试题库在线考试题库-历年真题模拟试题及答案-考博英语在线试题测试中心-希赛网

广东工业大学

A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show that competition between nearby schools does not significantly improve academic standards. Indeed, their report inclines to the opposite outcome; the exam results may actually decline where competition is fiercest.When the further education sector was " privatized" a few years ago, competition between colleges became truly fierce, at least in urban areas where potential students could choose between several of them. Colleges appointed highly paid marketing directors and gave them large budgets; some even "bribed." interested students with promises of hundreds of pounds if they completed certain courses satisfactorily.Fully competitive markets being a philosophical foundation of Britain's recent governments, it was no surprise to hear claims that many educational developments of the 1990s would move us towards a free market in secondary education---giving youngsters and their parents a free choice of where to study. However, the secondary sector did not become particularly competitive while, admittedly, the consumers have been given more information, which is one aspect of a truly free market. It is very rare that two nearby schools with at least some empty places are similar enough to be comparable yet different enough to be rankable; only where that occurs can there be true competition.The Open University research was probably not flawed---but its conclusions are. This is because the team did not really compare areas having true competition（as just defineD. with areas that do not.But, let us all breathe a sigh of relief. Secondary schools had started of late to move in the marketing direction——considering allocating scarce resources of staff and money to persuading the pupils that their schools are the best in the area. No schools could afford to do that properly, so it is a relief to realize this research tells us we don't have to.Competition? We haven't got time for it! Let's spend our small budget in teaching and learning, not in competing and marketing.1. It is indicated in the passage that competition between schools results in（）.2. Real competition can happen only when（）.3. According to the passage, the free market in secondary education（）.4. The author of the passage feels relieved that（）.5. What might be the author's attitude towards competitions between nearby schools?

There are many ways of defining success. It is accurate to say that each of us has our own concept of success to the extent that each of us is responsible for setting our own goals and determining whether we have met these goals satisfactorily. Because each of us possesses unique differences in genetic ability and favorable environments in which to express these abilities, it is necessarily true that we must define success broadly.For some people, simply being able to live their life with a minimum of misery and suffering is considered a success, Think of the peace of mind of the poor shepherd who tends his sheep, enjoys his frugal life with his family in the beauty of nature, and who is respected because he does a good job of achieving the goals expected of and accepted by him and his society. On the other hand, it seems that even though some people appear to be rich in material possessions, many of them seem to be miserable and consider themselves unsuccessful when judged by their own goals of success. Because not all ventures can be successful, one should not set unrealistic goals for achieving success, but if one has self-confidence it would be unfortunate to set one’s goals at too low a level of achievement.A wise counselor once said to a young man who was experiencing frustration with his own professional success: “You do not have to set your goal to reach the moon in order to have success in traveling. Sometimes one can be very successful merely by taking a walk in the park, or riding the subway downtown,” The counselor added, “You have not really failed and spoiled your chances for success until you have been unsuccessful at something you really like, and to which you have given your best effort.’’1. In the first paragraph, the author implies that（）are essential in achieving success.2. The word “frugal’’（Line 2, Para. 2）means（）.3. Some rich people consider themselves unsuccessful because（）.4. The last paragraph implies that（）.5. This passage mainly talks about（）.

Lead deposits, which accumulated in soil and snow during the 1960's and 70's, were primarily the result of leaded gasoline emissions originating in the United States. In the twenty years that the Clean Air Act has mandated unleaded gas use in the United States, the lead accumulation world-wide has decreased significantly.A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that air-borne leaded gas emissions from the United States were the leading contributor to the high concentration of lead in the snow in Greenland. The new study is a result of the continued research led by Dr. Charles Boutron, an expert on the impact of heavy metals on the environment at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. A study by Dr. Boutron published in 1991 showed that lead levels in arctic snow were declining.In his new study, Dr. Boutron found the ratios of the different forms of lead in the leaded gasoline used in the United States were different from the ratios of European, Asian and Canadian gasoline and thus enabled scientists to differentiate the lead sources. The dominant lead ratio found in Greenland snow matched that found in gasoline from the United States.In a study published in the journal Ambio, scientists found that lead levels in soil in the North-eastern United States had decreased markedly since the introduction of unleaded gasoline.Many scientists had believed that the lead would stay in soil and snow for a longer period.The authors of the Ambio study examined samples of the upper layers of soil taken from the same sites of 30 forest floors in New England, New York and Pennsylvania in 1980 and in 1990.The forest environment processed and redistributed the lead faster than the scientists had expected.Scientists say both studies demonstrate that certain parts of the ecosystem respond rapidly to reductions in atmospheric pollution, but that these findings should not be used as a license to pollute.1. The study published in the journal. Nature indicates that（）.2. Lead accumulation worldwide decreased significantly after the use of unleaded gas in the US（）.3. How did scientists discover the source of lead pollution in Greenland?4. The authors of the Ambio study have found that（）.5. It can be inferred, from the last paragraph that scientists（）.

If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.If you say to your children "I'm sorry I got angry with you, but ..." what follows that "but" can render the apology ineffective: "I had a bad day" or "your noise was giving me a headache " leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should- be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say "I'm sorry you're upset"; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying "I'm useless as a parent" does not commit a person to any specific improvement.These pseudo-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not resort to these pseudo-apologies.But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children, feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children's expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-olcl might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent's clothes without permission is not. 1. If a mother adds "but" to an apology,（）.2. According to the author, saying "I'm sorry you're upset" most probably means（）.3. It is not advisable to use the general, all-covering apology because（）.4. We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry（）.5. It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is（）.

Directions: You are required to write a short essay entitled Water Shortage: A Global Problem, guided by the following Chinese outline. Your essay should contain at least 200 words.1. 全球性水荒对社会的消极影响。2. 理性分析导致水荒的原因。3. 应对水荒的有效措施。

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