【推荐2】Education officials and industry experts are debating the future of online learning. The discussion is important because hundreds of universities in the United States have recently moved classes online because of the spread of the novel coronavirus(冠状病毒).

For Asha Choksi, the rise of Internet-based or online study programs has led to major improvements in higher education. "It's actually given a lot more power to students in terms of how, when and where they learn," the head of research for Pearson Education said.

Classes meet online through video conferencing. In this way, students are able to communicate with each other and their professors even when they are far away from school. However, recent research suggests the majority of college students and professors prefer in-person instruction, because they are concerned that companies supervising(监管)online learning programs are not clear about the policies they have with the schools they serve.

"Students see in-class lectures as opportunities to engage with instructors, peers, and content." the researchers wrote. In-person learning is especially important in fields like healthcare and teaching. Online education can never really take its place, said Stephanie Hall, a fellow with the independent policy research group The Century Foundation." Students need to experience...what they're learning about, reading about or hearing about in the classroom. And I don't know yet the degree to which technology can facilitate that.”

"When schools make agreements with online program managers to run their online programs, they often do not make important information available to students," Hall said. This includes how much control the company has over the design of the program or whether the faculty leading the classes was involved in their design. In addition, many colleges and universities advertise online programs as a low cost opportunity for students. But in some cases, students attending in-person classes get financial aid and online students do not.

1. What does Choksi think of the online study programs?

A．They offer students more choices in study.

B．They reform the country's education system.

C．They provide advanced scientific knowledge.

D．They promote the development of technology.

2. According to most college students and professors, what's the advantage of in-person learning?

A．It is convenient.

B．It costs less to study.

C．It can better meet school policies.

D．It can improve students' communication skills.

3. What is Hall's attitude towards online education?

A．Hopeful.

B．Critical.

C．Uncaring.

D．Neutral.

【推荐3】Taking breaks while studying contributes to better learning in a number of ways, and creates a major impact on the process of learning. Find out why a study break is essential, and how it helps you score the best.

Scientists conclude that the brain stops registering a constant stimulation over a gradual period of time, and declares it to be unimportant. The brain decodes（译）a monotonous（单调的）activity and gets habituated to it, no longer stimulating the brain to act in any way. Once this happens, you find yourself unable to concentrate, there by destroying the purpose of a study session-learning. A “break” does just that, it breaks the monotony for the brain. A change in place, a walk around the block, a cup of coffee; these little things can be limited in your study sessions to relax the mind, break the monotony, improve concentration levels, and finally assist the learning process.

The purpose of a study session is to study as much as possible and remember most of what has been learned in it. To be able to achieve this, it is absolutely necessary to continuously stay focused. It is highly likely that long hours of studying can become monotonous and cause you to believe that you are “learning”, when you are only just “reading”. A short rest eases out your stressed mind, brings you back on track, and allows you to start studying with new-found focus levels.

With a relaxed mind, improved concentration and focus levels, and a better capacity to retain information, it is obvious that your study session with breaks will turn out to be more productive, and you will get more benefits than you previously did. Put more such better-yielding study sessions together, and what do you get? perfect grades and a winner of the “race”.

1. What can the underlined word “habituated” in the second paragraph be replaced by?

A．Accustomed.	B．Absorbed.
C．Attached.	D．Related.

2. What should students do to study as much as possible?

A．Help each other.	B．Remain concentrated.
C．Improve ways of learning.	D．Give up the learning process.

3. If you have a good attitude to study, how your study will be?

A．Efficient.

B．Improved.

C．Interesting.

D．Easy.

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Students should concentrate on their study.

B．Students should take breaks after learning for long hours.

C．Teachers had better have a good rest before their lessons.

D．Teachers had better be strict with their students in learning ways.

【推荐2】Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient institution, which has occurred ever since men were organized into units larger than the family. In the past human race managed to survive it. Why should it not continue to survive even if wars go on occurring from time to time? Moreover, people like war, and will feel frustrated without it. And without war there will be no adequate opportunity for heroism or self-sacrifice.

Modem technology has changed this. Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by arbitration (通过仲裁) in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.

There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology (意识形态) would prevent war. I believe this to be a big error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic (武断的) statements that are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their followers believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them.

The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb.

1. From the passage we can learn that war now is ______.

A．as bad as in the past	B．worse than in the past
C．as necessary as in the past	D．not so dangerous as in the past

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Men, as well as war, will have to make the ultimate choice between the two.

B．Modern technology has empowered man to choose whether to have war or not.

C．At least 6,000 years later, man has finally decided to abandon war once and for all.

D．People will eventually destroy themselves if they choose to go to war at modern times.

3. As for ideology, what does the author intend to tell us?

A．Certain ideology is superior regarding its truthfulness.

B．It is useless to adopt an ideology to prevent war.

C．Not every ideology is not worth fighting for.

D．It is wrong to follow any ideology.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．War or No War, That Is A Question

B．Nuclear Weapons Bring the End of Human Race

C．Towards a Future Without War: A Call for Global Arbitration

D．From Ideology to Negotiation: A New Approach to International Conflicts

【推荐3】Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild, according to a study sure to cause debate about keeping the giant animals on display. Researchers compared the life spans of elephants in European zoos with those living in Amboseli National Park in Kenya and others working on a timber enterprise in Buma. Animals in the wild or in natural working conditions had life expectancies twice than or more of their relatives in zoos.
Animal care activists have urged in recent years to discourage keeping elephants in zoos, largely because of the lack of space and small numbers of animals that can be kept in a group.
The researchers found that the median life span for African elephants in European zoos was 16.9 years, compared with 56 years for elephants who died of natural causes in Kenya’s Amboseli Park. Adding in those elephants killed by people in Africa lowered the median life expectancy there to 35.9 years. For the more endangered Asian elephants, the median life span in European zoos was 18.9 years, compared with 41.7 years for those working in the Burma Timber Enterprise. Median means half died younger than that age and half lived longer.
There is some good news, though. The life expectancies of zoo elephants have improved in recent years, suggesting an improvement in their care and raising, but “Protecting elephants in Africa and Asia is far more successful than protecting them in Western zoos.”
There are about 1,200 elephants in zoos, half in Europe, researchers concentrated on female elephants, which make up 80 percent of the zoo population. One amazing thing was that Asian elephants born in zoos had shorter life spans that those brought to the zoos from the wild.
Zoos usually lack large areas that elephants are used to in the wild, and that zoo animals often are alone or with one or two other unrelated animals, while in the wild they tend to live in related groups of 8 to 12 animals. In Asian elephants, baby death rates are two to three times higher in zoos than in the Burmese logging camps, and then, in adulthood, zoo-born animals die young. People are not sure why.
1. What is argued about in this passage?

A．Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild.

B．Elephants should not be on display.

C．Asian elephants are in danger.

D．Asia is far more successful in protecting elephants in zoos.

2. What does the underlined word “median” mean according to the passage?

A．Average

B．Longest.

C．Shortest.

D．Ordinary.

3. Which of the following is Not the disadvantage of keeping elephants in zoos?

A．Limited number of relatives.	B．Lack of space.
C．Shorter life expectancy.	D．Less attention.

4. Who are expected to pay more attention to the issue addressed?

A．Zoologists.	B．Animal care activists.
C．Zoo visitors.	D．The public.