Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of Ph. D. s. Some have placed the dropouts loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was published. It was based on 22,000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless.
The dropouts rate was found to be 31 per cent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph. D. requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates.
Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated ‘because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of Ph. D. programs were capable of competing the requirement for the degree. Attrition at the Ph. D. level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph. D.’
“The results of our research” Dr. Tucker concluded, “did not support these opinions.”
Lack of motivation was the principal reason for dropping out.
Most dropouts went as far in their doctoral program as was consistent with their levels of ability or their specialities.
Most dropouts are now engaged in work consistent with their education and motivation.
Nearly 75 per cent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their Ph. D. program, lack of finances was marked by 19 per cent.
As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $ 20,000 and more annually while none of the Ph. D. ‘s with that background reached this figure. The Ph. D. ‘s shone in the $ 7,500 to $ 15,000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where Ph. D. ‘s tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging behind other fields.
As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25 % of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present job.
小題1:The author states that many educators feel that
[A] steps should be taken to get the dropouts back to campus.
the fropouts should return to a lower quality school to continue their study.
[C] the Ph. D. holder is generally a better adjusted person than the dropout.
[D] The high dropouts rate is largely attributable to the lack of stimulation on the part of faculty members.
小題2:Research has shown that
[A] Dropouts are substantially below Ph. D. ‘s in financial attainment.
the incentive factor is a minor one in regard to pursuing Ph. D. studies.
[C] The Ph. D. candidate is likely to change his field of specialization if he drops out.
[D] about one-third of those who start Ph. D. work do not complete the work to earn the degree.
小題3:Meeting foreign language requirements for the Ph. D.
[A] is the most frequent reason for dropping out.
is more difficult for the science candidate than for the humanities candidate.
[C] is an essential part of many Ph. D. programs.
[D] does not vary in difficulty among universities.
小題4:After reading the article, one would refrain from concluding that
[A] optimism reigns in regard to getting Ph. D. dropouts to return to their pursuit of the degree.
a Ph. D. dropout, by and large, does not have what it takes to learn the degree.
[C] colleges and universities employ a substantial number of Ph. D. dropouts.
[D] Ph. D. ‘s are not earning what they deserve in nonacademic positions.
小題5:It can be inferred that the high rate of dropouts lies in
[A] salary for Ph. D. too low.
academic requirement too high.
[C] salary for dropouts too high.
[D] 1000 positions.
Vocabulary
dropout          輟學者，中途退學
well-rounded       全面的
attrition          縮/減員，磨損
drain          枯竭
bracket          一類人，（尤指按收入分類的）階層
lagging behind other fields    落后于其它領(lǐng)域
glum          陰郁的

  How would you like to teach yourself, rather than have teachers? According to the UK’s Department of Education and Skills, students will teach themselves in the schools of the future. This means that there will be no more problems such as finding enough teachers.
Estelle Morris, the UK Education Secretary, opened the 2002 Education Technology Conference in London recently. To start the conference, she presented a video showing a computer—generated model of the school of tomorrow.
Greater use of computer technology and classroom assistants will help students develop their own way of learning, Morris said. She added that this is a more exciting as well as a more interesting way of learning.
At the same time, teachers will be “freed from their traditional role as the source of all knowledge”.
Children of all abilities will “form the curriculum(課程)around their individual needs.” They will “l(fā)earn in their own time, at their own speed and in their own environment”.
At home or at school, they will follow their learning programmes by looking at online libraries and watching lessons by world-class teachers and subject experts.
Instead of going on field trips, students will use virtual reality. If they don’t understand something, they can ask other students—“take part in virtual communities with learners with similar needs”—or e-mail their teachers. They will hand in their work electronically to be “auto-marked”.
The classroom of the future is fast becoming a reality.
And the Department of Education will soon produce a guide to help schools adapt buildings for new technology, Morris said. These ideas are based on the UK government’s plan to create an education system that provides students with a strong grounding of knowledge and skills at primary school level. And provides the chance for students to develop their individual skills at secondary school level.
小題1:According to the UK’s Department of Education and Skills, the school of the future will ______.

A．cause more problems such as being able to find enough teachers

B．set no homework and no tests for students

C．make good use of the computer technology and classroom assistants

D．enable students to learn by themselves without teachers

小題2:Estelle Morris thinks that computer technology does good to teachers in ________.

A．helping students develop their own way of learning

B．enabling students to experience interesting and exciting ways of learning

C．providing students with knowledge of all sorts

D．not being considered the source of various knowledge

小題3: If the students do not understand something, they can _______.

A．go on a field trip

B．go to ask their teachers to help them

C．send e-mail to ask for a teacher’s help

D．have a look at other learners’ homework

小題4: If s a student is under the UK’s newly-developed education system,he will be ________.

A．provided with a basic knowledge from the beginning

B．given more knowledge at primary school level

C．helped to use computers better

D．supplied chance to develop their basic skills

  Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric of the American city in three fundamental ways. It catalyzed physical expansion, it sorted out people and land uses, and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life. By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion, the omnibuses, horse railways, commuter trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant form city centers than they were in the premodern era. In 1850, for example, the borders of Boston lay scarcely two miles from the old business district; by the turn of the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who could afford it could live far removed from the old city center and still commute there for work, shopping, and entertainment. The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located in outlying areas. Over the same period, another 550,000 were plotted outside the city limits but within the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty years – lots that could have housed five to six million people.
Of course, many were never occupied; there was always a huge surplus of subdivided, but vacant, land around Chicago and other cities. These excesses underscore a feature of residential expansion related to the growth of mass transportation: urban sprawl was essentially unplanned. It was carried out by thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated land use or to future land users. Those who purchased and prepared land for residential purposes, particularly land near or outside city borders where transit lines and middle-class inhabitants were anticipated, did so to create demand as much as to respond to it. Chicago is a prime example of this process. Real estate subdivision there proceeded much faster than population growth.
小題1:With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?
[A] Types of mass transportation.
[B] Instability of urban life.
[C] How supply and demand determine land use.
[D] The effect of mass transportation on urban expansion.
小題2:Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago?
[A] To demonstrate positive and negative effects of growth.
[B] To exemplify cities with and without mass transportation.
[C] To show mass transportation changed many cities.
[D] To contrast their rate of growth.
小題3:According to the passage, what was one disadvantage of residential expansion?
[A] It was expensive.
[B] It happened too slowly.
[C] It was unplanned.
[D] It created a demand for public transportation.
小題4:The author mentions Chicago in the second paragraph as an example of a city,
[A] that is large.
[B] that is used as a model for land development.
[C] where the development of land exceeded population growth.
[D] with an excellent mass transportation system.
Vocabulary
1.revise          改變
2.fabric          結(jié)構(gòu)
3.catalyze          催化，加速
4.sort out          把……分門別類，揀選
5.omnibus          公共汽車/馬車
6.trolley          （美）有軌電車，（英）無軌電車
7.periphery       周圍，邊緣
8.sprawl          建筑物無計劃延伸，蔓延，四面八方散開
9.lot          小片土地
10.underscore       強調(diào)，在下面劃橫線
11.transit lines       運輸線路
12.subdivision       （出售的）小塊土地，再劃分小區(qū)

Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If, on the other hand, we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence.
小題1: The writer is in favor of the view that man’s intelligence is given to him____________.

A．a(chǎn)t birth

B．through education

C．neither at birth nor through education

D．both at birth and through education

小題2:If a child is born with low intelligence, he can_____________________.

A．become a genius

B．still become a genius if he should be given special education

C．reach his intelligence limits in rich surroundings

D．not reach his intelligence in his life.

小題3:The example of the twins going to a university and to a factory separately shows_________.

A．the importance of their intelligence

B．the importance of their positions

C．the role of environment on intelligence

D．the part that birth plays

Global warming happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows，but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth .The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out As a result，the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on Without it，the earth would be freezing，or it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because we would not get the sun’s heat and light .During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter(過濾)it，so people，plants，and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it，if there gets to be too many gases，the each can get unusually warmer, and many plants，animals．a(chǎn)nd people will die. Plants would die because they would not be able to take the heat .This would cause us to have less food to eat, and it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food for the animals that we need to survive we would even have less food. Gradually, people，plants，and animals would all die of hunger．
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming .One thing is carpooling—driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. Another thing is being more careful about leaving electrical devices turned on. Now, more people are even riding buses or bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air .Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids call do just as much.
小題1:By the example given in Paragraph l, the author wants to__________.

A．explain how global warming happens

B．show his feeling in a car in hot summer

C．tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases

D．say that I there are greenhouse gases in every car

小題2:The underlined word ‘it” in Paragraph 2 refers to__________.

A．light

B．greenhouse effect

C．temperature

D．heat

小題3:What is the effect of atmosphere?

A．IT only traps the heat of the sun.

B．It does great harm to humans.

C．It makes the earth neither to hot nor too cold.

D．It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth.

小題4:What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．lf there is greenhouse effect．a(chǎn)ll the plants will die

B．Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth

C．Crops can ′t take in the heat lf there is greenhouse effect

D．Although greenhouse effect is necessary．Too much of it will cause us to die.

小題5:What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A．What kids can do to help stop global warming.

B．Who should be responsible for the environmental problems.

C．What global warming is doing to the environment.

D．Why cars and buses pollute the air a lot

How to deal successfully  with a child showing outstanding musical ability? It’s not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift. Many parents may even fail to recognize and respond to their children′s need until discouragement explodes into uncooperative(不合作的)behavior. And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are especially able in academic subjects，the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school. Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school.
The five music schools in Britain aim to provide all environment where gifted children can develop their skills under the guidance of professional musicians. Children here spend about half of a day on musical activities，for example，individual lessons，orchestras，chamber(室內(nèi)音樂的)groups，voice training，conducting and theory. They also spend several hours a day practicing in private rooms .The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects：English，maths and basic sciences.
What are the disadvantages? An obvious problem is that the fees are high .However, each school will often scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Secondly, not all parents want to send their children to boarding school, especially at an early age .Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such a tense and disciplined（守紀律的)environment. They stress，however, that their main aim is to turn out “well-rounded and well—balanced individual.”
小題1:If a child’s musical ability is not recognized___________.

A．the child may behave badly

B．the ability may fade away

C．the child may lose interest

D．the parents may become anxious

小題2:What probably may musically gifted children face in ordinary schools?

A．Their academic work may suffer．

B．Schools lack musical equipment

C．Music is not seen as an important subject

D．Parents and teachers don’t work together．

小題3:What makes specialist music schools different from other schools?

A．Their working day is longer．

B．A range of musical training is offered

C．More than half the day is spent on music

D．The children have mostly one-to-one lessons

小題4:According to school directors，what is a possible disadvantage for pupils?

A．Poor children may not be included

B．They may lose their individuality

C．There may be a discipline problem

D．They may be too small on arrival

小題5:The passage mainly talks about__________.

A．education and development about children

B．disadvantages of music schools

C．music schools for children with music gift

D．how to deal with music talented children

When 18th-century scientists first came across Australia’s platypus(鴨嘴獸), they thought it was a trick. It is not surprising that the platypus made people confused. This funny-looking animal has feet and is a kind of warm-blooded mammal.
While other mammals usually keep their blood at around 37 degrees, the platypus has a lower body temperature of 32 degrees. As to its appearance, the platypus’mouth is not really like ducks’at all; its mouth actually looks a bit soft. The platypus closes its eyes when swimming. It uses its mouth to pick up outside information made by the creatures underwater.
Strangest of all, the platypus is a mammal that can lay eggs. And there is only one other kind of mammal that can lay eggs, the echidna (針鼴鼠) of Australia. Both the platy-pus and the echidna lay soft-shelled eggs, and both feed their young with their own milk that comes out of their skin. These animals also walk in a way that is similar to crocodiles(鱷魚), with legs on the sides of their bodies rather than under them.
Though pretty, in a special way, the platypus is actually one of the few mammals that are poisonous. A male platypus has knife-like bones on its back legs which have enough poison to kill a dog.
The platypus has the honor of being one of the oldest mammals in the world. Until the early 20th century, it was hunted for its fur, but the situation has changed. Although the platypus is easily affected by pollution, it is not under any immediate threat.
小題1: What can we learn about the platypus according to the text?

A．It has a lower body temperature than other mammals.

B．It only closes its eyes when underwater.

C．It’s the only poisonous mammal in the world.

D．It feeds its young on wild animal meat.

小題2:Which of the following is NOT used as a comparison with the platypus in the text?

A．The crocodile.

B．The echidna.

C．The duck.

D．The dog.

小題3:The following characteristics of the platypus have been described in the text EXCEPT ________.

A．its natural enemy	B．its appearance
C．its walking pose	D．its daily diet

小題4:We can infer from the last paragraph that the platypus _______.

A．is hunted for its meat	B．is in danger of extinction
C．is endangered by air pollution	D．is well-protected now

小題5:Which of the following would be the best title for this text?

A．Platypus, a Trick?

B．Platypus, the Only Warm-Blooded Mammal

C．The Characteristics of Platypus

D．The Strange Mammal —Platypus。

A group of senior high school students are playing outside on a basketball court. They are shouting with excitement. And they all have the same dream. They wish to play in the NBA, just like Huston Rocket’s Yao Ming. “Someday, there will be more Chinese players like Yao in the NBA,” said 15-year-old Xie Tao, a senior 1 boy at Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. Xie always watches Yao playing on TV. “He is a great player. He makes me proud to be Chinese,” he said.
Like Xie, 17-year-old Liu Yan at Beijing No. 22 Middle School is also a big NBA fan. “Since early May, I’ve not missed one game in the NBA,” said the senior 3 student.
Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools across the country. And more young players are starting to like the sport. More students are playing the game.
Jiang Hui, a basketball teacher at Beijing No. 2 Middle School, said that 85 percent of the students at this school like the sport. “Students are full of passion for the game,” Jiang’s team won the regional first prize in the 2004 National High School Boy’s Basketball League in   march. The league is the first national basketball competition for high school students.
Playing basketball is a good way to exercise. But students also enjoy it for other reasons. For Li Yan, a Senior 2 at Shanghai No. 12 Middle School, basketball teaches him lessons in life. “When I am in a game, I feel more confident about my studies, “ he said. “ It also teaches me to have a good team spirit and to enjoy friendship.”
小題1:The same dream of the group of senior high school students is to ______.

A．to play in the NBA	B．be as tall as Yao Ming
C．watch Yao Ming playing on TV	D．visit Huston Rocket’s center

小題2:How many students are mentioned in the passage?

A．2.

B．3

C．4

D．5

小題3:Which school team won the regional first prize in the first national basketball competition for high school students?

A．Shanghai No. 2 Middle School.	B．Beijing No. 22 Middle School.
C．Beijing No. 2 Middle School.	D．Shanghai No. 12 Middle School.

小題4:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools in Chine.

B．The 2004 National High School Boy’s Basketball League was held in May.

C．Playing basketball is a good way to exercise.

D．Students enjoys playing basketball for a lot of reasons.

小題5:Who learns to have a good team spirit from playing basketball?

A．Xie Tao

B．Yao Ming

C．Jiang Hui

D．Li Yan

The year is 2094,It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth.Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion.About half of the piece is destoryed but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200times the speed of sound.The sea boils and a huge gole is made in the sea bed.Huge waves are created and spread outwards form the hole.The eall of water,a kilometer high,rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour.Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America.the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina.Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Moutains.The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles,San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes,Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead,but the north won’t eacape for long.Because of the explosions the sun is hidden by clouds of dust,and temperatures around the world fall to almost zero.Crops are ruined.The sun won’t be seen again for many years.Wars break out as countries fight for food.A year later,no more than 10 million remain laive.
Could it really happen?In fact,it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth.The dinesaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years,Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared.Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out .Will we meet the same end ?
小題1:What is mainly described in the passage ?

A．A historic discovery	B．A research on space
C．A scientific adventure	D．An imaginary event

小題2:When the first piece hits the South Atlantic,it causes_______.

A．a(chǎn)n earthquake	B．huge waves
C．damages to cities	D．a(chǎn)n Earth explosion

小題3:Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape ofr long?

A．Because the land is covered with water.

B．because people there can not live at the temperature of zero.

C．Because wars break out among countries.

D．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth.

小題4:By giving the example if dinosaurs,the author tries to prove________.

A．a(chǎn)nimals could not live in the cold climate.

B．what happened 65 mollion years ago was an invented story.

C．the human beings will die out in 2094

D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

小題5:We may guess that the writer is_________.

A．worried

B．full of imagination

C．practical

D．a(chǎn) scientist

My name is Cherry Carl, and I retired in June, 2003, after 35 years as a teacher and Language Arts Specialist in Santee, California.  However, I continued my role as an instructor at the University of California, San Diego, in the Reading Specialist Certification Program until June, 2009. 
I wasn't ready to retire. Teaching is in my blood! (My mother always reminded me that when I was little, I dragged the neighborhood kids in to play school whether they wanted to or not!) I still have the strong desire to make a difference for teachers, parents, and students. I'm passionate about the joy of knowing how to read and write and want every child to have the experience of closing a book with a sigh, "Wow, that was a good book!" The only way they can do that is by having the necessary skills and strategies to become independent readers. This website has been created to provide resources and materials for classroom teachers, reading and resource specialists, speech therapists, parents and students in the area of language arts. Please feel free to download and print anything that catches your eye, but please make sure to leave my name on the poetry and worksheets!
If you have specific needs or suggestions, please don't hesitate to a   sk. I'm always open to new ideas and requests. That's how the site continues to grow. You can email me at carl1404@msn.com.
Thank you so much for your heartfelt messages and testimonials. You and your children are the reason that I maintain the site and I will continue to offer the materials with little or no fees.
小題1:By saying “Teaching is in my blood” in Paragraph 2, the author means that ________.

A．she loves teaching all her life

B．she didn’t want to retire at all

C．she is a specialist in teaching

D．teaching is as important as her blood

小題2:Which of the following statements is TRUE about Cherry Carl?

A．She became a teacher at the age of 35.

B．She was interested in teaching as a child.

C．She is still a teacher in a middle school now.

D．She gave up teaching totally 35 years ago.

小題3:If you want some materials from Cherry Carl, ________.

A．you must pay some money for them

B．you can always get them free of charge

C．you should tell her before getting them

D．you should mark her name on them