One important thing during the pre-Christmas rush at our house was the arrival of my daughter’ s kindergarten report card. She got high praise for her reading, vocabulary and overall enthusiasm. On the other hand, we learnt that she has work to do on her numbers and facility with the computer, though the detailed handwritten report her teachers prepared is absent of any words that might be interpreted as negative in describing her efforts. A number system indicates how she’ s measuring up in each area without any mention of passing or failing. All of which seems to make my daughter’ s school neither fish nor fowl when it comes to the debate over the merits of giving formal grades to kids. At one level, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious. A grade system provides a straightforward standard by which to measure how your child is progressing at school—and bow he or she is getting on compared to other children. But as writer Sue Ferguson notes, “Grades can deceive. “ The aim should be “to measure learning , not simply what a student can recall on a test. “ The two aren’ t the same—and if you doubt that as an adult, ask yourself whether you could sit down without any preparation and still pass those high-school-level examinations. If you’re old enough, you’ ve lived through this debate before. At one time, it was considered unfair to put children in direct competition with one another if it could be avoided. The intention behind that may have been good, but it ignored the fact that competition, and the will to come out on top, are essential components of the human condition. This time around, educators working with a no-grades approach are emphasizing different reasons. The thing is, that approach is much more commonplace in the adult workplace than is the traditional pass-fail system we place on our children. Many workplaces conduct regular employee evaluations. There are usually fairly strict limits to what an employer can tell an employee in those evaluations—and even then, negative evaluations can be challenged by the employee. No matter where you sit in the debate over the grade system, then, the real question is this: if it’ s so good for kids, why isn’ t that also true for adults?

I love reading novels, especially those classics. My favorite writer is Jane Austen, the one who wrote pride and prejudice.【C1】______it was watched by a record 18 million British viewers. The series was then sold to 18 countries round the world, from America to Australia, from Iceland to Israel, there are Jane Austen fans in all corners of the globe, and even special Jane Austen discussion groups on the internet. 【C2】______When she died a spinster in 1817, only four of her six novels had been published, all anonymous and she earned a grand total of 648. 65 pounds from her books. Now, nearly 200 years later, sales of her novels rival modern bestsellers, reaching 35 , 000 pounds a week. There have been film and television productions of not only pride and prejudice, but also Emma, Persuasion, and the Oscar-winning Sense and Sensibility. 【C3】______ She was born in 1775 , the seventh of eight children. Her father was the reverend George Austen. They were not well off, and lived in a village. By the time when she was 12, Jane was writing stories about heroines imprisoned in haunted castles, being rescued by glamorous heroes【C4】______The first was a handsome Irish law student called Tom Lefroy, who she met in 1795, but had to return to Ireland a year later. The second, in 1801, was a young man called Samuel Blackall who she fell in love with when on holiday in Devon, but who tragically died suddenly soon after. The third was a large young man called Harries whose proposal she briefly accepted in 1802, “but he had nothing to recommend but his size, “so she changed her mind. In 1801, the family moved to Bath, where she was very unhappy. To make matters worse, in 1805 her father died, leaving his widow, Jane and her only sister Cassandra, also unmarried, even poorer than before. For four years they had to move from house to house, often staying with relatives.【C5】______only a few miles from Steventon where she had grown up. Here she was much happier, despite being the poor relation, dependent on charity. She not only revised her earlier novel but was able to write new ones, using her experiences to satirize and make fun of the social inequalities she saw around her. At last in 1811, Sense and Sensibility was the first of her novels to be published. [A] Her house in Chawton in Hampshire is visited by 200 people a day. [B] Jane Austen never once traveled aboard in her life time and she hardly ever left the south of England. [C] The remarkable Chicago bull presented a striking contrast to its opponent, and the crowd just went wild! [D] When BBC screened its latest adaptation of Jane Austen’ s novel Pride and Prejudice, [E] Finally in 1809, her brother Edward allowed them to live in a house on his estate in Chawton, [F] In Jane’ s own life there were three romantic attachments. [G] Sports can really get me away from a stressful day and exercise my brain.

To get a sense of how women have progressed in science, take a quick tour of the physics department at the University of California, Berkeley. This is a storied place, the【C6】______of some of the most important discoveries in modern science-starting with Ernest Lawrence’ s invention of the cyclotron in 1931. A generation ago, female faces were【C7】______and, even today, visitors walkingthrough the first floor of LeConte Hall will see a full corridor of【C8】______exhibits the many distin-guished physicists who made history here, 【C9】______all of them white males. But climb up to the third floor and you’ll see a【C10】______display. There, among the photos ofcurrent faculty members and students, are portraits of the【C11】______head of the department, whoseresearch【C12】______everything from the mechanics Marjorie Shapiro, and four other women of the universe to the smallest particles of matter. A sixth woman was hired just two weeks ago. Although they’ re still only about 10 percent of the physics faculty, women are clearly a presence here. And the real【C13】______may be in the smaller photos to the right: graduate and undergraduate students, a-bout 20 percent of them female. Every year Berkeley sends its fresh female physics Ph. Ds to the country’ s top universities. That makes Shapiro optimistic, but also【C14】______“1 believe things are getting better, “she says, “but they’ re not getting better as【C15】______as I would like. “ [A] circumstance [B] confidence [C] covers [D] current [E] deals [F] different [G] exposing [H] fast [I] honoring [J] hope [K] presently [L] rare [M] realistic [N] site [O] virtually

Whole life is permanent insurance protection that protects you for your whole life, from the day you purchase the policy until you die, as long as you pay the premiums(保险费). Whole life can be a solid foundation. Upon this foundation you can build a long-term financial plan, because it guarantees lifetime protection for your family or business. Whole life insurance provides basic insurance protection, plus Mortgage protection, Estate preservation, Retirement funding, Charitable giving, Business needs... A life insurance agent will help you determine an amount of insurance needed to protect your family or business in the event of your death. Generally after the first year, the policy begins to increase cash value. The amount of cash value in your policy usually increases every year. This money can be used to help purchase a home, fund a child’ s education, add to retirement income, or for any other purpose. You may also choose to leave it in the policy and allow it to grow. A whole life policy can earn dividends. Dividends are determined by the company’ s board of directors each year and are not guaranteed. When a dividend is payable, you may choose to take it in cash, use it to buy more insurance or to pay or reduce your premiums. When you die, the company will pay your beneficiaries the death benefit, usually the face a-mount of the policy plus any dividend. This money is generally received by the beneficiaries free from income tax.

What does the man want to do?M: Good morning. I’ m here for an interview. Can you tell me where the manager’ s office is? W: The manager’ s office is down the passage, to the left. M: Thank you. Interview the manager. Apply for a job. Visit a woman. Travel.

How long will the man be away?W: Simon, you look worried. What’ s wrong with you? M: I’ m all right. But its my son, Roger. W: What has happened to him? Can I do something for you? M: Well, I’ m going to New York in three days. And my wife in London, and she will not return until the end of the month. W: Oh, I see. You want someone to take care of Roger, don’t you? M: Yes. But it’ s hard work. He is too naughty. W: Please don’t worry. I’ll look after him during your stay in New York. M: I’ll be away for nearly a week. I think there will be too much trouble for you. W: It doesn’t matter. You see, I was a teacher before I retired. I like children very much. M: Thank you very much. A month. Nearly a week. Three days. Two days.

Why does the woman want to buy a handbag?W: John, shall we go to Sun Store? I have decided to buy that Murrberry handbag. Anyway, I’ m not carrying this one to Mary’ s wedding. M: But, Jane, why not rent one with Handbag Hire? Instead of $990, pay $ 50, and you have it for a whole week. W: Sounds great, but I never knew I can rent a handbag. M: Handbag Hire is a new business. It was founded two months ago. Its collection covers many designer handbags. W: So... for the price of one Murrberry, I can use a different bag each week for twenty weeks? M: Absolutely. And if you like one of them, you can choose to buy it at a discounted rate. Of course the price varies by age and condition. For example, a $ 1500 Murrberry bag can sell for rust $ 750. W: Great, but how do I rent? By telephone? Or in person? M: Either. And more conveniently, it accepts online orders. W: I’ll do it online now. I still have one more question. Mary’ s wedding is next Saturday. There are only five days left. Do I have enough time? M: Don’ t worry. It promises that customers receive their orders by post within two days. Three more days to go. W: Oh, I’d better order one right now. To attend Mary’ s wedding with it. To carry it on her wedding. To give it to Mary as a gift. To celebrate her birthday.

What kind of position is to be offered?W: I don’t think Poppas is right for this position. M: I agree. He’ s got experience as a computer operator but he has very little training in programming. What about Anderson? W: I like him. He seems very enthusiastic and he knows a lot about programming. M: That’ s true. Do you think he is dependable enough? He’ s already had two different jobs this year. He might work for a couple of months and then decide to leave. W: I suppose so. But his last supervisor wrote a three-page letter of recommendation. He says Anderson is an excellent programmer. M: He probably is. But we don’t want him to leave after we’ ve spent a lot of time training him. Actually, I think Logan is the best candidate. W: She hasn’ t worked since she got married, hasn’ t she? M: She’ s been taking care of her family. But she is really devoted. W: Oh, yes. The letter from her principal says she did a wonderful job. Do you think she’ll be a good programmer? M: I bet she will. She has an excellent letter of recommendation from her teacher at the institute she attended. W: That’ s true. M: And Logan seems more professional. She was well-dressed and seemed to have a very positive attitude about working for us. A doctor. A director. A teacher. A programmer.

You have made an appointment with Prof. Wang, but failed to keep it. Write a letter to your teacher. Your letter should include: 1 ) apologize for your failure to keep the appointment 2) explain your reason to your teacher 3 ) express your wish to make another appointment You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your name at the end of your letter. Use “ Li Ming“ instead. You do not need to write the address.

What do we know about Sheila?M: Sheila is a very persuasive speaker. When she talks, people stop and listen. W: That’ s right. A lot of people even change their opinions after talking to her. She talks a lot. People are persuaded in her speeches. She stops talking to people. She likes to make friends.

What does the man think of Curacao?W: I really need a vacation. I just can’ t decide where to go. M: Have you ever been to Curacao? W: No, I haven’ t. It’ s so far. M: Oh, come on! In this day and age, nothing is far. Besides, once you get there, it’ s like being in paradise. I really think you should consider it. In fact, I suggest you ask your travel agent a-bout it. W: What’ s so great about Curacao? It’ s just another tropical island with a pretty beach. M: Just another tropical island? Bright sunny days with blue water rolling upon to the clean white sand. Gentle winds blowing through the palm trees of clear move at night. Come on! It’ s a tremendous place to go. W: Oh, I don’t know. M: Look, You can go wherever you want. But it’ s important that you relax during your vacation. And Curacao is the perfect place for that. I mean, you can do all the things you like to do. Play tennis, swim, read, rest, not to mention eat well and get a great suntan. Why are you so hesitant? Come on! Be adventurous. W: You’re certainly making it sound better by the minute. OK, maybe I’ll check it out with my travel agent. M: I suggest you hurry. This is a very busy time of the year. And reservations aren’ t always easy to get. And it is absolutely necessary that you have reservations. It is difficult to reach. It is a tourist paradise. It is a perfect place for sports. It is an ordinary tropical island.

One important thing during the pre-Christmas rush at our house was the arrival of my daughter’ s kindergarten report card. She got high praise for her reading, vocabulary and overall enthusiasm. On the other hand, we learnt that she has work to do on her numbers and facility with the computer, though the detailed handwritten report her teachers prepared is absent of any words that might be interpreted as negative in describing her efforts. A number system indicates how she’ s measuring up in each area without any mention of passing or failing. All of which seems to make my daughter’ s school neither fish nor fowl when it comes to the debate over the merits of giving formal grades to kids. At one level, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious. A grade system provides a straightforward standard by which to measure how your child is progressing at school—and bow he or she is getting on compared to other children. But as writer Sue Ferguson notes, “Grades can deceive. “ The aim should be “to measure learning , not simply what a student can recall on a test. “ The two aren’ t the same—and if you doubt that as an adult, ask yourself whether you could sit down without any preparation and still pass those high-school-level examinations. If you’re old enough, you’ ve lived through this debate before. At one time, it was considered unfair to put children in direct competition with one another if it could be avoided. The intention behind that may have been good, but it ignored the fact that competition, and the will to come out on top, are essential components of the human condition. This time around, educators working with a no-grades approach are emphasizing different reasons. The thing is, that approach is much more commonplace in the adult workplace than is the traditional pass-fail system we place on our children. Many workplaces conduct regular employee evaluations. There are usually fairly strict limits to what an employer can tell an employee in those evaluations—and even then, negative evaluations can be challenged by the employee. No matter where you sit in the debate over the grade system, then, the real question is this: if it’ s so good for kids, why isn’ t that also true for adults?

Helen Smith: What better way to start off my senior year in high school than by reading something I am entirely familiar with? I couldn’ t have described this online revolution any better. The expansion of Facebook and its continuing success make me more interested in the world of computers and web design and the career choices they offer. Thanks, Mark Zuckerberg, for “poking“ me into Facebook. Kevin Stuart: Rather than seeing Facebook as the hottest connection tool, I think it’ s more like the latest way to make an already impersonal world even more impersonal. How sad that our society is so isolated that we need a computer to “connect “with others. No, thanks! I’ m going to continue hanging out on the street corner, and hope someone builds a village square someday. Now, there’ s a radical idea! Robert Meyer: Isn’ t it a contradiction that so many Americans criticize the government measures fornational security purposes as an invasion of privacy when many of these same people feel free to lay bare their private lives to public exposure on Facebook? Perhaps it reveals shallow minds or shallow lives. Or worse, does it reveal a lack of concern about the security of our country? Sad indeed. James Brown: I eagerly returned from vacation so I could see my nieces who were home from college, only to find them with their“ faces “in Facebook almost all day. They no longer communicate much with others face to face. No more hanging out at someone’ s home. I wonder what effect this societal isolation will have on all of us. I hope this isn’t a trend, I remember all the fun face-to-face contact used to be. Laura Lee: I love email. I live and die by Google, but I will never understand the appeal of Facebook and its vast community of friends. In fact. I’ m rather shocked. There are thousands out there who would like to be your friend and demand your time: they’ re called books. Pick one up. Life is short. Save your few real friendships for coffee over at Starbucks or invest yourself in a local cause that will form meaningful, lifelong relationships. Now match the name of each person (36-40) to the appropriate statement. Note: there are two extra statements. Statements [A] Facebook has built up my confidence in my study. [B] Facebook raises individual awareness of privacy protection. [C] Facebook serves as an eve opener for my future work pursuit. [D] Facebook worsens, instead of bettering, interpersonal relations. [E] I miss the good old days when people met and talked to each other in person. [F] Mind your own behavior online before you blame others for privacy interference. [G] Don’t waste your time on Facebook when you can do something more significant.

Read the text below, Write an essay in about 120 words, in which you should summerize the key points of the text and make amments on them. Try to use your own words. You might think that good-looking men have every advantage in life. But new study suggests being handsome may not always work in a man’ s favour——at least when it comes to his career. The research claims that attractive men are less likely to be given a job in a competitive workplace because they intimidate bosses. “It’ s not always an advantage to be pretty, “ says Marko Pitesa, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland. “It can backfire if you are perceived as a threat. “ Interestingly, in Pitesa’ s study, it was male attractiveness in particular, rather than female beauty, that made the most difference. If the interviewer expected to work with the candidate as part of a team, then he preferred good-looking men. However, if the interviewer saw the candidate as a potential competitor, the interviewer discriminated in favour of unattractive men. The results suggest that interviewers were not blinded by beauty, and instead calculated which candidate would further their own career. “ The dominant theoretical perspective in the social sciences for several decades has been that biases and discrimination are caused by irrational prejudice, “ Pitesa says. “ The way we explain it here, pretty men just seem more competent, so it is actually subjectively rational to discriminate for or against them. On a deeper level, she adds, the behaviour remains irrational, since there’ s no evidence that a real link exists between looks and comotence.

The school report indicates that the writer’ s daughter______.

We can learn that the girl’ s school tries to deliver the report______.

Sue Ferguson seems dissatisfied with the grade system for its focus on______.

The writer would agree that cutting children off from competition is______.

It can be learned that today ’ s educators supporting the no-grades approach insist that______.