In nineteen ninety-nine, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, estimates were almost double that.
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since nineteen ninety-eight. He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
1.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the US.
B. Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.
C. Researchers in the US argue for school uniform policies.
D. Evidence for school uniform policies in the US is seen as weak.
2.Which was/were the first in the US to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools?
A. Six big-city Ohio public schools.
B. The school district in Long Beach, California.
C. Some middle and high schools in Texas.
D. Some elementary and middle schools in Florida.
3.Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
A. Viktoria Stamison and Sharon Pate.
B. Sharon Pate and David Brunsma.
C. Eloise Hughes and Sharon Pate.
D. Viktoria Stamison and David Brunsma.
4.The underlined word “misbehavior” in the sixth paragraph probably means ______.
A. serious crime B. bad performance
C. absence for class D. action against wearing uniforms
5.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. more work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect
B. the number of schools requiring uniforms in the US will decline sharply
C. wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning
D. politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies
10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking
By The Princeton Language Institute, Lenny Laskowski
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Warner Books
ISBN: 0446676683
This book is a course on giving public talks. It’s written by an expert in the field and has the tools to make you a relaxed, effective, and commanding public speaker. You can find clear, brief, step-by-step to help you: Overcome nervousness and discover your own natural style. Set up an immediate connection with your audience.
Practise new techniques daily in conversations with friends. Write a speech that builds to an unforgettable conclusion. Mix together humour and anecdotes into your talk. Use special techniques to memorize your speech.
In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing
By Janet E. Esposito
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Strong Books
ISBN: 1928782078
In the Spotlight is a gift for people experiencing any degree of fear or discomfort in speaking or performing in front of others, either in formal settings. The book has many different methods to help you get beyond stage fright and learn to speak or perform with ease and confidence.
The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One and How to Deliver It
By Richard Dowis
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: American Management Association
ISBN: 0814470548
Here’s expert guidance on how to write a forceful speech. Attractive slides, confident body language, and a lot of eye contacts are fine. Now everyone can learn to give a powerful, direct speeches that catch an audience’s attention. The key is not just in the delivery, but in using the power of language. It requires interesting ideas, presented in a clear and memorable way.
It’s speech-writing guide made by an award-winning writer. It has everything from researching and writing the speech to preparing the text to delivering the speech to handling questions from the audience.
Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History
By William Bathe
Paperback: 1,055 pages
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393040054
This is a collection of more than 100 speeches that seeks to show the enduring power of human eloquence (雄辩) to inspire and uplift (振奋). These speeches are said to have moved millions and changed history. There is an introduction to each speech, and an essay on the art of public speaking.
This collection is edited by a former presidential speechwriter-William Satire. He knows firsthand, the importance of putting together the right words for the right movement.
These speeches prove that, even in the digital age, the most forceful medium of communication is still the human voice speaking directly to the mind, heart, and soul.
1.The purpose of the above books is to _______.
A. give you encouragement in making a speech
B. tell you how to make a forceful speech
C. show you the skills of making a good speech
D. tell you how to catch an audience’s attention while making a speech
2.If you want to improve your speaking skills by reading some great speeches by famous people, you will read ______.
A. Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History
B. The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One and How to Deliver It
C. In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing
D. 10 Days to More Confident Public speaking
3.Which of the following people used to write speeches for presidents？
A. Rechard Dowis. B. Janet E. Esposito.
C. Lenny Laskowski. D. William Satire.
Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ------ paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.
A “paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.
Students don’t do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.
Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying from math to social science.
High school teacher Judy Harrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan (阿富汗) before.
“We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps (难民营)”, she said. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”
And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.
A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.
“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computer,” she said.
But, with all this technology, there’s always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.
1.What does “run out of ink at the critical moment” in the first paragraph mean?
A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.
B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.
C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.
D. Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.
2.The high school teacher, Judy Harrell, used the example of her class to show that ______.
A. the Web could take them everywhere
B. the Web taught them a lot
C. the Web is a good tool for information
D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information
3.The paperless classrooms will benefit ______ most.
A. students B. teachers C. trees D. computers
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入
对应空白处的最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
David grew up poor. He started 1in the 7th grade and by high school he was only going to school half days, leaving at 11 am to go to work.
Lack of money meant lack of 2opportunities, but he had a 3for knowledge. In his 4time he read books on human development, vocabulary builders, 5that he thought would help him succeed 6down the road.
He was a hard worker and rose above his lack of higher education to produce decently for his family, 7the factory life was taking it toll (造成伤害) on him 8, emotionally, and spiritually. It was, in his mind, 9him like a slow poison.
In 1995 he bought his first computer and a few months later discovered the Internet. He wanted to be a part of it, and worked 48 or more hours in the 10and worked 1140 or more hours a week teaching 12computer skills. He worked harder than he 13had in his life, logging over 100 hours a week on many, many 14.
David began applying for jobs in the Internet and computer fields. He was shot down many times, but he never 15. he had a goal and kept after it even when he didn’t feel like it because anything else seemed so 16. That kind of drive and perseverance (坚持不懈) almost always pays off.
I’m 17to say David left the factory and took a job in the computer field. He beat out college-educated applicants with 4-year degrees with his 18skills.
This is a true story about 19. It’s a story about believing yourself. It’s a story about finding what you love to do and following your 20.
1.A. studying B. working C. entering D. playing
2.A. educational B. personal C. political D. occasional
3.A. way B. hope C. hunger D. goal
4.A. spare B. part C. own D. school
5.A. something B. everything C. anything D. nothing
6.A. somewhere B. everywhere C. anywhere D. nowhere
7.A. and B. so C. yet D. but
8.A. terribly B. personally C. heartedly D. physically
9.A. fighting B. killing C. murdering D. butchering
10.A. factory B. farm C. school D. family
11.A. other B. the other C. others D. another
12.A. him B. himself C. themselves D. others
13.A. even B. ever C. still D. yet
14.A. positions B. conditions C. occasions D. situations
15.A. gave up B. gave in C. gave away D. gave out
16.A. helpful B. hopeful C. helpless D. hopeless
17.A. sure B. certain C. sorry D. happy
18.A. self-taught B. self-assured C. self-controlled D. self-styled
19.A. failure B. confidence C. foundation D. determination
20.A. ideas B. ways C. dreams D. styles
Three days after Mrs White’s _______ necklace was found, she was _____ it.
A. lost; robbed B. Missed; robbed of
C. lost; robbed of D. missing; robbed
He will stop showing off, if no notice _________of him.
A. is taken B. will be taken C. takes D. has taken
