(1) By the time Laszlo Polagar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views
(1) By the time Laszlo Polagar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views on child-rearing. An eccentric citizen of communist Hungary, he had written a book called“Bring up Genius!”and one of his favorite sayings was“Geniuses are made, not born”.
(2) An expert on thetheory of chess, he proceeded to teach little Zsuzsa at home, spending up to ten hours a day on the game. Two more daughters were similarly hot-housed. All three obliged their father by becoming world-class players. The youngest, Judit, is currently ranked1stin the world, and is by far the best female chess player of all time.
(3) Would the experiment have succeeded with a different trio of children? If any child can be turned into a star, then a lot of time and money are being wasted worldwide on tryingto pick winners.
(4) American has long held“talent searches”, using test results and teacher recommendations to select children for advanced school courses, summer schools and other extra tuition. This provision is set to grow. In his state-of-the-union address in 2006, President George Bush announced the“American Competitiveness Initiative”, which, among much else, would train 70,000 high-school teachers to lead advanced courses for selected pupils in mathematics and science. Just as the super powers’space race made Congress put money into science education, the thought of China and India turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists is scaring America into stimulating its brightest to do their best.
(5) The philosophy behind this talentsearch is that ability is innate; that it can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy; and that it is worth cultivating.
(6) In America, bright children are ranked as“moderately”,“highly”,“exceptionally”and“profoundly”gifted. The only chance to influence innate ability is thought to be in the womb or the first couple of years of line. Hence the craze for“teaching aids”such as videos and flashcards for newborns, and“whale sounds”on tape which a pregnant mother can strap to her belly.
(7) In Britain, there is a broadly similar belief in the existence of innate talent, but also an egalitarian (平等主义的) sentiment which makes people queasy about the idea of investing resources in grooming intelligence.
(8) Teachers are often opposed to separate provisionfor the best-performing children, saying any extra help should go to stragglers. In 2002, in a bid to help the able while leaving intact the ban on most selection by ability in state schools, the government set up the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. This outfit runs summer schools and master classes for children nominated by their schools. To date, though, only seven in ten secondary schools have nominated even a single child. Last year all schools were told they must supply the names of their top 10%.
(9)Picking winners is also the order of the day in excommunist states, a hangover from the timeswhen talented individuals were plunked from their homes and ruthlessly trained for the glory of the nation. But in many other countries, opposition to the idea of singling out talent and grooming it runs deep. In Scandinavia, a belief in virtue like modesty and social solidarity makes people flinch from the idea of treating brainy children differently.
(10)And in Japan there is a widespread belief that all children are born with the same innate abilities-and should therefore be treated alike. All are taught together, covering the same syllabus at the same rate until they finish compulsory schooling. Those who learn quickest are expected then to teachtheir classmates.
(11)Statistics give little clues as to which system is best. The performance of the most able is heavily affected by factors other than state provision. Most states education in Britain is nominally non-selective, but middle-class parents try to live near the best schools. Ambitious Japanese parents have made private, out-of-school tuition a thriving business. And Scandinavia’s egalitarianism might work less well in places with more diverse populations and less competent teachers. For what it’s worth, the statistical data suggest that some countries, like Japan and Finland, can avoid selection and still thrive. But that does not mean that any country can ditch selection and do as well.
(12)Mr. Polger thought any child could be a prodigy given the right teaching, an early start and enough practice. Some say the key to success is simply hard graft. Judit, the youngest of the Polgar sisters, was the most driven, and the most talented, but she was the only one who did not achieve the status of grand master.“But she was lazy.”
81.In their childhood, the three daughters of Polagar________.
A.played chess in house all day long
B.had plenty of intense training on chess
C.took various lessonson games in house
D.revealed their talent in playing chess
82.In paragraph 3, the author tends toPolagar’s view on child-rearing________.
A.support
B.despise
C.question
D.defend
83.In America, student winners are usually picked out on the basis of________.
A.test results and praises from teachers
B.teacher recommendations and test papers
C.test scores and teacher recommendation
D.self-presentation and teachers’evaluations
84.The American“talent searches”is based on the belief that________.
A.there is no innate talent
B.few have inborn talent
C.education can help develop talent
D.one’s innate ability can be measured
85.In paragraph 7, the word“queasy”is closest in meaning to________.
A.curious
B.worried
C.unhappy
D.comfortable
86.According to the passage, in Britain,________.
A.state schools are allowed to select students by talent
B.state schools are allowed to select students by ability
C.secondary schools are eager to pick talented students
D.the government is entitled to picking talented children
87.In paragraph 8, the word“outfit”is closest in meaning to________.
A.corporation
B.community
C.government
D.organization
88.In Scandinavia, people value virtues like modesty and social solidarity, so they________.
A.approve of the idea of selecting different brains
B.single out the talented children from the dull ones
C.refuse to teach talented children in normal ways
D.avoid picking talented children for special
89.In paragraph 11, the word“ditch”is closest in meaning to________.
A.abandon
B.embrace
C.welcome
D.denounce
90.Of the Polagar sisters,________.
A.all achieved the status of grand master
B.two became world-class chess players
C.the youngest was themost diligent one
D.the eldest was under the greatest pressure
Wang Yani was born in 1975 in Gongcheng., China Even when she was a baby, she loved to draw lines everywhere see her father decided to help her.He gave her paint brushes and paper.She practiced hard and improved very quick so Her lines became flowers, trees and animals.Some of her pictures were shown in an art exhibition in Shanghai at the age of 4.
By age six, Yani had made over 4,000 paintings.She loved to draw animals, especially monkeys and cats.Although her father was good at drawing, he didn't give her any art lessons.He even stopped painting his own pictures.Instead.he often took the little girl to parks and zoos to get ideas for her work.In this way, Yani developed her own style. of painting with bright colors.All her pictures were different from others.At the age of 8, one of her monkey paintings was made into, Chinese stamp.Later, she started to draw pictures of country scenery and people.
And when she was just 14, she became the youngest person person to have personal shows in Washington D.C.an many other cities around the world.
6.Wang Yani pictures were first shown in Gongcheng.()
A.T
B.F
7.She was especially good at drawing monkeys and A cats before she was eight.()
A.T
B.F
8.Her father took her to zoos and parks because he wanted the girl to get idea.()
A.Te
B.F
9.Yani had her personal shows in Washington D.C.A at the age of 14.()
A.T
B.F
10.Yani's father often gave her art lessons.()
A.T
B.F
Nelson Mandela was born in South Atrica on July 18, 1918. His tather was a Chiet of a tribe. Mandela had strong character even from he was a child and he respected national heroes very much. As the oldest son in his family, Mandela was appointed as the successor of the tribe, but he refuseD.He said he would never dominate a tribe, which was under oppressed, with a chief identity. He determined to throw himself into the career of the national liberation.
Mandela was educated at University College of Fort Hare and University of Witwatersrand and qulified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, and was sccessfully led the resistance against the apartheid policies. Nelson Mandela thus won the respect of all the blacks in South America.
In June 1961, he became the commander of the military organization of ANC . Because of his political activity, he went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 . In 1962, Mandela was arrested and stayed in prison for five years with hard labor. In 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
(Locked up in his cell during daylight hours, deprived of music, both these simple pleasures were denied him for decades. With his fllw prisoners, concerts were organized when possible, particularly at Christmas time,where they would sing. Nelson Mandela finds music very uplifting, and takes a keen interest not only in European classical music but also in African choral music and the many talents in South African musiC.Even years later, Nelson Mandela' s greatest pleasure, his most private moment, was sill watching the sun set with the music of Handel or Tchaikovsky playing.
He stayed in the prison for 27 yeas. During his years in prison, he consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Mandela' s reputation grew steady. He became a potent symbol ofresistance as the anti-apartheid movement.
Mandela was eventually set free on February 18, 1990. The event was broadcast live all over the worlD.On the day of his release from prison, Mandela made a speech to the nation. He said, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first black President in the history of South Africa.
The years in jail reinforced his habits that were already entrencheD.From the 1940s, he had the disciplined eating regime of an athlete, and did early morning exercise everyday. Still today Nelson Mandela is up by 4:30 am,irespective of how late he has worked the previous evening. By 5 am he has begun his exercise routine that lasts at least an hour. Breakfast is by 6:30, when the day' s newspapers are reaD.The day' s work has begun.
With a standard working day of at least 12 hours, time management is crucial and Mandela is extremely impatient with unpunctuality, regarding it as insulting to those you are dealing with.
In his life time, he won nearly one hundred awards. In 1993, he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, which was to commend his contribution in against racial discrimination for half a century. Nevertheless, Mandela accepted it as an accolade to all the people who have worked for peace.
56.Whom did Mandela respect in his childhood?
A.National athletes.
B.National heroes.
C.White people.
D.His parents.
57.Nelson Mandela refused to be the chief of the tribe because_____.
A.he dld not want to be like his father
B.he wanted to go to university
C.he did not want to be a leader of the tribe that was under opression
D.he wanted to become the president of South Africa
58.In Para.2, the word” apartheid" refer to the policies.
A.racial discrimination
B.immigration
C.economic
D.population growth
59.Mandela had great interest in the following music forms EXCEPT______
A.European classical music
B.African choral music.
C.American popular music
D.South American talents' music.
60.How long did Mandela stay in jail?
A.25years
B.27years
C.30 years
D.23 years.