The UK's education system is ranked（排列） sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
小題1:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The two different education superpowers

B．The result of one report about education system .

C．The UK's education system is worst.

D．Finland and South Korea’S education system

小題2:According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked       in the world.

A．2nd

B．3rd

C．4th

D．5th

小題3:All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.

A．At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.

B．Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system.

C．The United States’ education system is one of the best.

D．There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea.

小題4:What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．比較

B．結(jié)果

C．研究

D．考試

小題5:What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.

For most people, shopping is still a matter of wandering down the street or loading a cart in a shopping mall．Soon, that will change．Electronic commerce （trade） is growing fast and will soon bring people more choices．There will, however, be a cost: protecting the consumer from being cheated will be harder．Many governments therefore want to apply street regulations to the electronic world．But politicians would be wiser to see cyberspace as a basis for a new era of corporate self-regulation．
Consumers in rich countries have grown used to the idea that the government takes responsibility for everything for the stability of the banks to the safety of the drugs or their rights to refund when goods are faulty．But governments cannot enforce national laws on businesses whose only presence is on the screen．Even in a country where a clear right to compensation exists, the on-line customer in Tokyo, say, can hardly go to New York to get a refund for a clothes purchase．
One answer is for government to cooperate more: to recognize each other’s  rules．But that requires years of work and volumes of detailed rules．And plenty of countries have rules too fanciful for sober countries to accept．There is, however, another choice．Let the electronic businesses do the regulation themselves．They do, after all, have a self-interest in doing so．
In electronic commerce, a reputation for honest dealing will be a valuable competitive asset．Governments, too, may compete to be trusted．For instance, customers ordering medicines on-line may prefer to buy from the United States because they trust the rigorous screening of the Food and Drug Administration; or they may decide that the FDA’s rules are too strict, and buy from Switzerland instead．
Customers will still need to use their judgment．But precisely because the technology is new, electronic shoppers are likely for a while to be a lot more cautious than customers of the normal sort．And the new technology will also make it easier for them to complain when a company lets them down．In this way, at least, the advent of cyberspace may argue for fewer consumer protection laws, not more．
小題1:According to the author, what will be the best policy for electronic commerce?

A．Self-regulation by the business．	B．Strict consumer protection laws．
C．Close international cooperation．	D．Government protection．

小題2:In case an electronic shopper bought faulty goods from a foreign country, what could he do?

A．Refuse to pay for the purchase．	B．Go to the seller and ask for a refund．
C．Appeal to consumer protection law．	D．Complain about it on the Internet．

小題3:In the author’s view, businesses would place a high emphasis on honest dealing because in the electronic world _________________________________．

A．international cooperation would be much more frequent

B．consumers could easily seek government protection

C．a(chǎn) good reputation is a great advantage in competition

D．it would be easy for consumers to complain

小題4:We can infer from the passage that in licensing new drugs the FDA in the United States is ____________________．

A．very quick

B．very cautious

C．very slow

D．rather careless

小題5:If a customer buys something that does not meet his expectation, what is the advantage of dealing through electronic commerce over the present normal one?

A．It will be easier for him to return the goods he is not satisfied with．

B．It will be easier for him to attain the refund from the seller．

C．It will be easier for him to get his complaints heard by other consumers．

D．It will be easier for him to complain about this to the government．

Gauri Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag — one that’s built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌入) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That’s where similarities end: This bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you’re about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Sure, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. DuPont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here’s how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip on to your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you’ve forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse’s handles will notify the computer that you’ve picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring — and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years — making for a booming market for wearable computers that don’t like something out of science fiction.
小題1:Which of the following describes a wearable computer?

A．It can be washed in a washing machine.

B．It is much heavier than a leather purse.

C．It can download songs from the Internet.

D．It is made of clothes conducting electricity.

小題2:According to the passage, these new wearable computers ________________________.

A．require users to operate on the stomach

B．pick up the signals through wires and chip

C．a(chǎn)re being applied in some different areas now

D．a(chǎn)re smarter but more expensive than the old ones

小題3:What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．These new wearable computers have become fashionable.

B．People would like to learn more about these new computers.

C．These new wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.

D．The idea of these purse-like computers comes from science fiction.

小題4:The purpose of the passage is ________________________________________.

A．to introduce a new kind of computer	B．to explain the function of computers
C．to compare different types of computers	D．to show how high technology affects our life

Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore. At such times, they inquire into the causes of the disasters or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however. the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers．In the U.S, for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work. and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness. but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars which we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.
小題1:The main topic of the passage is ___________________________________________.

A．conditions in the work place	B．the freedom of industries in the past
C．changes in industrial production	D．the safety and health of workers and customers

小題2:It can be inferred from the passage that in the past __________________________.

A．workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions

B．companies were free to put out any products they wanted to

C．many people were killed by dangerous products

D．industries were as careful in management as they are today

小題3:It is implied (暗示) in the passage that ________________________________________.

A．governments and companies had different opinions about the safety of products

B．governments paid little attention to the safety of products

C．government officials often did not listen to scientists

D．in the past no safety laws were introduced by governments

Jeremy Shu-How Lin, who was born in California, 1988, world-famous now，is the first Chinese-American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of NBA.
It hasn't been an easy road for Lin. After high school, Lin sent his resume(簡歷) and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, and his dream schools Stanford and UCLA. Harvard and Brown were the only schools that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft . Lin spent his first season with his hometown the Golden State Warriors. He saw limited minutes with the Warriors, but was cheered in arenas(比賽場) around the country, particularly in cities with large Asian communities, as fans came out in crowds to cheer their homegrown star. In late 2011, Lin spent less than two weeks with the Houston Rockets, moving to the New York Knicks at the very end of the year.
He has made several trips to the NBA's Development League, a minor league for players who show promise but need seasoning before they can compete at the highest level. It appears to have paid off. In February 2012, after keying the Knicks victory over New Jersey, Lin was named the starter for the Utah game, a position he appears to have a hold on in the short term, as Baron Davis, who signed in December to play the position, stays on the disabled list. Lin will likely get stronger the more minutes he plays, and even if Davis returns, spelling the older, recovering player could be productive for Lin: a proven good student who can learn a lot from practicing against a veteran.
Without the services of All-Stars Carmelo and Amare, Lin led New York to a 4-0 record last week. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. The Associated Press called Lin "the most Surprising story in the NBA".                                                                          
小題1:From the passage we can know that Lin         ．

A．enjoyed himself in the Houston Rockets

B．used to be a leader in the New York Knicks

C．is a proven good student who can learn a lot from other players.

D．led New York to success with the help of some All- Stars.

小題2:According to the passage, which statement is true?  

A．Harvard offered Lin an athletic scholarship．

B．Harvard and Brown make sure of Lin's position on their basketball teams．

C．Stanford and Harvard were Lin's dream schools．

D．Lin’s DVD impressed all the Ivy League schools greatly．

小題3:Which of the following can be the main idea of this text?

A．How the word Linsanity came into being．	B．Introduction to Jeremy Shu-How Lin．
C．How Lin becomes successful．	D．Lin and New York Knicks

A student walks into his first class and realizes he forgot all about the midterm exam. He knows he needs to bring his grades up, and getting a zero will make it nearly impossible. He quickly jots down some notes and shoves them under his lap hoping it will help him pass. Cheating is a major concern in all academic environments. Students are creating new and more outrageous(令人吃驚的) ways of cheating every day; some claim that certain accounts of cheating can be justified, but overall it can always be prevented.
Cheating has been around forever, and millions of ways to cheat have been fashioned. Copying homework and cheat sheets are some of the most basic ways students in all education levels have cheated. Some students think nothing about writing a few answers on their hand, in a gum wrapper, or boldly using a study guide to cheat. Desperate students have even gone as far as to steal the test or scan in bottle wrappers and put answers into the nutrition label. The internet has now become available in almost every location. Computers can be accessed at school, at home, and now even on cell phones. This opens a doorway for even more methods of cheating to be born.
There are countless opinions on whether or not cheating can be justified. The truth is this behavior will always be a matter of opinion with each scenario of cheating. Students often rationalize their cheating by claiming they forgot to look over the material or did not understand what the teacher or professor was saying. Some may counter these arguments by saying that the student could have set reminders or asked the teacher to explain the material before the day of the test. Some other reasons students believe cheating is justified are their heavy workloads and trying to find time for school, sports, friends, and family. This may be true in certain instances, however, all students have these problems, and it is unfair to the students refrain(制止) from cheating when the student who is dishonest receives a better grade. The majority of students who think cheating is acceptable may believe the reason for this is that sometimes students are unaware they are cheating, there is not enough time given for assignments, or that the information is too much for the course.
It may be difficult to accomplish, but cheating can be prevented. Teachers and professors have tried many options to stop cheating. These options can range anywhere from simply spreading test-takers out in a room, to expelling(驅(qū)逐) a student, which will most likely hindertheir plans of getting into another college. One simple way to fix the problem is to scold the student when caught. They may be so scared or embarrassed that they never do it again. This is a risky way to prevent cheating in some cases, however, because it can possibly damage self-esteem. Another simple way to avoid cheating is to create many different kinds of the same test. This prohibits students from getting the answers off of a neighbor's test, but students still have the option of using other cheating tactics.
There may be a million ways to cheat and get away with it, but there are few times, if any, that it is justified. Cheating never has to be a necessity and is never worth compromising morals and losing years worth of working towards a degree. This problem is spreading throughout America; with everyone's help, it can be stopped.
小題1:Which is the best title of this passage?

A．To cheat or not to cheat	B．Show your opinion on cheating
C．Debates on cheating	D．Different ways of cheating

小題2:The second paragraph mainly tells us that ________.

A．cheating through the Internet is the most basic way

B．students who cheat in exams are cleverer

C．millions of ways to cheat have been fashioned

D．students cheat in exams to score better grades

小題3:The reason that is given by most students who think cheating is understandable is that ________.

A．they don’t understand their teachers’ words

B．they bury themselves in a lot of homework

C．they don’t have enough time to complete the study tasks

D．they forget to look over the material

小題4:What is the disadvantage of scolding the cheating students according to the passage?

A．They may continue to cheat next time.

B．They may be hurt mentally.

C．They may use other cheating tactics.

D．They may get on badly with their teachers.

小題5:What is the author’s attitude towards cheating?

A．It is reasonable	B．It is necessary
C．it can be praised	D．It must be prevented

Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’ve joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW). You can use QQ to chat with your friends, and they will make responses in a few seconds. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also go shopping by the Internet without going out.
There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at your spare time.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. It is also possible for you to discuss some projects or assign the work on the Internet instead of at a meeting. In addition, you can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Internet.

B．Information.

C．Computers.

D．E-mails.

小題2:What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Doing with information on the Internet.

B．Using the Internet to communicate with friends.

C．Going shopping by the Internet.

D．Things we can do by the Internet.

小題3:Who is the owner of the Internet?

A．The headmaster.

B．The officer.

C．The manager.

D．No one.

小題4:Which may be the most possible place for people to work in the future?

A．In the office.	B．At school.
C．At home.	D．In the company.

小題5:What does the writer try to tell us with the last two sentences?

A．English is important in using the Internet.

B．The Internet is more and more popular.

C．Most of the information is in English.

D．Every computer must have the Internet.

The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009． The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere． A series of activities was held． There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy． They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities．
Handwriting was for the students in lower grades． Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it． In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers． They copied some articles from books or newspapers． And then they decorated them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them． How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8． These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity． Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them．
The most important event was the English show on the last day． The students and teachers presented a lot of English songs and English operas． Each program won storms of applause．
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot． Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week． It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies．”
小題1:In this passage, the English week is described as__________．

A．surprising

B．boring

C．enjoyable

D．serious

小題2:Which of the following is Not true?

A．All the students took part in the handwriting contest．

B．The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8．

C．The English show was the most important event．

D．Teachers also took part in the English week．

小題3:What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?

A．Noise

B．Cheer

C．Sound

D．Music

小題4:What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?

A．The activities are a good way to learn English．

B．Students usually don’t like English．

C．The activities last longer．

D．Learning English in the classroom is invaluable．

Why is a full moon, yellower and bigger when it is coming up than when it is higher in the sky?

That's a good question about something that we all can see. Let's talk about the moon's color first.
We see the moon only because of the sunlight that falls on it and is reflected. Actually, the moon is not a very good reflector, because its surface is all rocks and dirt. We see it in almost its true color when it is high in the sky.
When the moon first comes up, its light reaches our eyes after an extra-long path through the atmosphere (大氣). There are lots of particles (微粒) scattering (分散) light in that long path. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, which means that it doesn't reach your eyes. The light that is left over looks yellow to your eye.
Now about the other question—why the moon seems to change in size. That's more complicated. It's not an effect of the atmosphere, the way color is; it's not caused by something fooling your eyes. It seems, instead, to be caused by something that fools your brain—an illusion(錯覺).
Here's a drawing that creates an illusion. The two cones(圓錐體) are really the same size. But the rest of the drawing makes the right-hand cone seem farther away. Your brain knows that faraway objects are really larger than they look. It decides that the right-hand cone must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
Similarly, when you see the moon just come up over a line of trees or houses—or whatever makes the horizon(地平線)—it may be that your brain decides that the moon must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
小題1:The moon doesn't reflect the sunlight very well because________________.

A．it is high in the sky	B．its surface is rough
C．its surface is white	D．it isn't a good reflector

小題2:Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．In the course of its rising, the moon is getting smaller and smaller

B．The size of the moon is more complicated than its color

C．The atmosphere has the same effect on the moon's size as on its color

D．The change in the moon's size is caused by an illusion while that in its color is caused by the atmosphere

小題3:After reading this passage, you can possibly answer one of the following questions. Which one? ______.

A．Why is the sun bigger when it rises over the horizon?

B．Why does the sun look bigger when it rises over the horizon?

C．Why does the sun look golden?

D．Why does the sun rise in the east?

小題4:Who do you think probably wrote this passage?________.

A．A novelist	B．A reporter
C．A science editor	D．An English teacher．

LG Electronics, the world’s fourth largest cell phone producer, has added another feature to the mobile phone-reading books for the visually impaired(弱視). The company started marketing the model, the LF1300 on Sep.18.No other people but the blind and visually-impaired with a certificate(證書) can buy the talking phone at sales shops of LG Electronics.
“The LF1300 is the world’s first mobile phone that is capable of reading books for the print-disabled, who otherwise could not enjoy them．This is not about making money but about continuing to put froth efforts to reduce the digital difference for the disabled,” LG Vice President said.
Its users can download about 300 audio books from the Internet site of LG Sangam Library to their phones for free in two ways. One is to access the digital library’s Website on a computer designed for the blind to get the audio books and transfer them to cell phones. The other is to download the digital books directly with cell phones through the wireless net work by touching a hot key on the LF1300 phone.
On top of its unique feature of reading books, the LF1300 is no worse than the pupular top-line phones in both outlooks and frnctionalities(功能性). The phone is armed with an MP3 player and a Bluetooth headset, enabling users to listen to the music or talk without a cord. The user interface（界面) of the LF1300 is also designed for the blind,enabling phone users to control it through a voice guidance system.
However, because the phone’s internal mimory of 17MB is small even for a single audio book file, which takes up 80MB on average, a high-volume external memory is a must for the talking book services.
小題1:          are allowed to buy the talking phone.

A．Disabled people with a certificate

B．All the blind and poor-sighted people

C．The blind and poor-sighted with a certificate

D．Both healthy and disabled citizens

小題2:The users can enjoy reading books on LF1300 by         .

A．talking to the microphone	B．touching any key
C．touching its screen	D．touching the hot key

小題3:What can be learned from the passage?

A．This is the first time LG company has done something for the disabled.

B．Phone users don’t have to pay much to download the digital books.

C．LF1300 has a less attractive outlook than any other top-line phone.

D．The disadvantage of LF1300 is that it has too small internal memory.

小題4:The best title of the passage might be         .

A．A New Type of Cell Phone is on the Market

B．Mobile Phones Can Read Books for the Print-Disabled

C．The Disabled will Benefit from Cell Phone Producers

D．Advanced Technology Helps the Blind Read Books