C

In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.

That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers. 

Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”

One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.  

64. According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.

  A. too much importance is placed on sports in America 

  B. little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools

  C. American high schools complain about sports time

  D. PISA plays a very important role in America

65. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.

  A. American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot 

  B. high expectations push up American students’ academic performance 

  C. low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance 

  D. lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance

66. The purpose of this article is to _______.

  A. draw public attention to a weakness in American school tradition 

  B. call on American schools to learn from the Polish model

  C. compare Polish schools with those in America

  D. explain what is wrong with American schools and provide solutions 

                                      D

Jane arrives at Thornfield, having been met at the George Inn. Mrs. Fairfax confuses her a little at first, because she is so informal and welcoming. But in due course Jane discovers that Mrs. Fairfax is the housekeeper.

Jane’s pupil, Adele Varens, is the eight-year-old French child under the legal protection of Mr. Edward Rochester, the owner of the house. (We learn later that her mother had claimed she was his illegitimate daughter. Mr. Rochester is not convinced by this claim, but felt he could not leave the little girl poor when her mother died.)

Adele is a pleasant little girl, even if she is not a particularly eager student. Life goes on very peacefully for three months, until the return of Mr. Rochester. Jane first meets him on his horse, and her description of him is quite fanciful. He takes a fall and Jane helps him, although she does not know who he is until they are both back at Thornfield.

It is obvious to the reader, although not to Jane, that the reason why Mr. Rochester stays at Thornfield much longer than usual is that he finds her company enjoyable. Jane, unknowingly at first, falls in love with him. Their closeness is very apparent. There is something about Thornfield that is mysterious. Jane is encouraged to focus her attention on the servant Grace Poole, who is Mr. Rochester’s mad wife Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield, and whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape and do something violent.

It is clear to the reader, though, that Mr. Rochester’s emotional engagement is immense. When his bed is set on fire, Jane rescues him, but does not understand why the matter is not pursued, despite Mr. Rochester assuring her the criminal is Grace. The next morning Grace behaves as though she has done nothing wrong.

Eventually, Mr. Rochester leaves, to go to a house party. He brings everyone at the party back with him, transforming the atmosphere in the house, and delighting Adele. One of the guests is Blanche Ingram, whom Mr. Rochester is confidently expected to marry. However, it is clear from the way she is portrayed in the book that she is too proud; our sympathies are not with her.

Mr. Rochester is called away from the house, and when he returns he chooses to play the role of a fortune teller. It is clear to the reader that one of his motives is to try to turn Blanche against the idea of marriage to him. While he has clearly bothered her, he is unsuccessful.

One afternoon, Jane hears that her cousin John Reed is dead and Mrs. Reed, who is probably on her deathbed, has been asking for her. With strict instructions from Mr. Rochester to return quickly, she sets off to Gateshead. On arrival, she realizes she no longer hates her cousins. However, Mrs. Reed is still bitter towards her, owing to the fact that Jane’s mother was Mr Reed’s favourite sister and this resulted in him apparently favouring Jane over his own children.

A short time later, Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from her uncle, John Eyre, that was written three years earlier. It explains how he planned to adopt Jane and allow her to inherit his fortune. Mrs. Reed never handed the letter over because of her bitterness. Jane tries once more to seek reconciliation (和解), but without success; her aunt dies that night.

67. Who does the underlined word “she” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A. Jane. B. Mrs. Fairfax. C. Adele Varens. D. Grace Poole.

68. The story of Adele Varens mainly indicates that ______.club.xuecan.net

A. women have a low social status B. Mr. Rochester is sympathetic

C. Mr. Rochester is irresponsible D. girls are often abandoned by their parents 

69. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Mr. Rochester expects Blanche to marry him.

B. Mr. Rochester plays the role of a fortune teller to attract Jane.

C. Jane and Mr. Rochester enjoy each other’s company in Thornfield.

D. Grace Poole often gets drunk and does something violent.

70. Why is Mrs. Reed bitter towards Jane?

  A. Because Jane inherited Mr. Reed’s fortune.

  B. Because Jane didn’t get along well with her cousins.

  C. Because Jane’s mother was more beautiful than Mrs. Reed.

  D. Because Mr. Reed loved Jane more than his own children.