It's back-to-school time again. In the morning you wave goodbye, and that__1__ evening you're burning the late-night oil in sympathy (同情). In the race to improve educational standards, __2__are throwing the books at kids. __3__primary school pupils are complaining of homework __4__. What's a well-meaning parent to do?

As hard as it may be, sit back and keep cool, experts __5__. Though you've got to get them to do it, by__6__ too much, or even examining__7__too carefully, you may__8__them from doing it by themselves. "I wouldn't advise a parent to check every__9__exercise," says psychologist (心理学家) John Rosemond, author of Ending the Tough Homework. "There's a __10__of understanding for trial and error (错误). Let your children __11__ the grade they are worthy of."

Many experts believe parents should gently look over the work of younger children and ask them to rethink about their __12__, but don't want them to feel it has to be __13__.

That's not to say parents should pay no attention to their children's __14__, they should monitor how much homework their kids __15__. Thirty minutes a day in the early elementary (基础) years and an hour in __16__ four, five, and six is standard. For junior-high students it should be __17__ than an hour and a half, and two for high-school students. If your child __18__ has more homework than this, you may want to check with other__19__and then talk to the teachers about __20__homework.

1. A. very B. just C. exact D. usual

2. A. officials B. experts C. parents D. schools

3. A. Also B. Then C. Even D. However

4. A. tiredness B. duty C. mistakes D. puzzle

5. A. demand B. explain C. persuade D. suggest

6. A. worrying B. helping C. talking D. thinking

7. A. questions B. standards C. answers D. rules

8. A. ask B. make C. encourage D. keep

9. A. single B. practical C. simple D. difficult

10. A. drop B. cut C. lot D. lack

11. A. have B. gather C. earn D. reach

12. A. good B. mistakes C. achievements D. teachers

13. A. perfect B. unusual C. worse D. complete

14. A. grade B. mistakes C. examinations D. homework

15. A. have B. make C. prepare D. lose

16. A. classes B. grades C. groups D. terms

17. A. later B. sooner C. most D. less

18. A. hardly B. merely C. seldom D. always

19. A. parents B. teachers C. subjects D. schools

20. A. finishing B. reducing C. lowering D. refusing

I was born and brought up in the small town of Pineville, which I left at the age of sixteen. Twenty years    1    I found myself back on a visit. I went to see my    2    friend Tom Clark, who, active as ever, was chairman of the local    3    . He was busy preparing to welcome    4    writer, invited to give a talk on modern literature in the public library    5    evening. Since I happened to have read his works, when Tom invited me to go with him I    6    accepted.

Tom was going to    7    the guest speaker to the audience. Therefore we went a little    8    to greet him. As the honored guest had not yet    9    , I left Tom and went into the main reading room    10    a large crowd had gathered. I was disappointed to find that I didn't    11    a single person there. So I found a seat in the corner and    12    patiently waiting.

When it was just about time for the    13    to begin, I saw Tom standing at the doorway making a sign for    14    to come out. He looked worried. So I got up immediately and went out to him. He    15    that he had just had a    16    from the writer's secretary. Our guest speaker had missed his    17    and would not be arriving! While we were thinking about the problem, Tom suddenly asked me    18    mind filling in as a speaker. I    19    had time to think about the matter when all at once I found I was being    20    back into the reading room to speak to the waiting audience!

1. A. ago B. before C. earlier D. later

2. A. new B. old C. forgotten D. welcome

3. A. school B. restaurant C. market D. club

4. A. a well-known B. an unknown C. a local D. an ordinary

5. A. every B. one C. that very D. any other

6. A. gladly B. sadly C. had D. was

7. A. direct B. move C. introduce D. describe

8. A. early B. later C. late D. soon

9. A. spoken B. rested C. eaten D. arrived

10. A. although B. where C. after D. since

11. A. say B. receive C. meet D. know

12. A. sat B. stood C. lay D. hid

13. A. party B. show C. talk D. dinner

14. A. him B. everybody C. me D. the guest

15. A. suggested B. explained C. introduced D. insisted

16. A. greeting card B. telephone call C. picture D. present

17. A. way B. flight C. speech D. time

18. A. that I should B. whether to C. not to D. if I would

19. A. hardly B. still C. already D. quickly

20. A. sent B. driven C. led D. carried

A lady-Austria's Elfriede Jelinek of literature wins prize for her social commentary (评论).

For a writer, there is hardly any greater    41    than winning the Nobel Prize for literature.

And for a woman writer, receiving the prize is    42    harder, for only eight women have won it since the prize was first    43    in 1901.

Austria's Elfriede Jelinek is the ninth and the first    44    1996.

The Stockholm-based Swedish Academy    45    last Thursday that Jelinek won this year's Nobel Prize in literature. She is    46    for her socially critical (批判的) novels and plays.

Jelinek, 57, started her literary    47    in 1967. She has written plays, novels and poetry. She is    48    known for her autobiographical (自传体) 1983 novel "The Piano Teacher",    49    a movie in 2001.

The basic    50    of her work is the inability of women to live as people beyond the roles and personalities    51    expected of them. Her    52    struggle to lead lives not normally acceptable in    53    . "The nature of Jelinek's texts is often hard to define (标明界限). They shift    54    prose (散文) and poetry, they    55    theatrical scenes and film script," said the academy.

The Nobel Prize was    56    by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Nobel died in 1896 and    57    his fortune of about US$920 million to a fund to    58    people who have    59    other human beings. This year each prize    60    US$1.3 million.

41. A. respect B. honor C. prize D. award

42. A. less B. quite C. too D. even

43. A. awarded B. got C. received D. accepted

44. A. in B. from C. since D. by

45. A. announced B. informed C. reminded D. recorded

46. A. considered B. hated C. proved D. recognized

47. A. career B. writing C. dream D. contribution

48. A. little B. best C. better D. less

49. A. turned into B. put into C. made into D. translated into

50. A. purpose B. theme C. object D. article

51. A. traditionally B. currently

C. generally D. fashionably

52. A. novels B. plays C. characters D. poems

53. A. literature B. works C. writers D. society

54. A. among B. between C. into D. from

55. A. include B. connect C. relate D. contain

56. A. started B. set up C. founded D. intended

57. A. gave B. left C. offered D. supplied

58. A. praise B. recognize C. honor D. recommend

59. A. hurt B. inspired C. excited D. helped

60. A. is worth B. is paid C. is spent D. is worthy

William Shakespeare was born four hundred years ago and spent his childhood in his hometown, Stratford-on-Avon.

Little was known about his childhood though many stories are published, some of __1__may be true. He probably went to Grammar School at Stratford. At 13 he had to__2__school as his father suffered some losses and became__3__for a long time. So William had to__4__his own living. At 18 he married a farmer's daughter. Not long after he left Stratford for London. London was__5__growing. All types of people were to be__6__in it. Here Shakespeare met travelers, students, and scholars, and his__7__was stirred(激发) by the stories they told. He also met writers and actors. He soon found__8__work in a theatre. __9__he became an actor and writer of__10__himself. There were a few theatres in London. One of the most famous of these was__11__the Globe. Shakespeare himself__12__one of the owners of this theatre. Shakespeare's reputation(名望)__13__a writer of plays began to grow. He__14__use of the writing of others and found ideas in the old __15__like Chaucer (乔叟). But by his genius he__16__all these old stories into masterpieces(杰作) of his own. Shakespeare wrote__17__fewer than 37 plays. They describe all kinds of men and women, and give__18__pictures of great events in history. In 1593 Shakespeare acted__19__Queen Elizabeth I, and received ten pounds for his services. Soon he got greater__20__, and became rich enough to buy a house in Stratford. He was able to retire to his native town and spent the last few years of his life in comfort there.

1. A. them B. which C. these D. whom

2. A. finish B. stay C. go D. leave

3. A. poorer B. richer C. better D. stronger

4. A. take B. have C. earn D. spend

5. A. slowly B. rapidly C. quietly D. carefully

6. A. gathered B. found C. collected D. visited

7. A. memory B. wish C. reading D. imagination

8. A. any B. one C. few D. some

9. A. Before long B. Long before C. After all D. In all

10. A. films B. novels C. plays D. stories

11. A. known B. called C. hoped D. made

12. A. acted B. played C. helped D. became

13. A. as B. for C. with D. of

14. A. had B. gave C. took D. made

15. A. singers B. poets C. students D. musicians

16. A. cost B. took C. turned D. got

17. A. not B. no C. none D. all

18. A. us B. him C. her D. them

19. A. ahead B. after C. like D. before

20. A. rewards B. gifts C. wishes D. presents

It was our second day in Tokyo. And we were    1    in the large underground station and didn't know which train to take to get back to our hotel. My friend, Haima, and I stood    2    the faces of the Japanese walking    3    us in the busy station. We finally zeroed in on a young girl who looked    4   . Though she stopped, it was    5    she could not understand a word of English.

Seeing our faces fall in    6   , she expressed herself by gestures, asking us to wait. We watched curiously as she stopped several people and talked with them in Japanese    7    she found one who could speak and understand English. This person asked us in poor English    8    we wanted to go and then spoke in rapid-fire Japanese to the girl.

She was    9    her head and saying "Hai! Hai!". He moved on after telling us we were in the wrong station. The girl,    10    stayed back, she also    11    us all the way to the right station,just a few minutes    12   , but completely out of her way. Thanking her for her    13   , we rushed off to buy    14   .

I have never seen    15    who goes out of their way to help a lost person in Delhi, usually just    16    to give directions and moving on. Little did we realize    17    there were going to be many more such    18    in the following days that would totally stand on the head our preconceived(先前的) ideas about the Japanese.

However, by the end of this    19   , few of my old opinions about the Japanese being poker-faced, serious,    20   , formal and so on existed.

1. A. found B. lost C. staying D. walking

2. A. learning B. enjoying

C. appreciating D. examining

3. A. through B. among C. past D. with

4. A. comrade B. friend C. at D. friendly

5. A. obvious B. unlucky C. possible D. impossible

6. A. fun B. surprise C. disappointment D. silence

7. A. until B. unless C. where D. because

8. A. why B. how C. whether D. where

9. A. shaking B. nodding C. moving D. touching

10. A. not B. not only C. hardly D. only

11. A. asked B. brought C. took D. drew

12. A. away B. ago C. later D. before

13. A. supply B. support C. service D. kindness

14. A. things B. presents C. tickets D. maps

15. A. nobody B. anyone C. who D. whoever

16. A. refusing B. refuse C. stopping D. lifting

17. A. that B. if C. which D. since

18. A. girls B. boys C. accidents D. incidents

19. A. week B. story C. article D. trip

20. A. kind-hearted B. easy-going C. cold D. energetic