Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. My own children's school week is framed by pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then skim the text for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated (國家指定的) state test.
Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some reasonable methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First, one looks at a commercially available test. Then, one distills (提取) the skills needed not to master reading, say, or math, but to do well on the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
The ability to read or write or calculate might infer the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of the basics of skills make this fundamental confusion because people are test-centered rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with phonic and grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are capable of taking tests and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have' no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.
小題1:As is indicated in the second paragraph, the author finds it strange that __.
A.tests are used to assess students' skills
B.skills are determined before tests are set
C.teaching is aimed to prepare students for tests
D.teachers use some reasonable methods of assessment
小題2:The crisis of comprehension most probably results from __.
A.students' poor phonic and grammar skills
B.teaching that takes up much of students' free time
C.teaching that emphasizes details rather than the whole
D.students' lack of ability to think about what they read
小題3:According to the author, we can infer that __.
A.the basics of skills have been discussed too much
B.the nature and quality of what is taught are fully concerned
C.skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students
D.doing well in a test does not necessarily mean acquiring the skill

小題1:C
小題2:D
小題3:D

小題1:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon可知答案。curious 奇怪的=strange。
小題2:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read可知答案。
小題3:細節(jié)理解題。. crisis comprehension(理解危機)是指由于這種應(yīng)試教育,學(xué)生考試能拿高分,但并不一定懂得他所看到的。文中第四段也提到了crisis of comprehension(理解危機),用簡單的話說就是:有語言和語法知識的學(xué)生仍看不懂他們所讀的東西(phenomenon of students with phonic...what they read),故選D。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.
For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(車道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good 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.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place open ground in New York— is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only.
小題1:In New York, a group of bike riders__________.
A.a(chǎn)re keeping practicing for health
B.have no cars of their own
C.a(chǎn)re complaining there are not enough buses
D.a(chǎn)re trying to settle the problem of air pollution
小題2:The bike riders suggest that __________.
A.bikes should be used instead of cars
B.bike lanes should be drawn
C.fewer buses or cars should be used
D.the number of special lanes should be decreased
小題3:The advantage of the special lanes is that__________.
A.they will make cars and buses run slowly
B.they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks
C.they will make the city more beautiful
D.they will prevent accidents

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules… planning your next move…acting as a team member… these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (協(xié)調(diào)) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
小題1:Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
A.be a team leader
B.obey the basic rules
C.a(chǎn)ct as a grown-up
D.predict possible danger
小題2:The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can ________.
A.describe life in an exciting way
B.turn real-life experiences into a movie
C.make learning life skills more interesting
D.change people’s views of sporting events
小題3:According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
A.It inspires people’s deep love for the country.
B.It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.
C.It helps the country out of natural disasters.
D.It earns the winners fame and fortune.
小題4:Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to ________.
A.bring fun to poor kids
B.provide soccer balls for children
C.give poor kids a chance for a better life
D.a(chǎn)ppeal to soccer players to help poor kids

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Do you sometimes oversleep? Are you often late for work or school? Yes? Then Hiroyuki Sugiyama of Japan has a (an)    1   bed for you. Hiroyuki's bed will get you up in the morning! Here is how it      2   .
The bed    3  an alarm clock. First, the alarm clock rings. You have a few minutes to wake up. Next, a tape recorder in the bed plays   4  music or other pleasant sounds. The tape recorder in Hiroyuki's bed plays a recording of his girlfriend. She whispers in a sweet  5 , "Wake up, darling, please." A few minutes later, a second recording   6  . The sound recording can be loud music or   7 sounds. Hiroyuki hears a recording of his boss shouts, "Wake up immediately,   8 you'll be late!"
If you don't get up  9 the second recording, you will be sorry! A mechanical "foot" is in the bed. The mechanical foot kicks you in the head. Then the bed waits a few  10 minutes. What! You're still in bed! Slowly the   11 of the bed rises higher and higher. The foot of the bed goes lower and lower.   12 the bed is vertical (垂直的). You slide off the bed and onto the floor. You are out of bed and     13 
Hiroyuki made his bed because he wanted to   14  a contest. He works for Honda Motor Company. Once every two years Honda has a contest for its 200,000 employees ---"All-Honda Idea Contest". The employees think of new ideas. If their ideas win, the employees win   15  . Hiroyuki Sugiyama won a lot of money for his bed.
小題1:
A.expensiveB.specialC.valuableD.comfortable
小題2:
A.worksB.runsC.happensD.moves
小題3:
A.is separated fromB.is made up ofC.is attached toD.is made into
小題4:
A.loudB.classicalC.popD.soft
小題5:
A.soundB.voiceC.noiseD.way
小題6:
A.sendsB.turnsC.playsD.a(chǎn)ppears
小題7:
A.pleasantB.interestingC.unpleasantD.funny
小題8:
A.a(chǎn)ndB.butC.soD.or
小題9:
A.a(chǎn)fterB.untilC.sinceD.before
小題10:
A.otherB.a(chǎn)notherC.moreD.one
小題11:
A.endB.middleC.bodyD.top
小題12:
A.HoweverB.FinallyC.ThereforeD.Otherwise
小題13:
A.a(chǎn)ngryB.workC.happyD.a(chǎn)wake
小題14:
A.winB.a(chǎn)chieveC.gainD.defeat
小題15:
A.praisesB.contentsC.prizesD.medals

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

For high school leavers starting out in the working world,it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(實習(xí)).In some countries,schools have programs to help students onto the path to work.In the Unites States,however,such programs are still few and far between.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses,students are likely to get higher earnings in later years.The students are more likely to stay in school,graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany,students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships.German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world.Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track.Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影響的)kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school.James Madison High School in New York,for example,encourages students to choose classes on career—based courses.The school then helps them gain on—the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.
However,even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work,the job market is daunting.In the US,unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.
“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the Summer job experience,they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,”said Michael,a researcher in the US.
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A.have enough career-related courses
B.need more career advice from their schools
C.perform better in exams than German students
D.can get higher earnings in later years
小題2:According to Robert Schwartz,_________.
A.there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US
B.students should get contact with the working world at high school
C.education reform should focus on students’ performance in exams
D.teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience
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A.Unemployment rates for US teenagers remain high at the moment.
B.Students with career—based courses never have problems finding a job.
C.US companies work with schools to prepare young people for future employment.
D.High school leavers with no practical skills can’t find a job absolutely
小題4:What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Arguments about recent US education reform.
B.Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers.
C.The lack of career—based courses in US high schools.
D.Advice for American high school leavers.
小題5:The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably means___________.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Everyone is at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn’t done an eBay deal. So, I decided to try my hand at online auction (網(wǎng)上拍賣).
Buying for beginners: Sign up on www. ebay. co. uk. Most items(e.g. tables, computers, and books)ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with “ Buy It Now ” and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.
If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids(出價)for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish you get an email telling you whether you have won the item.
How to pay: Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a check or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card (信用卡).
Selling made simple: If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends’ advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This way buyers had two weekends to bid.
The big things in life: It’s easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by delivery men. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to make payment online.
B.Ways of using delivery online.
C.Advantages of an online-auction system.
D.How to use an online-auction system.
小題2:After bidding for an item, a buyer __________.
A.will get what he wants in ten days
B.should make payment immediately
C.has chances to make higher bids
D.may check its picture and description
小題3:The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is __________.
A.through an online payment system
B.through a local banking system
C.by sending the money to the seller
D.by paying the deliveryman directly

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Why don’t birds get lost on their long migratory (遷居的) flights? Scientists have puzzled over this question for many years. Now they’re beginning to fill in the blanks.
Not long ago, experiments showed that birds rely on the sun to guide them during daylight hours. But what about birds that fly mainly by night? Tests with artificial stars have proved conclusively that certain night-flying birds are able to follow the stars in their long-distance flights.
One such bird, a warbler(鳴禽) , had spent its lifetime in a cage and had never flown under a natural sky. Yet it showed an inborn ability to use the stars for guidance. The bird’s cage was placed under an artificial star-filled sky at migration time. The bird tried to fly in the same direction as that taken by his outdoor cousins. Any change in the direction of the make-be-live stars caused a change in the direction of his flight. Scientists think that warblers, when flying in daylight, use the sun for guidance. But the stars are apparently their main means of navigation (導(dǎo)航). What do they do when the stars are hidden by clouds? Apparently, they find their way by such landmarks as mountain ranges, coast lines, and river courses. But when it’s too dark to see these, the warblers circle helplessly, unable to get their direction.
小題1:The reasons why birds don’t get lost on migratory flights__________.
A.have been known to scientists for many years
B.a(chǎn)re known by everyone
C.have only recently been discovered
D.will probably remain a mystery
小題2:Warblers migrate__________.
A.from North America to South America
B.using what is apparently an inborn navigational ability
C.only once during their lifetime
D.when they are freed from their cages
小題3:When the stars are hidden by clouds, warblers find their way by__________ .
A.a(chǎn)n artificial starB.some landmarks
C.their inborn abilityD.A and B
小題4:This article is a good example of the way scientists__________ .
A.discover workable answers to universal questions by studying particular cases(特別案例)
B.jump to conclusions
C.find a law and then investigate(調(diào)查)
D.a(chǎn)re disappointed by the habits of animals

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

“If you talk to the plants, they will grow faster and the effect is even better if you’re a woman.” Researchers at Royal Horticultural Society carried out an experiment to find that the voice of a woman gardener makes plants grow faster.
The experiment lasted a month and by the end of the study scientists managed to discover that tomato plants grew up two inches taller when women gardeners talked to them instead of male.
Sarah Darwin was the one making the plants the best growth. Her voice was the most “inspiring” for plants than those of nine other gardeners when reading a passage from The Origin of Species. The great-great-granddaughter of the famous botanist (植物學(xué)家)Charles Darwin found that her plant grew about two inches taller than the plant of the best male gardener.
Colin Crosbie, Garden Superintendent at RHS, said that the finding cannot yet be explained.He says that women have a greater range of pitch and tone(音高和音色)which might have a certain effect on the sound waves that reach the plant. “Sound waves are an environmental effect just like rain or light ,”said Mr Grosbie.
The study began in April at RHS Garden Wisley in Survey. Scientists started with open auditions(聽力) for the people who were asked to record passages from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream and Darwin's The Origin of Species.
Afterwards researchers selected a number of different voices and played them to 10 tomato plants during a period of a month. Each plant had headphones connected to it. Through the headphones the sound waves could hit the plants. It was discovered that plants that “l(fā)istened” to female voices grew taller by an inch in comparison to plants that heard male voices.
小題1:What does the passage talk about?
A.Plants enjoy men’s voices than women’s.
B.A science experiment in a museum.
C.Voice’s influence on plant growing.
D.Strange findings at Royal Horticultural Society.
小題2:What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Plants need sound as well as rain and light.
B.Sound is basic for the plant to grow.
C.Sound has a good effect as rain or light does.
D.Plants can’t live without sound, rain or light.
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A.The experiment ended in May.
B.Scientist can explain the findings clearly.
C.Plants enjoy listening to the passages from famous works.
D.The findings are of great importance to human beings.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census(統(tǒng)計) of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion.
In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish (海星) and other marine(海洋的)creatures.
Elsewhere in the world’s oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life.
“There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved,” said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. “Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve found new things,” he says. “The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things.”
Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration(遷移)routes and to discover places where sea life gathers.
According to Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. “90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean,” O’Dor states.
And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things.
Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census —which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea.
小題1:Why do the researchers place small markers on many marine creatures?
A.To catch them.B.To research them.
C.To kill them.D.To protect them.
小題2:From what Ron O’Dor says, we can conclude that        .
A.human beings only know a little about marine life
B.the oceans don’t need to be further explored
C.he considers exploring the ocean a dangerous thing
D.the marine creatures mainly live on the top of the ocean
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A.About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project.
B.The census of sea life will last for ten years.
C.230,000 new marine animals have been found.
D.The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters.
小題4:Why does the author write the passage?
A.To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered
B.To encourage people to find new marine creatures
C.To prove the importance of marine creatures
D.To introduce the newly-discovered creatures.

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