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PLIGHT OF THE PRESCHOOLERS

How do they beat the odds?

Competition for admission to the country's top private schools has always been tough, but this year Elisabeth Krents realized it had reached a new level.

Her wake-up call came when a man called the Dalton School in Manhattan, where Krents is admissions director, and inquired about the age cutoff for their kindergarten program. After providing the information (they don't use an age cutoff), she asked about the age of his child. The man paused for an uncomfortably long time before answering. "Well, we don't have a child yet," he told Krents. "We're trying to figure out when to conceive a child so the birthday is not a problem."

School obsession is spreading from Manhattan to the rest of the country. Precise current data on private schools are unavailable, but interviews with representatives of independent and religious schools all told the same story: a glut of applicants, higher rejection rates. "We have people calling us for spots two years down the road," said Marilyn Collins of the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati. "We have grandparents calling for pregnant daughters."

Public-opinion poll after poll indicates that Americans' No. 1 concern is education. Now that the long economic boom has given parents more disposable income, many are turning to private schools, even at price tags of well over $10,000 a year. "We're getting applicants from a broader area, geographically, than we ever have in the past," said Betsy Haugh of the Latin School of Chicago, which experienced a 20 percent increase in applications this year.

The problem for the applicants is that while demand has increased, supply has not. "Every year, there are a few children who do not find places, but this year, for the first time that I know of, there are a significant number of children who don't have places," said Krents, who also heads a private-school admissions group in New York.

So what can parents do to give their 4-year-old an edge? Schools know there is no foolproof way to pick a class when children are so young. Many schools give preference to siblings or alumni children.

Some use lotteries. But most rely on a mix of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best identify developmental maturity and cognitive potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicants in classroom settings. They also want a diverse mix. Children may end up on a waiting list simply because their birthdays fall at the wrong time of year, or because too many applicants were boys.

The worst thing a parent can do is to pressure preschoolers to perform--for example, by pushing them to read or do math exercises before they're ready. Instead, the experts say, parents should take a breath and look for alternatives. Another year in preschool may be all that's needed. Parents, meanwhile, may need a more open mind about relatively unknown private schools--or about magnet schools in the public system. There's no sign of the private-school boom letting up. Dalton's spring tours, for early birds interested in the 2001-2002 school year, are filled. The wait list? Forget it. That's closed, too.

By Pat Wingert Newsweek; 05/15/2000, Vol. 135 Issue 20, p76, 2/3p, 1c

注(1)：本文选自Newsweek，05/15/2000, p76

1.The author uses the examples to show __________.

[A]the concern of Americans

[B]the charm of the private schools

[C]the fierce situation for preschoolers

[D]the economic situation of American families

2.What is implied in Paragraph 4?

[A]The harsh way of forming a class.

[B]The high expectation of the parents.

[C]The wise selection of the school.

[D]The difficulty of getting enrolled.

3.The author’s attitude toward this event is __________.

[A]indifferent

[B]apprehensive

[C]supportive

[D]indignant

4.Instead of giving their children great pressure to outperform, the parents should ______.

[A]avoid the competition and wait for another year

[B]give up their first choice and go to the unknown school

[C]let their children be and do what they want to do

[D]deal with the matter more casually and rethink the situation

5.The text intends to express _________.

[A]the popularity of the private schools

[B]parents’ worry about their children’s schooling

[C]the plight of the preschoolers

[D]the severe competition in going to school

篇章剖析

本文采用提出问题---分析问题的模式。文章以实例作为切入点，着重阐述了学龄前儿童所面临的困境。第一段和第二段指出家长对子女教育问题的关注;第三段指出儿童入学难这一现象及其原因;第四段指出一些学校的招生办法以及有些学生无法入学的原因;第五段指出父母应该怎么做。

词汇注释

wake-up call (宾馆提供的)唤醒服务，叫早服务

kindergarten [kIndE5^B:t(E)n] n.幼儿园 adj.幼儿园的, 初级的, 启蒙阶段的

figure out v.合计为, 计算出, 解决, 断定, 领会到

conceive [kEn5si:v] v. 怀孕, 考虑, 设想

obsession [Eb5seF(E)n] n. 迷住, 困扰

glut [^lQt] n. 供应过剩;充斥

edge [edV] n.刀口, 利刃, 锋, 优势, 边缘, 优势, 尖锐 give an edge to 加剧,使尖锐化;鼓舞, 使兴奋;给(刀等)开刃, 使锋利

foolproof [5fu:lpru:f] adj.十分简单的, 十分安全的, 极坚固的

sibling[5sIblIN] n.兄弟, 姐妹, 同胞, 同属

alumni [E`lQmnaI ] n. pl.男毕业生, 男校友

lottery [5lRtErI] n. 抽彩给奖法

cognitive [ `kC^nItIv ] adj.认知的, 认识的, 有感知的

diverse [daI5v\:s] adj.不同的, 变化多的

alternative [C:l5t\:nEtIv] n. 二中择一, 可供选择的办法, 事物adj.选择性的

boom [bu:m] n. 繁荣, 隆隆声

let up v. 停止, 中止, 放松

难句突破

1.But most rely on a mix of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best identify developmental maturity and cognitive potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicants in classroom settings.

主体句式：most rely on a mix of subjective and objective measures…

结构分析：本句是一个简单句。冒号之后的成分做measures的同位语;tests，interviews和observation属于并列结构。

句子译文：但大多数学校还是用主观和客观结合的方法：进行考试，确定孩子的发育成熟程度和认知潜能;同学生家长面谈，或在教室观察孩子的反应能力。

题目分析

1.答案为C，属事实细节题。文中头两段举例说明子女教育问题成了美国家庭的头等大事，由此引发学龄前儿童入学难这一社会问题。

2.答案为A，属推理判断题。第四段阐述了学校选学生的一些倾向和做法。对于一个几岁的孩子及其家长又是主观考察，又是客观考察，又是抽签，还要考虑班里学生的多样性，等等。对于孩子来讲，真是有些勉为其难。

3.答案为B，属情感态度题。全文表达了对学龄前儿童的关注，以及对他们所处环境的忧虑和担心。

4.答案为D，属事实细节题。原文对应信息“Instead, the experts say, parents should take a breath and look for alternatives.”

5.答案为C，属中心思想题。全文的中心都围绕着学龄前儿童所处的困境这一点。

考研英语阅读理解试题

A history of longand effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, itmay become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowingperiod after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight timeslarger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies ofscale. Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled.America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans andAsians whose economies the war had destroyed.

It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as othercountries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance provedpainful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over theirfading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such asconsumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreigncompetition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith.(Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea's LG Electronics in July。)Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market America'smachine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though themaking of semiconductors, which America had which sat at the heart of the newcomputer age, was going to be the next casualty。

All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped takingprosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing businesswas failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall aswell. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes ofAmerica's industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filledwith warnings about the growing competition from overseas。

How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back onfive years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americansattribute this solely to such obvious causes as a deva lued dollar or theturning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. “ Americanindustry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be morequick-witted,” according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard's KennedySchool of Government,“It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businessesare improving their productivity,” says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank inWashington, DC. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believesthat people will look back on this period as “a golden age ofbusiness management in the United States。”

11. The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War Ⅱbecause_____。

[A]it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal

[B]its domestic market was eight times larger than before

[C]the war had destroyed the economies of most potentialcompetitors

[D]the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus toits economy

12. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980sis manifested in the fact that the American_____。

[A]TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market

[B]semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreignenterprises

[C]machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions

[D]auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

13. What can be inferred from the passage?

[A]It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pride。

[B]Intense competition may contribute to economic progress。

[C]The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation。

[D]A long history of success may pave the way for furtherdevelopment。

14. The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy inthe 1990s can be attributed to the____。

[A]turning of the business cycle

[B]restructuring of industry

[C]improved business management

[D]success in education 　名师解析

11. The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War Ⅱbecause_____。

美国在二战后取得优势地位是因为_____。

[A] it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal。

它为该目标付出了艰巨的努力。

[B] its domestic market was eight times larger than before。

它的国内市场比以前大八倍。

[C] the war had destroyed the economies of most potentialcompetitors。

战争摧毁了大多数潜在竞争对手的经济。

[D] the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus toits economy。

它无与伦比的劳动力规模给了经济推动力。

【答案】 C

【考点】 事实细节题。

【分析】 第一段指出，“二战后，美国就进入了这样的一个辉煌的历史时期。它拥有比任何竞争者大八倍的市场，这使其工业经济规模前所未有。它的科学家是世上秀的，它的工人是技术的。美国及其民众的富庶是那些经济遭到战争破坏的欧洲人和亚洲人连做梦也不敢想的”。因此利用排除法，确定答案是[A]。

12. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980sis manifested in the fact that the American_____。

上个世纪80年代美国优势地位的丧失可以从美国_______事实中看出来。

[A] TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market

电视工业已经退到国内市场

[B] semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreignenterprises

半导体产业已经被外国公司接管

[C] machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions

机床业已经自取灭亡

[D] auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

汽车工业已经丧失了部分国内市场

【答案】 D

【考点】 事实细节题。

【分析】 [A]选项错误，因为第二段中说“到1987年，美国只剩下Zenith这一家电视生产商。(现在这一家也没有了：Zenith于7月被韩国LG电器公司收购。)”说明它连国内市场也保不住了。[B]选项错误，文中第二段最后一句提到，“在一段时间内，半导体制造业似乎要成为下一个受害者”，可是事实上没有。[C]选项中谈到的机床业已经自取灭亡的说法错误，因为文中提到机床制造业“岌岌可危”(on the ropes)，但是还没有灭亡呢。[D]是合适的，因为第二段第六句提到，“进口车和纺织品横扫国内市场”。

13. What can be inferred from the passage?

从本文中可以推断出哪个选项?

[A] It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pride。

在自我怀疑和盲目骄傲之间摇摆是人的本性。

[B] Intense competition may contribute to economic progress。

激烈的竞争会导致经济的发展。

[C] The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation。

经济的复苏依靠国际的合作。

[D] A long history of success may pave the way for furtherdevelopment。

一个长期成功的经历会为进一步的发展铺平道路。

【答案】 B

【考点】 推断题。

【分析】 第三段提到，“所有这一切导致了信心危机。美国人不再视繁荣为理所当然之事。他们开始怀疑自己的商业经营方式出了问题，也怀疑不久他们的收入就会下降。20世纪80年代中期对美国工业衰退的原因作了一次又一次的调查。那些有时耸人听闻的结果中充满着对来自国外的加剧的经济竞争的警告”。第四段提到了“90年代的经济复苏。其中的含义是：在竞争的压力下，美国人在80年代产业结构调整，美国的工业已经改变了结构，消除了滞胀，学会了急智，因此带来了90年代的经济复苏”。因此可以得出激烈的竞争会导致经济的发展。另外三个选项都不合适。

14. The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy inthe 1990s can be attributed to the____。

作者似乎相信美国经济在上个世纪90年代的复苏可以归结于____。

[A]turning of the business cycle 经济周期的转折

[B]restructuring of industry 行业重组

[C]improved business management 改善了的工商管理

[D]success in education 教育的成功

【答案】 A

【考点】 作者观点题。

【分析】 在第四段，作者指出，“1995年，美国可以对过去5年的稳步发展作一回顾，而日本还在奋力挣扎。很少有美国人将这一巨变单纯归因于美元贬值或商业周期循环这些显而易见的原因。如今，对自身的怀疑已被盲目乐观所取代”。这里作者实际上对当前美国人的盲目乐观情绪进行了批评，认为90年代的增长是由美元贬值或经济周期的转机等因素造成的。[B]是“Richard Cavanaugh”的看法。[C]是“Stephen Moore”的看法。[D]选项文中没有提及。

考研英语阅读经典试题及答案

Until about five years ago, the very idea that peptide hormones might be made anywhere in the brain besides the hypothalamus was astounding. Peptide hormones, scientists thought, were made by endocrine glands and the hypothalamus was thought to be the brains’ only endocrine gland. What is more, because peptide hormones cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, researchers believed that they never got to any part of the brain other than the hypothalamus, where they were simply produced and then released into the bloodstream.

But these beliefs about peptide hormones were questioned as laboratory after laboratory found that antiserums to peptide hormones, when injected into the brain, bind in places other than the hypothalamus, indicating that either the hormones or substances that cross-react with the antiserums are present. The immunological method of detecting peptide hormones by means of antiserums, however, is imprecise. Cross-reactions are possible and this method cannot determine whether the substances detected by the antiserums really are the hormones, or merely close relatives. Furthermore, this method cannot be used to determine the location in the body where the detected substances are actually produced.

New techniques of molecular biology, however, provide a way to answer these questions. It is possible to make specific complementary DNA’s (c DNA’s) that can serve as molecular probes seek out the messenger RNA’s (mRNA’s) of the peptide hormones. If brain cells are making the hormones, the cells will contain these mRNA’s. If the products the brain cells make resemble the hormones but are not identical to them, then the c DNA’s should still bind to these mRNA’s, but should not bind as tightly as they would to m RNA’s for the true hormones. The cells containing these mRNA’s can then be isolated and their mRNA’s decoded to determine just what their protein products are and how closely the products resemble the true peptide hormones.

The molecular approach to detecting peptide hormones using cDNA probes should also be much faster than the immunological method because it can take years of tedious purifications to isolate peptide hormones and then develop antiserums to them. Roberts, expressing the sentiment of many researchers, states: “I was trained as an endocrinologist. But it became clear to me that the field of endocrinology needed molecular biology input. The process of grinding out protein purifications is just too slow.”

If, as the initial tests with cDNA probes suggest, peptide hormones really are made in brain in areas other than the hypothalamus, a theory must be developed that explains their function in the brain. Some have suggested that the hormones are all growth regulators, but Rosen’s work on rat brains indicates that this cannot be true. A number of other researchers propose that they might be used for intercellular communication in the brain.

1. Which of the following titles best summarizes the text?

[A] Is Molecular Biology the Key to Understanding Intercellular Communication in the Brain?

[B] Molecular Biology: Can Researchers Exploit Its Techniques to Synthesize Peptide Hormones?

[C] The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Immunological Approach to Detecting Peptide Hormones.

[D] Peptide Hormones: How Scientists Are Attempting to Solve Problems of Their Detection and to Understand Their Function?

2. The text suggests that a substance detected in the brain by use of antiserums to peptide hormones may

[A] have been stored in the brain for a long period of time.

[B] play no role in the functioning of the brain.

[C] have been produced in some part of the body other than the brain.

[D] have escaped detection by molecular methods.

3. According to the text, confirmation of the belief that peptide hormones are created in the brain in areas other than the hypothalamus would force scientists to

[A] reject the theory that peptide hormones are made by endocrine glands.

[B] revise their beliefs about the ability of antiserums to detect peptide hormones.

[C] invent techniques that would allow them to locate accurately brain cells that produce peptide hormones.

[D] develop a theory that account for the role played by peptide hormones in the brain.

4. Which of the following is mentioned in the text as a drawback of the immunological method of detecting peptide hormones?

[A] It cannot be used to detect the presence of growth regulators in the brain.

[B] It cannot distinguish between the peptide hormones and substances that are very similar to them.

[C] It uses antiserums that are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.

[D] It involves a purification process that requires extensive training in endocrinology.

5. The idea that the field of endocrinology can gain from developments in molecular biology is regarded by Roberts with

[A] incredulity.

[B] derision.

[C] indifference.

[D] enthusiasm.