Passage 2

In the States, each fall a new crop of first-year college students, wavering between high hopes for the future and intense anxiety about their new status, scan college maps searching for their classroom. They have been told repeatedly that college is the key to a well-paying job, and they certainly don’t want to support themselves by flipping hamburgers or working at some other dead-end job. So, notebooks at the ready, they await what college has in store. Unfortunately many of them will not return after the first year. Why do so many students leave? There are several reasons. Some find the academic program too hard, others lack the proper study habits or motivation, and a large group leave for personal reasons.

Not surprisingly, the academic shortcomings of college students have strong links to high school. In the past, a high-school student who lacked the ability or desire to take a college-preparatory course could settle for a diploma in general studies and afterward find a job with decent pay. Now that possibility scarcely exists, so many poorly prepared students feel compelled to try college. Getting accepted by some schools isn’t difficult. Once in, though, the student who has taken nothing beyond general mathematics, English, and science faces serious trouble when confronted with freshman composition, and biological or physical science. Most colleges do offer courses and other assistance that may help some weaker students to survive. In spite of everything, however, many others find themselves facing ever-worsening grade-point averages and either fail or just give up.

Like academic shortcomings, poor study habits have their roots in high school, where even average students can often breeze through with a minimum of effort. In many schools, outside assignments are rare and so easy that they require little time or thought to complete. To accommodate slower students, teachers frequently repeat material so many times that slightly better students can grasp it without opening their books. And when papers are late, teachers often don’t mark them down. This “kindness” produces students who can’t or don’t want to study, students totally unprepared for the rigorous demands of college. There, courses may require several hours of study each week in order to be passed with even a “C.” In many programs, outside assignments are commonplace and demanding. Instructors expect students to grasp material after one explanation, and many won’t accept late papers at all. Students who don’t quickly develop disciplined study habits face a flood of low grades and failure.

Poor student motivation worsens faulty study habits. Students who thought high school was boring find even less attraction in the more challenging college offerings. Lacking any commitment to do well, they shrug off assigned papers, skip classes, and avoid doing required reading. Over time, classes gradually shrink as more and more students stay away. With final exams upon them, some return in a last-ditch effort to save a passing grade, but by then it is too late. Eventually, repetition of this situation forces the students out.

46. Which of the following is true of first-year college students?

 A. They have been forced to go to college.

 B. They have mixed feelings about their college life.

 C. Few of them are confident about their past achievements.

 D. They believe college can guarantee them well-paying jobs.

47. Students’ performance in college ________.

 A. decides their work habits in the future

 B. indicates their academic score in the past

 C. shows their expectations for future career

 D. reflects what they have experienced in high school

48. Many college students drop out in their first year because ________.

 A. they can’t get enough help in college

 B. their efforts bring them embarrassment

 C. their study in college is getting no better

 D. they prefer other ways to acquire knowledge

49. In order to prepare their students for college, high school teachers ________.

 A. should not mark their late papers

 B. should force them to study long hours

 C. should help them develop good study habits

 D. should not explain the course materials in detail

50. Which of the following can best explain the words “shrug off” in the last paragraph?

 A. forget                                                       B. ignore

 C. delay                                                        D. hate

V．词形转换。将括号里提供的词转换成适当的词形填入答题纸上相应的位置。(本大题共10小题，每小题1分，共10分)

51. The first element of success is the ________ to succeed. (determine)

52. Anger is a momentary ________, so control your passion or it will control you. (mad)

53. To be a(n) ________, one needs profound knowledge as well as a very vivid imagination. (invent)

54. One ________ of a carpenter is to have good tools, which add to his skill, confidence, and pleasure in owning them. (require)

55. People who leave home in the morning slamming doors behind them are likely to be less ________ than those who leave home with a smile. (product)

56. Children may go on the trip only with the permission of their parents or ________. (guard)

57. The rescuers succeeded in bringing out all victims ________ in the coalmine accident. (live)

58. Universities offer fellowship to ________ research in basic theoretical studies. (courage)

59. Your vacation on this beautiful island will be ________ without a meal of delicious seafood. (complete)

60. Mobile homes can be moved from place to place, but they are now usually designed for ________ living at one location. (round, year)

Ⅵ．句子翻译。将下列句子译成英语，译文写在答题纸上相应的位置。(本大题共5小题，每小题3分，共15分)

61．如果有效利用的话，因特网对于拓展学生的视野有着令人难以置信的潜力。

62．他重重地跌了一跤，摔断了腿，大概得休学三个月。

63．一台开了很久的车就像一条穿了很久的牛仔裤，让人难以舍弃。

64．如果考虑这个事件的历史背景，我们就能理解事件为何发生。

65．他清楚地知道，他的发明只有在广泛使用电脑的地方才有市场。

Ⅶ．作文。根据所学的一篇课文，写出150字左右的短文。(本大题15分)

Topic: What do you think of the Wade family’s principles in the text “First Principles”? Use the following questions as an outline:

 1) What are the family’s first principles?

 2) How did the family overcome their difficulties, using their principles?

 3) How would you comment on the family and their principles?