To most of us, school means classes, teachers, schedules, grades, and tests. But for the children at Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, school is very different.
Firstly, there are no lessons. All the children, aged between 4 and 19, do whatever they want. There are no teachers, only “staff members (職員)”. The idea behind this is that you do not need to make children learn, because children want to learn anyway. “You do not need to say to a three-year-old. ‘Go explore your environment.’ You can’t stop them!” says Daniel Greenberg, a founder of the school. “But if you make children do what you want all day, they will lose all taste for learning.”
At Sudbury Valley School, you will allow children to talk, read, paint, cook, work on computers, study French, play the piano, climb trees, or just run around. Two boys spent three years just fishing!
The other way that Sudbury Valley School is different is that the children can decide the rules. Every week, there is a school meeting where both children and staff have one vote each — even the four-year-olds. They decide the school rules, how to spend the school budget（預(yù)算）, and even which staff they want and do not want any more.
When the school first opened in 1968, people said it would never work. But today, the school has 200 students, and 80% of its students go on to college. Even the two boys who went fishing all time have successful careers today. One of them is a musician and the other is a computer scientist.
【小題1】What does the school believe?

To most of us, school means classes, teachers, schedules, grades, and tests. But for the children at Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, school is very different.

    Firstly, there are no lessons. All the children, aged between 4 and 19, do whatever they want. There are no teachers, only “staff members (職員)”. The idea behind this is that you do not need to make children learn, because children want to learn anyway. “You do not need to say to a three-year-old. ‘Go explore your environment.’ You can’t stop them!” says Daniel Greenberg, a founder of the school. “But if you make children do what you want all day, they will lose all taste for learning.”

At Sudbury Valley School, you will allow children to talk, read, paint, cook, work on computers, study French, play the piano, climb trees, or just run around. Two boys spent three years just fishing!

    The other way that Sudbury Valley School is different is that the children can decide the rules. Every week, there is a school meeting where both children and staff have one vote each — even the four-year-olds. They decide the school rules, how to spend the school budget（預(yù)算）, and even which staff they want and do not want any more.

When the school first opened in 1968, people said it would never work. But today, the school has 200 students, and 80% of its students go on to college. Even the two boys who went fishing all time have successful careers today. One of them is a musician and the other is a computer scientist.

1.What does the school believe?

A. Teachers cannot teach children well.

B. Children learn best when they do what they want to do.

C. Learning is for adults — children should only play.

D. Children should only learn about one thing at a time.

2.What does Daniel Greenberg say about three-year-olds?

A. They love learning.                 

B. They are very naughty.

C. They want to be outside all the time.       

D. They are too young to learn anything.

3.What happens to the children after they leave this school?

A. They do the same things as children from other schools.

B. They have problems getting into college or getting a job.

C. They usually do very unusual jobs.

D. They are not successful in their business.

4.What is the main topic of the article?

A. Children’s hobbies                  B. Education in the US

C. A school without rules                   D. An unusual school

My mother used to ask me, “What is the most important part of the body?” When I was young, I thought   16   was very important to us, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.” She said, “No. Many people are deaf but still live a  17   life; keep thinking and I will ask you again.”
Several years   18  before she asked me again. This time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me, “You are  19   fast, but the answer is not correct. Many people are blind, but they still live happily.” Over the years, she asked me many times and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting   20   every year, my child.”
Then last year, my grandpa died. Everyone was crying. When it was our turn to  21   our final goodbye to him, my mother asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?” I was  22   when she asked me this. I always thought this was a game between her and me. I saw her eyes with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder (肩膀).” I asked, “Is it because it  23  up my head?”  She replied, “No. It is because it can hold the head of a friend or a relative (親戚) when he or she  24 . Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends, so you will  25  have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.” That was when I realized what the most important body part is.

This past month saw one of the most devastating storms in history brings death and destruction on the Philippines. The number of lives lost is still being calculated, but it is already sitting above five thousand. In the flurryof news about the storm and its after－math, the cries of “I told you so” from environmentalists rang out loud and clear.

　　These scientists were especially vocal during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which just wrapped up in Warsaw, Poland. The timing of the conference and Typhoon Haiyan was an eerie coincidence, but perhaps the concurrence offered a wakeup call for all.

　　Christiana Figures, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said, “We are witnessing ever more frequent extreme weather events, and the poor and vulnerable are already paying the price.”

　　Scientists claim that storms like Typhoon Haiyan are an inevitable result of the effect greenhouse gases are having on our environment. Environmental analysts claim that rising temperatures around the globe and changing weather patterns are all part of the same problem.

　　This isn’t breaking news. We’ve heard the warnings for years. The UN has been hosting the Climate Change Conference since1995.But the changes that need to be made are huge. Added to this, the developed nations and developing countries have competing interests that are difficult to settle. The issue of who takes responsibility becomes difficult to resolve.

　　We may feel far away from Poland and resolving conflicts between countries, but we mustn’t feel far away from the issue. When we watch neighboring countries suffer in severe weather, when we hear reports of increasing global temperatures, when we walk outside and find it difficult to breathe the Shanghai air, we know we have a very real problem. So what are we going to do about it? Are we making every-day choices that can have a positive impact? Are we reducing our carbon footprint? Are we choosing to walk, ride a bicycle or take public transportation instead of a car? Are we recycling? Are we turning off the lights and electronics whenever possible?

　　The problem is complex, but saving our earth starts with each of us taking simple steps.

1.What is the most terrible typhoon in 2013? It is _________.

A. Haiyan??? ???? B. Bebinca????????? C. Danas?? ???????? D.Cimaron

2.Warsaw isn’t in Poland，is it?

A. Yes, it is?????? B. No, it isn’t????? ? C. Yes, it isn’t ????? D. No, it is

3.How many years have we heard the warnings? For nearly ______years.

A. 21????? ?????? B. 18???? ???????? C. 19?????? ??????? D. 20

4.Which of the following is NOT FALSE?

A. The environment is worse and worse and we have no ideas about it.

B. The environment is worse and we needn’t do anything about it.

C. Saving our environment is not so complex.

D. The environment is a big problem and we must take simple steps