaching students in groups of similar ability has improved achievements for fast and slow learners alike—and who wouldn’t want bright kids to be able to move ahead?

But for most kids, labels (标签) applied early in life tend to stick, even if they are wrong.

Sorting school children by ability has long been controversial. In some countries, especially in Asia, school-wide tracking (分流) remains normal. Children are tested and placed in different schools that direct them toward professional or vocational careers. Movement between the tracks is rare.

School-wide tracking decreased in US schools in the 1960s and 1970s. It never died out, though. Sorting students into separate tracks for math at about junior high school age continues to be common, and other forms of tracking persist as well.

Unlike tracking, which means sorting students into separate classrooms, ability grouping happens within classrooms. When done according to the latest research, it has proven to promote achievements. Ability grouping is changeable and temporary. Within classrooms, students might be divided into different learning groups dealing with materials of different levels. Any students who master concepts can move upward between groups, and the student groups might look different from subject to subject and unit to unit. For instance, a student who stands out in language arts might be at an average or slower level in math. A student who flies through multiplication tables might need extra help with fractions. Students who lag in reading can be pulled out of the classroom in small groups for practice with a tutor until their reading improves.

Research shows ability grouping within classes has more positive benefits than tracking. However, that must be weighed against the challenges involved. In many regular classrooms, the differences between student ability levels are very big. That presents challenges for teachers and low-performing students to constantly compare themselves with students who seem to fly through school with ease.

The rigid ability groups and tracking of the past are still with us in many schools. Likely, labels are applied with more caution than in the bad old days when some teachers gave reading groups not-so-secret code names like “Bluebirds”, “Robins”, “Crows” and “Buzzards”. But kids still know.

1. Why is grouping children by ability becoming popular again?

A．Because most teachers do not like slower learners.

B．Because grouping children should be done early in life.

C．Because it is academically beneficial to different learners.

D．Because fast learners can move ahead without teachers’ help.

2. By saying “Movement between the tracks is rare.” in paragraph 3, the writer really means            .

A．tracking children is normal in Asia

B．school-wide tracking has decreased in US

C．professional and vocational careers are unrelated

D．sorted students can hardly change schools

3. The examples in paragraph 5 are used mainly to illustrate            .

A．a good language learner promises to be good at math

B．a student might join different groups for different courses

C．ability grouping benefits gifted students more than slow ones

D．ability grouping presents no challenge for those slow students

4. What might be the challenge in regular classrooms for teachers?

A．Students’ different levels.	B．Students’ low performance.
C．Constant self-comparison.	D．Application of not-so-secret code.

10 . Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement (graduation ceremony).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(美国的爱国誓言).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (the most important part) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
1. What’s the article mainly about?

A．An American high school’s graduation ceremony.

B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting.

C．A presentation of college diplomas.

D．A US college’s farewell party.

2. Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?

A．She was one of the graduates.

B．She was a foreign exchange student.

C．She was excited to receive her diploma.

D．She felt it great to be at the ceremony.

3. The right order of the following events is______.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates.       
b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played.        
d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.

A．b,c,a,d,e

B．c,d,b,e,a

C．d,b,e,a,c

D．e,d,c,b,a

4. From the text, we can conclude that_______.

A．a diploma ensures a good job

B．a diploma guarantees a bright future

C．the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life

D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma

5. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?

A．Hollywood superstars went to attend the commencement.

B．Every single senior became a superstar on the commencement day.

C．All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives.

D．When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were loud cheers.