Education has long been the fuel that powered the mighty engine of our nation’s economy. As the number of Americans with college degrees rose rapidly right after World War Ⅱ,our middle class grew dramatically and the United States reached new heights of job creation, productivity and prosperity, becoming the envy of the world.

But today American students are falling far behind those in other nations. One discouraging sign came in early December, with the release of 2015 test scores for the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, an exam given every three years to compare the performance of 15-year-olds around the world in math, science and reading. American students dropped from 28^th place in math in 2012 to 35^th place in 2015, among the 60 nations where students took the PISA test in both years. In 2015, among 73 nations where the test was administered to 540,000 students, American students dropped to 40^th place in math, and placed 25^th in science and 24^th in reading.

One major reason is that government at every level in the United States have reduced funding on education. Of 50 states, 35 provided less overall state funding per student in public schools from kindergarten through 12^th grade in 2014 than they did in 2008. In 27 states, local funding per student fell at the same time. These cuts do great harm to students by forcing schools to increase class sizes, keep teacher pay low, reduce the number of electives(选修课) offered, cut back on purchases of education technology and fail to maintain the school buildings.

Allowing this alarming trend to continue by starving public schools, colleges and universities of the money they need to offer the world –class education will have long—term consequences as well. These include a weakened economy, higher unemployment, and, most importantly, a lower American standard of living and reduced national security. This won’t come next month or next year, but it awaits us in the years ahead if our leaders fail act soon to reverse the education funding cuts of recent years.

32. The writer implies in the first paragraph that        .

A. the U.S.A became the center of the world after WW Ⅱ

B. many Americans became wealthy because of the fuel

C. the U.S.A has reached new heights in terms of education

D. a person’s education level is closely related to his income

33. How does the writer support his view in the second paragraph?

A. By assuming results.         B. By asking questions.

C. By quoting the saying.       D. By listing the statistics.

34. How many states provided more overall state funding per student in public schools in 2014 than they did in 2008?

A. About 15.    B. About 20.     C. About 25.    D. About 35.

35. Which of the following is NOT the long-term consequence of funding cuts on education?

A. Bigger class sizes.         B. A weakened economy.

C. Higher unemployment.     D. Reduced national security.

Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence — and a not-so-good influence — on this gen­eration of American teenagers. More than 2,000 middle and high school teachers took an online survey. Researchers also spoke with teachers in focus groups.

Three-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” effect on their students’ research habits and skills. But 87 percent agreed that these technologies are cre­ating an “easily distracted(分心的）generation” . And 64 percent said the technologies “do more to dis­tract students than to help them academically. ” Many students think doing research now means just doing a quick search on Google.

The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the College Board and the National Writing Project. A majority of the teachers came from Advanced Placement classes，which provide college-level work for high school students.

Judy Buchanan is director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report. Ms.

Buchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more，and learn faster.

“Teachers really like these tools because they are ways to make some of learning exciting and engag­ing. Young people like these tools. And the goal is to really help them become creators of content，and meaningful content，and not just sort of consumers. ”

But one problem the survey found is that many students are lacking in digital literacy. In other words，they trust too much of the information they find on the Internet. Judy Buchanan says these students have not developed the skills they need to judge the quality of online information.

“It’s just a lot to learn about how to distinguish authentic sources. And it’ s something that really has to be taught and paid attention to. It’s like everything else — in a world in which things can happen quickly，you really do need to have a way to step back ，reflect and analyze the information you have. And teachers can do a lot to teach that.，

Another problem the survey found is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all ： being able to quickly find information online. Teachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and abil­ity of their students to work hard to find answers. They say students are overly dependent on search en­gines and do not make enough use of printed books or research librarians.

Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities.

55.Most teachers who took the online survey thought the internet tools help students in_______.

A.    becoming more independent

B.    being more serious in study

C.    doing a quick search on Google

D.    developing their research ability

56.According to Ms. Buchanan，the survey aims_______.

A.    to help students become more creative

B.    to draw students attention away from the internet

C.    to make people learn the benefits of the internet tools

D.    to persuade students to use traditional ways of research

57.  According to the researchers，which of the following do students lack when facing the internet?

A.    The ability of doing research online.

B.    The interest in using the internet tools.

C．The skills of judging online information．

D．The methods of obtaining online information．

58．Which of the following is the disadvantage of the internet tools?

A．Offering little useful information．

B.    Search engines are very convenient.

C．Making students unwilling to work hard．

D．Making students addicted to online information．

 Mrs Black is ________ a workaholic herself, she is also a slave driver, who is hard on the staff.  

  A. less than                      B. not more than           C. no more than     D. more than

  A strong vocabulary helps develop understanding, communication, and reading ability. _36    Consider the following tips on helping your child develop an impressive vocabulary

    Let Your Child Tell the Story

    Perhaps you read nightly to your child or take turns doing so. Of course, this is an excellent way to expand reading and vocabulary skills.   37   Then, let your child charge the end of the rope of his imagination wherever his imagination leads

    38

    In short, you need to take an active role. If you want your children's language skills to improve, take their vocabulary questions seriously. When they express curiosity about a word, be sure to teach the correct definition and pronunciation

    Correct Mistakes with Care

    39   However. it's essential not to scold them when they make such mistakes. Rather, point out what they got right, and then review the proper way to use and or speak the word. The more fun and positive an experience, the more interested and able your children will be in expanding their vocabulary

    Do Be Patient

You may need to repeat words and meanings many times before your child fully grasps the concept .This is completely normal _40    Children develop at their own paces .The most important thing is to honor and balance their needs so that learning doesn't become struggle. While you want them to get ahead, you don't want them to develop pressure with trying to do so.

A.     Try Your Best to Correct Them

B.    Pay More Attention to Your Kid’s Vocabulary

C.    It’s natural for children to mispronounce or misuse new words.

D.    It’s important for children to mispronounce new words while learning.

E.     That’s why parents should do what they can to help kids learn new words.

F.     Further, if your neighbor’s child has twice the vocabulary yours does, it’s not worth stressing over.

G. However, on occasion, feel free to put the book down and ask your child to create a story to tell you.

At the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the Chinese women’s volleyball team beat Serbia 3-1 in the final, winning their first Olympic gold medal since coming out on top 12 years. 61.      in Athens. The spirit of this 62.      (tradition)team was mentioned again. This victory 63.       (achieve) in part due to Lang Ping’s expert efforts as the thief coach. With this victory, Lang Ping became the first person in volleyball history, male or female, 64.      (win) a gold medal as both a player and a coach in Olympic Games and World Cup. 65.    it comes to Lang Ping, everybody knows her well in China, especially for our 66.     (parent) generation. As an excellent athlete, she helped the team win five consecutive international champions, 67.         (great) boosting national morale(士气)and winning Lang Ping the status of national hero. 68.         (retire) for several years, Lang Ping decided to become the coach. After the Beijing Games, Lang Ping returned to China and became head coach of the Chinese women’s volleyball team in 2013. 69.          Her guidance, Team China improved quickly. It was Lang Ping who 70.      (save) the Chinese team again.

    You may be surprised to see “making sure children never suffer” as a mistake. The following __41__ may help you understand how rescuing children from all suffering __42__ weakness.

    A little boy felt sorry for a butterfly struggling to emerge from its chrysalis(蛹). He decided to __43__ the butterfly. So he peeled(剥开) the chrysalis open for the butterfly. The little boy was so __44_ to watch the butterfly spread its __45__ and fly off into the sky. Then he was horrified __46__ he watched the butterfly fall to the ground and die because it did not have the muscle __47_ to keep flying. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to __48__ the chrysalis helps the butterfly become stronger.

    Like the little boy, __49__ too often want to protect their children from struggle in the __50__ of love. They don’t realize that their children need to struggle, to experience __51__, to deal with disappointment, and to solve their own problems. Only in this way can children __52__ their emotional strength, become __53__ and develop the skills necessary for the even bigger struggles they will meet throughout their lives. Children experiencing sufferings can __54__ the ups and downs of life.

    However, it isn’t helpful either in this case when parents __55__ blame and shame to what the child is experiencing. Mothers __56__ to say, “Stop crying and acting like a spoiled boy. You can’t  always get what you want.” These __57__ words should be avoided.

  Instead, parents can offer loving support. You can say, “Don’t lose __58__. Be brave! You will succeed if you try again.” Then comes the tough part — no __59__ and no lectures. Simply allow him to discover that he can _60__  his disappointment and carry out what he can do to get what he wants in the future.

41. A. saying            B. proverb              C. story                   D. experiment

42. A. appears          B. creates              C. burns                  D. works

43. A. kill                 B. feed                 C. rescue                 D. help

44. A. excited           B. moved               C. puzzled              D. depressed

45. A. body              B. feet                  C. wings                  D. feather

46. A. since              B. as                     C. before                 D. until

47. A. power            B. energy               C. force                   D. strength

48. A. come up with B. break away from  C. get along with      D. do away with

49. A. teachers         B. relatives             C. parents               D. friends

50. A. name             B. charge               C. case                    D. course

51. A. hardships       B. friendships          C. relationships         D. scholarships

52. A. require           B. lose                    C. strengthen            D. fail

53. A. warm-hearted B. strong-willed       C. absent-minded      D. cold-blooded

54. A. survive           B. predict               C. expect                D. avoid

55. A. reduce           B. adapt                C. devote                 D. add

56. A. pretend         B. happen               C. seem                D. tend

57. A. interesting      B. inspiring            C. discouraging      D. touching

58. A. sight           B. face                  C. heart                D. weight

59. A. parking        B. rescuing            C. drinking             D. smoking

60. A. turn over      B. get over             C. come over       D. take over

 —Where did you get to know her?

—It was on the farm _________ we worked.

   A．that             B．there           C．which                D．where

 —I have booked a room ________two.

   —I’ll check, sir.

 A. for B. to   C. of   D. with

 --Shinnell apologized to me yesterday.   

--Impossible! _______. I know what kind of person she is.

  A. I wasn’t born yesterday                                 B. Good for you        

C. You can never tell                            D. That’s for sure

 We are eager to raise people’s awareness about our environment in ________ and water pollution in  ________ because more and more people are lacking clean fresh water.

  A. particular; general  B. common; particular   C. average; common  D. general; particular

She is ____________(挑剔) about what she eats.

 I’m continually losing my keys these days. I _______ them on my desk, but they disappear somehow.

A. leave                      B. am leaving         C. was leaving                     D. would leave

He commanded that all the gates _____ to search for the spy.

   A. shut            B. be shut         C. should shut       D. would shut

Have you ever tasted or perhaps heard of sugar painting? As fewer people choose to make this kind of painting, the traditional Chinese folk craft might have become a ___41___(distance)memory in some ways.___42___, a 38-year old craftsman, Li Jianzhong, is committed to____43____(keep)the art of sugar painting alive.

Li worked as a miner for more than ten years. After ___44___mine closed down, Li turned to housing decoration, until he ___45___(force) to give that up due to a finger injury. Earlier this year, he discovered sugar painting, something he really had an interest in and a strong desire to learn.

Since there was no sugar painting craftsman in his village, he studied by ___46___(he) through large quantities of videos and information on the internet. Li loved painting when he was young, and he found it easy____47____(learn) the skill in sugar painting. He soon mastered the skill and could make a ___48___(vary) of sugar paintings. A sugar painting is made with melted brown or white sugar. Craftsmen ___49___(normal) paint animals and flowers on a stone board with the syrup(糖浆). When the sugar cools down, ___50___appears is a piece of sugar art.

 I caught a bad cold the other day and my weekend _________.

A. has ruined      B. had ruined       C. has been ruined        D. had been ruined