Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In the Harry Potter films, Hermione Granger is better than her male friends and is considered the brightest pupil in her grade. Isn't it often the same in schools of our real world? A great many boys fall behind their female classmates. "It's surprising but true that most of the top students have been girls since primary school. Girls are class leaders, club presidents and the top ones in exams," said Wang Feixuan, 15, who studies at a Chengdu school. By any measure, Wang herself is a high-achiever. She is a top student, a team leader in her school's sports club and a winner in national English and IT competitions. But why do so many girls _ their male peers ? In Sun Yunxiao's latest book Save Our Boys, he points out that the education system is "more suited to girls, who are good at memorizing and like to sit quietly and read." Yet he also says that girls have to do so much more when they compete with males for honors, top universities and later good jobs. They can feel great pressure nearly every day. This seems to be the same in most countries in the world. Young women in the United States are also reported to feel the same pressure to be perfect. "Let's look at what we ask of our teenage girls," says an American professor Stephen Hinshaw in an interview. He thinks that it's no longer enough that a girl does well in school and is a caring friend. On the TV, on the Internet, and everywhere, girls see images of impossible perfection . Today's young women must be good learners, good athletes, and fill their after-school lives with other activities. But they're also asked to have the styles and looks of popular stars. "Be pretty, sweet and nice. Be athletic, competitive and get straight. Be impossibly perfect." Stephen Hinshaw sums up. Question: According to the passage, it is true that _ . Options: A: boys are less smart than girls throughout school life B: boys usually don't have so much pressure as girls do C: girls are all fond of the Chinese education system D: girls are better at school because boys don't work hard
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Tabb doesn't look like a typical music teacher. But every weekday evening in the French Quarter New Orleans, he beats out the rhythm on his music stand as students play their chosen instruments. "I'm doing my best to take young people away from harmful things," said Tabb. His program, "The Roots of Music", offers free music education to more than 100 students. He struggles to _ in the city with the nation's highest murder rate . Tabb chose to target 9to14yearolds with his program. "That's a very important time in your life," he said. "If I catch them then, I can hold onto them for at least four or five years and guide them the way that will lead them to success." Students meet from 4 pm to 7 pm every weekday, all year round. They work with tutors on schoolwork, practice their music and eat a hot meal before heading home. With the money provided by some people, Tabb's group is able to provide bus transportation, instruments and food for free. He calls it his "no excuse" policy. "You have no excuse why you're not here," Tabb said. Tabb owes the success in part to the nature of music. "You're always learning something new,"he said. "That's what keeps the kids coming back every day." But the program isn't only about fun. "Music is about discipline ,"said Tabb. He insists on good behavior and keeps kids in order with threats of situps , pushups or tasks like picking up grains of rice -- but these measures aren't just punishment. Tabb wants young people to realize that music can help them build a better future. "I don't say that I'm saving lives," he said. "I say I'm giving life -- a whole different life of music." Question: Which of the following kids may NOT be included in Tabb's program " The Roots of Music"? Options: A: Jack, 8 years old. B: Tom, 9 years old. C: John, 11 years old. D: Linda, 13 years old.
A

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Any mistake, which is made in the printing of a stamp, raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on a two-penny stamp has made it worth a million and a half times its face value. Do you think it possible? However, it is true. The mistake was made more than 100 years ago in Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, which was a British colony at that time. In 1847, an order for stamps was sent to London. Thus prefix = st1 /Mauritiusbecame the fourth country in the world which had the stamps made in other countries. Before the order was filled ,that is, the stamps arrived from England, a big dance party was planned by the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces on the island. The party would be held in his house and letters of invitation would be sent to all the important people in Mauritius. So stamps were badly needed to post the letters. Therefore, an islander, who was a good printer, was told to copy the pattern of the stamps. He carelessly put the words "Post Office" instead of "Post Paid", two words seen on the stamps at that time, on several hundred that he printed. Today, there are only 26 of these misprinted stamps left: fourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because of so few Two-penny Blues and because of their age, collectors have paid as much as $16,800 for each of them. Question: In the passage the word "misprint" may mean _ . Options: A: print with a miss B: print without permission C: use greater letters to print D: make a mistake in printing
A: D

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: On a hot August morning, in a classroom overlooking New York's Hudson River, a teacher guides a group of 3-year-olds completely in Chinese. This is just a language summer camp run by the primary school Bilingual Buds, which offers a year-round course in Chinese as well as Spanish for kids as young as 2. A lot of research now shows the regular, high-level use of more than one language may actually improve early brain development. Knowing two or more languages can improve the ability to focus, decide and deal with information better. These important skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as "executive function". The research suggests _ develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4. Bilingual education, common in many countries, is a growing trend across the United States, with 440 elementary schools offering the study in Spanish, Chinese and French. But Tamar Gollan, a professor at the University of California, has found a vocabulary gap between children who speak only one language and those who grow up with more. On average, the more language spoken, the smaller the vocabulary in each one. Gollan's research suggests that while that gap narrows as children grow, it does not disappear completely. Gollan says, "Vocabulary tests help us find that bilinguals have the disadvantage, where you know the word but you just can't get it out." In fact some of the values of bilingualism can't be measured at all, of course. To speak more than one language is to open the mind to more than one culture or way of life. Bilinguals also appear to be better at learning other new languages. Clarisse spent her early childhood in Switzerland speaking French. At 6, she learned English. Later she learned Spanish, German, and, during three years living in Tokyo, Japanese. Now she has easily mastered several languages. Question: According to Tamar Gollan, _ . Options: A: knowing two or more languages can improve children's skills B: the more languages children know, the better they will be C: children had better not take vocabulary tests D: bilingual education is not always good to children
(A).
D