A. thirty B. though C. there D. rather

Close Test

The manager of a small building company was very (21) to get a bill for two white mice which one of his workmen had bought. He sent for the workman and asked him why he had had the bill (22) to the company.

"well ," the workman answered , "you remember the house we were (23) in Newbridge last week. don't you？ One of the things we had to do there was to put in some

New electric wiring. Well , in one place we had to pass some wires through a pipe (24) and about an inch across ,

which was built into solid stone and had four big bends (弯角) in it. (25) could think how to do this unless I had a good idea. I went to a shop and bought two white mice ,

one of them male and the other female. Then I tied a thread to the body of the male mouse and put him into the pipe at one end , (26) Bill held the female mouse at the

other end and pressed her gently to make her squeak. When the male mouse heard the female mouse's squeaks ， he rushed along the pipe to help her. I suppose he was a gentleman (27) he was only a mouse. Anyway , as he ran through the pipe , he (28) the thread behind him. It was then quite easy for us to tie one end of the thread to the electric wires and pull them (29) the pipe. " The manager (30) the bill

for the white mice.

21. A. surprised B. sorry C. strange D. fearful

22. A. to be sent B. to sent C. send D. sent

23. A. mending B. cleaning C. repairing D. setting

24. A. thirty-feet-long B. thirty foots long

C. thirty feet long D. thirty feets long

25. A. None of us B. No one us

C. No of us D. None us

26. A. as B. so C. while D. when

27. A. even though B. as though

C. in fact D. sure enough

28. A. pulled B. pushed C. lifted D. brought

29. A. along B. through C. inside D. towards

30. A. received B. agreed C. paid D. cashed

It's an annual back-to-school routine. One morning you wave goodbye, and that (21) evening you're burning the mid-night oil in sympathy. In the race to improve educational standards, (22) are throwing the books at kids. (23) elementary school students are complaining of homework fatigue. What's a well-meaning parent to do？

As hard as (24) may be, sit back and chill experts advise. Though you've got to get them to do it, (25) helping too much, or even examining answers too carefully, you may keep them (26) doing it by themselves. "! wouldn't advise a parent to check every 27 assignment," says psychologist John Rosemond, author of Ending the Tough Homework, "There's a (28) of appreciation for trial and error. Let your children (29) the grade they deserve."

Many experts believe parents should gently look over the work of younger children and ask them to rethink their (30) . But "you don't want them to feel it has to be (31) ," she says.

That's not to say parents should (32) homework—first, they should monitor how much homework their kids have. Thirty minutes a day in the early elementary years and an hour in (33) four, five, and six is standard, says Rosemond. For junior-high students it should be" (34) more than a hour and a half," and two for high school students. If your child consistently has more homework than this, you may want to check (35) other parents and then talk to the teacher about reducing assignments.

21.

A. very

B. exact

C. right

D. usual

A

Even though education is compulsory for children in the United States, it is not compulsory for them to go to a conventional school to get that education. in every one of the 50 states ,it is legal for parents to educate their children at home,or to" home school" their children. Although no state requires parents to have special training to home school their children,the regulations parents must follow vary widely from state to state. New Jersey,for example ,imposes virtually no requirements. In contrast,New York requires home schoolers to notify their school districts, file instructional plans and frequent reports, and submit the results of tests or other forms of assessment for each child.

B

Increasing numbers of American families have been opting for home schooling. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics,about 1. 1 million children were being home schooled in the spring of 2003. This represents an increase from the 850,000 who were being home schooled in the spring of 1999. In addition, the home-schooling rate-the percentage of the school-age population that was being home schooled-increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.2 percent in 2003.

C

A survey conducted in 2003 asked parents to give their most important reasons for home schooling their children. Thirty-one percent cited concerns about the environment in conventional schools, including safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure. Thirty percent said that the most important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction. Sixteen percent said that the most important reason was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventional schools. Parents gave other reasons, too; for instance, many said that they wanted to strengthen family bonds or allow their children more freedom.

D

It is difficult to show whether conventional schooling or home schooling works better. Home-schooled children tend to score significantly higher than the national average on college entrance tests. But educators say that it isn't easy to determine how meaningful the figures are,given the complexities of making direct comparisons. In the debate about home schooling, socialization is more of an issue than achievement. Advocates of conventional education believe that home-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on the kinds of social interaction and relationships with peers that are an essential part of a total education. Advocates of home schooling say that home-schooled children are not socially isolated;they think that home-schooled children have a larger social structure because they can be out in the world,in contact with people of different ages,and having experiences that they could never have in conventional schools.

Questions 1-5 Choose the best statement (A. B, C or D) for each sentence.

1. The word conventional ,means____.()

A. relating to a meeting

B. following what is normal or usual

C. following a religion

D. educational

2. According to the passage,increasing numbers of American families are choosing home schooling. What information does the author give to support this statement？()

A. In every one of the 50 states, it is legal for parents to educate their children at home.

B. Thirty-one percent of parents say that the most important reason for home schooling is concerns about the environment in conventional schools.

C. The number of children who were being home schooled increased from 850,000 in 1999 to about 1.1 million in 2003.

D. A survey was conducted in 2003.

3. Scan the passage to find the answer to this question: How many of the parents surveyed in 2003 said that the most important reason for home schooling their children was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventional schools？()

A. 1.1 million

B. 30 percent

C. 16 percent

D. 2.2 percent

4. Three of the following statements give facts,and one gives an opinion. Based on the reading passage,which one is the opinion？()

A. Home-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on some kinds of social interaction and relationships.

B. Thirty percent of parents who home school their children said that the most important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction.

C. The home-schooling rate increased from 1. 7 percent in 1999 to 2. 2 percent in 2003.

D. The regulations that parents of home schoolers must follow vary widely from State to state.

5. Based on Paragraph D, we can conclude that advocates of conventional education object to home schooling mainly because home-schooled children____.

A. cannot achieve academically

B. cannot be compared to conventionally educated children

C. are not well socialized

D. have too much freedom

A. live

B. have lived

C. are living

D. will have been living

A. welcome

B. welcomes

C. welcoming

D. welcomed

— I wonder if Julie will arrive at five thirty as she said this morning.

— ________________________.

A. I think so.

B. She will be late.

C. I don ’t know.

D. Don’t worry . She always keeps her word.

A. consuming

B. consumed

C. to consume

D. are consumed

A. permanent

B. determined

C. complicated

D. worthwhile

– Jack, are you leaving now？ It's 7:20.– ().

A. Yes, it's still early

B. No, thirty minutes is enough

C. Yes, the bag is not ready

D. No, I'll set off in 30 minutes

John told us that by the end of the year they _____ together for thirty years.

A. would have been living

B. would have lived

C. would have been lived

D. will have been living