A new study done by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario （HEQCO） shows that it doesn't make much of a difference that parents reward their children with cash for their better marks.
Many parents have offered cash to their children in the hope that it would improve marks and possibly raise their children's interest in achieving higher marks．
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto （UT） and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology （MIT） to learn more about the potential for financial encouragement as motivation for improved marks, involved first and second year students receiving financial aid in 2008-2009 at the University of Toronto Scarborough．
The top students participating in the study who said they were "very concerned" about having enough money to complete their degrees were to receive $100 for getting a grade of 70 per cent for each one-semester course, plus $20 for every percentage point beyond that．It was imaginable that a student could earn as much as $700 for achieving 100 percent in a course．
Harvey Weingarten, president and CEO of HEQCO said, "In its efforts to help disadvantaged students by exploring the idea of paying them to attend school, the Toronto District School Board （TDSB） is asking the same question many other districts are asking about how to improve student participation and performance．Our study and others to date indicate that this practice has little effect if any in those situations where it has been tested．"
The authors of the study suggest that ineffective study habits may be a barrier to academic achievement and that the real problem may be more a lack of academic preparation than a lack of effort or motivation．They note that the availability of peer （同伴） advising does not appear to have helped greatly．They conclude that other potential avenues to improving performance, or other approaches of teaching, are needed at the high school and postsecondary levels．
小題1:If a student gets a grade of 85% in a course, he will get _____．
A．$100B．$300C．$400D．$700
小題2:The underlined words "this practice" in Paragraph 5 refer to _____．
A．improving student participation
B．seeking help from different districts
C．paying disadvantaged students to attend school
D．testing student performance in the same district
小題3:The real problem with student participation and performance is most probably a lack of____．
A．a(chǎn)cademic preparationB．effort or motivation
C．teaching methodsD．peer advising
小題4:What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A．Many parents have offered cash to their children．
B．Many first and second year students receive financial aid．
C．Ineffective study habits lead to poor academic achievement．
D．Rewarding students with cash for good grades has little effect

小題1:C
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:D
文章講述的是獎勵學生錢對學生的成績影響不大。
小題1:計算題。根據(jù)第三段第三行plus $20 for every percentage point可知超過70分多一分多20元，那么85分比70多了15分，獎勵300元再加上用來的100元，一共是400元。
小題2:推理題。這一段就是指付錢給那些成績不是很好的學生以激勵他們提高成績。
小題3:細節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段第二行may be more a lack of academic preparation than a lack of effort or motivation可知A正確。
小題4:主旨大意題。根據(jù)主題段第一段內(nèi)容可知文章涉及的是獎勵學生錢對學生的成績影響不大。
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B．how the unsinkable ship of Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean
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小題1:Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?
A．Because the systems can store users’ information
B．Because many users have suffered loss after using them.
C．Because it is thought to threaten users’ privacy.
D．Because many reporters have shown the problem of the systems.
小題2:Allan Friedman believes that ________.
A．wireless companies focus on personal privacy.
B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will
C．phone companies may sell private information secretly
D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking
小題3:What do we know from Paragraph 3?
A．Location tracking information is stored online.
B．Apple’s newest operating systems collect all kinds of information.
C．Location tracking information may be uploaded to any iPhone.
D．Apple’s newest operating systems may reveal the private information of users.
小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Apple denies that it tracks the location of users.
B．The researchers may misunderstand the Apple’s systems.
C．The global positioning system is to blame for rogue applications.
D．The iPhone can quickly find its location by using its user’s information.

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