In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.
The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore
Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to transform education overnight.
1. 说明问题；
2. 提出建议。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
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参考词汇：线上课程online courses
Dear Tony,
I’m your student, Li Hua.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
3 . As with most teaching methods, online learning also has its own negatives. Understanding them will help create strategies for more efficiently delivering the lessons, ensuring a good learning journey for students. So, what are the disadvantages of online learning?
For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. There’s a great chance for students to be easily attracted by social media or other sites. Therefore, it is vital for the teachers to keep their online classes interesting and interactive. It will help students stay focused on the lesson.
Technology issues
Sense of isolation
Students can learn a lot from being in the company of their peers.
Teacher training
Online learning requires teachers to have a basic understanding of using digital forms of learning.
| A．Screen time management |
| B．Inability to focus on screens |
| C．Yet this is not always the case. |
| D．This increase in screen time is one of the biggest concerns. |
| E．However, in an online class, there is little physical interaction. |
| F．Another key challenge of online classes is Internet connectivity. |
| G．This can include online messages, emails and video conferencing. |
4 . JENNIFER SALLS---A high school math teacher in Sparks, Nevada
It is possible to construct good online courses that would support mathematics learning with middle and high school students. However, these courses would not look like most current online courses.
When we imagine an online course, we think of a solitary (孤立的)process in which a student is holed up with his or her computer, watching PowerPoints, paging through screens of text and solving a whole bunch of problems. While learning may be occurring, I suspect that it’s short-term with little real understanding of mathematics. There are some students who learn well under these circumstances, but this is not true for the majority of students. A good online course would take advantage of the many interactive resources. For example, if students were learning to solve equations, they would be directed to solve a carefully arranged set of problems using an interactive program. They would reflect on the interaction and share their observations with others taking the course.
Eventually, the lesson would move students toward solving equations, using their experiences with the interactive program as the jumping-off point. Students could experience real-world problems through video and simulations and use a variety of computer-based tools to solve these problems. Notice that a course like this is not solitary, but highly interactive, and it builds both problem-solving skills and conceptual knowledge.
BRIGID BARRON-A psychologist at Stanford University’s School of Education
Whether or not any computing tool used in the classroom will interfere with or energize learning depends on how the teacher organizes its use.
When online courses are well designed, they offer learners and teachers wonderful opportunities. Hybrid models that combine classroom interaction with tools like blogs, podcasts, social networks and discussion forums can engage students in ways that traditional environments do not. When students are given challenging material, asked to carry out research and to create ways to share what they are learning with students from all over the world, engagement goes up.
There are other benefits. Assessment of student learning can be partly automated and designed to provide continuous feedback. When students need assistance, they can be directed to activities that will help them learn. Perhaps most importantly, online courses can help bridge gaps in course offerings within a school district. Many economically challenged schools don’t have the resources to provide specialized or advanced courses, but those courses could be offered online.
Many students are already using technology in their own time to learn and create, for their own purposes or for school assignments (作业). If they know where to look, they can access online communities that foster (促进)their imagination and offer informal mentorship (辅导). Instead of wondering whether teenagers are too easily distracted by computers, we should be figuring out how we can use digital media to sustain (维持) teenagers’ interest and their desire to learn.
1. According to Jennifer Salls, in most current online classes, ______.| A．students hardly learn anything |
| B．students are made to learn all on their own |
| C．students are led to improve their self-study abilities |
| D．students focus more on theories than on problem-solving skills |
| A．Online courses should try to make the most of interactive resources. |
| B．Schools today pay more attention to students, conceptual knowledge. |
| C．Students cannot learn mathematics effectively through online courses. |
| D．Thanks to online classes, teachers’ work load can be greatly decreased. |
| A．narrowing the gap between rich and poor |
| B．providing students with real-time feedback |
| C．teaching students how to exploit online resources |
| D．maintaining students’ interest throughout the course |
| A．good courses should combine advanced technology and online resources |
| B．teachers play an important role in ensuring the effectiveness of online classes |
| C．students should be able to learn effectively through well-designed online classes |
| D．online courses are more effective only when students are assigned challenging tasks |
5 . Online courses offer people abundant opportunities to learn. Try some of the Harvard online courses about humanities.
The Path to Happiness
From Confucianism to Daoism, the philosophies developed over two thousand years ago are among the most powerful in human history. This course brings voices from the past into modern contexts to explore the path to a good life today.
Duration: June 16, 2021—June 14, 2022
Fees: Free of charge
Pace: Self-paced
Difficulty: Introductory
Introduction to the Ancient Greek World
This course is about ancient Greece with its unique places, ways of life and historical changes. We survey the most important social institutions and cultural traditions. We also study everyday features such as food and dress.
Duration: June 21—August 6, 2021
Fees: $3400
Pace: Instructor-led
Difficulty: Introductory
Biotechnology and the Human Good
Biotechnology offers exciting and promising prospects for healing the sick and relieving the suffering. In this course we consider possible functions beyond common treatments like making people look younger, perform better and become perfect.
Duration: June 21—August 6, 2021
Fees: $ 3400
Pace: Instructor-led
Difficulty: Intermediate
Superheroes and Power
What makes superheroes popular? How can they help us think about super powers? In this course, we explore those questions in Marvel and DC favorites (especially the X-Men) as well as independent comics novels.
Duration: June 22 —August 6, 2021
Fees: $ 3400
Pace: Instructor-led
Difficulty: Intermediate
1. Which course can you take if you are free in Oct. 2021?| A．The Path to Happiness | B．Introduction to the Ancient Greek World |
| C．Biotechnology and the Human Good | D．Superheroes and Power |
| A．Powers of superheroes. | B．More uses of biotech. |
| C．Ways to increase happiness. | D．Clinical practices of biotech. |
| A．They are of the same level. | B．They are free of charge. |
| C．They belong to the same subject. | D．They are instructor-led. |
6 . Online education has grown fast over the past ten years. The explosion of technology has made teaching outside the traditional classroom possible for teachers and has provided learners with easy access to course materials. Its attractiveness, benefits, and challenges are addressed.
In April,2005,I was approached by a student who was interested in our doctoral program. However, the first question out of her mouth was, “Do you offer any online courses?”Later that day, as I was reading the conference program guide trying for interesting presentations, I noticed many workshops on web-based learning and online education. I later attended two of those workshops and met several professors from different universities who had either taught online courses for quite some time or who were discovering the best practice for teaching online. The experiences helped me realize at least to some extent the degree of growth in online education.
My responsibilities for the term included gaining more understanding of online education. Consequently, I made several attempts to enrich my knowledge of distance learning and online teaching. I consulted with my colleagues who were teaching online courses. This helped me recognize the importance of getting materials prepared even before the start of a term. I also learned that online courses may consume more time than regular classroom teaching. And I attended several workshops regarding online education and established a network with those who were involved in online programs at other universities. I will consider these people as my consultants as I begin to design my own online course. Also, I conducted a brief survey with 15 students and two faculty members who had taken or taught an online course before to understand their experience. Eventually I completed a literature review which gave me the foundation and the background of understanding the need for online education.
1. What benefits the development of online education?| A．Teachers’ good teaching ability. | B．Lack of traditional classrooms. |
| C．Learners’ access to course materials. | D．The rapid advance of economy. |
| A．To explain the growing trend of offline education. |
| B．To predict the future of the teaching career. |
| C．To show students’ love for the doctoral program. |
| D．To persuade learners of traditional education. |
| A．The requirement of research. | B．The professional responsibilities. |
| C．The appetite for knowledge. | D．The colleagues’ encouragement. |
| A．Carefree. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Unwilling. |
7 . 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 COVID-19.
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 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 promote the development of technology. |
| B．They reform the country’s education system. |
| C．They provide advanced scientific knowledge. |
| D．They offer students more choices in study. |
| A．It is convenient. | B．It costs less to study. |
| C．It can better meet school policies. | D．It can improve students’ communication skills. |
| A．Achieve. | B．Apply. | C．Change. | D．Control. |
| A．Negative. | B．Skeptical. | C．Supportive. | D．Objective. |
8 . School is tough enough as it is, but distance learning presents a whole new challenge. Many students struggle to focus on their homework when they study at home, as online courses call for self-discipline (自律).
Motivate (激励) yourself. Think about how traditional classroom settings motivate students to get their work done: deadlines written on a whiteboard, friendly reminders and suggestions from teachers, and group study sessions with classmates.
Find a good study spot. Houses are full of distractions (分散注意力的事物)—especially if you’re in no mood to study. Set yourself up for success by reducing these distractions and creating an environment where it is easy to do schoolwork.
Use what you have. One of the many benefits of online learning is having endless Internet resources.
| A．Manage your time. |
| B．Be ready to ask all the questions. |
| C．A short break is also necessary for online learning. |
| D．You can also use these helpful methods in your own home. |
| E．Many of them might help you understand your studies easily. |
| F．Keep up with your online schoolwork with these tips for success. |
| G．If possible, find a quiet place away from your housemates, family members and TV. |
| A．Difficult. | B．Helpful. | C．Boring. |
10 . A Wisconsin teacher has become a web star for his amusing take on a popular TV song.
Paul Miller, a teacher in America,
“No one told me school was gonna be this way,” Miller sings in a classroom, in
“
Miller’s video has received over 45,000 views and lots of
In an
| A．marks | B．records | C．praises | D．shares |
| A．response | B．relation | C．devotion | D．addition |
| A．preparation | B．cancellation | C．admiration | D．promotion |
| A．private | B．attractive | C．virtual | D．passive |
| A．For | B．Despite | C．Against | D．Across |
| A．listed | B．gained | C．recognized | D．realized |
| A．contributions | B．effects | C．tendencies | D．benefits |
| A．expect | B．develop | C．treasure | D．correspond |
| A．objective | B．critical | C．casual | D．supportive |
| A．leaders | B．spirits | C．angels | D．sponsors |
| A．interview | B．conversation | C．debate | D．argument |
| A．especially | B．normally | C．particularly | D．temporarily |
| A．influenced | B．burdened | C．overwhelmed | D．defeated |
| A．strength | B．preference | C．responsibility | D．attention |
| A．tracks | B．books | C．charts | D．hooks |
