Eighteen people in central Kenya are taking the country's secondary education test, called the KCSE. Even in normal schools, this exam can make a student nervous. But these 18 students may feel especially afraid. They are inmates in a prison (监狱). And if they do well on the test, they might get to leave the prison.

During the test the inmates sit at school desks at Naivasha Prison. These prisoners have writing tools and plastic rulers used in math. The classroom looks like any other except that the students are wearing prison uniforms.

David Noah Okwemba has just finished the exam for history and biology. He says he wants people to know that the prisoners are not just inmates, they are also students. Prisoners who do well in the exam can get out of prison earlier. They may be free early to go to university or find a job.

Patrick Mwenda is head officer at Naivasha prison. He says nine prisoners have been free since 2008 as a result of their schooling and tests. More than half of the 3,000 inmates at the Naivasha prison take part in the school program. Others may learn job skills like working with clothing and wood. The inmates themselves choose the subjects. Personal experience makes up an important part of the class discussions.

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1.What are the eighteen people doing in central Kenya?

A They’re taking the KCSE.

B They’re having a meeting.

C They’re taking a lesson.

D They’re writing to parents.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据文章一段的第一句“Eighteen people in central Kenya are taking the country's secondary education test, called the KCSE.”可知他们正在进行一个叫CKSE的考试，答案为A。

2.The underlined word “inmates” possibly has the same meaning as _______.

A students

B learners

C prisoners

D officers

解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。根据文章第二段的内容可知该词与下句中的“prisoners”是指的同一部分人，答案为C。

3.What is the difference between the inmates and normal students during the test?

A They sit at different school desks.

B They have different writing tools.

C Their classrooms are different.

D Their uniforms are different.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第二段第最后的“except that the students are wearing prison uniforms” 可知，除了穿着囚服，他们与其他学生都是一样的，答案为D。

4.How many inmates at the Naivasha prison take school lessons?

A over 9.

B 2008

C over 1,500.

D 3000

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第四段第的“More than half of the 3,000 inmates at the Naivasha prison take part in the school program.” 可知，3000囚犯中有一半参加了学校课程学习，答案为C。

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A The inmates can get free earlier if they do well in the KCSE.

B The inmates can take part in school programs at the Naivasha prison.

C Many students in normal schools get nervous about the KCSE.

D Most of the inmates at the Naivasha prison are students.

解析：选A。A 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了在肯尼亚的一个监狱，犯人可以通过考试获得自由。故选A。