1、.阅读理解ADates and names are the sticks and stones over which the currents(水流) of history flow.But trying to remember all those important facts can be difficult and boring.Reading and memorizing facts might not be much fun.But if you knew that it could help you get a job as a tourist guide，you might th
2、ink differently.Now students at a high school in Sidon，an ancient city in Lebanon(黎巴嫩) in the Middle East，are doing just that.The Sidonbased，AlIman high school has begun training students as tourist guides at the citys historical and religious sites.As a part of the training，on December 26，a group o
3、f students were taken for a visit to the citys Sea Castle.They listened to explanations about the fortress(堡垒) history，including its origin，the way it was built and the wars it has seen.“It is good for me to learn about history on the spot.We have learnt much more than we could by just reading the h
4、istory textbooks，” said one of the students，Hussam Rawas.“I am really proud of being able to explain things to foreign tourists.”Up to 250 students have been selected to take a years special training course by a professional teacher.After that，some of the students may have the chance to become profe
5、ssional tourist guides.The principal of the school，Kamel Kazbar，said he came up with the idea after he was surprised by the poor quality of the guides in the city.“Most Lebanese，” he said，“ignore the history of the city of Sidon.”Kazbar described the plan as an extracurricular activity(课外活动) that ai
6、med at highlighting the importance of Sidons legacy of historical sites.“This is a pioneering project，which will be good for the students，the city and tourists.”The city government and its religious authorities also welcomed the idea.1 Whats the main subject of the passage?AA project for training st
7、udents.BSidons legacy of historical sites.CGood tourist guides in great demand.DA new interesting way to study history.2 The first sentence in the passage means that _.Ahistory makes names and datesBnames and dates are important to historyChistory is made up of names and datesDits difficult to memor
8、ize names and dates3 The head of AlIman high school thought of the idea to train students as tourist guides because _.Asome students wanted to do this job Bmany students found their history lessons boringChe thought the citys tourist guides were no goodDthe students should know more about the import
9、ance of local history4 Which of the following is TRUE?AThe students learnt everything they need to know from their books.BIt would take the students over a year to finish training.CThe training was carried out when other students had classes.DThe local government thought highly of the plan.5 The stu
10、dents left for the citys Sea Castle to _.Awork as a tourist guideBspend their holidayClearn about the history of this spotDread their history booksBCopernicus was born in Torun，Poland，on February 19,1473.Little is known about his early life except that his father died when he was 10.An uncle adopted
11、 him，his two sisters，and his brother.The uncle saw to it that the two boys received a good education.Copernicus went to the University of Cracow.There he studied such subjects as Latin，mathematics，and astronomy.It was probably at that time that he changed his Polish name，Niklas Koppernigk，to the Lat
12、in form of Nicolaus Copernicus.In 1496 Copernicus went to Italy，where he spent the next 10 years studying at various universities.In Copernicus time people still believed that all thingsthe sun，the stars，and the planetsmoved around the earth.It was an old belief that few men had ever questioned.Aris
13、totle had based his theory of astronomy on this belief.Because the Church had long been the center of learning，the theory was also linked to religious beliefs.In 1506 Copernicus returned to his homeland.A few years later he began to work for the Church.All those years Copernicus carried on his work
14、in astronomy.He had just the most basic equipment and，like other scientists of his day，made observations with only his eyes.Still，using mathematics and logic(逻辑)，Copernicus worked out a different theory，which held that the planets went around the sun.Copernicus did not announce his ideas.He did not
15、want to make trouble.But he could not hide the scientific truth.So he talked about his theory with his friends，who strongly advised him to have his work published.His great book，On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies，appeared at the very end of his life.Copernicus saw the first copy on the day he
16、 died，May 24,1543.6 Which of the following is TRUE about Copernicus?AHe had two brothers and a sister.BHe used to be called Niklas Koppernigk.CHe lost his father soon after he was born.DHe spent 10 years at the University of Cracow.7 From the passage we can see that “astronomy” is _.Athe life experi
17、ence of great menBthe movement of the stars and the planetsCthe scientific study of natural objects in spaceDthe theories developed by scientists of old times8 Copernicus developed his theory _.Ausing various telescopesBbased on Aristotles beliefsCthrough observations and reasoning(推理)Dunder the enc
18、ouragement of his friends9 The writer of the passage tells us that _.ACopernicus did not tell about his discovery until the day of his deathBfor many years Copernicus dared to do nothing openly against the ChurchCpushed by his friends Copernicus decided to write a book in May 1543Dshortly before he
19、got back to Poland Copernicus started to work for the Church10Copernicus had his great book published because _.Ahe didnt agree with AristotleBhe could not hide the scientific truthChe worked for the ChurchDhis friends advised him to do so.阅读填空In a society such as the United States or Canada，which h
20、as many national，religious and cultural differences，people highly value individualismthe differences among people.Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special.The educational systems in these countries show these values.Students do not memorize information.Inste
21、ad，they work on their own and find answers themselves.There is often a discussion in the classroom.At an early age，students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.In most Asian societies，by contrast，people have the same language，history and culture.Perhaps for this reason，the educational system
22、in these Asian countries reflects societys belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism.Children in China，Japan and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments.There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these systems of education.For example，one advantage of
23、the system in Japan is that students there learn much more maths and science than American students learn by the end of high school.They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do.The system is difficult，but it prepares students for a society that values disciplin
24、e and selfcontrol.There is，however，a disadvantage.Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools，but many students say that after an exam，they forget much of the information they have memorized.The advantage of educational system in North America，on the other hand，is that students
25、learn to think for themselves.The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas.There is，however，a disadvantage.When students graduate from high school，they havent memorized as much basic rules as students in other countries have.Title：A Comparison of Two Different Educational System
26、s1._Features of education2._DisadvantagesThe United States and Canada3._emphasizing qualities making each student speciallearning to 4._ preparing them for a society valuing creative ideas5._Asian countries such as China,6._7._ societys belief in group goals and purposeslearning much more 8._ than A
27、merican students dostudying more hours each day and more days each yearpreparing students for a society valuing 9._forgetting much of the 10._答案.1A2B3C4D5C6B7C8C9B10D.1Countries2Advantages3highly valuing individualism4think for themselves5not memorizing information/memorizing fewer rules6Japan and Korea 7reflecting8maths and science9discipline and selfcontrol10memorized information
