The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper                  

 Dear editor,

I’d like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary (武断的) standard of success on everyone. I do not demand, as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School.

Magdalena Smith

Drama Club

Dear editor,

I’d like to say something about grades. Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I’ve spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.

Simon Harper

Science Club

1. Which of the following is not Magdalena Smith’s opinion?

A. Students may give up the chance to learn music and sports for grades.

B. Students’ creativity may not be developed for grades.

C. Grades should not be used to measure a person’s success.

D. Grades should be taken away at once.

2. We can learn Simon Harper __________.

A. believes in the benefits of good grades     B. is concerned about students’ creativity

C. doesn’t work too hard at his studies       D. supports students’ interests and abilities

3. From the second letter, we can infer that Simon Harper is a/an __________.

A. teacher               B. headmaster             C. student            D. advertiser

There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.

     He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him, “Why not write to other people who need encouragement?”

     He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered.”

     Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.

     It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.

     The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from room to room until they fall to pieces!”

No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.

4. Before the man had the accident, he __________.

  A. had toured around the world               B. had visited local prisons

  C. had tried doing exercise to recover himself   D. had been friends with the prison minister

5. In order to live in a meaningful way, the man began to ________.

  A. receive the school education              B. write to other people who needed encouragement

  C. meet the people who were depressed       D. help other people who lost arms and legs

6. From the officer’s short note we are told that __________.

  A. the man would be offered free paper to write letters on

  B. some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters

  C. the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man

  D. his letters were very popular among the prisoners

7. What can be the best title for the passage?

  A. Stories about a Humorous Person                B. Popularity of Special Letters

  C. Special Letters of Encouragement                D. Relationship between Writers and Prisoners

Owning a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are... but they also turn you into a workaholic (工作狂). A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day.

Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles. The study by technology retailer Pixmania, shows the average UK working day is between nine and ten hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess (坦白) they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they take work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. Nearly two-thirds say they often check work emails just before they go to bed and as soon as they wake up, while over a third have replied to one in the middle of the night.

Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smart phones valuable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity (容量).”

8. The text is probably taken from __________.

A. a scientific report            B. a financial report     C. a newspaper                  D. a travel journal

9. The underlined word “drawbacks” in the last paragraph probably means __________.

A. disagreements               B. disadvantages           C. mistakes                 D. features

10. Ghadi may agree that __________.

A. employees are supposed to be on call 24 hours a day

B. the ability to access many apps made smart phones worthless

C. smart phones might turn a person into a workaholic

D. people cannot get away from work without smart phones

11. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Smart phones are lengthening working hours.

B. Smart phones are becoming valuable for many people.

C. Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average.

D. Smart phones are more beneficial to our life than we think.

   They should be Britain’s gilded (镀金的) youth, enjoying opportunities to study, travel and start exciting careers in a way older generations could only dream about. But instead they are the “Ipod” generation —“Insecure, Pressured, Over-taxed and Debt-ridden”—according to a study by a group of experts who provide advice and ideas on social issues.

   “We thought that each generation would be better off than its predecessors (前辈),” said Professor Nick Bosanquet of Imperial College London, one of its authors. “But young people today have more duties and it is much more difficult for them to raise their incomes and create wealth. This really is a very big issue for the country.”

   According to the report, today’s youth don’t have enough confidence and ability to build on the economic foundations created by post-war baby boomers (生育高峰期出生的人) . Because they are in debt, they are also reluctant to take risks. Levels of entrepreneurship (企业家精神) among Britain’s youth are lower than in America, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and have fallen over the past decade. Many choose the jobs which offer a good amount of money after they retire. Others have to take any job that is available to try to pay off their debts.

   “I borrowed a lot of money from the bank to pay for my education at university, which is the biggest chain around my neck now,” said Phil Grech, 22, from Cumbria, who has a degree in maths from the University of Reading. “I’m only doing a temporary job at the moment to pay the mounting bills. I haven’t really thought about the long term. Many people think that when you leave university you can get a good job, but it’s no longer like that.”

   While older generations enjoyed higher education funded by taxpayers, young people today face university tuition fees and a decreasing “return” in the salary advantage they will get from their degrees.

12. What is the text mainly about?

   A. Britain’s gilded youth.          

B. The “Ipod” generation in Britain.

   C. The challenges faced by the British today.

  D. The career choices Britain’s youth have.

13. What’s the biggest problem in Phil Grech’s life?

   A. Low income.                            B. The debt.

   C. Not having a good college degree.           D. Not having job opportunities.

14. We can infer from the text that the “Ipod” generation __________.

   A. doesn’t have much determination 

B. doesn’t want to have a full-time job

   C. lives a harder life than the older generations

   D. hasn’t realized the importance of saving money

15. Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “reluctant” in the third paragraph?

   A. Unwilling.            B. Foolish.         C. Quick.             D. Sorry.

    How do you stay true to yourself when you’re surrounded by friends and/or family that have an opinion on everything you do? It’s not easy!   16   Here are 4 tips which can help you live a dynamic life.

    17   

Stay true to yourself by listening to the only opinions that really matter－your own and those from people who believe in and encourage you. Deep down you know yourself better than anybody else.

Don't fear people

    18     The reason most people don’t take risks, or live on the edge is the fear of what others might think of them. If you want to live the life you truly deserve, you must give up the need to be liked by everybody.

Value yourself and your choices

When you do, others will too. Own the choices you make in your life.    19   When you believe in yourself, in time, others will believe in you too. Show confidence in your choices, and what you stand for whether others agree or not.

Focus on appreciation

No matter what the circumstances are, there is always something to be grateful for. All successful people ask, “What am I grateful for ? How can I improve my situation and use these tough times to inspire others?”           20    

These steps, if applied, will help you transform your peace of mind, lifestyle, and productivity.

A. Concentrate on your own talents and strengths.

B. Never let others’ opinions guide your choices.

C. Treat every person like they are important.

D. When you doubt yourself, others will doubt you.

E. Stay fearless in everything you will have to do.

F. Be thankful to life and be helpful to others, and you’ll lead a successful life.

G. However, there are great possibilities that you can lead the life you really want.