H. We can quibble (推托)about fruit all day, but a more productive response would be to
recommit to the principle that 15 (or 17) percent proficiency just isn't good enough, no matter where you live. To acknowledge this fact is not to say that reform is doomed; it is not blaming students or insulting teachers. It is merely reminding ourselves that the 83 percent of 11th grade students at Urban Prep who didn't pass the state exam, and the 85 percent of 9th grade students at Bruce Randolph who didn't pass the state writing test, deserve better.
I. So why are some reformers resorting to excuses? Most likely for the same reason that urban educators from an earlier generation made excuses: successfully educating large numbers of low income kids is very, very hard. But it is not impossible, as reformers have repeatedly demonstrated on a small scale. To achieve systemwide success, though, we need a shift in strategy.
J. The reformers policy goals are, in most cases, quite worthy. Yes, contracts should be
renegotiated so that the best teachers are given incentives (激励，鼓励) to teach in the poorest schools, and yes, school systems should extend the school day and school year for low income students, as many successful charter schools have done. But these changes are not nearly sufficient. As Paul Reville, the Massachusetts secretary of education, wrote recently in
Education Week, traditional reform strategies \ barriers to student learning posed by the conditions of poverty. \ concrete steps to address the whole range of factors that hold poor students back. That doesn't mean sitting around hoping for Utopian social change. It means supplementing classroom strategies with targeted, evidencebasedinterventions outside the classroom: working
intensively with the most disadvantaged families to improve home environments for young children; providing high quality early childhood education to children from the neediest families; and, once school begins, providing low income students with a robust system of emotional and psychological support, as well as academic support.
K. School reformers often portray these efforts as a distraction from their agenda—something for someone else to take care of while they do the real work of wrestling with the teachers unions. But in fact, these strategies are essential to the success of the school reform movement. Pretending they are not is just another kind of excuse.
36. In Chicago public schools, the percentage of low-income students is higher than that of Urban Prep.
37. To acknowledge that 15 (or 17) percent proficiency just isn't good enough is reminding ourselves that those who didn't pass the state exam deserve better.
38. Those strategies for helping low incomes out are essential to the success of the school reform movement.
39. Urban educators from an earlier generation made excuses that successfully educating large numbers of low income kids is very hard but not impossible.
40. The ninthgrade math proficiency rates of Bruce Randolph School had risen by 9 percent. 41. Diane Ravitch was charged with \
42. Reformers need to provide low income students with a robust system of emotional, psychological supports and academic support.
43. Diane Ravitch thought that raising high-poverty schools to consistently high levels of proficiency is much more difficult and less common than what reformers expect.
44. The students at Urban Prep are almost all black males from low income families.
45. Allowing for more charter schools, weakening teachers' tenure protections and compensating teachers in part based on their students' performance are long-term goals for reformers.
Section C
Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or
unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
What does the typical American or Canadian usually eat? Most people think that the typical North American diet consists of fast foods — hamburgers and French fries. It also includes convenience foods, usually frozen or canned, \food\without much food value — candy, potato chips, cereal with lots of sugar but no vitamins — and so on. This diet is very high in sugar, salt, fat, and cholesterol (胆固醇) and the choice of food does not provide much good nutrition. However, eating habits are changing. North Americans are becoming more interested in good health, and nutrition is an important part of health. People are eating less red meat and fewer eggs, and they are eating more chicken and fish. They know that chicken and fish are better for their health than meat or eggs because these foods do not contain much fat or cholesterol. Some foods might cause health problems, and people want to stay away from them.
For health reasons, many people are also buying more fresh vegetables. They may eat them without cooking them first, or they might cook them quickly in very little water because they want to keep the vitamins.
The \restaurants are opening in big cities in the United States and Canada. Foods from Japan, Thailand, Mexico, West Africa, China, and India are very popular.
How are we going to eat in the future? We will probably continue to eat more fish and vegetables and less meat. We will still buy convenience foods, but frozen foods will be better for our health, and canned foods will have less salt and sugar. Our \really going to be \with a lot of vitamins and protein. In the future, our diet will probably be even more interesting and healthful than it is now.
46. What does “junk food” refer to? A) The food which can be served fast. B) The food which cooks well. C) The food which is short of nutrition. D) The food which contains less sugar. 47. North Americans are changing their eating habits because now ______. A) they are paying more attention to food nutrition B) they can produce more chicken and fish C) food prices are becoming higher and higher
D) food problems are becoming more and more serious
48. What eating habit are some North Americans getting into? A) Eating fresh vegetables and fruits only.
B) Eating more raw fresh vegetables. C) Eating food full of vitamins.
D) Eating out in different foreign restaurants.
49. What will happen to the foods in North America in the future? A) More convenient foods will be produced.
B) The canned foods will be without salt and sugar. C) The \D) The diet we have will be all healthful.
50. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A) Different Eating Habits B) The Popular Western Foods C) Foods in North America D) Changes in Diet of North Americans Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
For many African people, life changed dramatically in recent years. This is especially true far the Tuareg people of north-central Africa. Historically, the Tuaregs led the life of nomads (游牧民), people without permanent home. They traveled across the Sahara Desert in caravans (商队) of camels, carrying goods between Arab Africa in the north and black Africa in the south.
The Tuaregs were a light-skinned Berber people, with a culture and language of their own. Europeans called them the \shoes. They were well known for their great skill in finding their way across the open desert with the only stars to guide them. They were also known for their independent spirit. In fact, they loved the nomad way of life. National borders had no meaning for them in the desert. Duringthe eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Africa was divided up and ruled by various European countries, but this did not affect the Tuaregs, who continued to move freely.
In the middle-twentieth century, however, there were big changes in Africa. In many countries, black Africans began to break free of European rule and set up their own governments. As the new governments gained power, national borders became more important and it became more difficult for the Tuaregs to travel and trade.
At the same time, another big change had come to the area. People were beginning to use motor vehicles for traveling across the desert. Cars and trucks were faster and more efficient than camels. Thus, the Tuaregs caravans lost their important role in the desert. The old way of life was now definitely over.
The question was how could the Tuaregs now make a living? They noticed that the people living near water holes could plant vegetable gardens and suffered less from the drought. Soon Tuaregs began to settle down near the old watering places in the desert. They began to grow vegetables and fruit trees.
Now many of Tuaregs miss their caravan days and some dream of teaching their children the old ways, but instead, they are teaching them to be farmers.
51. Where are Tuareg people living now? A) In the Sahara Desert. B) In north Africa. C) In south Africa. D) In north-central Africa. 52. The distinctive feature of the Tuareg people was that______. A) they had light skin B) they all dressed in blue
C) they spoke their own language D) they led a unique way of life 53. What was the situation of Africa in the middle-twentieth century? A) Europeans and black Africans set up their own borders. B) Africa was divided up and controlled by European powers. C) Many African countries were out of control of Europeans.
D) There were fierce battles between black Africans and Europeans.
54. What is the main factor that made the Tuaregs caravans lose their importance? A) Black Africans set up their own governments.
B) People used motor vehicles for transportation in the desert. C) The Tuaregs lost their important traveling tool — camels. D) National borders became important in Africa. 55. Tuaregs are now living their lives by______. A) setting down to grow vegetables and fruits B) moving from one water hole to another C) carrying goods with cars and trucks
D) teaching their children how to be farmers
Part IV Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
苏州是座水城，也是一座园林 (gardens)城市，因此它被称作“东方的威尼斯”。14世纪到20世纪的明、清两个朝代，是园林建造全盛时期，那时曾经一度有超过200座的私家园林。私家园林和皇家园林风格迥异。私家园林通常面积要更小，同时它们具有多种功能，如寄宿、聚会还有观光。2007年，苏州古典园林被联合国教科文组织 (UNESCO)列入《世界遗产名录》 (World Cultural Heritages)。