答案 C [句意：在处理学习中存在的复杂问题时，我们所采用的传统方法是把问题分解成更小的、更容易处理的问题。approach常与介词to连用，而to后要用名词或动名词形式，故答案为C项。]
12．________him and then try to copy what he does. A．Mind B．Glance at C．Stare at D．Watch
答案 D [四个选项的英文释义如下：watch：attend carefully to sb or sb's action；stare at：look fixedly with wide open eyes，as in wonder，fear or deep thought；glance at：give a rapid look；mind：take care of or look after。从原句中的try to copy what he does可知应选watch。]
13．—Now that you like the house so much，why not buy it? —Well，I can't afford ________house. A．that a big B．a big that C．a that big D．that big a
答案 D [that相当于副词so，表示程度，修饰形容词或副词，但如果在“a(n)＋adj.＋n.”这个结构中则用that＋adj.＋a(n)＋n.的形式。]
14．You don't need to return the money all at once.You can ________the loan over a period of 20 years.
A．take back B．pay back C．pull back D．get back
答案 B [句意：你不必一次性还钱，你可以贷款20年再慢慢偿
还。考查短语的含义。take back意为“取回，使回忆起，取消”，pay back“偿还，报答，报复”，get back“找回，恢复”，pull back“把……向后拉，撤退”等，根据句意选择B项。]
15．Most Americans would find it hard to imagine ________without a car.
A．what could life be like B．what life could be like
C．life could be like what D．could life be like what
答案 B [句意：大多数的美国人都觉得很难想象没有汽车的生活会是什么样的。考查宾语从句的语序。what引导宾语从句，从句用陈述句语序，主语是life。]
单元知识综合运用 阅读理解
A
High school dropouts earn an average of $9,000 less per year than graduates.Now a new study moves away a common belief why they quit.It's much more than failing in exams at school. Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can't cut it.They are lazy，and perhaps not too bright.So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left.
“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school.”
John Bridgeland，the executive researcher said.About 1 million teens leave school each year.Only about half of African-American and Hispanic(美籍西班牙的)students will receive a diploma，and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision.So，if failing grades don't explain why these kids quit，what does？Again，John Bridgeland said，“The most dependable finding was that they were bored.”“They found classes uninteresting；they weren't inspired or motivated.They didn't see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives，or to their possible careers.” The study found that most teens who do dropout wait until they turn sixteen，which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit.In the US，only one state，New Mexico，has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate.Only four states：California，Tennessee，Texas and Utah，plus the District of Columbia，require school attendance until age 18，no exceptions.Another researcher says raising the compulsory attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school.
“As these dropouts look back，they realize they've made a mistake.And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out，is probably a helpful measure.” New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18.But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses
the point—the need for reform.It's been called for to reinvent high school education to make it more challenging and relevant，and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something.
【语篇解读】 学生为什么要辍学？是因为他们不聪明不努力而导致考试不及格吗？调查显示，并非如此。学校教育的乏味和缺乏实用性才是罪魁祸首。中学教育的改革势在必行。
16．Most high school students drop out of school because ________.
A．they often fail in exams B．they find school learning boring C．they are discriminated against D．they are lazy and not intelligent
答案 B [事实细节题。由第三段“The most dependable finding was that they were bored.”“They found classes uninteresting；they weren't inspired or motivated.”一句可知。]
17．According to the passage，which state will soon have a law requiring school attendance until 18?
A．California. B．New Hampshire. C．New Mexico. D．Utah.
答案 B [事实细节题。由最后一段第一句可知。New Mexico颁布法律规定学生必须毕业，并没有年龄限制。而California和Utah是已经实行了这一规定的州。]
18．In the last paragraph，the writer is trying to ________.
A．analyze the reason why students quit school B．suggest raising the compulsory attendance age C．raise awareness of reforming high school education D．wish to make laws to guarantee no education
答案 C [推理判断题。文章最后一段指出：强迫不愿意继续上学的学生留在学校显然是没有看到问题的关键——改革的必要性。由此可见，作者是赞同中学教育改革并希望公众能注意这个问题。]
19．What is the purpose of the author writing this article? A．To analyze the reasons why many students drop out of school.
B．To introduce the measures to stop students from dropping out of school.
C．To introduce the different regulations in the USA about students dropping out of school.
D．To raise awareness of educational reforming in the USA. 答案 D [主旨大意题。作者借助一份关于中学生辍学的研究结果，说明了美国中学教育改革的必要性。]
B
If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness，the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person，for a new study has found that the perception (认知) of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality.The study，which was led by Gary W．Lewandowski，