(2)

Japanese students work very bard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures(压力) from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted(有天赋的) enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don’t want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts.

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents serif their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends — they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.

Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists(心理学家) now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.

5. “Dropouts” are those who _______.

A. make troubles in and out of schools

B. go about or stay home instead of being at school

C. try hard but always fails in the exams

D. lose hope and give up some of their subjects

6. According to the passage, it’s necessary to teach students _______.

A. how to study well B. how to get on with others

C. to show love and care for others D. All above

7. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. The Trouble in Japanese Schools B. The Problems of Japanese Students

C. Education in Japan D. The Pressures on the Students in Japan

(3)

If you wish to become a better reader, here are four important things to remember about reading rate:

● Knowing why you are reading or what you are reading to find out will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.

● Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing something, arithmetic problems, science and history books, which are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each important ideas.

● Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories meant for enjoyment, news letters from friends, pieces of news from local, or home-town, papers, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.

● In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as you go along. You will need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas which must be remembered.

8. The underlined word "rate" in the first sentence means _______.

A. fast B. slow C. speed D. skill

9. Which should be read slowly according to the passage?

A. Stories for enjoyment B. Arithmetic problems

C. Letters from friends D. News from hometown newspapers

10. How fast should we read?

A. The faster, the better. B. The more slowly, the better.

C. Neither too fast nor too slow. D. It depends on what we are reading.

11. According to the passage which of the following is NOT true?

A. Read slowly when you are reading something important to you.

B. Read fast when you are reading something unimportant to you.

C. Read the materials that you are interested in slowly.

D. Read the materials that you are interested in fast.

(4)

One hot night last August, I tried everything I could think of — a warm bottle, songs etc. to make him fall into sleep, but he just couldn’t do it. Since I believed that a long night was waiting for me ahead, I had no choice but to bring a TV into his room to kill off the hours until dawn. I was surprised that the moment I turned on the TV the baby became quiet right away and fixed his little eyes brightly on the screen. Not willing to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoed out of the room, leaving him to watch the boring TV programs.

I heard no more of the baby’s crying that night and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV by himself. I found there was a metaphor(暗喻) in my baby’s behavior(行为) for the new generation. When I gave my boy some books to go over, he only spit upon them; when I read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools with my students. I find that our students don’t read and they look down upon reading and make light of those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this experience with the baby, however, I have drawn a conclusion: “Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight against it? Let them watch what they want!

12. Why did the father bring a TV set into his son’s room?

A. To enjoy some interesting programs together with his son.

B. To help himself pass the long hours ahead of him.

C. To help his son fall asleep sooner.

D. To keep his son from making noises.

13. The baby seemed to be ______ at the sight of the TV set.

A. excited B. surprised C. bored D. pleased

14. This experience with his baby helped the father ______.

A. to know his baby better

B. to know better how to educate his students

C. to change his opinions towards TV

D. to know better about the new generation

(5)

Many instructors believe that an informal, relaxed classroom environment is good to learning and innovation. It is not uncommon for students to have easygoing and friendly relationships with their professors. The casual(随和的) professor is not necessarily a poor one and is still respected by students. Although students may be in a subordinate(从属的) position, some professors treat them as equals. However, no matter how equal professors would like to be, they still are in a position of authority.

Professors may establish social relationships with students outside of the classroom, but in the classroom they maintain the instructor’s role. A professor may have coffee one day with students but the next day expect them to meet a deadline for the submission(提交评判) of a paper or to be prepared for a discussion or an exam. The professor may give extra attention outside of class to a student in need of help but probably will not treat him or her differently when it comes to evaluating school work. Professors have several roles in relation to students; they may be friends as well as teachers. Students must realize that when a teacher’s role changes, they must appropriately adapt their behaviour and attitudes.

15. Generally speaking, relationships between students and their professors are_______.

A. common B. friendly C. poor D. equal