At some point in our lives, most of us have attended a school or university lecture. These learning sessions give us some insightful and valuable knowledge or can be something we yawn through, trying to keep awake. Whatever our experience, lectures have been and still are the most common teaching method in education. But will they exist in the future?
With the growth of the Internet and so much information at our fingertips, you may think there is no need to gather together at a fixed location holding a handful of textbooks. BBC journalist Matt Pickles says, “Research has shown that students remember as little as 10 percent of their lectures just days afterwards.”
Professor Carl Wieman, who campaigns against the traditional lecture, felt talking at students and expecting them to absorb knowledge was not that effective so he introduced “active learning” that encourages problem solving in small groups. He listens to them and guides their discussions. The result has improved exam results. Other new alternatives to the lecture have included peer-to-peer learning and project-based learning that enable students to link up and work cooperatively on projects such as building a computer game.
But new learning methods can come at a high financial cost compared to the relatively cheap way of being taught face to face by an academic. The real issue according to Professor Dan Butin, founding dean of the school of education and social policy at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, is that “Academics put thousands of hours of work into their books and much less time into thinking about the effectiveness of their teaching style.” But he says, “The lecture has survived because research, not teaching, determines the success of a university and its academics.”
So if research quality is a measure of a university’s success and money is tight, then the lecture could be here for a little longer.
1. What may Matt Pickles agree with?| A．Students have a poor memory. |
| B．Students don’t work hard enough. |
| C．Lectures are not so effective as expected. |
| D．The Internet offers far more information than lectures. |
| A．Teaching projects. | B．Learning strategies. |
| C．Alternatives to lectures. | D．Ways of communication. |
| A．They promote active learning. | B．They call for the least memory work. |
| C．They determine the success of a university. | D．They contribute to academic achievements. |
| A．By analyzing data. | B．By listing opinions. |
| C．By making comparison. | D．By concluding general rules. |
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【推荐1】We all have a different approach to money — some of us like to spend it as soon as we have it, while some of us like to hold on to it and spend it carefully. But for people who are very savvy (精明的) about their cash, there are a number of interesting ways to invest it and, if things go well, make a tidy profit.
Buying stamps, wine, coins and books are all different ways of investing your money. It comes with risks but can be thrilling as, hopefully, you watch the value of your investment rise. However, you need to know what you’re doing and making your fortune is not guaranteed.
If you’re happy to take a risk, then one of the most well-known ways of investing is by buying artwork. By purchasing a painting and holding on to it, its value can increase by a handsome sum, but of course, only when you sell it do you feel the financial benefit. Some people get quite lucky, particularly when they don’t expect to make any money. There are stories of people buying a painting in an antique shop for peanuts only to find out it’s actually worth thousands of pounds.
Of course investing in artwork is not a guarantee to make you a millionaire. Patrick Connolly, a financial adviser, says investing in art is too risky and he recommends their clients not to invest in it because the downsides outweigh the upsides.
But if you’re still keen, there are art fairs, such as The Affordable Art Fair, and websites aimed at buyers with a modest budget. Patrick Connolly says the best approach here is to buy something you like and can afford and “if it goes up in value, that should be just an added bonus.”
If this has spoilt your plans for your investment, maybe there’s more chance of winning big money by buying a lottery ticket (彩票)!
1. What does the underlined words in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Going to antique shops to buy peanuts. |
| B．Purchasing a painting for its financial benefit. |
| C．Spending a small amount of money on artwork. |
| D．Exchanging artwork for peanuts in an antique shop. |
| A．Artistic investments don’t necessarily result in the rise in value. |
| B．Generally, people can earn more money by buying a lottery ticket. |
| C．Buying stamps and coins is much safer than buying a painting. |
| D．People will definitely gain financial benefits if they invest wisely. |
| A．What investments guarantee a big fortune. |
| B．Whether it’s profitable to invest in artwork. |
| C．Where valuable works of art are available. |
| D．How investments influence people’s daily life. |
【推荐2】Is a college education worth the price? This is a question more Americans are asking as college costs continue rising and the job market remains weak.
Attending a four-year college in the United States can cost more than $40,000 a year. Many people with a college education are drowning in student debt. They had to borrow money to finance their education.
A recent study suggests that a college education is worth it, at least in the United States. The study found that someone with a 4-year college education earns twice as much as a high school graduate over a lifetime. And for nearly all study programs, an individual with a four-year bachelor’s degree（学士学位） earns even more than someone with a two-year degree.
But not all college majors have a guarantee (保证) of good wages. For example, a chemical engineer can expect to earn double the earnings of a social worker over a lifetime. On average, a finance graduate makes more than a nurse or medical aide, while the nurse makes more than an elementary school teacher.Generally, college majors that require skill in mathematics have high lifetime earnings. Graduates in computer science, engineering, and physics have the highest wages. Majors that involve teaching children or counseling have the lowest pay. Actually, graduates with bachelor’s degrees in some fields earn even less than people with a 2-year associate’s degrees over a lifetime. They include early childhood education, elementary education, and social work.
The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution noted that future earnings should not be the only reason for choosing a college major. It says, “Personal enjoyment, engaging in meaningful work, and filling a social need should also enter into a student’s decision-making.” The numbers are only averages and there are many exceptions.
“College degrees may not be a guarantee of higher income, but they come closer than just about any other investment (投资) one can make.” said study organizers.
1. What is the problem many American college students face?| A．No personal enjoyment | B．No job opportunities |
| C．Rising education costs | D．Lack of professional guidance |
| A．Childhood education. | B．Elementary education. |
| C．Social work. | D．Computer science. |
| A．A college education is worth the price. |
| B．A college education is worthless at all. |
| C．A college education means high incomes. |
| D．A college education promises a happy life. |
【推荐3】The first time you start to read a poem, you must relax and read through it without concentrating on its meaning. Imagine you are meeting a person for the first time. You will just observe him and listen to his voice, as well as watch his shapes or movements, but you have not yet known what he is all about. Likewise, you may enjoy the sound, rhythms, or wording, and form some first impressions about a poem.
On your second reading, you should concentrate more on the general meaning of the poem. This time, you will want to compare your feelings about the poem by now with how you felt before. Are they the same? What is different and why?
Your third reading will focus more on details: the words, phrases, or images. Looking up any unfamiliar words in a dictionary so that you can gain a more accurate understanding. Using the example given above about meeting someone, his image will change gradually and slightly as you meet and learn more about him. Therefore, in your additional readings, it is a good idea to compare your understanding each time with the understanding before.
A helpful approach to further understanding a poem is to summarize it in your own words. Compare your version of understanding with those of others reading the same poem, and listen to how they form such opinions. Remember, however, that there is no exact or right meaning for a poem, as most poets have admitted they themselves are not exactly sure what they meant when writing certain lines or phrases; they have even been heard to say on occasion that sometimes words just seem to “drop from heaven” and land on the page. That is what awakening the imagination is all about. If you are lucky, and if you practice enough, magical things may happen when you write and you may be able to produce a beautiful poem or other work of art yourself.
1. Why does the author give the example of “meeting a person” ?| A．To arouse readers’ interest | B．To support his argument |
| C．To offer some advice | D．To interpret his point |
| A．General meaning. | B．Rhythm beauty. |
| C．Deeper meaning. | D．Poetic structure. |
| A．Poets themselves don’t understand their poems. |
| B．Beautiful poems drop from heaven occasionally. |
| C．Poetic meanings are open to different explanations. |
| D．Writing a summary helps understand a poem. |
| A．Inspiration and hard work help create great poems. |
| B．Poetry is an expression of one’s will in words. |
| C．Practice and patience make a man perfect. |
| D．Luck marches with those who give their very best. |
【推荐1】When students get home, they usually sit down at the table and pull out their homework. Piles of papers rise all the way to the ceiling. American students should get less homework on a daily basis.
Loads of homework can cause stress in a student and lead to health issues in the body and mind. Stress causes lack of sleep, slipping grades, tiredness, unhealthy eating habits, depression, and so on. Nervous breakdowns can make completing homework much more of a struggle and also effect the health and life of a student.
Doing homework all night can take away a student’s free time and sleep. Always doing homework can lead to less time for sports and after-school activities.
Shouldn’t students get less homework so that they can be happy and have more time with family and friends?
| A．Lack of sleep can cause great stress. |
| B．The more the students do, the less they get out of doing it. |
| C．Administrators, teachers, and parents need to address this issue. |
| D．Family time is also decreased, which can add more family conflict. |
| E．Homework-related anxiety and stress can affect school work negatively. |
| F．Kids are doing more than the recommended amount with no academic benefits. |
| G．Anyway, too much homework can cause quite a few physical and mental problems. |
【推荐2】Educators across the US are calling for major changes to the admissions process in higher education. The Harvard school of Greduate Education, along with 80 other schools and organizations, released a report called “Turning the Tide Making Caring Common” in January, 2016. The report argues that the process schools use to choose students causes major problems.
David Hawkins is the Executive Director for Educational Content and Policy at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. Hawkins told Voice of America that most colleges and universities require many things from students when they apply. Schools usually ask for an essay describing a student's interests or why they want to study at that school. The schools also ask for letters from teachers or other responsible adults describing why a student is a good candidate. But, Hawkins says, the area that schools are most concerned about is a student’s high school grades and standardized test results.
The report suggests that paying attention to academic success over other qualities works well for some students but hurts others. In addition, academic success is not the most important quality a student should have. More attention should be paid to showing whether or not a student wants to do well in the world, according to the report.
The report goes on to state that the best way to change the admissions process is by changing college applications. It suggests that schools should ask for evidence that students care about other people. But the report does have its critics. Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, said that every few years, someone makes the same argument for changes, but no real change has happed yet. Even many of the schools that agree with the report still make no changes.
Lloyd Thacker, Executive Director of the Education Conservancy, said that until a majority of schools agree to make the changes, there will still be problems. However, he said, the admissions process was better in the past. If bad changes can affect the process, so can good ones.
1. What is the problems of the admissions process according to the report?| A．The schools ask too many things from the applying students. |
| B．The schools attach too much importance to students’ academic records. |
| C．The number of students getting admitted is too small. |
| D．Admissions officers consider too many unimportant factors. |
| A．The reasons to attend the school. |
| B．A description of interests. |
| C．Recommendation letters from adults. |
| D．Evidence that students care about others. |
| A．not all changes are good |
| B．the largest schools are expected to make changes first |
| C．no schools currently agree with the report |
| D．some schools don’t make changes even if they agree |
| A．Confident. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
The latest edition of the annual Institute of International Education (IIE) and another US institute found a 5 percent rise in the number of international university students in the US compared to one year ago. There are now over 157, 000 Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities.
Asia accounted for four of the top five countries and regions to take advantage of the US higher education system. “Increased numbers of students from China, particularly at the undergraduate level, largely accounts for the growth this past year,” the report stated. “They really enroll in a full range of US higher education,” said Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor to the president of IIE, the group that made the report. “20 years ago, students from China only knew of a handful of US institutions, but now, they are enrolling in our community colleges, in our small liberal arts institutions, in the research universities. Really spread across the country,” she said.
Chinese mainland was in the number one spot, while India was the number two country of origin. South Korea was the third and Canada was number four. China’s Taiwan held the number five spot. Saudi Arabia was in sixth with a 44-percent increase, while Japan was seventh, down 14 percent.
Blumenthal associates the increase in the number of Chinese students heading to US colleges to limited university places in China, as well as a feeling from students and their parents than they want a “unique” educational experience. China’s family planning policy, says Blumenthal, has also meant that families can concentrate resources on a single child.
The University of California at Los Angeles has one of the largest Asian student populations of any college in the United States.
1. Which ranked the third place sharing US higher education?
| A．Saudi Arabia | B．South Korea |
| C．Canada | D．India |
| A．The US colleges are better than those in China. |
| B．Each family in China has only one child. |
| C．China lacks enough educational resources. |
| D．Chinese students can enter varieties of US colleges. |
| A．The number of Chinese students going to the US has increased by 23%. |
| B．The University of California has contributed to Asian education greatly. |
| C．Chinese student populations in the US mainly consist of undergraduates. |
| D．Chinese students know more about US higher education than before. |
| A．Chinese College Students Rush to US Schools |
| B．The Large Number of Chinese Students in the US |
| C．Chinese Students Make Up Largely Foreign Students in the US |
| D．Asian Middle School Students in the US Universities |
