The key to their success : 20 tablet computers(平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.
The goal is to find out whether kids using today’s new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project data say they’re already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten,” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.
The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The device’s camera was disabled to save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.
With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. That’s unbelievable,” said Keller.
The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won’t be in Amharic, Ethiopia’s first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.
1. How does the Ethiopia program benefit the kids in the village?
| A．It trains teachers for them. |
| B．It helps raise their living standards |
| C．It contributes to their self-study. |
| D．It provides funds for building schools. |
| A．They need more time to analyze data. |
| B．He is confident about the future of the project. |
| C．More children are needed for the research. |
| D．The research should be carried out in kindergartens. |
| A．learn English words quickly. |
| B．draw pictures of animals. |
| C．write letters to researchers. |
| D．make phone calls to his friends. |
| A．To offer Ethiopians higher paying jobs. |
| B．To make Amharic widely used in the world. |
| C．To help Ethiopian kids read to learn in English. |
| D．To assist Ethiopians in learning their first language. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】My son, Toby, 17 months old, has just tested positive for COVID-19. He is the first in our household to test positive, and all the information provided for people in this situation is designed for adults who are(or should be) concerned about protecting their families. Toby, obviously, cannot comprehend such advice. He cannot keep a distance from everybody else, or eat and wash in a separate room. We called 911, and the medic we spoke to agreed that the official guidance didn’t really apply to our situation.
Indeed. Not much we can do. So, here we are, trapped within our four walls with a little baby infected with COVID-19, who continues to climb on us, spit in our faces, love us and hug us. It seems inevitable that we, and our elder son, are going to get COVID now. Not much we can do.
My first reaction, after absorbing his diagnosis, was to cook sausages. I didn’t even know that was my comfort food of choice. Perhaps an afternoon crisis would have caused a different cooking desire? Anyway, a full stomach helped me take stock. Yes, it may now be inevitable that we’re going to contract the very virus we’ve spent a year avoiding, but as long as we don’t contract it at the same time, then, hopefully, one other of us will be available to look after our kids (thus answering my five-year-old’s most pressing concern: “…but who will make the pudding?”).
So, to minimise transmission, we’ve opened all the windows. And we’ve decided to wear face coverings whenever we are with Toby. This decision has been insignificant to him—I imagine he literally cannot remember life before masks—but for me, it’s distressing. I’ve become accustomed to wearing masks in supermarkets and coffee shops, of course, but to actually walk around with half my face covered in my own house is quite another matter—it is telling me that my home has been infected, That it’s no longer a safe space.
And so it was, when I sat down to write this column, that I ended up writing about COVID, which is probably the last thing you wanted to read. Sorry about that. COVID has coloured my thoughts today, even though I know that my wife and children will be fine, and that really we should just be grateful we haven’t passed it on to my grandmother.
I predict there will be more sausages in the morning.
1. By repeating the sentence “Not much we can do” in paragraph 2, the writer implies that ________.| A．he feels inspired | B．he is really helpless |
| C．he wants professional support | D．he needs to keep a distance from Toby |
| A．Appetite. | B．Concern. | C．Relief. | D．Sadness. |
| A．It discourages him from writing about COVID. |
| B．It brings him back to the days before COVID-19 |
| C．It makes him feel at a loss for how to help his son. |
| D．It is a reminder of what is happening to his family. |
| A．The diagnosis leaves the writer’s family in a tough spot. |
| B．Being infected with COVID-19 leaves Toby in a bad mood. |
| C．The writer is sure that his other kids won’t contract the virus. |
| D．Sausages have long been considered by many to be comfort food |
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling =" 1/20" pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then." he said.
During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle-stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. "I don’t like the chair business--people will think I am getting old," he said.
His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized--no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped," I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket. "
1. It was reported that Mr. Evans’s healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his ______.
| A．wine drinking | B．proper smoking | C．mild temper | D．sense of humor |
| A．A single trip from Mr. Evans’s home to the White City used to be ten shillings. |
| B．The first place for Mr. Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament. |
| C．He appreciated people’s arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit. |
| D．Mr. Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century. |
| A．to make a witty remark | B．to express a happy message |
| C．to make a wish | D．to tell a joke |
| A．110-Year-Old Tourist | B．Secret for Long and Healthy Life |
| C．Free Return Ticket | D．Sightseeing in London |
【推荐3】My father really dislikes my stepfather, Mike, and is always calling him names, saying what a “good-for-nothing” guy he is.
Mike knows about his name-calling because sometimes when my father comes to pick me up, he’ll say inconsiderate things right in front of my stepdad like, “Is what’s-his-name going to pick you up after the game, or am I supposed to bring you home?”
Even though it’s rude that my father doesn’t call Mike by his name, my stepdad doesn’t hold it against my father. “Sure, I’ll pick up BeShawn at 3:30, ” he’ll answer. Nor does Mike make a big deal about my father’s inconsiderate attitude towards him. He lets the comments go.
I asked my stepfather if the way my father treats him bothers or upsets him.“Oh，not really, ” he said. “You don’t always have to be right, as long as you do what’s right.” I like it that Mike is secure with himself. My father’s taunts (嘲弄,奚落)don’t bother Mike because he likes himself. My dad’s opinion of my stepdad doesn’t change the way Mike feels about himself.
I really admire Mike. I especially like how he’s good to my mother. And I really like what a good father he is to me. I appreciate all the things he does for me, like teaching me to throw a fastball and helping me with my homework without becoming impatient like my father does. Mike even volunteered at my school’s carnival (狂欢节)this year. No other stepdads were there.
Though I would never tell my real father that I think my stepfather is one of the nicest guys I know, he is. I’m happy to have Mike as my stepfather. Sometimes, I even call Mike “Dad” because he acts like a dad to me. In my eyes, my stepfather is a really great guy.
1. Why is the writer’s father rude to Mike?| A．Mike is good for nothing. | B．He takes a dislike to Mike. |
| C．Mike treats his wife badly. | D．Mike likes to call names. |
| A．Mike never runs a business with the writer’s father. |
| B．Mike doesn’t turn his anger on the writer’s father. |
| C．Mike ignores what the writer’s father says and does. |
| D．Mike never deals with the problems that he faces. |
| A．Mike is as good to the writer’s mother as his real mother. |
| B．The writer’s real father doesn’t like sports as much as Mike. |
| C．Mike is more patient with the writer than his real father. |
| D．The writer is a poor boy and has several step fathers. |
| A．Concerned but disapproving. | B．Admiring and respectful. |
| C．Disgusted and unconcerned. | D．Rude but patient. |
