Providing small classes for at least several grades starting in early primary school gives students the best chance to succeed in late grades, according to groundbreaking new research from a Michigan State University scholar.
The research by Spyros Konstantopoulos, a professor of education, is the first to examine the effects of class size over a period and for all levels of students. The study appears in the American Journal of Education.
He is also a member of a group for the Department of Education’s Instiute of Education Sciences that will give official advice on class size to the states. He said the advice will mirror his research: the best plan is to provide continuous small classes(13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first grade.
“For a logn time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the benefits,” He said. “I don’t believe that. I think you need at least a few years in a row where all students, and especially low-achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later.”
His research used data from the Project Star study in Tennessee that analyzed the effects of class size on more than 11,000 students in primary and middle school. He found that students who had been in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had actually higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who been in larger classes early on.
Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found. “But low-achievers benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap with high –achievers in science, reading and math, ” he said.
Although the study didn’t consider classroom practices, he said the reason for the narrowing gap is likely due to low-achieving students receiving more attention from teachers.
“This is especially important in poorer schools because teacher effectiveness matters more in schools with more disadvantaged and low-performing students, ” he said.
小題1:The professor argues about ________ .

A．the size of the class	B．the period of the class
C．the attention from teachers	D．the achievements of students

小題2:The result of the research shows that _________.

A．small classes for one year in early grade are enough

B．continuous small classes help students achieve more

C．it’s best to attend small classes in kindergarten

D．small classes do equal good to students of all levels

小題3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．High achievers will not benefit from small classes.

B．Continuous small classes have not been widely accepted.

C．Low-achievers should be separated from high-achievers.

D．Teachers’ attention matters less than classroom practices.

小題4:The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph refers to _______.

A．the gap between low and high achievers	B．continuous small classes
C．classroom practices in later grades	D．the Project Star Sturdy

Do you always understand the directions on a bottle of medicine? Do you know what is meant by “Take only as directed”? Read the following directions and see if you understand them.
To reduce pain, take two tablets with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For night time and early morning relief take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount. For children under six years old, ask your doctor’s advice.
Reduce the amount if you suffer from restlessness or sleeplessness after taking the medicine.
小題1: How many tablets at most can a person over 12 have in 24 hours?

A．Three

B．Four

C．Six

D．Eight

小題2:How many tablets should a nine-year-old child normally take in 24 hours?

A．Half a tablet

B．One tablet

C．Two tablets

D．Four tablets

小題3: What is the advice for one who can not sleep well after taking the medicine?

A．Stop taking the medicine at bedtime	B．Continue to take the normal amount
C．Take more than the normal amount	D．Take less than the normal amount

小題4: It can be inferred from the directions that this medicine ___________ .

A．helps you to fall asleep quickly	B．may be dangerous to small children
C．cannot be taken if one feels sleepy	D．should not be taken by children under six

小題5:This text is most probably taken from a _____________ .

A．textbook

B．newsreel

C．doctor’s notebook

D．bottle of medicine

Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables (音節(jié)), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.
小題1: The writer thinks that        .

A．choose a good dictionary, and you’ll be successful in learning English

B．dictionaries are not necessary to the students who learn English

C．it is very important for students to use good dictionaries properly

D．using dictionaries very often can’t help to improve writing

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is wrong?

A．Dictionaries have little effect on learning to speak English.

B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, never use dictionaries.

C．Small two-language dictionaries have serious defects (缺陷).

D．Reading something for the first time, you’d better not use dictionaries.

小題3:When in the reading does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary?

A．At the beginning of the reading

B．At the end of the reading

C．During the first reading

D．After the first reading

小題4:This passage mainly tells us        .

A．students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries

B．what were the defects of small two-language dictionaries

C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries

D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it

小題5: Which is not mentioned in this passage?

A．How to make good use of a dictionary.

B．When to use a dictionary.

C．How to improve spoken English.

D．How to practise reading fast.

Do you know  21 languages there are in the world? There are about 1500, but many of them aren’t very  22  . English is one of the most important languages because many people 23  it, not only in England and America,  24  in other countries of world. About 375000000 people speak it  25  their own language, and another 375000000 use it as 26  language. It is 27  to say how many people are learning it.  28  boys and girls in schools are trying to do so.
Many English children study French. French is also a very important language.  29  children study German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
What is the best  30  to learn a language? We know that we all learnt  31  language well when we were 32  . If  we learn a second language in the  33  way, it won’t seem so difficult. What does a small child do? It  34  what people say, and it tries to guess what it hears. When it wants something, it has to 35  it. It is using the language, 36  in it and talking in it all the time. If people use a second language  37  , they will learn it 38  .
In school, you learn to read, to write, to hear and to speak. It is best to learn all new words
through the  39  .You can read them, spell them and  40 them later.

小題1:	A．how many B．what number C．a(chǎn) lot of D．so many

小題2:	A．useful B．necessary C．important D．good

小題3:	A．like B．use C．learn D．speak

小題4:	A．but B．a(chǎn)nd C．a(chǎn)lso D．so

小題5:	A．like B．with C．for D．a(chǎn)s

小題6:	A．foreign B．a(chǎn) second C．the second D．a(chǎn) special

小題7:	A．easy B．a(chǎn)gain C．difficult D．best

小題8:	A．Millions of B．Million of C．Millions D．Several million of

小題9:	A．Some B．Other C．All D．Few

小題10:

A．time B．way C．thing D．place

小題11:

A．a(chǎn) foreign B．our mothers’ C．other’s D．our own

小題12:

A．born B．children C．grown D．boys

小題13:

A．same B．different C．useful D．good

小題14:

A．does B．says C．listens to D．follows

小題15:

A．a(chǎn)sk B．want C．get D．a(chǎn)sk for

小題16:speaking                   B. writing                     C. thinking                   D. doing

小題17:

A．some time B．sometimes C．a(chǎn)ll the same D．for the time

小題18:

A．quickly B．soon C．freely D．hardly

小題19:

A．mouth B．hands C．ears D．mind

小題20:

A．listen to B．use C．love D．write

There is no excuse for not doing your assignments（作業(yè)）. If you can’t come to school, you should call your teacher or your classmate and ask about homework. It is your responsibility（責(zé)任）to find out what homework you have missed. It is not the teacher’s job to remind you of the missed assignments.
You must not be absent on a test day. If you are seriously ill, call and let the teacher know you will not be there for the test. If your teacher allows a make-up test（補(bǔ)考），you should take the test within one or two days after you return to class. Serious illness is the only reason for missing a test.
Be on time! It is impolite to be late. Also, it bothers other students. If you must come in late, be sure to do it quietly. Have your books and papers out of your bag before you come into the room. Then go to your seat and sit down quietly. In the USA, it is not necessary to knock before you enter the classroom. Most teachers will give you a low grade if you are often late.
In America, you should call your teacher by his or her last name instead of “ teacher”. Also you should use Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs before the last name ( such as Mrs Smith or Mr Jones). This is polite. The teacher will tell you the title that he or she likes. It is impolite in the USA to eat, drink or chew gum during class. Don’t do these until the break. Also, removing your shoes in the classroom is not polite.
小題1:What should you do if you miss a class?

A．Give an excuse for missing the assignments.

B．Tell the teacher you can’t come to school or do the assignments.

C．Ask your teacher to remind you of the missed assignments.

D．Call your teacher or your classmate to find out what assignments were given.

小題2: When can a student miss a test according to the passage?

A．When he / she is late for the test.

B．When he/ she is really sick.

C．When he / she failed another test.

D．When he / she doesn’t want to have the test.

小題3: In America, if your teacher’s name is Susan Black, what should you call her politely?

A．Ms Black

B．Ms Susan

C．Susan Black

D．Teacher Black

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

A．A student is thought to be impolite when he / she takes off his / her shoes in the classroom.

B．A student is thought to be impolite when he / she eats and drinks in class.

C．When a student is late for class, he / she must knock before he / she enters the classroom.

D．A student is thought to be impolite when he/she doesn’t come for class on time.

There are about fifteen hundred languages in the world. But   36  a few of them are very   37  .English is one of these. Many, many people use it, not only in England and the U.S.A., but in other parts of the world. About 200,000,000 speak it as their own language. It is difficult to say how many people are learning it as a  38  language. Many millions are   39   to do so. Is it easy or difficult to learn English? Different people may have different   40   Have you ever   41  ads of this kind in the newspapers or magazines? "Learn English in six weeks, or your   42  back..." "Easy and funny! Our records and tapes   43  you master your English in a month.   44   the first day your   45  will be excellent. Just send …"Of course, it never    46  quite like this.
The only language that seems easy to learn is the mother tongue. We should   47  that we all learned our own language well when we were    48  . If we could learn English in the same way, it would not seem so difficult.   49   what a small child does. He listens to what people say. He tries what he hears. When he is using the language, talking in it,   50  in it all the time. Just imagine how much   51  that gets!
So it is  52  to say that learning English is easy, because a good command of English   53  upon a lot of practice. And practice needs great effort and   54  much time. Good teachers, records, tapes, books, and dictionaries will   55  . But they cannot do the student's work for him.（詞數(shù)278）

小題1:	A．not B．quite C．only D．very

小題2:	A．difficult B．important C．necessary D．easy

小題3:	A．native B．foreign C．useful D．mother

小題4:	A．learning B．enjoying C．trying D．liking

小題5:	A．questions B．problems C．ideas D．a(chǎn)nswers

小題6:	A．found B．watched C．noticed D．known

小題7:	A．knowledge B．time C．money D．English

小題8:	A．make B．help C．let D．a(chǎn)llow

小題9:	A．From B．On C．Since D．After

小題10:

A．spelling B．grammar C．English D．pronunciation

小題11:

A．happened B．looked C．seemed D．felt

小題12:

A．know B．remember C．understand D．think

小題13:

A．students B．children C．babies D．grown-ups

小題14:

A．Imagine B．Mind C．Do D．Think of

小題15:

A．using B．thinking C．trying D．practicing

小題16:

A．time B．money C．language D．practice

小題17:

A．hard B．easy C．funny D．silly

小題18:

A．depends B．tries C．has D．takes

小題19:

A．uses B．takes C．gets D．costs

小題20:

A．do B．work C．help D．master

    Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all the new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language. About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families. （詞數(shù)155）
小題1:The early language had ________.

A．a(chǎn) lot of problems	B．words and easy grammar
C．words but no grammar	D．grammar but not many words

小題2: In the next few hundred years we can expect language to _____.

A．stay exactly the same	B．change a great deal
C．change only a little	D．a(chǎn)sk more words and drop some grammar

小題3:What this article shows is that _____.

A．languages change fast	B．languages really don't want to change
C．language really with changes in society	D．Spanish and English change

How do you feel after you've stayed up late to finish schoolwork? Or the day after a slumber party? Scientists now say that your answers to these questions may depend on your genes.
Genes are stretches of DNA that work like an instruction manual for our cells. Genes tell our bodies and brains what to do. People have about 40,000 genes, and each gene can have different forms. So, for example, certain forms of some genes make your eyes blue. Other versions of those genes make your eyes brown.
In a similar way, new research suggests that a gene called period3 affects how well you function without sleep. The discovery adds to older evidence that period3 helps determine whether you like to stay up late or get up early.
The period3 gene comes in two forms: short and long. Everyone has two copies of the gene. So, you may have two longs, two shorts, or one of each. Your particular combination depends on what your parents passed on to you.
Scientists from the University of Surrey in England studied 24 people who had either two short or two long copies of period3. Study participants had to stay awake for 40 hours straight. Then, they took tests that measured how quickly they pushed a button when numbers flashed on a screen and how well they could remember lists of numbers.
Results showed that the people with the short form of period3 performed much better on these tests than the people with the long form did. In both groups, people performed worst in the early morning. That's the time when truck drivers and other night-shift workers say they have the most trouble concentrating.
After the first round of experiments, participants were finally allowed to sleep. People in the group that performed well on the tests took about 18 minutes to nod off.
People with the long period3 gene, by contrast, fell asleep in just 8 minutes. They also spent more time in deep sleep. That suggests that people with the long form of the gene need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working at top form.
小題1:We can know from the passage that genes can not ________.

A．tell our bodies and brains what to do

B．make our eyes blue or brown

C．decide how well you work without sleep

D．ensure whether you’re good at driving

小題2:Which of the following statements about the period3 is wrong?
 

A．It affects whether you like to stay up late or get up early.

B．It comes in two forms: short and long.

C．One has either two longs or two shorts of it.

D．Your parents determine what particular combination you have.

小題3: People with the short form of period3__________.
 

A．need to go to bed early and get up early	B．can work better than the people with long form of period3 without sleep
C．take less time to fall asleep after they stay up late
D．need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working at top form

小題4:What’s the best title of the passage?

A．The Period3 Gene	B．The Function of Genes
C．Wake up, Sleepy Gene	D．Stay up Late or Get up Early?