Question: My ninth-grade art teacher doesn't give any grade above 94% because, she says, "There's always room for improvement." In previous years, I earned a 99% and a 100%. The 94 I received this term does not reflect the hard work that I put into this course. Because of her "improvement" theory, I got a lower grade than I deserve. Is her grading philosophy ethical (符合职业道德规范的)?

Answer: Your teacher's grading system may be unwise, but it is not unethical. A teacher deserves wide latitude in selecting the method of grading that best promotes learning in her classroom; that is, after all, the prime function of grades. It is she who has the training and experience to make this decision. Assuming that your teacher is neither biased nor corrupt and that her system conforms to school rules, you can't fault her ethics.

You can criticize her methodology. A 100 need not imply that there is no possibility of improvement, only that a student successfully completed the course work. A ninth grader could get a well-earned 100 in English class but still have a way to go before she writes as well as Jane Austen. What's more, grades are not only an educational device but are also part of a screening system to help assign kids to their next class or program. By capping her grades at 94 while most other teachers grade on a scale that tops out at 100, your teacher could jeopardize a student's chance of getting a scholarship or getting into a top college.

What it is wrong to condemn her for is overlooking your hard work. You diligence is worthy of encouragement, but effort does not equal accomplishment. If scholars suddenly discovered that Rembrandt had dashed off "The Night Watch" in an afternoon, it would still be "The Night Watch."

I could spend months sweating over my own "paintings", but I'd produce something you wouldn't want to hang in your living room. Or your garage.

One feature of a good grading system is that those measured by it generally regard it as fair and reasonable—not the case here. Simmering (难以平息的) resentment is seldom an aid to education.And so your next step should be to discuss your concerns with your teacher or the principal.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。47. The ninth-grader thought that his art teacher should have given him ______.

48. According to the answer, a teacher should have the freedom to ______ to encourage learning.

49. We learn from the answer that a student who gets a 100 should still work hard and keep ______.

50. The example of Rembrandt's painting suggests that a distinction should be made between ______.

51. The ninth-grader is advised to go to his teacher or the principal to ______.

Section B

Passage One

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up the dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States—we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy.

The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as "government-run personnel management" and a "dangerous precedent". In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.

As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her book No Exit: What Parents Owe Their Children and What Society Owes Parents, sh

e argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care, meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional and moral capabilities. And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years, or longer if needed."

While most parents do this out of love, there are public penalties for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but essential for the future of society. The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children' welfare, yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue (不断积累) to the whole of society as today's children become tomorrow's productive citizenry (公民). In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20-30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。52. What do we learn about paid family leave from the first paragraph?

A) America is now the only developed country without the policy.

B) It has now become a hot topic in the United States.

C) It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy.

D) Its meaning was clarified when it was established in Australia.

53. What has prevented the passing of work-family balance laws in the United States?

A) The incompetence of the Democrats.

B) The existing Family and Medical Leave Act.

C) The lack of a precedent in American history.

D) The opposition from business circles.

54. What is Professor Anne Alstott's argument for parental support?

A) The cost of raising children in the U. S. has been growing.

B) Good parenting benefits society.

C) The U. S. should keep up with other developed countries.

D) Children need continuous care.

55. What does the author think of America's large body of family laws governing children's welfare?

A) They fail to ensure children's healthy growth

B) The fail to provide enough support for parents

C) They emphasize parents' legal responsibilities.

D) They impose the care of children on parents.

56. Why does the author object to classifying parenting as a personal choice?

A) It is regarded as a legal obligation.

B) It relies largely on social support.

C) It generates huge social benefits.

D) It is basically a social undertaking.

Passage Two

A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that today's youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations, and a 2008 study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes. But there's no easy way to see what those figures mean in real life. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a racially and ideologically diverse coalition with his message of hope and change; as the reality of life under a new administration settles in, some of those supporters might become disillusioned. As the nation moves further into the Obama presidency, will politically engaged young people continue to support the president and his agenda, or will they gradually drift away?

The writers of Generation O (short for Obama), a new Newsweek blog that seeks to chronicle the lives of a group of young Obama supporters, want to answer that question. For the next three months, Michelle Kremer and 11 other Obama supporters, ages 19 to 34, will blog about life across mainstream America, with one twist: by tying all of their ideas and experiences to the new president and his administration, the bloggers will try to start a conversation about what it means to be young and politically active in America today. Malena Amusa, a 24-year-old writer and dancer from St. Louis sees the project as a way to preserve history as it happens. Amusa, who is traveling to India this spring to finish a book, then to Senegal to teach English, has ongoing conversations with her friends about how the Obama presidency has changed their daily lives and hopes to put some of those ideas, along with her global perspective, into her posts. She's excited because, as she puts it, "I don't have to wait [until] 15 years from  now" to make sense of the world.