Not setting homework can be impossible in certain situations. There are many arguments for homework, and most teachers would agree with many of the following: homework is a perfect opportunity to review what was done with the teacher, and rethink and develop that initial input; homework offers a moment for students to work as individuals and develop self-governance outside the classroom; students and parents expect homework to be set and graded. Nevertheless, the drawbacks homework may have are often overlooked.
There are two key issues which need to be raised when dealing with the concept of homework. Firstly, there is the question of home. Often homework is not done at home at all, but at a friend’s house, on the way back home or to class. Additionally, for it to be done effectively at home, homework often requires adults’ involvement. Parents aren’t always available, for some very valid reasons, and a tutor’s ability to aid and guide may be limited in many ways. The implications are unsettling: if homework is crucial to success in class, some children have an automatic disability.
If the idea of “home” can be problematic, so can the concept of “work”. Very often there is so much to do. Demand on their time means homework is usually something to get out of the way as fast as possible. It is not always seen as useful time spent strengthening what is done in class but, rather, as something quickly finished. It might be correct or not, copied from a friend or cut and pasted from the Internet, but the important thing is that a teacher sees the exercise completed and, as a result, the task achieved: how much effort went into that result is not always appreciated or easy to evaluate and, even when work clearly falls below standard, and the mere fact of its having been done is often good enough. Teacher and students are happy because everyone has officially fulfilled their commitment.
The ideal that students go home, review what they did with their teacher, use the great resources to put everything they have learnt in class into practice, doesn’t often happen with some students.
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Book 1
In Factfulness, Professor Hans Roslingasks simple questions like ‘How many girls finish school?’ and ‘What percentage of the world’s population is poor?’ It turns out that the majority of us get the answers to these questions completely wrong. Why does this happen? Factfulness sets out to explain why, showing that there are several instincts humans have that distort (扭曲) our perspective. Yes, there are real concerns. But we should adopt a mindset of factfulness – only carrying opinions that are supported by strong facts. This book focuses on our instinctive biases (偏见), offering practical advice to help us see the good as well as the bad in the world.
Book 2
Are things getting worse every day? Is progress an impossible goal? In Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker looks at the big picture of human progress and finds good news. We are living longer, healthier, freer and happier lives. Pinker asks us to stop paying so much attention to negative headlines and news that declares the end of the world. Instead, he shows us some carefully selected data. In 75 surprising graphs, we see that safety, peace, knowledge and health are getting better all over the world. Economic inequality, he claims, is not really a problem, because it is not actually that important for human well-being.
Book 3
For more than two hundred years those who hold negative thoughts have been winning the public debate. They tell us that things are getting worse. But as a matter of fact, life is getting better. Income, food availability and lifespan are rising; disease, violence and child mortality are falling. Best-selling author Matt Ridley doesn’t only explain how things are getting better; he gives us reasons why as well. He shows us how human culture evolves in a positive direction thanks to the exchange of ideas and specialization. This bold book looks at the entirety of human history – from the Stone Age to the 21st century – and changes the concept that it’s all going downhill.
Book 4
The majority of people believe that developing countries are in a terrible situation: suffering from incredible poverty and wars. The reality is that a great transformation is occurring. Over the past 20 years, more than 700 million people have increased their income and come out of poverty. This is happening across developing countries around the world. The end of the Cold War, the development of new technologies and brave new leadership have helped to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people in poor countries. In his book The Great Surge, Stevens Radelet describes how all of this is happening and, more importantly, it shows us how we can speed up the process.
1. What is the common feature of the four books?A.They focus on the present situations concerning developing countries. |
B.They emphasize the importance of dealing with problems in poor countries. |
C.They try to direct readers to a positive path in terms of human development. |
D.They appeal to show more sympathy and understanding for poor countries. |
A.Hans Roslingasks | B.Steven Pinker |
C.Matt Ridley | D.Stevens Radelet |
A.The Rational Optimist | B.Human History: Where Are We |
C.A Public Debate | D.Out of Poverty: What and How |
5 . Sasha saves the day
Though I can’t recall who the gift was from, what I do remember about the gift is my initial reaction to it. When our toddler (学步的小孩) opened the box and pulled out the soft toy, my mind immediately went to the existing mountain of stuffed animals in our house. I knew that this orange knit cat, named Sasha, according to the box, was straight into that pile.
We had no idea what we were up against. When the gift box containing Sasha arrived two years into our time as parents, most surfaces in our house were covered in kid stuff. We had discovered that we could live with pretty much anything if it kept the peace and kept our kid safe.
As I expected, Sasha went into the mountain of stuffed animals. Less predictably, however, the knit cat didn’t stay in the pile. I’m not sure why. Sasha is sweet but looks unremarkable. Picture a medium-sized knit orange cat with an angled smile and a purple sweater.
No doubt part of Sasha’s appeal came from its involvement in mealtimes. We were desperate for distractions, particularly when our son was in the highchair. Without entertainment, our toddler would fight the injustice of being required to stay seated while eating. My husband started to use Sasha in the distraction games with success. We knew we were onto something when our son started asking to go into his highchair to play the “Sasha game”.
In time, Sasha’s powers grew beyond distraction. If we were having a hard time talking our son into doing something, sometimes the knit cat could bring him around.
This comfort was particularly critical when it was bedtime. Sleep was challenging for our son for a long time and, as a result, for us. We discovered that our child liked to cuddle (依偎) the knit cat at night and was able to settle down more easily if Sasha was there. This made the knit cat priceless in our household.
Remarkably, our son is now a teenager and, if all goes as planned, he will leave home to attend university later this year. Sasha no longer has a prominent role in our day-to-day lives, but I know that I will never throw Sasha out. We all love that knit cat.
Come fall, when I am an empty nester, I might just pull Sasha out again to provide comfort to me.
1. When the author first saw the gift, she thought that ______.A.it would add happy hours to the family | B.it would not be appreciated |
C.it was unique among other toys | D.her kid would find it fascinating |
A.He was restless when eating. | B.He preferred to be left alone. |
C.He liked to collect knit toys. | D.He talked a lot with the toy. |
A.the knit cat sometimes drove away the kid’s attention |
B.the knit cat was always playing around the boy |
C.the knit cat could persuade the boy to do something |
D.the knit cat had hard time talking with the kid |
A.At first sight, the knit cat was appealing to the family. |
B.The knit cat helped the kid to behave better when eating. |
C.The boy was able to sleep well with the knit cat around him. |
D.The author also enjoys the company of the knit cate. |
6 . Trying to make a big decision while you’re also preparing for a scary presentation? You might want to
It’s a bit
The increased focus on the positive also helps explain why stress plays a role in
Stress also
A.try | B.delay | C.deny | D.forbid |
A.requirements | B.reasons | C.chances | D.alternatives |
A.weigh | B.overlook | C.confuse | D.classify |
A.imperfection | B.risk | C.advantage | D.uncertainty |
A.conflicted | B.focused | C.unexpected | D.separated |
A.break off | B.hold up | C.account for | D.bring out |
A.surprising | B.fortunate | C.reasonable | D.pleasant |
A.conscious | B.immediate | C.negative | D.favorable |
A.neglecting | B.enhancing | C.analyzing | D.evaluating |
A.position | B.decision | C.qualification | D.schedule |
A.judgement | B.progress | C.relationship | D.addiction |
A.value | B.adopt | C.resist | D.maintain |
A.downsides | B.desires | C.defeats | D.benefits |
A.declines | B.increases | C.eliminates | D.worsens |
A.reliable | B.reluctant | C.qualified | D.willing |
A. grade B. commercialized C. demand D. unproductive E. sampled F. protected G. process H. contributor I. transport J. cultivation K. consumption |
Eco-friendly, lab-grown coffee is on the way
Heiko Rischer isn’t quite sure how to describe the taste of lab-grown coffee. This summer he
“To describe it is difficult but, for me, it was in between a coffee and a black tea,” said Rischer, head of plant biotechnology at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which developed the coffee. “It depends really on the roasting
People have to wait before they can taste the coffee, as this cellular agriculture innovation is not yet approved for public
The coffee industry is both a
In response to the industry’s challenges, companies and scientists are trying to develop and commercialize coffee made without coffee beans.
VTT’s coffee is grown by floating cell cultures in bioreactors (生物反应堆) filled with a nutrient. The
1.
A.He found the best budget hotel ever. | B.He ended up at an unexpected destination. |
C.He lost his way to the booked hotel. | D.It took him long to find the booked hotel. |
A.Background information isn’t necessary. |
B.Information should be more vividly written. |
C.Travelers don’t read the information carefully. |
D.Information should be revised more often. |
A.Because it allows him to save time and expense. |
B.Because he can get free advice from the local people. |
C.Because it helps him discover some unusual things to do. |
D.Because he can meet more travelers and share experiences. |
A.The limitation of guidebooks. | B.The importance of guidebook usage. |
C.How to choose a right guidebook. | D.The real value of traveling. |
The UK government recently has made a plan to reduce waste that shifts the responsibility for disposal (处置) from the state to the companies that make it.
The legislation (法律条文) requires waste producers to pay into the system
The demand for legislation like the tough attitude the UK
What is absolutely certain is that local governments will save a lot of money as the responsibility shifts to the polluters. That could be
In many countries, kitchen and gardening waste makes up of the biggest part of waste. This type of waste,
1.
A.Convenience. | B.Flexibility. |
C.Light weight. | D.Security. |
A.A picture of the thief. | B.A text message. |
C.The track of the thief. | D.A voice message. |
A.Distance alarm. | B.GPS tracking. |
C.Digital payment. | D.Power supply. |