II. Grammar and Vocabulary Section A 16%
Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
(A)
At thirteen, I was diagnosed with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When __25__ else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, ―Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I __26__ not be able to do it.‖
She glanced down at me through her glasses, ―you are no different from your classmates, young
man.‖
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time__27__ the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. __28__, he invented a__29__ (read) system of raised dots, __30__ opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the ―blind‖ in my class, being made __31__ (learn) like the ―sighted‖ students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day with __32__ ―A‖ on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: ― See what you can do when you keep trying?‖
B
Take five Chinese teachers, put them in a British classroom with fifty students for four weeks of Chinese-style education and what do you get? You get the BBC TV series Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School.
The series__33__(design) as a competition between Chinese-style education and British-style education. At the end of the four weeks, the fifty students __34__(teach) by the Chinese teachers were tested against the rest of their 13- and 14-year-old Year 9 classmates at Bohunt, one of the best schools in England, to see __35__ group got the best marks. To almost everyone’s surprise, especially Bohunt’s
3
head teacher’s, the Chinese-taught group scored ten percent higher in all subjects, including Math, Science and Mandarin.
That outcome wasn’t obvious at the beginning of the experiment. __36__ the students liked some
parts of the Chinese system, like the outdoor morning exercises, they were not happy with the long school day—five hours longer than the British school day—and, in class, they quickly became bored with the ―chalk-and-talk‖ Chinese style of teaching. British-style education__37__ (involve) more classroom activities and class discussions. As a result, there were discipline problems with some students and the Chinese teachers became frustrated.
But, eventually, the students began to respond to the Chinese teachers. The teachers were clear in their explanations and clear about__38__ they expected from the students. Many students liked the idea __39__ they were being challenged to perform better and they felt they were really learning. At the end of the four weeks, the students expressed their gratitude to the Chinese teachers and many cried when they said their goodbyes.
One thing is certain, though. The TV series proved that Chinese teachers are among the __40__ __40__ (qualify) and dedicated in the world. They deserve our admiration and respect.
Section B 10%
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need. A. community B. service C. emotional D. witnessed AB . efforts AC. volunteered AD. important BC. ceremony BD. democratic CD. spirit ABC. obligation
Students Honor 9/11 Through Volunteering
In the days after Sept. 11, 2001, thousands poured into Ground Zero to lend their hands in one of the largest recovery efforts in American history. Now, 12 years later, colleges are finding ways to channel the same__41__ into service projects in their own communities on September 11th.
is such an__42__ touchstone for our country, I think people want to find ways to do something, and students as well,giving something back to the __43__ ties in well to the emotional significance of that.
Though no corner of the country was untouched by the terrorist attacks, they especially rocked New York University on 9/11. Less than two miles from Ground Zero, students__44__ the plane-on-tower impact from their dorm rooms. The university coordinated shelters and counseling in the days afterward.
Because of this, NYU public affairs director Philip Lentz says the volunteer work the students do
