The first year of school can be stressful - not for the kids, but for the parents!

They want their little ones to do well at school and some pushy parents will already be thinking about the problem (25) ______ they can get their child to the top of the class.

But some parents are concerned about the rules for when children should start school.

The School Admissions Code for England says that children (26) ______ join the reception class the September after their fourth birthday.

But here is the problem: A four year old who is born in August could be in the same class as someone who was born in October of the previous year! (27) ______ of them were four years old in September.

The older child will probably do better in class tests. He or she is almost a year (28) ______ (old)! This can affect the confidence of the younger child.

Now England's schools minister, Nick Gibbs says that the rules should (29) ______ (change). In an open letter to councils, schools and parents he says, “Parents know their children best”.

And he said that some parents “feel forced (30) ______ (send) their child to school before they are ready”.

He proposes that children that are born during the summer can join the class when they are four or wait (31) ______ they are five.

Dr. David Whitebread, an educationalist from Cambridge University says that the UK has a summer-born effect just (32) ______ children start school so young.

“In countries with these later starting ages, there is a very much reduced summer-born effect or none at all”, he said.

AFace-Reading System

If a potential customer enjoys your advertisement, they are more likely to buy your product. It’s a simple enough concept, (33) ______ it is extremely difficult to know how well your advertisement is being received in the real world. Now a new system could help advertisers know exactly how their latest offering is going down with viewers, just by watching their faces.

The system, (34) ______ (develop) by Daniel McDuff and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, looks at how muscles in the face move in response to (35) ______ (watch) a video. Software can then classify what is viewed as positive facial responses and smiles during the video and from that predict (36) ______ advertisements the viewer most enjoys.

The team collected more than 3200 videos of people, (37) ______ faces were filmed by their own computers’ webcam as they watched three advertisements online during the Super Bowl in 2011. After each commercial, one for Doritos, one for Google and one for Volkswagen, the viewers were asked if they liked the video and whether they would want to watch it again. In tests, the system made correct predictions more than 75 per cent of the time.

The system would be a gift for advertisers (38) ______ (try) to grab the attention of potential customers on the internet. In future, the system can be used to personalize advertisements for viewers as they (39) ______ (view) programmes online, depending on their reaction, or as a more effective way of testing how good a new advertisement is (40) ______ appealing to customers.

A. engaged     B. inevitably      C. vital      D. innovations     E. potential     F. evolve

G. available     H. imagine       I. simply     J. impressed       K. applications

A Special Day: Microsoft’s 40th Anniversary

Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a brave idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to __41__ it was possible. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the __42__ role Microsoft played in that revolution.

Today I am thinking much more about Microsoft’s future than its past, though. I believe computing will __43__ faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing will become even more spreading. We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new __44__ and enabling people to do even more.

Under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are __45__ in every aspect of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry. In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am __46__ by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and Holo Lens -- and those are just a few of the __47__ that are on the way.

In the coming years, Microsoft has the opportunity to reach even more people and organizations around the world. Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they __48__ do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing __49__ everywhere even as the very intention of what a PC delivers makes its way into all devices.

We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and enable countless businesses and people to realize their full __50__. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come.

Some futurologists have assumed that the vast increase of women in the workforce may signal a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis (假设), would rather work than marry. The opposite of this concern is that the outlook of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to put off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises.

The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusion. The effect of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its effect on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible (似是而非的). Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.

Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.

Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.

(Note: Answer the question or complete the statement in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)

78. According to the first paragraph, what do fewer people get married for when the economy declines?

79. A wife may strengthen her family’s stability by working to _______________.

80. Psychologically speaking, whether _______________ will have a strong effect on the marriage.

81. What problem may a multi-paycheck household have?

1、当你感到疲惫不堪时，为何不停下手中的事情放松一下呢？（Why…）

2、当地的慈善机构安排了各种活动为那些病人筹集医疗和生活费用。（raise）

3、那部打动了很多观众的童话电影唤起了人们对自己童年生活的回忆。（remind）

4、事实证明人们越是急于做好一件事，就越有可能出一些不必要的差错。(likely)

5、生活中不管遇到什么不如意之事，最重要的是要抱着积极的态度去勇敢面对它。（what）