1 . 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. |
Exercise plays a very important role in a healthy lifestyle. But you may not have time or money to go to a gym on a regular basis. The good news is that today’s technology lets you access fitness classes from the comfort of your home.
A quick Internet search will turn up thousands of online fitness classes. These classes let you listen to instructions and watch trainers demonstrate how to do exercises. You can watch videos on your phone, computer or tablet and do the exercises right where you are. All you need is an Internet connection and a space large enough to move around in.
Online fitness classes take a wide variety of forms. Some focus on stretches and slow movements. Other classes involve fast aerobic activity, while others build muscle strength. Some require equipment such as weights, but others use only your body. This means that you can choose the class you like. And you can try a different one whenever you like.
Some virtual fitness classes require a membership fee, but some are completely free. Anyone can post a fitness video on the Internet. Not everyone knows what they are doing. So it is important to think about who is teaching the class. Try to find trainers who are certified by an organization with a good reputation.
I tried some virtual fitness classes several years ago. The reason was simple: convenience. I could do a fitness class at any time of day. I didn’t need to travel to a gym and back, which saved me a lot of time. But being able to work out any time meant I kept putting it off. I’d do everything else first and then the day would be over. I’d never actually get around to exercising. Having to exercise at a definite time means I have to put it on my schedule. So for me, scheduled classes such as those at a gym are helpful.
1. What do people need to have virtual fitness classes?2. What is the author’s suggestion about choosing an instructor while having virtual fitness classes?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
·The author thinks virtual fitness classes are of great convenience and save a lot of time, so he takes virtual fitness classes on a regular basis.
4. Do you think virtual fitness classes will become a trend for young people? Why or why not? (In about 40 words)
3 . You won't have any excuse to skip class anymore. French startup Open Classrooms is offering the first state-recognized bachelor degree in France that uses only MOOCs(massive open online courses). The startup partnered with IESA Multimedia to create this program.
There are three learning paths in engineering, design and marketing. Students will have to complete all the courses and required projects in order to get their degree.
On average, it will take a year of hard work in order to complete all the classes. As always, it's hard to keep going when you sign up for a MOOC.
This kind of degree has many key advantages. For IESA, it gives the school more students. IESA is a private school, and its end goal is to make as much money as possible. So with these new Mooc students, IESA will be able to get more money per teacher on average.
For students, it's a cheaper way to get a degree. Maybe you can't afford to study for three years at IESA and pay €6,950 per year.
It's an interesting new direction for Open Classrooms, and I can't wait to see whether other schools will start working with the startup to provide online courses. It will be interesting to see whether the first students are satisfied with this kind of degree as well.
| A．For OpenClassrooms, the company will certainly make profits as a technology provider. |
| B．And it can explain why more and more people tend to apply for online courses. |
| C．It's the exact same degree that you would get at IESA, except that you won't see any teachers. |
| D．That’s why every week, you will get to video chat with a teacher. |
| E．For Open Classrooms, the company will surely enjoy a reputation for its technology. |
| F．Open Classrooms lets you work and study at the same time, and pay a lot less. |
4 . 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. These 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 free courses. | D．The rapid advance of technology. |
| A．To show students’ love for the doctoral program. |
| B．To persuade learners of traditional education. |
| C．To explain the growing trend of online education. |
| D．To predict the future of the teaching career. |
| A．The appetite for knowledge. | B．The professional responsibilities. |
| C．The requirement of research. | D．The colleagues’ encouragement. |
| A．Carefree. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Unwilling. |
5 . Online education is one of the many advances that technology has brought to us.
The main advantage of online learning is that it offers an alternative to traditional classes.
The disadvantage of online learning is that it ignores the communication between students and the teacher and their classmates. Besides, its role in some areas is also limited.
Only by making full use of its strengths and avoiding its weaknesses can we achieve the biggest benefit.
| A．The difference lies in the learning experience. |
| B．In recent years, there is a big growth in online learning. |
| C．Some skills like nursing work must be learned face to face. |
| D．It means we no longer have to be physically present in the classroom. |
| E．Combining online education with traditional education is the best choice. |
| F．The traditional education will be replaced by online learning in the future. |
| G．It’s good for students with busy schedules and for those who are working at the same time. |
6 . 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 their imagination and offer informal mentorship.
Instead of wondering whether teenagers are too easily distracted by computers, we should be figuring out how we can use digital media to sustain 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．help ... to recover | B．help ... to grow |
| C．help ... to relax | D．help ... to display |
| 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 |
7 . As the COVID-19 forces students to stay home, online learning has seen a sharp rise among students. Since late January, China has delayed starting the new school semester and encouraged students to study at home over safety concerns.
Besides what has been arranged by your schools as your study routine, what can you gain from online learning?
To successfully learn online, you need to dedicate a significant amount of your time, consistently attend the program, concentrate while studying and fully stick to your learning process, just as you would do for a regular course.
To stay on track with your online course, always keep in mind what you hope to complete by the end of it.
A study plan is important to online learning.
When you feel yourself losing concentration, consider taking a short break or sopping for the night.
Taking online courses can be very convenient for many people.
| A．Make a goal. |
| B．It can also offer you a good experience for self-learning. |
| C．Most importantly, you need to plan ahead with a good calendar system. |
| D．Online course companies also adopted special measures to meet students’ demands. |
| E．However, it may be challenging for some to successfully complete their online courses. |
| F．A to-do list is useful to carry out your study plan and to stay on track with your studying. |
| G．It is better to wait until you are able to start afresh rather than waste your time trying to focus. |
