The school year has begun and it’s easy to be frightened by so much schoolwork. Although

A.since

B.in

C.on

D.by

Simile is used in ________.

A、Who can quarrel with a medium that so brilliantly packages escapist entertainment as a mass-marketing tool？

B、Much of it is what has been aptly described as “machine gunning with scraps.”

C、For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible.

D、Television’s variety becomes a narcotic, not a stimulus.

. They have become a familiar part of the summer landscape.

These kids are not old enough for jobs. Nor are they rich enough for camp. They are school children without school. The calendar called the school year ran out on them a few weeks ago. Once supervised by teachers and principals, they now appear to be "self care'.

Passing them is like passing through a time zone. For much of our history, after all, Americans arranged the school year around the needs of work and family. In 19th century cities, schools were open seven or eight hours a day, 11 months a year. In rural America, the year was arranged around the growing season. Now, only S percent of families follow the agricultural model, but nearly all schools are scheduled as if our children went home early to milk the cows and took months off to work the crops. Now, three-quarters of the mothers of school-age children work, but the calendar is written as if they were home waiting for the school bus.

The six-hour day, the 180-day school year is regarded as something holy. But when parents work an eight-hour day and a 240-day year, it means something different. It means that many kids go home to empty houses. It means that, in the summer, they hang out.

"We have a huge mismatch between the school calendar and realities of family life," says Dr. Ernest Boyer, head of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Dr. Boyer is one of many who believe that a radical revision of the school calendar is inevitable. "School, whether we like it or not, is educational. It always has been."

His is not a popular idea. Schools are routinely burdened with the job of solving all our social problems. Can they be asked to meet the needs of our work and family lives？

It may be easier to promote a longer school year on its educational merits and, indeed, the educational case is compelling. Despite the complaints and studies about our kids' lack of learning, the United State still has a shorter school year than any industrial nation. In most of Europe, the school year is 220 days. In Japan, it is 240 days long. While classroom time alone doesn't produce a well-educated child, learning takes time and more learning takes more time. The long summers of forgetting take a toll.

The opposition to a longer school year comes from families that want to and can provide other experiences for their children. It comes from teachers. It comes from tradition. And surely from kids. But the most important part of the conflict has been over the money.

Which of the following is an opinion of the author's？

A．The kids are hanging out.

B．They are school children without school.

C．These kids are not old enough for jobs.

D．The calendar called the school year ran out on them a few weeks ago.

They have become a familiar part of the summer landscape.

These kids are not old enough for jobs. Nor are they rich enough for camp. They are school children without school. The calendar called the school year ran out on them a few weeks ago. Once supervised by teachers and principals, they now appear to be "self care".

Passing them is like passing through a time zone. For much of our history, after all, Americans arranged the school year around the needs of work and family. In 19th-century cities, schools were open seven or eight hours a day, 11 months a year. In rural America, the year was arranged around the growing season. Now, only 3 percent of families follow the agricultural model, but nearly all schools are scheduled as if our children went home early to milk the cows and took months off to work the crops. Now, three-quarters of the mothers of school-age children work, but the calendar is written as if they were home waiting for the school bus.

The six-hour day, the 180-day school year is regarded as something holy. But when parents work an eight-hour day and a 240-day year, it means something different. It means that many kids go home to empty houses. It means that, in the summer, they hang out.

"We have a huge mismatch between the school calendar and realities of family life," says Dr. Ernest Boye, head of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Dr. Boyer is one of many who believe that a radical revision of the school calendar is inevitable. "School, whether we like it or not, is educational. It always has been. "

His is not popular idea. Schools are routinely burdened with the job of solving all our social problems. Can they be asked to meet the needs of our work and family lives？

It may be easier to promote a longer school year on its educational merits and, indeed, the educational case is compelling. Despite the complaints and studies about our kids' lack of learning, the United State still has a shorter school year than any industrial nation. In most of Europe, the school year is 220 days. In Japan, it is 240 days long. While classroom time alone doesn't produce a well-educated child, learning takes time and more learning takes more time. The long summers of forgetting take a toll.

The opposition to a longer school year comes from families that want to and can provide other experiences for their children. It comes from teachers. It comes from tradition. And surely from kids. But the most important part of the conflict has been over the money.

The current American school calendar was developed in the 19th century according to ______.

A．the growing season on the nation's farm

B．the labor demands of the industrial age

C．teachers'demands for more vacation time

D．parents'demands for other experiences for their kids

A company prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). It expected to be the sole supplier for a state-wide school milk program and had production facilities valued at $28.4 million. Recently several other companies were also granted milk-supply contracts throughout the state and the company now estimates that it will only be able to generate cash flows of $3 million per year for the next 7 years with its facilities. The firm has a cost of capital of 10%.

The impairment loss (in $-millions) on the production facilities will most likely be reported in the company’s financial statements as a:

A. 13.8 reduction in operating cash flows. .

B. 13.8 impairment loss in the income statement

C. 7.4 reduction in the balance sheet carrying amount.

A company prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S.GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles).It expected to be the sole supplier for a state-wide school milk program and had production facilities valued at $28.4 million.Recently several other companies were also granted milk-supply contracts throughout the state and the company now estimates that it will only be able to generate cash flows of $3 million per year for the next 7 years with its facilities.The firm has a cost of capital of 10%.

The impairment loss (in $-millions) on the production facilities will most likely be reported in the company’s financial statements as a:

A.13.8 reduction in operating cash flows..

B.13.8 impairment loss in the income statement

C.7.4 reduction in the balance sheet carrying amount.

y has seen it all. Yet the murder of three young people, who were forced to kneel before being shot in the back of the head in a school playground on August 4th, has shaken the city. A fourth, who survived, was stabbed and shot in the face. The four victims were by all accounts good kids, all enrolled in college, all with a future. But the cruel murder, it seems, has at last forced Newarkers to say they have had enough.

Grassroots organizations, like Stop Shooting, have been flooded with offers of help and support since the killings. Yusef Ismail, its co-founder, says the group has been going door-to-door asking people to sign a pledge of non-violence. They hope to get 50,000 to promise to "stop shooting, start thinking, and keep living. " The Newark Community Foundation, which was launched last month, announced on August 14th that it will help pay for Community Eye, a surveillance system tailored towards gun crime.

Cory Booker, who became mayor 13 months ago with a mission to revitalize the city, believes the surveillance program will be the largest camera and audio network in any American city. More than 30 cameras were installed earlier this summer and a further 50 will be installed soon in a seven-square-mile area where 80% of the city's recent shootings have occurred. And more cameras are planned.

When a gunshot is detected, the surveillance camera zooms in on that spot. Similar technology in Chicago has increased arrests and decreased shootings. Mr Booker plans to announce a comprehensive gun strategy later this week.

Mr Booker, as well as church leaders and others, believes (or hopes) that after the murder the city will no longer stand by in coldness. For generations, New, ark has been paralyzed by poverty—almost one in three people lives below the poverty line—and growing indifference to crime.

Some are skeptical. Steve Malanga of the conservative Manhattan Institute notes that Newark has deep social problems: over 60% of children are in homes without fathers. The school system, taken over by the state in 1995, is a mess. But there is also some cause for hope. Since Mr Booker was elected, there has been a rise in investment and re-zoning for development. Only around 7% of nearby Newark airport workers used to come from Newark; now, a year later, the figure is 30%. Mr Booker has launched a New York style. war on crime. So far this year, crime has fallen 11% and shootings are down 30% (though the murder rate looks likely to match last year's high).

What happened in Newark, New Jersey on August 4th？

A．The Newark residents witnessed a murder.

B．Four young people were killed in a school playground.

C．The new mayor of Newark took office.

D．Four college students fell victim to violence.

Section III Reading Comprehension

(60 minutes)

Part A

Directions :

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.Mark your answers on, ANSWER SHEET1.

Text 1

Competition for admission to the country's top private schools has always been tough, but this year Elisabeth realized it had reached a new level. Her wake-up call came when a man called the Dalton School in Manhattan, where Elisabeth is admissions director, and inquired about the age cutoff for their kindergarten program. After providing the information, she asked about the age of his child. The man paused for an uncomfortably long time before answering. "Well, we don't have a child yet. We're trying to figure out when to conceive a child so the birthday is not a problem. "

Worries are spreading from Manhattan to the rest of the country. Precise current data on private schools are unavailable, but interviews with representatives of independent schools all told the same story: an oversupply of applicants, higher rejection rates. "We have people calling us for spots two years down the road," said Marilyn of the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati. " We have grandparents calling for pregnant daughters. " Public opinion polls indicate that Americans' No. 1 concern is edu-cation .Now that the long economic boom has given parents more disposable income, many are tuming to private schools, even at price tags of well over $ 10,000 a year. "We're getting appli-cants from a broader area geographically than we ever have in the past," said Betsy of the Latin School of Chicago, which experienced a 20 percent increase in applications this year.

The problem for the applicants is that while demand has increased, supply has not. "Every Year ,there are a few children who do not find places, but this year, for the first time that I know of , there are a significant number without places ,"said Elisabeth.

So what can parents do to give their 4-year-old an edge？ Schools know there is no easy way to pick a class when children are so young. Many schools give preference to children of their gradu- ates. Some make the choice by drawing lots. But most rely on a mix of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best identify developmental maturity and cognitive potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicants in classroom settings. They also want a diverse mix. Children may end up on a waiting list simply because their birthdays fall at the wrong time of year, or be- cause too many applicants were boys.

The worst thing a patent can do is to pressure preschoolers to perform-for example, by push-ing them to read or do math exercises before they're ready. Instead, the experts say, parents should take a breath and look for alternatives. Another year in preschool may be all that's needed.

41. From this text we learn that it is

[A] harder to make a choice between public and private schools.

[B] harder to go to private schools this year than before.

[C] more difficult to go to public schools than to private schools.

[D] as difficult to go to private schools this year as before.

Passage Five

In America, every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver's education.

The course is divided up into two parts: class time for learning laws and regulations and driving time to practice driving. Each student is required to drive a total of six hours. The students are divided up into groups of four. The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time. Thus, each student gets half an hour driving time per outing. Drivers Ed cars are unlike other cars in which they have two sets of brakes, one on the driver's side and one on the other side where the instructor sits. Thus, if the student driver should run into difficulties the instructor can take over.

After a student has passed the driver's education course and reached the appropriate age to drive (this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old), he must take his driver's test. The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver's license. If the person does well in his or her driver's education class, he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver's license.

51. In America, the driver's course mentioned above______.

A. is considered as part of the advanced education

B. is given to anyone wanting to get a driver's license

C. is carried on after students graduate from high school

D. is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high school

短文翻译（英译汉)As a child—and as an adult as well—Bill was untidy. It has been said th

短文翻译(英译汉)

As a child—and as an adult as well—Bill was untidy. It has been said that in order to counteract this, Mary drew up weekly clothing plans for him. On Mondays he might go to school in blue, on Tuesdays in green, on Wednesdays in brown, on Thursdays in black, and so on Weekend meal schedules might also be planned in detail.

Bill’s contemporaries, even at the age, recognized that he was exceptional. Every year, he and his friends would go to summer camp. Bill especially liked swimming and other sports. One of his summer camp friends recalled, “He was never a nerd or a goof or the kind of kid you didn’t want your team. We all knew Bill was smarter than us. Even back then, when he was nine or ten years old, he talked like an adult and could express himself in ways that none of us understood.” Bill was also well ahead of his classmates in mathematics and science. He needed to go to a school that challenged him to Lakeside—an all-boys’ school for exceptional students. It was Seattle’s most exclusive school and was noted for its rigorous academic demands.” Lakeside allowed students to pursue their own interests, to whatever extent they wished. The school prided itself on making conditions and facilities available that would enable all its students to reach their full potential. It was the ideal environment for someone like Bill Gates.

children who have learning disabilities, however, it is easy to underestimate (低估) their abilities, simply because it can be so difficult for them to show what they know.My son recently does a good job at the public school for his learning disabilities, and I was shocked to realize how excellent he was in many of his subjects.Because he couldn't give me good written answers to the questions, I hadn't realized how much he knew.I took away the sixth grade history book he and his sister were using and gave them both high school books, with the expectation that we would move up to college books next year if they did well.

Reading is their strongest subject, but I had not realized they had college reading abilities until they were tested.Both children enjoy history more, and my son likes to carry his history book to the grade school, where he attends part time.When his classmates do their grade school history, he pulls out his high school book and works independently from it.Surprisingly, this has also increased his ability to fit into his public school class.He was the youngest child in his class, has some disabilities, including speech disorders, and hadn't been in public school since first grade.He had complained that the public school class he had longed to try was boring, but after I increased his challenges at home, he seemed to adapt better at public school as well, choosing to participate more in the group activities, and making new friends.

36.According to the passage, which of the following belong to learning disability？

A.Being unable to say clearly.

B.Being unable to say anything.

C.Being unable to read anything.

D.Being unable to write anything.

37.Which statement can describe the mother's feeling when she found how excellent her son was in many of his subjects？

A.She is painful

B.She is excited

C.She is surprised

D.She is indifferent(无动于衷)

38.___is the strongest subject for the writer's son.

A .Listening

B.Speaking

C.Writing

D.Reading

39.According to the passage, which statement is NOT true？

A.My son has never been to public school.

B.My son has done well in many of his subjects.

C.It is difficult for those with learning disability to express clearly.

D.It is easy to underestimate the abilities of those with learning disability.

40.What is reason for the mother's underestimating his own son's ability？

A.Because she pays on attention to it.

B.Because the boy shows it in a wrong way.

C.Because the mother has difficulty to understand her son.

D.Because it can be so difficult for them to show what they know.