People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power. Ask anyone in a business, they will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because the jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people. Sometimes people in business feel competing businesses are as dangerous as wild animals. And they feel that unknown dangers in the business world frighten the survival of their business.

People in business have to be careful, if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that it is not real. Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in a American newspapers in 1800s. A newspaper in Boston Massachusetts said the word came from a criminal whose name was Bogazy. The newspaper said Bogazy wrote checks to people, although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would flee from town. So people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed to the criminal's name Bogazy to bogus.

People try to earn money also must be aware of being ripped off. A person who is ripped off has had something stolen or at least has been treated very unfairly. A writer for the magazine American Speech said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt ripped off or cheated. Perhaps the best way to prevent getting ripped off in business is to not try to get rich quickly.

To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk and talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say it sounds good but how much does it cost？

Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the brass tacks, the copper pieces that hold the boat together. So if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And some good luck will help too.

1.This passage is mainly written to________.

A. explain several expressions related to money

B. tell us some skills of learning English words

C. tell us the secret of how to do business

D. tell us the power of money

2.People compare doing business to being in a jungle because________.

A. doing business is as exciting as living in a jungle

B. businessmen are as dangerous as animals in a jungle

C. doing business is as difficult as living in a jungle

D. businessmen are as careful as people living in a jungle

3.If we say something is bogus, we probably mean it is not________.

A. real                          B．beautiful                        C．good                               D．new

4.According to Paragraph 2,where did the word "bogus" come from? _________

A. The name of a very successful businessman.

B. The name of a criminal who cheated others.

C. The name of a famous newspaper in Boston.

D. The name of a check written by a criminal.

 Many school require yearly parent teacher conference(家長(zhǎng)會(huì)) for all students.  1.   . The list below is to help teachers prepare themselves for these often difficult conferences.    2.    . When you have students who are struggling in either their academics(學(xué)業(yè)) or their behaviour, you should communicate with their parents using notes or phone calls.

Come to the conference well- prepared. If the student is having a hard time with their work, show the parents their grades and samples of their work.  3.   . If the student is misbehaving, then you should make detailed notes of their behaviour before the conference. Bring these notes to the conference so that parents can understand how their children are behaving.

  4.  . For example, you might say something about their creativity, their handwriting, their sense of humour, or make some other comment. Instead of restarting the problem you’ve already discussed, end with a comment that offers hope for the future. You could say something like, “Thanks for meeting with me today. I know that working together we can help Johnny succeed. ” Some teachers may have to deal with an angry parent at some point.   5.    . Much anger can be avoided if the parents are informed. Don’t get excited yourself and make sure you avoid shouting.

A. Communicating with parents before a conference is necessary.

B. Try to think of something nice to say about the students that have problems.

C. At the end of the conference, you should make a conclusion.

D. A parent teacher conference can have a huge influence on a student’s work and behaviour.

E. Remember to thank the parents for coming to the conference and working with you.

F. Remember that the best way to solve this is to keep parents informed every step of the way.

G. It is easier for parents to understand the problem if they can actually see examples of their children’s work.

Several parents and children escaped the summer heat and enjoyed a refreshing “Leap Into a Good Book”．About 30 children and parents gathered as volunteers for both agencies.

After the readings，refreshments (點(diǎn)心) were offered and children and parents were given books，a gift bag and a bookmark with information on adult literacy (讀寫(xiě)能力) programs.

Learn to Read of Northwest Florida Inc.and Even Start coordinated the event with hopes that combining their programs will help target functionally illiterate adults and their families.A functionally illiterate adult is one who has reading skills below a seventh?grade level.That often means they have difficulty filling out job applications，understanding a lease，reading medication labels or to their children.

Merelin Hernandez,9，a fourth?grader at Warrington Elementary School，understands the importance of reading.She also says it makes her happy when she is bored.“Reading helps me go to another grade，”she says.“I feel proud when I get a B because then I know I am reading well.”Monae Walker,7，a student at Oakcrest Elementary School，says reading teaches her and makes her happy.

Learn to Read of Northwest Florida Inc.provides one?on?one tutoring for basic reading and writing skills to adults 16 and older who are not in school.Tutors go through a 12?hour workshop and tutor their students 3 hours per week.The program currently has 150 active tutors.

Even Start is a family education program at McMillan Learning Center，which offers adult education classes and infant，toddler and prekindergarten services at no cost to families.Linda Harris，a teacher in charge of the Escambia Even Start program，says the program equips parents so they can help their children.

1.The event “Leap Into a Good Book”________．

A．was mainly held by Learn to Read

B．targeted functionally literate parents

C．was attended by about 30 volunteers

D．was held to enjoy reading in summer

2.According to the passage，a functionally illiterate adult________.

A．has skills below a seventh?grade level

B．has never got school education

C．has no ability to recognize English words

D．can’t fill out a job application

3.According to the passage，Monae Walker________.

A．was attending the one?on?one tutoring

B．was a school?leaver

C．was having a good time there

D．read books with her parents

4.According to the passage，Even Start can________.

A．make parents able to help their children

B．educate children how to use words

C．offer some services for families in life

D．offer a good place for children

Students from Florida International University in. Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it, they wore aquatic (水上的)shoes they designed and created.

Alex Quinones was the first to make it to the other side of a 175-foot lake on campus in record time - just over a minute. Quinones, who wore oversized boat-like shoes, also won last year and will receive $ 500. Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an '6A" on the assignment for Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves, Materials and Methods Construction Class. "It's traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that, " Canaves said. "We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level. "

A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9-year-old girl who competed in place of her mother, while the oldest was a 67-year-old female.

A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the racers. He shouted encouraging words, but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.

"A part of this is for them to have more understanding of designing and make it work better, " he said. It is also a lesson in life for the students.

"Anything, including walking on water, is possible, if you do the research,test it and go through the design process seriously.

1.Which statement about Alex 'Quinones is ture ?

A. He finished the race in less than a minute.

B. He won the race with the help of 2 boats.

C. He failed the race last year.

D. He set a new record this year.

2. For what purpose did the students take part in the race?

A. To go across the lake to school.

B. To test their balance on the water.

C. To pass Professor Canaves’ class.

D. To win the prize money of $ 500.

3.Which of the following is true about the race?

A. The students who fell into the water had to quit.

B. More than 20 teams failed to cross the lake.

C. The students kept silent when the other racers competed.

D. The youngest competitor competed instead of her mother.

4.According to Canaves, this race can help the students

A. understand designing better        B. achieve almost everything

C. work together and unite as one      D. walk on the surface of water

5.What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To advertise a student' s program.

B. To report an interesting assignment.

C. To introduce a creative professor.

D. To encourage special events on campus.

Should students do the grading?

The Supreme Court says the practice doesn’t violate(侵犯) a student’s right to privacy, but is it right for students to grade one another?

Walter Potenza, California

The Supreme Court was absolutely correct to say it’s OK for students to grade one another’s homework, quizzes, and tests: in fact, it’s a great idea.

By grading one another’s papers and seeing the problems their classmates have, students double their exposure(暴露) to the troubles that they may meet on future exams and tests. Grading one another’s papers may be one of the best ways for students to reinforce within themselves the ways to master the most difficult parts of what they are learning.

Teachers are underappreciated and underpaid for the number of hours they have to work to be able to teach really well. Grading all their students’ papers can take hours. Some of that time and energy can be saved by spending a few minutes in class, while providing an extremely valuable learning experience.

I understand that some individuals are sensitive to their classmates seeing their work or grades. Any good teacher would be considerate of students who don’t want their classmates to grade their assignments.

Winston Smith, North Carolina

A girl moves back as her classmate announces her failing test grade and hands her the paper. The quiet classroom heats up.

With the increase in student grading over the past few years, scenes like this have become a bitter reality in schools across the nation. Teachers and schools should not advocate student grading and public announcement of grades because it provides a violation of privacy for students and causes unfair judgments and treatment by their classmates.

Since 1974, a law known as the Buckley Amendment has forbidden the release of education records in order to protect the privacy of students and their families. I strongly disagree with the Court’ s ruling that this law does not include student grading.

I can think of no greater violation of privacy than the exposure of one’s personal information to a group of peers(同齡人). This can be very embarrassing. Releasing this sort of personal information should be avoided, especially by institutions that seek to provide a supportive environment during essential years of human development.

1.The underlined word “reinforce” has the same meaning as “_________”.

A. change     B. imagine     C. strengthen       D. create

2.Walter Potenza suggests that ______________.

A. teachers should set aside some time to grade students’ papers

B. the Supreme Court should do more research on students grading

C. teachers should guide students on how to grade homework

D. teachers should be careful not to hurt those sensitive students

3.By mentioning the example of a girl, Winston Smith wants to ____________.

A. show her weak points

B. criticize the student grader

C. tell us she is not a good student

D. present the negative effect of student grading

4.What does Winston Smith seem to agree?

A. Student grading is not related to families’ privacy.

B. The Supreme Court should change its decision.

C. The Buckley Amendment doesn’t apply to student grading.

D. Student grading is OK, but not public announcement of grades.