题型:任务型阅读 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
河北省深州市中学2017-2018学年高一下学期英语期末考试试卷
The rules about how to talk, eat and sit, which are highly limited, are observed in most Western restaurants and homes. Many Westerners have no idea how to act at the Chinese dinner table. No forks or knives for them to use! The Chinese host makes great, sweeping arm movements that go over large sections of the table, passing over both food and friends alike. However, it leaves many foreigners at a loss for what to do.
In my childhood home, dinner was enjoyed with low voices, and the topics that we could discuss were very limited. If I had to leave the table to use the toilet, I had to excuse myself without mentioning what it was that I was going to do. “May I be excused, please? I need to wash my hands.” I would say. My mother would say, “Sure.” My father would often play a joke on me by saying, “”
As for eating, we did it quietly. No eating noises were allowed. Everything must be done as quietly as possible. If any sound was created by eating food or drinking, it would be considered as bad manners!
He is to sit up straight with the recessive hand (usually the left) in one's lap holding a napkin while the dominant hand (usually the right) holds the fork or spoon. The only time one is allowed to have both hands on the table is when he is using a knife to cut something.
A. The scene is fantastic.
B. Your hands don't look dirty!
C. How one sits at the table is also prescribed.
D. Can't you think up a better excuse than that?
E. In general they were all strictly forbidden topics.
F. They're completely different from what we find here in China.
G. We were not allowed to talk about anything that made listeners uncomfortable.
“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{#blank#}1{#/blank#}: The Test of English as a Foreign Language and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. | |
{#blank#}2{#/blank#}situation | The gaokao is increasingly{#blank#}3{#/blank#}as a way of evaluating Chinese students by universities abroad. | |
{#blank#}4{#/blank#}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{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. |
Paul Fitzgerald—USF President | ●Despite the{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the gaokao has received,it has its advantages.It tests students'{#blank#}7{#/blank#}to master a given body of knowledge. ●Some standardized tests cannot{#blank#}8{#/blank#}students' performance at the university well. | |
Zhu Zihao—a student admitted to USF in 2015 | The{#blank#}9{#/blank#}of the gaokao is helpful for the performance at the university well. | |
Future situation | More Chinese students will be recruited by the universities overseas{#blank#}10{#/blank#}on their performance in the gaokao. |
“Urgent action required”, “Do you still want to hear from us?”, “We've updated our privacy policy”, “Should we stop sending you updates? If not, act now!”
Many of us will have received emails like this during the past few weeks. Triggering this flood of emails is something called GDPR that comes into effect in just under two weeks' time. Often the emails warn that if you don't respond, you will be removed from the company's database, which raises a lot of questions. What action, if any, do you need to take? Could it affect you financially?
GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation, has been described as the biggest overhaul(彻底检查)of online privacy since the birth of the internet. It is designed to give all EU citizens the right to know what data is stored on them and to have it deleted, plus protect them from privacy breaches(破坏). It comes into effect on 25 May.
The new rules encourage the requirement for explicit and informed consent before data is processed. As a result, companies and organizations around the world are contacting users to check they are happy to carry on receiving their emails.
However, many of us seem to be going down with “GDPR fatigue(厌倦)”: one article last week claimed that the “reconfirmation rate” - the proportion of people saying they want to continue receiving a company's emails - at UK micro-businesses was averaging just 10%, which meant “they could lose 90% of their subscribers - the life-blood for their business”. So it's no wonder some firms have adopted policies such as offering to enter people into a prize draw in return for them going in and updating their communication preferences.
The average adult is said to have about 100 “data relationships” — companies and organizations that hold our personal data. Meanwhile, the reason why the company that occasionally emails you newsletters is now asking for your consent is perhaps because you never explicitly gave it permission to send you stuff. Maybe you only get its emails because you went to an event it organized ages ago or you once downloaded something from its website. Under the new regime, that almost certainly wouldn't count as explicit and informed consent, hence it's getting in touch now.
The bottom line is that if it is a company or organization that you want to continue hearing from, you should probably click the button or log in to ensure you keep getting its emails. If it doesn't hear from you, it may decide to take you off its database.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The influences of junk mails | ◆ They flood into our lives. ◆ They{#blank#}1{#/blank#} to remove us from certain databases. ◆ They cause receivers to be{#blank#}2{#/blank#} about the possible risks. |
The{#blank#}3{#/blank#}of GDPR | ◆ It will guarantee all EU citizens the{#blank#}4{#/blank#} to accept or refuse. ◆ It will require privacy {#blank#}5{#/blank#}from companies. |
The {#blank#}6{#/blank#}from most receivers and the policies adopted by some firms | ◆ Most receivers are{#blank#}7{#/blank#} to continue receiving such emails. ◆ Some firms hold activities so that people may win a {#blank#}8{#/blank#} if they go in. ◆ Some firms offer to update people's communication preferences. |
The reason and bottom line for companies sending such emails | ◆ Companies hope to obtain explicit{#blank#}9{#/blank#} from their users. ◆ The information you left {#blank#}10{#/blank#} doesn't mean you allow them to send you stuff. ◆ Without your reply, companies may take you off their databases. |
A fresh-faced batch of teenagers just began a new school year, but will they get the most out of it? In the mornings, many are forced to get to school much too early. And at night, screens are a temptation that's hard to resist. This double whammy (双重灾难) is a perfect lesson in sleep deprivation (剥夺).
Three out of every four students in grades 9 to 12 fail to sleep the minimum of eight hours that the American Academy of Medicine recommends for their age group. In most cases, insufficient sleep results in reduced attention, preventing students' progress and lowering grades. More alarmingly, sleep deprivation may lead to physical and emotional problems.
It is important to understand why teenagers have a particularly hard time getting enough sleep, and what adults need to do to help. First, a reminder of the basic biology: Adolescents are no longer the morning larks of their younger years. They become rewired as night owls, staying awake later and then sleeping in. This is mostly driven by changes in the way the brain responds to light.
New technology habits aren't helping. More teenagers now turn to activities involving screens at night. The growth in screen time is particularly problematic for sleep. The blue light emitted by LEDs, TVs, tablets and smartphones suppresses the body's secretion (分泌) of melatonin, the hormone that signals it's time to sleep. Overdosing on screens at night effectively tells the brain it's still daytime, delaying the body's cues to sleep even further.
Parents should inform their kids of the time that can be spent on screens, and praise children who show signs of regulating their own media consumption. In the hour before bedtime, there should be a suspension on bright lights in the home, avoiding devices and harsh LED bulbs in kitchens and bathrooms.
In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8: 30 a. m., a policy now backed by the American Medical Association and many other health organizations.
Parents also need to join forces with community leaders, sleep scientists, health professionals and educators to put school start times on the local, then state agendas.
Whenever schools have managed the transition to a later start time, students get more sleep, attendance goes up, grades improve and there is a significant reduction in car accidents.
Title |
Let Teenagers Sleep In |
Introduction |
The {#blank#}1{#/blank#} of students fail to have enough sleep. |
Consequences of insufficient sleep |
★Lacking sleep, students fail to {#blank#}2{#/blank#} on their study, progress prevented and grades lowered. ★Deprived of sleep, students are {#blank#}3{#/blank#} to suffer from physical and emotional problems. |
Reasons for lacking sleep |
★Biologically, adolescents tend to sleep late and get up {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, which can't meet the actual needs. ★Long {#blank#}5{#/blank#} to the blue light from screens prevents the body's secretion of the hormone sending sleeping signals. |
{#blank#}6{#/blank#} to the problem |
★Parents should set real {#blank#}7{#/blank#} on screen time, and praise children who can regulate their own media consumption. ★Before bedtime, parents should create a healthy environment {#blank#}8{#/blank#} from bright or too strong lights. ★Joint efforts should be made to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the school start time until, say, 8: 30 a. m. |
Conclusion |
Changes on school start time will {#blank#}10{#/blank#} both students and society although there is a long way to go. |
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