Anne Whitney, a sophomore at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when
she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before
a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would
blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests
did not show what I knew to the teacher." Another student in microbiology had similar experiences. He
said, "My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, but I was
so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold
my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!"
     These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries
and he is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student can't
write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Although poor grades are often
a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety causes the low grades. Recently, test anxiety has
been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.
     Special university counseling courses try to help students. In these courses, counselors try to help
students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to
measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help
them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are trained
to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work
at ease. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.
     An expert at the University of California explains. "With almost all students, relaxation and less stress
are felt after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all
have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great."

1. To "blank out" in the first paragraph is probably______.

A. to be like a blanket           
B. to be unsure of an answer
C. to show wrong knowledge to the teacher
D. to be unable to think clearly

2. Poor grades are usually the result of _______.

A. poor hygienic habits          
B. laziness
C. lack of sleep                
D. inability to form good study habits

3. To deal with this problem, students say they want to ______.

A. take a short course on anxiety
B. read about anxiety and know how to deal with it
C. be able to manage or understand their anxiety
D. take tests to prove they are not anxious

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. all students could overcome the anxiety after taking a special test anxiety  program
B. most of the students felt relaxed after taking a University of California counseling course
C. students found it difficult to improve even if they had taken a special test anxiety course

     Andy Steele lives just a few blocks from the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish,
S.D., so commuting(經(jīng)常往返) to class isn't the problem. But he doesn't like lectures much, isn't a
morning person, and wants time during the day to restore motorcycles.
     So Steele, a full-time senior business major, has been taking as many classes as he can from the
South Dakota State system's online offerings. He gets better grades and learns more, he says, and
insists he isn't missing out on the college experience.
     "I still know a lot of people from my first two years living on campus, and I still meet a lot of people,"
he says. But now, he sets his own schedule.
    At least 2.3 million people took some kind of online courses, according to a recent survey by The
Sloan Consortium, an online education group, and two-thirds of colleges offering "face-to-face" courses
also offer online ones. But what were once two different types of classes are looking more and more
alike and often falling into the same pool of students.
    At some schools, online courses originally intended for non-traditional students living far from campus
have proved surprisingly popular with on-campus students. A recent study found 42 percent of the
students enrolled(登記) in its distance education courses were located on campus at the university that
was hosting the online courses.
     Numbers vary depending on the policies of particular colleges, but other schools also have students
mixing and matching online and "face-to-face" credits. Motives range from lifestyle to adapting a job
schedule to getting into high-demand courses.
    Washington State had about 325 on-campus undergraduates taking one or more distance courses last
year. As many as 9,000 students took both distance and in-person classes at Arizona State last year.
"Business is really about providing choices to their customers, and that's really what we want to do," said
Sheila Aaker, extended services coordinator (協(xié)調(diào)人) at Black Hills State.
     Many schools, such as Washington State and Arizona State, let departments and academic units
decide who can take an online course. They say students with legitimate academic needs-a conflict
with another class, a course they need to graduate that is full---often get permission, though they still must
take some key classes in person.

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To introduce Steele to us, who prefers online courses.
B. To tell us about the development of campus courses.
C. To show the differences between campus courses and online courses.
D. To show more on-campus students are taking online courses.

2. We can learn from the passage that Andy Steele _______.

A. lives far from the campus
B. knows none of his classmates
C. wants to have his own lifestyle
D. doesn't get good marks

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The undergraduates attend the online courses for different purposes.
B. It is expected that distance education is popular with on-campus students.
C. About 325 on-campus undergraduates took online courses in Washington last year.
D. Different colleges have different policies about online courses.

4. From what Sheila Aaker said in the passage, we can tell _______.

A. business is the most popular major in universities
B. colleges should provide more majors for students
C. where the similarity between business and colleges lies
D. why colleges offer online courses to on-campus students

     Two men, who were both seriously ill,  occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to
sit up in his bed for an hour a day to get rid of the fluids (液體) from his lungs. His bed was next to the
room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time lying flat on his back.
     The men talked for hours on_end. They talked about everything in their life. But always, the best
subject was the time when his roommate described all the things he could see outside the window.
     The man in the other bed would live for those onehour periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activities and color of the outside world. The man had said out of
the window was a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans (天鵝) played on the water while children
sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm among flowers of every color. Old trees graced the
landscape,  and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window
described all this in detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the
scene.
     One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other
man could not hear the band, he could see it in his eye as the man by the window described it.
Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing
everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented (發(fā)酵), the
man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy became
resentment and soon turned him sour. These dark thoughts made himself unable to sleep. He should be
by that window-and that thought now controlled his life.
     Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough
uncontrollably and pushed the button calling for help. But he never moved, never pushed his own
button,  which would have brought the nurse running. In about five minutes the man was gone.
     When his body was taken away, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
His wish was soon granted (滿足).
     But when he strained to take his first look out of the window, he found it faced a blank wall.

1. Which is the proper title of the passage?

A. The relationship between the two men.
B. Envy turns the soul sour.
C. The two men, who were both seriously ill, were in hospital.
D. The time the two men spent together in hospital.

2. What does the phrase "on end" mean in the second paragraph?

A. in total    
B. ending
C. only  
D. without stopping

3. What kind of person is the man by the window?

A. A liar.
B. An honest person.
C. A dull person.
D. A kind person.

4. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. What the man by the window described was real.
B. Envy makes one's health worse day after day.
C. At first the man who couldn't see the sight outside the window could imagine the sight.
D. The man was happy when his wish was granted.