From a college designed specifically for high school students to one that doesn’t provide students with grades, here are some of the country’s most unique institutions.
●Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

The first interracial, co-educational college in the South, Berea specializes in attracting students who may be otherwise unable to afford a college education. Berea students come from families with an average household income of $ 30,000, which is why the school’s financial aid program is so important.
●Deep Springs College, Deep Springs, California

Deep Springs, formerly an all-male school, has one of the smallest student bodies in the country at 26. The college accepts only 10% of its applicants, and maintains its own cattle herd. Students enjoy the school’s isolated location — 45 miles away from the nearest established town. Electricity is produced mainly through solar power, and the college sometimes even sells electricity to Pacific Gas&Electric.
●The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington

At Evergreen, students don’t receive traditional letter grades. Instead, professors issue narrative(叙述的) evaluations of students’ work at the end of each term. The curriculum is structured around the"Coordinated Studies Program", which focuses on providing students with a well-rounded education across a number of different areas. The college sits on 1,000 breathtaking acres, a portion of it on Puget Sound.

●Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts

Considered an"experimenting"college because of its constantly changing curriculum, Hampshire College doesn’t feature a traditional grading system. Instead, the school requires students to complete three different divisions, which feature different classes. Once the project is completed, it’s not given a grade, but a written evaluation, as other projects students complete throughout their time at Hampshire are.
21．Which of the following suits students from families with a lower income?

A. The Evergreen State College.                  B. Deep Springs College.

C. Hampshire College.                                       D. Berea College.

22．What can we learn about The Evergreen State College?

A. It attaches great value to students’ different kinds of knowledge.

B. It’s most famous for its outstanding teaching quality.

C. It only provides examination scores for students.

D. It focuses on students’ hands-on experience.

23．How are the students judged in Hampshire College?

A. By receiving traditional letter grades.

B. By using a computer examination grading system

C. By evaluating their performance of three divisions.

D. By checking if they can design financial aid programs.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco，California is one of the world's most beautiful bridges. It is also one of the most visited places in the world. Vehicles cross the bridge an average of 41 million times each year. More than 1800 hundred million vehicles have used the bridge since it opened more than 70 years ago.
      The bridge was painted “International Orange” because that color went well with the natural surroundings. The color also is easier to see in the heavy fog that often covers the area. But the Golden Gate Bridge was not named for its orange color. It was named for the body of water that it crosses，the Golden Gate Strait.
      The Golden Gate Strait is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge links the city of San Francisco with Marin County, California.
      Planning for the bridge began in the 1920s when the area around San Francisco was growing. People living in the area needed another way to get to the city besides small ferries．
      Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer for the project. Work began in 1934. Mr.Strauss demanded the strongest safy protections in the history of bridge building. These included the first use of “hard hats” to protect the workers' heads and special glasses to protect their eyes.
       A special safety net was suspended(挂)under the bridge. This net saved the lives of 19 men during the construction. However, 11 other workers were killed when they fell from the bridge through the net. Still, this was a new safety record for the time.
      The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.It extends 1280 meters across the water. The total length is 2737 meters. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world until 1964.That is when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City. Today, the Golden Gate Bridge is the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world.
24．The Golden Gate Bridge was named after ________．

 A．the local climate                          B．the color of a paint

 C．the strait it crosses                      D．its natural surroundings

25．The purpose of suspending a special safety net is to ________．

A．protect the environment                 B．make construction easier

C．prevent workers from falling          D．save building materials from falling

26．What do we know about Joseph Strauss?

A．He attached importance to the workers' safety.

B．His safety measures were not of practical value.

C．He built the first suspension bridge in the world.

D．He demanded strong measures to ensure the safety of the bridge.

27．The passage is written to ________．

A．invite readers to San Francisco                          

B．introduce the Golden Gate Bridge

C．describe how the Golden Gate Bridge was built    

D．tell the story of an engineer called Joseph Strauss

In today's world of smart phones and laptops, most people have at least one time-telling thing with them. Since these digital products are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, the answer is yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is “an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function.” Many young adults think so and use their smart phones to tell time. It is said that fewer young people wear watches today than ten years ago. As a result, some people say that the watch industry is at a crossroads.

However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches redeem（挽回） popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality watch that doesn’t just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers took pride in their products’ accuracy. But in recent years, the watch industry has changed itself into an accessory(配饰) business. And today, the image a watch conveys has become more important than the time it tells.

“Complications” — features that go beyond simple timekeeping — are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer lots of features that meet almost any personality. These features include compasses, USB drivers, and even other functions that measure the effectiveness of golf swings!

Creativity also plays a key role in designing today’s watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches. The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell time. It looks more like a fashionable bracelet（手镯） than a watch.

Whether a watch conveys fashion sense, creative talent or a love of sports, consumers want their watches to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of little things in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what’s on their wrists. Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell!

28. What can we know from the first paragraph?

 A. As most people see, watches are out of fashion. 

 B. Some people feel that watches have been of no use.  

 C. The watch industry will close down sooner or later.

 D. There are so many choices of watches for teenagers today. 

29. According to the passage, what image does a watch convey nowadays?

A. It simply tells time.                        

B. It appeals to many teenagers. 

C. It has many complex functions.                    

D. It has an impact on creativity and imagination.

30. Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash is mentioned in Paragraph 4 to _________.

A. show why Shinshoku watches are popular                   

B. advertise Shinshoku watches made by Tokyoflash     

C. make a comparison between watches and bracelets

D. tell that today’s watches need more imagination 

31. What may be the best title for the passage?

 A. Watches Tell More Than Time                              B. Japanese Watches Stand Out  

 C. Watch Industry Is in a Bad Situation               D. Watches Are Becoming Less Popular 【答案】

Writers used to approach publishers to have their work read by the public. Now they can simply post them and find millions of instant audience.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Bao Jingjing started “making up” a love story simply to distract (转移) her attention. Her story of a girl suffering the pain like hers progressed quickly, attracting many readers.

When Bao stopped writing as she reunited with her boyfriend, she was urged to continue, as readers wanted to know what happened next. Bao finished it soon. It became so popular that it was turned into a best-seller. To cap it all off, Bao’s novel was later adapted into a successful movie.

Bao’s story is only one of many Internet novels that have landed deals for physical books, TV shows and films. Unlike traditional writers who buried themselves in their books for years, some young writers like Bao have got readers rapidly online and find overnight success.

Bao admits her success was unexpected. She still remembers how surprised her parents were when she proudly gave them her copyright earnings. Online literature forums are platforms for grassroots writers to succeed.

In recent years, Zhang Wei, known as “Tangjiasanshao”, has earned 177 million yuan by his fingers though working as an author was beyond his dreams. He topped the list of wealthiest Chinese Internet novelists twice and was the only online writer to be listed on the 2014 Forbes “Chinese Celebrity List”.

He admits that he is one of the few writers at the top of the pyramid while most online writers remain unknown. However, he urged that his success can be achieved by others, as long as “they write hard enough”.   

32. According to the passage, we know that _______.

A. Bao Jingjing’s parents didn’t want her to be a writer.

B. Bao Jingjing didn’t really expect her success overnight.

C. Bao Jingjing didn’t finish her first online love story.

D. Bao Jingjing’s first online story was turned into a TV show. 

33. The underlined words “to cap it all off” in Paragraph 3 probably means_______.

A. in turn               B. in conclusion                 C. in time              D. in addition

34. The author mentioned Zhang Wei’s example mainly to_________.

A. introduce another online writer to the readers

B. show the example of another online writer’s success       

C. encourage readers to become online writers     

D. express his admiration for online writer Zhang Wei

35. What can we infer from what Zhang Wei says in the last paragraph?

A. Few words, many deeds.               B. First try, and then trust.

C. Harm set, harm get.                D. No pains, no gains.

       How to set goals

Whether you have small dreams or great expectations, setting goals allows you to plan how you want to move through life. Some achievements can take a lifetime to attain.      36   No matter what goals you are setting, getting started can be difficult, but we’ll show you how to build up to even the biggest dream.

²        Determine your life goals.   37   What you want to achieve: today, in a year, in your lifetime? The answer to this question can be as general as “I want to be happy,” or ” I want to help people”. A career life goal might be to open your own business. A fitness goal might be to become fit. These goals can be amazingly broad.

²        Set priorities(优先的事物). At any given moment, you probably have a number of goals all in different states of completion.    38   If you  find yourself with too many goals, you’re going to feel lost and are less

likely to accomplish them.

²        Keep track of your progress. Writing in a journal is a great way to keep track of both personal and professional progress. Acknowledging the progress made towards a certain goal is key to staying motivated.    39   Asking a friend to keep you on track can also help you stay focused.

²           40  Once you have achieved goals---even major life goals—you will want to continue to grow and set new goals for yourself. Once you run your marathon, you should assess what you’d like to do next. Do you want to run another marathon, but improve your time? Or do you want to run longer distance?

A.      Keep setting goals.

B.      So be realistic about your goals.

C.      It may even encourage you to work harder.

D.     Others, however, can be completed in the course of a day.

E.      Break the big picture down into smaller and more specific goals.

F.      So deciding which goals are more important than others is important.

G.     Ask yourself some important questions about what you want for your life.