1 . Despite all the efforts students make to graduate with a science major, research has shown that most college science courses provide students with only a fragmented (碎片化的) understanding of fundamental scientific concepts. The teaching method improves memorization of separate facts, proceeding from one textbook chapter to the next without necessarily making connections between them, instead of learning how to use the information and connect those facts meaningfully.
With that in mind, we developed a series of cross-disciplinary (跨学科的) activities. In our most recent study, we investigated how well college students could use their chemistry knowledge to explain real-world biological phenomena. To begin with, we interviewed 28 first-year college students majoring in sciences or engineering. All had taken both introductory chemistry and biology courses. We asked them to identify connections between the content of these courses and what they believed to be the take-home messages from each course. The students responded with extensive lists of topics, concepts, and skills that they’d learned in class.
Following that, a set of cross-disciplinary activities were designed to guide students in the use of core chemistry ideas and knowledge to help explain real-world biological phenomena. One activity explored the impacts of ocean acidification on seashells. Here, the students were asked to use basic chemistry ideas to explain how the increasing level of carbon dioxide in sea water is affecting shell-building marine animals such as corals, clams and oysters.
Overall, the students felt confident of their chemistry knowledge. However, they had a harder time applying the same chemistry knowledge to explaining the biological phenomena. These findings highlight that a big gap remains between what students learn in their science courses and how well prepared they are to apply that information.
The students in our study also reported that these activities helped them see links between the two disciplines that they wouldn’t have perceived otherwise. The ability to make these connections is important beyond the classroom as well, because it’s the basis of science literacy (科学素养). So we also came away with evidence that our chemistry students at least would like to have the ability to have a deeper understanding of science and how to apply it.
1. What does the existing science education fail to do according to the research?| A．Extend students’ theoretical knowledge. |
| B．Engage students in more outdoor activities. |
| C．Encourage students to enjoy the learning process. |
| D．Teach students to make connections among different subjects. |
| A．They have rich academic knowledge. | B．They pay little attention to biology courses. |
| C．They hardly identify the core ideas of science. | D．They fully understand their major’s importance. |
| A．analyse the exact composition of sea water. |
| B．study some unusual phenomena under the sea. |
| C．come up with practical methods to protect sea life. |
| D．explain the effects of carbon dioxide on sea creatures. |
| A．The need to remove the unfairness in education. |
| B．The difficulties of cross-disciplinary study. |
| C．The potential to promote students’ science literacy. |
| D．The method of increasing students’ practical skills. |
2 . The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational technology (EdTech) has brought incomparable convenience and efficiency to classrooms worldwide. However, despite these advancements, it is crucial to recognize the challenges these AI-driven tools pose to the autonomy and professional judgment of instructors.
One of its primary concerns is the depersonalization of instruction. These tools often rely on pre-packaged digital content and standardized solutions, leaving insufficient room for instructors to tailor their teaching methods. Each student possesses unique characteristics. Instructors, armed with their wealth of experience and knowledge, are best positioned to tailor their approaches to these individual needs. However, AI-driven tools restrict their ability to do so effectively, resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to inspire students to reach their maximum potential.
EdTech companies offer step-by-step solutions to textbook problems. These are intended to act as study aids. However, some students employ this feature as a means to merely copy solutions without comprehending concepts. Consequently, instances of cheating on assignments and exams become widespread. While these tools may offer convenience, students may use external resources or cooperate with others during quizzes, affecting the honesty of their learning outcomes.
The implications of this depersonalization and the increase in academic dishonesty are far-reaching. By decreasing the role of instructors as facilitators of meaningful educational interactions, we run the risk of preventing the growth of critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. Education should not only focus on knowledge acquisition, but should also develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. It should help one’s mind grow, not simply memorize information. Through dynamic classroom discussions, cooperative projects, and hands-on activities, instructors play a crucial role in developing these essential skills.
While AI-driven EdTech tools undeniably have their virtues, we must not lose sight of the importance of preserving instructor autonomy and educational experience. Instead of relying only on pre-packaged content and standardized solutions, these tools should be designed to empower instructors to adapt and customize their approaches while taking full advantage of the benefits of technology.
1. What do the underlined words “the depersonalization of instruction” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Tailored methods for individuals. | B．Instructors’ dependence on Al. |
| C．Insufficient resources of Al-driven tools. | D．The one-size-fits-all approach. |
| A．A possible solution. |
| B．A further problem. |
| C．A well-meant intention. |
| D．A suggested application |
| A．Thinking skills. | B．Teamwork building. |
| C．Interest development. | D．Knowledge acquisition. |
| A．They should be used widely. |
| B．Their benefits deserve our attention. |
| C．Their resources need enriching. |
| D．They should support instructor autonomy. |
3 . The world has changed greatly since Herman Fisher met Irving Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The trio (三人组) founded Fisher-Price, maker of popular toy series such as Thomas & Friends, Power Wheels, and Little People. Companies like Fisher-Price are exploring how the world of toys and parenting will change with the development of technology. Fisher-Price recently cooperated with Continuum, a global innovation designer. Together, they created a short video called The Future of Parenting, along with a short essay explaining the thoughts behind the video.
One thought of the video explores how parenting will change when the teens of today raised with data-providing devices such as Fitbit and iPad begin raising kids of their own. Is this a generation that will desire data in all of their kids’ toys? The answer may be “yes” and perhaps the product appearing in the video will appeal to them.
If you interpret the video as a clear vision of the future of parenting, you won’t be blamed for fearing holograms (全息图) will take over your house as a mom or dad. The benefit of holograms in the video is their potential for giving traditional toys the ability to personalize responses, depending on the age and development of the child playing with the traditional toy.
Of course, you might ask yourself, “Do data-providing toys have an advantage over traditional toys in terms of their effects?” The answer may be negative. Lego, a traditional brick toy-maker, on all counts remains a successful company. And studies point out its toys’ benefits to children’s creativity. In addition, recent research demonstrates that toys containing data can potentially prevent language development, compared with traditional puzzles and bricks.
On the one hand, parents know that they should limit their kids’ screen time to keep them healthy, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance on daily screen time. On the other hand, technology can be wonderfully engaging and can provide excellent educational opportunities for children. Nothing is perfect and we should embrace every aspect of a new thing.
1. What are companies like Fisher-Price currently exploring?| A．The impact of technological advances on toys and parenting. |
| B．The way to be an outstanding global innovation designer. |
| C．New ideas of making short videos of creative toys. |
| D．Techniques used to produce popular toy series. |
| A．be fond of devoting themselves to improving technology |
| B．be afraid of the negative impact of electronic toys |
| C．pass their preference for such toys on to their kids |
| D．show great creativity and imagination |
| A．Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology. |
| B．Comparisons of the effects of two kinds of toys. |
| C．Suggestions on how to choose suitable toys. |
| D．Advances in technology used to make toys. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．Everything is a two-edged sword. |
| D．Hope for the best; prepare for the worst. |
4 . Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But science points to a different answer:
The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, research has shown.
A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes every weekday” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is more likely to stick as a habit.
3.We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, evidence shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you.
However, it’s important not to get too crazy - if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, it can be discouraging.
4.Make it fun to repeatResearch has shown you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit fun. One excellent way is to try “temptation bundling”. Research shows that temptation bundling improves follow-through; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.
| A．Find the right kind of social support. |
| B．Tell your friends and family about your goals. |
| C．What we mistake for willpower is often a natural outcome of habit. |
| D．You’ll benefit from being more specific about what exactly you aim to do and how often. |
| E．Having a bite-size objective makes it less daunting to get started and easier to see your progress. |
| F．Now you have established a specific goal, it’s time to think about what will cue you to follow through. |
| G．For example, watch your favorite show while at the gym or enjoy a beloved podcast while cooking healthy meals. |
5 . Currently, one of the biggest problems in Laos is underfunded education-the government lacks money to build and maintain schools and pay teachers, which, of course, holds back teaching and learning. Despite this, Laos still produces quite a few graduates with valuable skills such as knowing Chinese, English, Korean, or Japanese. The problem is not the students.
Nor does the problem stem from a lack of financial means: Laos has enormous wealth. The problem is that this wealth is not financing a proper system of education. Local corruption(腐败)means that the wealthy do not pay taxes. Laos needs a transparent tax system that functions normally, as in more developed countries such as Malaysia. Laos can learn several lessons from Malaysia’s successful taxation strategies.
Last year, Malaysian students scored exceptionally well on standardized tests in a wide variety of subjects. However, Lao students scored very poorly, especially in math. The 2022 standardized test scores for Laos were the lowest in Asia. Such a terrible result constitutes an emergency. Young people are not adequately educated in Laos, and the main cause is a catastrophic lack of funding due to tax avoidance.
Therefore, I propose that a total change be made in the tax system of Laos. This step is crucial because Laos is a member of ASEANN, and the basic support for education needs to be comparable among the member nations. Laos has always lagged behind other ASEAN member states on this issue of support for education as a percentage of GDP. Experts estimate that Laos will only spend 3.2% of its GDP on education in 2023.
To conclude, I must emphasize that Lao education is in crisis. For many years, their education system has been underfunded as a percentage of GDP compared with other ASEAN countries, and standardized test scores are upsetting. If Lao education can become adequately funded, Lao students will step up and compete with their peers across Asia.
1. What is the best title of this passage?| A．Education in Laos:Challenges and Opportunities. |
| B．Students in Laos:Valuable skills and Poor scores. |
| C．ASEAN Membership in Laos: Emergency and Hope. |
| D．Problems in Laos: Misbehaving students and Low-tax system. |
| A．Students’ low intelligence. | B．The improper tax system. |
| C．Unqualified math teachers. | D．Unfair academic competitions. |
| A．In 2023, only 3. 2% of the Laos’ GDP will be used on education. |
| B．Rich people in Laos pay much more taxes than the poor people. |
| C．The Lao government doesn’t pay enough attention to education. |
| D．ASEAN member states support Laos to promote its education. |
| A．Indifferent | B．Concerned | C．Sympathetic | D．Neutral |
6 . Have your ever imagined a robot doing homework for you? This has become a reality due to the coming of ChatGPT. But teachers at UK universities have been asked to rethink about the way to assess (评价) their courses because students are already using a powerful new AI tool capable of producing high-quality essays (论文).
ChatGPT, the latest chat robot, has only been publicly available for weeks, but has already caused concerns about the possibility of academic (学术的) dishonesty and questions about the acceptability of the essay as a future form of assessment. Working groups have been set up in university departments to meet this challenge.
Experts admit feeling both excited and alarmed. Dr Thomas Lancaster, a computer scientist working at Imperial College London, best known for his research into academic honesty, said ChatGPT was in many ways a game changer. He explains, “It’s certainly a major turning point in education where universities have to make big changes. They have to adapt sooner rather than later.”
There are signs of Australian universities to have a return to greater use of in-person exams to try to protect the fairness of assessment. Lancaster said, however, a total return to exams was not the answer, suggesting instead the use of giving a formal talk to enable students to show their understanding of a subject.
Michael Webb, director of technology and analytics at Jisc, which provides network and IT services to higher education, agreed. He said, “The immediate reaction might be to avoid these tools in order to stop students cheating, but that’s not advisable. We should not simply regard them as spelling or grammar checkers, but technology that can make everyone’s life easier.”
“We don’t need to go back to in-person exams: This is a great opportunity for the schools to explore new assessment methods that measure learners on critical thinking, problem-solving and reasoning skills rather than essay-writing abilities.”
1. Why do the UK teachers have to rethink about the way of assessment?| A．Because their students fail in producing quality essays. |
| B．Because ChatGPT doesn’t do well in academic assessment. |
| C．Because essays will not be accepted as a future form of assessment. |
| D．Because ChatGPT increases the possibility of academic dishonesty. |
| A．Changing the way ChatGPT works. |
| B．Testing students with spoken reports. |
| C．Doing research on academic honesty. |
| D．Returning to previous in-person exams. |
| A．He is concerned about the way students use ChatGPT. |
| B．He advises students not to use ChatGPT in writing essays. |
| C．He is impressed with ChatGPT’s grammar checking function. |
| D．He expects schools to explore better ways to assess students fully. |
| A．A big advance in AI technology. |
| B．A problem facing college educators. |
| C．A challenge to academic assessment from ChatGPT. |
| D．ChatGPT as an effective tool for academic assessment. |
7 . Recently, many arguments between anxious parents and children on the use of mobile phones have hit the headlines. According to a survey, children’s addiction to online games is closely related to parent-child relations:
First, parents should not be overly upset or annoyed when their kids play video games.
Last but not least, parents should spend time with their children.
In a word, developing good parent-kid relations is an effective way to keep or draw kids away from smartphones.
| A．There are some other problems that deserve parents’ attention. |
| B．They are one of the most popular entertainments for students. |
| C．What’s more, it is advisable to adopt a friendly way of parenting. |
| D．Besides, some of the problems should be left for time to solve. |
| E．The better the relationship is, the less likely a kid is to be addicted to online games. |
| F．Actually, the most valuable gift for their kids is time, not money or expensive presents. |
| G．Family members can also smooth out their differences and reach consensuses (一致同意)together. |
8 . Every parent wants their children to develop well.
Way of communication. A game for a child is also a way to convey to an adult their experiences: joys, anxieties, fears, hopes, expectations. Often, through the game, the child tells parents something important about himself and learns something important about his parents. The game is a way to be closer, to feel the support, care and love of parents.
Development of social skill and familiarity with social roles.
Pleasure and joy. The game brings pleasure, joy and a lot of other positive emotions to the child and the significance of this cannot be underestimated (after all, even for adults, positive emotions are very important: they support us, help us develop and look at life positively).
| A．Knowledge of the world. |
| B．Education and development. |
| C．Therefore, it is very important that parents find time to play together with their child. |
| D．Joint games best teach adults to understand their children and find a common language with them. |
| E．Also, through the game, the child learns to be proud of his success, which supports his self-esteem. |
| F．In games, children learn to follow the rules, control their behavior, develop communication skills with peers and adults. |
| G．Sometimes it seems that a child’s game is empty entertainment and it would be better to replace it with something more useful. |
9 . Between school and downtime, most children do one or more extracurricular activities. These classes, sports teams, and other programs allow children and teens to pursue a special interest outside of the typical educational curriculum.
Scouting
Scouting groups arc a great choice for children who enjoy nature and are willing to try a variety of activities. Scouts learn basic outdoor survival skills, but they are also expected to cam badges in other skills like cooking, cleaning, arts, finances, goal setting, and personal care.
Student Government
Student government normally is available from upper elementary grades through college. Children who are elected to student government are given the power to organize and make decisions about important events for the student body and occasionally weigh in on school policy decisions.
STEM Programs
Programs based on STEM arc a natural fit for children who like to fix or play on computers or tablets. Our school offers science, computer, or engineering clubs, and more and more programs cater to children's STEM interests. If your child has shown interest in LEGO-based robotics, coding, they should consider exploring these programs.
Community Service
Service organizations are great for teaching children about social and humanitarian issues. Older children and teens often gain leadership skills and make important personal connections. Churches, temples, and junior versions of groups offer community service opportunities for children.
1. Which of the following suits children who are interested in wilderness survival?| A．Scouting. | B．Community Service. |
| C．STEM Programs. | D．Student Government. |
| A．They both boost children's exploring spirit. |
| B．They both develop children's learning skills. |
| C．They both cultivate children's moral awareness. |
| D．They both enhance children's management abilities. |
| A．Culture. | B．Education. | C．Science. | D．Entertainment. |
10 . Six-year-old Alice is building a magical kingdom brick by brick, imagining fairy-tale castles and fire-breathing dragons. This fantasy is helping her take first steps towards creativity. Minutes later, when she is playing board games with her brother, she’s learning to follow rules and take turns with a partner. Although she isn’t aware of it, this will play an important role in her adult life.
“Play in all its rich variety is one of the highest achievements of the human species,” says Dr. David Whitebread from the University of Cambridge. He’s also mindful of the worldwide decline of play. “The opportunities for free play, which I experienced almost every day of my childhood, are becoming increasingly scarce now.” He says. Outdoor play is restricted by parents’ perceptions of risk to do with traffic, as well as their increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime, and by their emphasis on “earlier is better” which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools.
Many researchers highlight play’s role in children’s development. Dr. Gibson said, “Playful behavior is an important indicator of healthy social development. In my previous research, I investigated how observing children at play can give us important clues about their well-being.” In Baker’s study, she found that preschoolers with greater self-control solved problems more quickly. Giving children the chance to play will make them more successful problem-solvers in the long run.
Whitebread’s recent research has involved developing a play-based approach to supporting children’s writing. “Many primary school children find writing difficult, but we have shown that a playful stimulus (激励因素)was far more effective than an instructional one. Children can write longer and better-structured stories when they first play with dolls representing characters in the story.”
Somehow the importance of play has been lost in recent decades. It’s regarded as something insignificant, or even as something negative that contrasts with “work”. Let’s not lose sight of its benefits, and the fundamental contributions it makes to human achievements in the arts, sciences and technology. Let’s make sure children have a rich diet of play experiences.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To illustrate the benefits of too much spare time. |
| B．To describe a kid’s peaceful and happy childhood. |
| C．To present the importance of a rich variety of play. |
| D．To introduce the distinctive functions of different toys. |
| A．show concern over traffic jam on the way to play |
| B．worry their kids will fall victim to being cheated |
| C．perceive play as the opposite side of hard work |
| D．attach importance to academic learning in advance |
| A．Children with greater self-control solve problems faster. |
| B．Children at play often show hints about their well-being. |
| C．Students write better when they integrate work with play. |
| D．Play promotes healthy social and emotional development. |
| A．Negative. | B．Concerned. | C．Inspired. | D．Satisfied. |
