题型:任务型阅读 题类:常考题 难易度:困难
江苏省泰州市泰州中学2018届高三上学期英语开学考试试卷
“The gaokao,China's national college entrance exam,is winning more recognition as a way for universities overseas to evaluate Chinese students,”recruiting officers said.
Stanley Nel,vice-president of international relations at the University of San Francisco in the United States,who is responsible for the university's admissions from China,said he had had several inquiries from US universities about how to recruit Chinese students on the basis of their gaokao scores.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) have long been two musts for students from other counties,including China,to apply to study in the US.
USF,a private university in California,started a pilot program to accept Chinese students based on their gaokao scores in 2015.The idea came from USF President Paul Fitzgerald's belief that standardized tests like the SAT are not very good predictors of how well students will do at the university."We are aware of the many criticisms that have been made of the gaokao,but it has the advantage of being what educational experts call a 'criterion-referenced' exam: It tests whether students are able to master a given body of knowledge,"he said.
Currently,at least four higher education institutions in the US are recruiting Chinese students based on their gaokao performances.The Illinois Institute of Technology,a private institution in Chicago,started the practice first,in 2009.Outside the US,countries including Spain,Italy,Singapore,France and Australia also recognize gaokao scores.
More than 200 students from China requested an interview with USF last year.74 of them were selected for a follow-up interview,44 received offers and 20 accepted the invitation and joined USF for the 2015 fall semester. Students admitted in this way have done "exceptionally well" in the past academic year,Nel added."The average GPA for all gaokao students is about 3.5 out of 4.For all other students—American and non-gaokao international students—American and non-gaokao international students—the average GPA is 3.2,"he said.
Zhu Zihao gained admission in computer sciences at USF in 2015 through the program and performed well in his first academic year.He said that students who had experienced China's gaokao usually had comprehensive basic knowledge,which helps them excel in studies.
Nel said,"students admitted through China's gaokao are not only smart but extremely conscientious(认真的)and hardworking."
"This year we hope to recruit about 50 students in this way,and even more in years to come,"he said.
The gaokao | ||
Past situation | Universities in the US evaluated Chinese students according to two: The Test of English as a Foreign Language and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. | |
situation | The gaokao is increasinglyas a way of evaluating Chinese students by universities abroad. | |
of the people concerned | Stanley Nel—the person responsible for the university's admissions from China | ●Chinese students having received good scores in the gaokao performed academically well when studying in America. ●Chinese students admitted through China' gaokao are smart, conscientious and. |
Paul Fitzgerald—USF President | ●Despite thethe gaokao has received,it has its advantages.It tests students'to master a given body of knowledge. ●Some standardized tests cannotstudents' performance at the university well. | |
Zhu Zihao—a student admitted to USF in 2015 | Theof the gaokao is helpful for the performance at the university well. | |
Future situation | More Chinese students will be recruited by the universities overseason their performance in the gaokao. |
When was the last time you read a book or a magazine article? Do your everyday reading habits centre around updates on the Internet? In case you are one of countless individuals who don't make a habit of reading you may be passing up a great chance: Reading has a number of advantages and only a couple of advantages of reading are recorded below.
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information and you never know when it might be useful to you. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to overcome any challenge you'll ever face. Besides, here's a bit of food for thought:Should you ever find yourself in a terrible situation, remember that although you might lose everything else — your job, your possessions, your money, even your health — knowledge can never be taken from you.
At the same time, the more you read, the more words you gain, and they'll surely make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being able to express your ideas clearly in words is of great help and knowing that you can speak to higher-ranking people with self-confidence can be a great encouragement to your self-esteem(自尊). Reading books is also important for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will improve their own speaking and writing fluency.
When you read a book, you have to remember a lot of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history as well as the various plots(各种各样的情节) through every story. That's a fair bit to remember, but brains are wonderful things and can remember these things with ease. Amazingly enough, whenever you remember something new, new synapses(神经元的突触) are formed and existing ones are strengthened. How cool that is!
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other fields while an interesting article will distract(使分心) you and keep you in the present moment, letting stress away and allowing you to relax.
You Should Read Every Day | |
Knowledge Accumulation (积累) | ◆ The more you read, the more adequately it {#blank#}1{#/blank#}you for different troubles in life. ◆ Knowledge is what will stay with you {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. |
{#blank#}3{#/blank#}expansion | ◆ You can enlarge your vocabulary by reading, which may help you in your job and make you {#blank#}4{#/blank#}when you talk with your leaders. ◆ Words in context will help a foreign language learner use the language {#blank#}5{#/blank#} |
{#blank#}6{#/blank#}improvement | ◆ You will try to {#blank#}7{#/blank#}in mind the contents of a book while reading and that is somewhat {#blank#}8{#/blank#}for your brain. ◆ The more you try to remember, the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}you will be at remembering. |
Stress reduction | ◆ An interesting writing will transfer your attention to its plot so that you feel {#blank#}10{#/blank#}and forget about your worries. |
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
The 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: The manner of giving is worth more than the gift”. He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.
The professor's work focuses on how our brains sense the world around us. His research has shown that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to increase the sweetness wine tastes better if it is accompanied by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from all these created multisensory experiences.
So, what's his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?
Bulk it up hide
“We've just published research on eating a box of chocolates,” Mr Spence said. “If you are 30-gram weight in a box of chocolates, that weight translates to a significant increase perceived(感知)quality of the chocolate.”
There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury(奢侈)applies to many items including tableware, perfume(香水)and wine, Mr. Spence said. “That's why in a restaurant, a waiter might artfully give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.
Black is basic
Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said ,“it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”
Such luxury indications are learned, rather than inborn, so they can change over time. I'm doing a lot of work on transparency(透明) at the moment; high-quality packaged goods should have a transparent window because it suggests freshness or quality,” he said.
But the trend is recent, the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have nontransparent packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for originality.”
Layer it on
Unnecessary wrapping(包裹)can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.
“Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said, “because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”
Consider a little perfume in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to involve other senses, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.
Engaging several senses at once is beneficial.“ The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a reward value,”Mr. Spence said. Also, the more stimuli(刺激)to the senses, the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just beside the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.
You can go too far
“Engaging an extra sense is more effective, but you can potentially have a disagreement if that extra sense doesn't match the others.” the professor said.
passage outline |
Supporting details |
Introduction |
{#blank#}1{#/blank#}a gift is given is more important than the gift itself. |
Research support |
Involvement of different {#blank#}2{#/blank#}may give you hotter experiences. |
{#blank#}3{#/blank#} |
·Increase the {#blank#}4{#/blank#}of a gift: it improves perception of quality and luxury. |
·{#blank#}5{#/blank#}your gifts in black: it's considered to be the heaviest. ·Leave a transparent window in the packaging: people {#blank#}6{#/blank#}to associate it with originality. |
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·Wrap your gifts with tissue: it gives an extra sense which may {#blank#}7{#/blank#}to the receiver. ·Add perfume or music to the gift: they stimulate the senses of smell and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. |
|
·Don't go to {#blank#}9{#/blank#}: there is a risk that different senses don't match. |
|
Conclusion |
The thought behind a gift {#blank#}10{#/blank#}. |
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