1 . The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的)skill. However,while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(转换)“those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won't have knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
1. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?A.The absence of blackboard in classroom. |
B.The use of new technologies in teaching. |
C.The lack of practice in handwriting. |
D.The popular use of smartphones. |
A.focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer. |
B.indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper. |
C.found that good essays are made up of long sentences. |
D.discussed the importance of writing speed. |
A.Spelling improves one’s memory of words. |
B.Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability. |
C.Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas. |
D.Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas. |
A.Window. | B.Soul |
C.Picture. | D.Imagination. |
A.Computers can help people with their choice of words. |
B.Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching. |
C.Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms. |
D.Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade. |
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans (嘟囔声) when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination.”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar (呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
1. What activity was organized for the school reunion?A.Sightseeing in the park. |
B.A picnic on the school playground. |
C.Telling stories about past events. |
D.Graduates’ reports in the old building. |
A.Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech. |
B.Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching. |
C.Some people got tired from the reunion activities. |
D.Most people had little interest in the reunion. |
A.kept track of her students’ progress |
B.gave her students advice on their careers |
C.attended her students’ college graduations |
D.went to her students’ wedding ceremonies |
A.Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’ achievements. |
B.Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced. |
C.Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed. |
D.Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers. |
A.Reliable and devoted. | B.Tough and generous. |
C.Proud but patient. | D.Strict but caring. |
3 . Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp shells and proteins produced from silk, is called “shrilk”. It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.
A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?
Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer, and so will enrich the soil.
Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.
Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.
1. Paragraph 1 of the passage is mainly about shritk's_____.A.remarkable design | B.interesting name |
C.major features | D.basic elements |
A.Using it properly. | B.Producing it cheaply. |
C.Developing its properties quickly. | D.Evaluating its contributions fairly. |
A.it can help plastic degrade | B.it can be found in living things |
C.its mass production has been realized | D.its raw materials are abundant in mature |
A.Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk. | B.Testing shrilk's use in wet conditions. |
C.Making shrilk out of used household goods. | D.Improving shrilk's flexibility for medical purposes. |
A.Recent Progress in Environmental Protection | B.Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research |
C.The Harm of One-time Products | D.A Possible Alternative to Plastic |
King's Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend tees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to 'learn from the masters' or get more creative with paint ---- free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called 'Hissing Sid' is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron's Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University, Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of "mess and drunkenness". However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his roans. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf- ----over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
1. As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for_____.
A.attending the masters' class | B.working with local artists |
C.learning life drawing | D.seeing an exhibition |
A.common insects | B.impressive plants |
C.rarely-seen snakes | D.wildlife-enthusiasts |
A.to fear pet bears | B.to like walking |
C.to be a heavy drinker | D.to finish university in 1805 |
A.surrounded by fields |
B.owned by Lord Byron |
C.located in Grantchester |
D.discovered by Virginia Woolf |
A.Some places for weekend break |
B.A way to become creative in art. |
C.The colourful life in the countryside. |
D.Unknown stories of Cambridge University. |
5 . “Mama,when I grow up,I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three.It was the first time that my
As I look back on that day now,it surely
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the change,it did not come without its fair share of
Today,when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great
A.hobby | B.plan | C.dream | D.word |
A.connected | B.expanded | C.exposed | D.extended |
A.rarely | B.certainly | C.probably | D.consistently |
A.director | B.trainer | C.leader | D.dancer |
A.symbol | B.memory | C.truth | D.reality |
A.bouncing | B.dating | C.turning | D.tracking |
A.lacks | B.adds | C.makes | D.brings |
A.while | B.since | C.until | D.when |
A.cared | B.expected | C.asked | D.decided |
A.motivated | B.relaxed | C.convinced | D.astonished |
A.challenges | B.profits | C.advantages | D.adventures |
A.put | B.mix | C.build | D.pick |
A.attention | B.association | C.attraction | D.adaptation |
A.apart | B.aside | C.off | D.back |
A.over | B.by | C.with | D.beyond |
A.function | B.meaning | C.expression | D.usage |
A.boundaries | B.problems | C.barriers | D.efforts |
A.necessary | B.perfect | C.proper | D.possible |
A.talent | B.honor | C.potential | D.responsibility |
A.victory | B.trend | C.tradition | D.desire |
6 . For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages. Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet planes fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.
Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured(忍受). The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.
Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passengers move to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.
Man, however, is now a world traveler and cannot turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master.
1. What does the writer try to express in Paragraph 1?A.Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages. |
B.The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short. |
C.The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams. |
D.Man has been fond of traveling rather than staying in one place. |
A.By giving instructions. |
B.By analyzing cause and effect. |
C.By following the order of time. |
D.By giving examples.. |
A.they pay less for the tickets |
B.they feel safer during the travel |
C.they can enjoy higher speed of travel |
D.they don’t have to waste time being “processed” |
A.They could enjoy free and relaxing trave. |
B.They needed the clock to tell the time. |
C.They preferred traveling on horseback. |
D.They could travel with their master. |
A.Air travel benefits people and industries. |
B.Train Travel has some advantages over air travel. |
C.Great changes have taken place in modern travel. |
D.The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost. |
We'd just finished John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. When we read the end together out loud in class, my toughest boy, a star basketball player, wept a little, and so did I. “Are you crying?” one girl asked, as she got out of her chair to take a closer look. “I am,” I told her, “and the funny thing is I've read it many times.”
But they understood. When George shoots Lennie, the tragedy is that we realize it was always going to happen. In my 14 years of teaching in a New York City public middle school, I've taught kids with imprisoned parents, abusive parents, irresponsible parents; kids who are parents themselves; kids who are homeless; kids who grew up in violent neighborhoods. They understand, more than I ever will, the novel's terrible logic-the giving way of dreams to fate.
For the last seven years, I have worked as a reading enrichment teacher, reading classic works of literature with small groups of students from grades six to eight. I originally proposed this idea to my headmaster after learning that a former excellent student of mine had transferred out of a selective high school-one that often attracts the literary-minded children of Manhattan's upper classes-into a less competitive setting. The daughter of immigrants, with a father in prison, she perhaps felt uncomfortable with her new classmates. I thought additional “cultural capital” could help students like her develop better in high school, where they would unavoidably meet, perhaps for the first time, students who came from homes lined with bookshelves, whose parents had earned Ph.D.'s.
Along with Of Mice and Men, my groups read: Sounder, The Red Pony, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. The students didn't always read from the expected point of view.
About The Red Pony, one student said, “it's about being a man, it's about manliness.” I had never before seen the parallels between Scarface and Macbeth, nor had I heard Lady Macbeth's soliloquies read as raps, but both made sense; the interpretations were playful, but serious. Once introduced to Steinbeck's writing, one boy went on to read The Grapes of Wrath and told me repeatedly how amazing it was that “all these people hate each other, and they're all white.” His historical view was broadening, his sense of his own country deepening. Year after year, former students visited and told me how prepared they had felt in their first year in college as a result of the classes.
Year after year, however, we are increasing the number of practice tests. We are trying to teach students to read increasingly complex texts, not for emotional punch but for text complexity. Yet, we cannot enrich the minds of our students by testing them on texts that ignore their hearts. We are teaching them that words do not amaze but confuse. We may succeed in raising test scores, but we will fail to teach them that reading can be transformative and that it belongs to them.
1. The underlined words in Paragraph 1 probably mean that a book helps to __________.A.realize our dreams | B.give support to our life |
C.smooth away difficulties | D.awake our emotions |
A.Because they spent much time reading it. | B.Because they had read the novel before. |
C.Because they came from a public school. | D.Because they had similar life experiences. |
A.she was a literary-minded girl | B.her parents were immigrants |
C.she couldn't fit in with her class | D.her father was then in prison |
A.creatively | B.passively | C.repeatedly | D.carelessly |
A.introduce classic works of literature | B.advocate teaching literature to touch the heart |
C.argue for equality among high school students | D.defend the current testing system |
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When I was a teenager, my dad did everything he could do to advise me against becoming a brewer (造酒人). He’d
In my second year of graduate school, I began to realize that I’d
I decided to give up my job to become
A.cost | B.spent | C.taken | D.paid |
A.like | B.as if | C.so | D.nor |
A.anywhere、 | B.anyway | C.anyhow | D.somewhere |
A.habits | B.teachers | C.grades | D.work |
A.promised | B.convinced | C.advised | D.allowed |
A.never | B.ever | C.always | D.hardly |
A.Fortunately | B.Obviously | C.Possibly | D.Surprisingly |
A.assure | B.decline | C.deny | D.wait |
A.school | B.Colorado | C.my home | D.my decision |
A.thrilled | B.stressed | C.wondered | D.sneezed |
A.cheap | B.expensive | C.low | D.high |
A.Englishmen | B.Europeans | C.the world | D.Americans |
A.a lawyer | B.a brewer | C.an instructor | D.an engineer |
A.astonished | B.satisfied | C.interested | D.anxious |
A.hated | B.supported | C.raised | D.left |
A.for | B.at | C.in | D.after |
A.Therefore | B.Otherwise | C.Also | D.Yet |
A.price | B.name | C.company | D.party |
A.advice | B.life | C.job | D.experience |
A.hard | B.busy | C.short | D.long |
Owned by a local couple, this Persian restaurant has an inviting, homelike atmosphere that many restaurants lack.
The space is small with only a few dining tables and nearly no decoration, but the environment is truly charming.
Lying in a hardly noticeable street corner, the restaurant still attracts all customers, especially those experienced in the delights of Middle Eastern cooking.
A common sight is that of old Persian men sitting in the corner talking loudly about world topics, watching news events on TV, drinking a black tea known as Persian chai, an reading local Persian newspapers all the while trying to finish off their plates piled with food.
The variety of food at the restaurant is limited, but the amount of each dish is fairly large. Most of the meals can serve two people and are under $10, so not only is it affordable but practical as well.
The food, especially appeals to health-conscious eaters because each dish is very healthy, made with limited fat and oil and served straight off the grill (烤肉架).
The main dish that the restaurant is popular for is its kabobs, which are different style of grilled meat.
One delicious and extremely healthy dish is the Joojeh Kabob, which is made of grille chicken pieces served with cither rice or bread. Another great kabob is the Cbelo Kabob, kabob consisting of grilled beef.
Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and the food is delicious. It is a place that should not be overlooked.
1. When first entering the restaurant, one can find that it ________.A.is splendidly decorated |
B.has pleasant smells of kabobs |
C.is crowded with dining tables |
D.looks like a common restaurant |
A.Watching news events on TV. |
B.Drinking a kind of black coffee. |
C.Reading local English newspapers. |
D.Discussing world topics in low voices. |
A.is served in small amounts |
B.is rather expensive |
C.is rich in variety |
D.is very healthy |
A.Rice | B.Chicken | C.Bread | D.Beef |
A.occupies a large space |
B.owns a favorable location |
C.is popular for its special food |
D.has a quiet environment inside |
10 . Although I love my life, it hasn’t been a lot of fun as I’ve been ill for 28 years.
Music has always been a great love of mine and, in my 20s, when my
Two years ago, I decided that I would need to have some kind of extra work to
My family are all musicians, so I was
When I told the owner of the shop about my
He led me
I
His
A.loneliness | B.sadness | C.tiredness | D.sickness |
A.set | B.enjoyed | C.kept | D.shared |
A.Gladly | B.Eventually | C.Unfortunately | D.Surprisingly |
A.Now | B.Then | C.Sometime | D.Meanwhile |
A.add up to | B.make up for | C.get rid of | D.take advantage of |
A.If | B.As | C.Though | D.Before |
A.movement | B.condition | C.choices | D.positions |
A.reaching out | B.living up | C.getting on | D.going back |
A.recognized | B.interviewed | C.found | D.invited |
A.money | B.time | C.energy | D.knowledge |
A.thus | B.once | C.seldom | D.often |
A.actually | B.hardly | C.nearly | D.formerly |
A.job | B.family | C.idea | D.offer |
A.face | B.view | C.look | D.sight |
A.over | B.along | C.towards | D.through |
A.unhappily | B.lovingly | C.pitifully | D.gratefully |
A.pick | B.turn | C.role | D.step |
A.had to cry | B.ought to cry | C.should have cried | D.could have cried |
A.more | B.the ones | C.few | D.the rest |
A.courage | B.devotion | C.kindness | D.trust |