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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The World Bank has looked at the distinguishing features of successful school system. According to the World Bank's education specialist, Harry Patrinos, this include: improving the quality of teachers and making sure that teachers are highly regarded; providing information to make schools accountable and giving autonomy to schools and head teachers. This matters not only for individual pupils but also for the well-being of countries, he says, because improving educational performance has a direct impact on improving economic performance. China's education performance-- at least in cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong-- seems to be as spectacular as the country's fast growing economy. Certainly both these open and outward-looking cities consider education to be important and are willing to adopt the best educational practices from around the world to ensure success. In Hong Kong, education accounts for more than one-fifth of entire government spending every year. "Shanghai and Hong Kong are small education systems, with a concentration of ideas, manpower and resources for education," says Prof Cheng. Under the banner "First class city, first class education", Shanghai set about systematically re-equipping classroom, upgrading schools and improving the curriculum in the last decade. It got rid of the "key schools" system which concentrated resources only on top students and top schools. Instead staff were trained in more interactive teaching methods and computers were brought in. About 80% of Shanghai school leavers go to university compared to an overall average of 24% in China. Meanwhile, dynamic Hong Kong was forced into educational improvements as its industries moved to cheaper mainland Chinese areas in the 1990s.Its survival as a service and management hub depends on upgrading knowledge and skills. In the last decade Hong Kong has concentrated on closing the gap for all students, says a report by McKinsey management consultants. The report, How the World's Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting... Question: The World Bank's survey about education mainly concentrates on _ . Options: A: what has made some education systems successful B: China's education system and competitive exams C: how to relieve Chinese students of their heavy schoolwork D: the relationship between education and economic development
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A

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Back in the days when I wrote my first songs, I hated my voice. I saw myself as a songwriter and guitarist but never a singer! I continued to write songs, and to search for the perfect singer. After a few years I did discover a singer, so we started a project together. We held a few concerts, and put a lot of work into it. She forces me to sing some songs at concerts myself, so I started going to a bar to practice them. This was my first, small breakthrough. One day she came round to my flat and informed me that she could no longer work with me, and also that the bar owner at the open mic venue had replaced us at short notice because some New York jazz star happened to be in town, and was available that evening to perform. The first bit of news made me sad and disappointed, but the second made me angry. However, that same evening, with as much determination as I could muster , I resolved to play three new songs at the bar, just as I had planned before. I was quite nervous, but I dragged myself down to the bar and sang those songs! I never felt so liberated . That night I couldn't get to sleep. I was simply astonished, hardly believing that I was a person who acted so courageously, and that I'd been able to sing my songs myself. Since then I've begun to encourage others to adopt a similar approach when they aren't able to see their own potential. One example is an amateur fiddler who could barely bring herself to lift her instrument to play in front of people. I forced her to ignore her fear, and simply get on with it. Now, a year or two later, she is a passionate, happy performer in front of any crowd! Once you get the ball rolling in yourself, you can start inspiring those around you. Question: What was the author's first breakthrough? Options: A: She found the perfect singer. B: She started a project with her partner. C: She started to practice songs at a bar. D: She was able to sing all of her songs.
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C

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Throughout your life, you spend the most time being with or dealing with yourself, but it is exactly yourself that you have the least understanding of. When you are going upwards in life, you tend to think too highly of yourself. When you are going downhill, you tend to have too low an opinion of yourself. It's likely that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and keep yourself from lacking courage to face whatever problem you meet with, in which case your energy and creativity would remain far from enough for your age. To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a clear-minded realistic person-knowing both one's strength and shortage. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be brave to meet challenges, but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you hold yourself as a big tree or a thin piece of grass, whether you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you show a state of nature that has its own reason of existence. If you really admire yourself, you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation which will give you self-confidence. As soon as you gain full confidence in yourself, you'll be enabled to fight and defeat any trouble that will otherwise defeat you. To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires that you show yourself loving concern about your health and daily life. Unless you know perfectly well when and how to do yourself a favor, you won't be confident and ready enough even to resist the attack of illness. Therefore, just do yourself a favor whenever it's needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving an exit to it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by the anger itself; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a sad mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by... Question: What's this passage mainly about? Options: A: Self-education. B: Self-confidence. C: Self-appreciation. D: Self-understanding.
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D