I love my blackberry—it's my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop computer, as it holds all of my writing and thoughts. Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices(设备) and truly communicate with others. On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule—no laptop, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy. Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There's a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There's no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students. The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course materials and the class discussion. I've been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn to keep the course material beyond the classroom. I'm not saying that I won't ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I'm sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
1. The author loves the technological products such as blackberry,laptop.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
A
[解析] 题干要求判断作者是否喜欢蓝莓手机、笔记本电脑等高科技产品。文章第一段讲到作者“love my blackberry”和“I also love my laptop computer”,所以题干表述是正确的。
2. Face-to-face communication with others is better than the communication through those digital devices.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
C
[解析] 题干要求判断与人面对面交流是否比通过电子设备进行交流要好。文中第一段提到了尽管作者喜爱科技,但是“I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices and truly communicate with others”,意思是“我知道我需要些时间远离这些科技设备和他人做真正地交流”,但是没有明确提到面对面的交流就比通过电子设备进行交流要好,所以无法判断题干中的信息是否正确。
3. In the author's class, the students are allowed to take laptops, iPads, cell phones, etc. if they need them.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
B
[解析] 题干要求判断在作者的课上学生在需要的时候是否允许携带笔记本、iPads、手机等。文中第二段第三句“I have a rule—no laptop, iPads, phones, etc.”,意思是“我有一个规定——不能带笔记本、iPads和电话上课”,这和题干表述正好相反,所以题干表述是错误的。
4. Most of the students are dissatisfied and unhappy about his rules in the class.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
B
[解析] 题干要求判断大部分学生是否对这项规定不满意不喜欢。第二段最后一句话提到“When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy”,里面的关键信息是“some of them”,并不是“most of them”,所以题干表述是错误的。
5. Students think the reasons for the rule are that the author has some unhappy experiences in the past and he is anti-technology.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
A
[解析] 题干求判断学生是否认为制定这项规定的原因是因为作者以前有过不愉快的经历,而且他反对科技。文中第三段讲到了学生对作者这项规定的反应,“Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology”, “Some students assume that I am antitechnology”,这些都是学生自己的想法,并非真正的原因。所以题干表述是正确的。
6. The author is not anti-technology and in fact loves technology very much.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
A
[解析] 题干要求判断作者是否不反对科技并且很喜爱科技。文中第三段最后一句提到“I love technology and try to keep up with it”,意思是“我喜爱科技并且努力与它保持同步”,所以题干表述是正确的。
7. The author thinks cell phones often interrupt our concentration because it often rings.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
C
[解析] 题干要求判断作者是否认为手机经常响从而打断了我们的注意力。文中第四段提到了“Interruptions by technology often break concentration”,意思是“科技的打扰经常打断我们的注意力”,但是没有指出是不是由于手机经常响,所以无法判断题干表述是否正确。
8. The teaching experiences reflect that students are not so satisfied with the environment he creates.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
B
[解析] 题干要求判断作者的教学经历是否反映出学生对他创造的学习环境不满意。文中第五段第一句话讲到了作者用这种方式教学已经有很多年了,而且“the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create”,学生对这种环境是满意的,所以题干表述是错误的。
9. The author said that he would never allow his students to take technological products to his class.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
B
[解析] 题干要求判断作者是否说过他将永远不允许学生携带科技产品上课。文中最后一段提到了作者今后的打算,但是具体的细节是“until I hear a really good reason for the change, I'm sticking to my plan”,意思是如果有充分理由的话,作者还是会允许学生带科技产品上课的。所以题干表述是错误的。
10. The author thinks the modern life is so dependent on the technology and some technology-free moments are very sweet and precious.
A.True
B.False
C.Not Given
A B C
A
[解析] 题干要求判断作者是否认为现代生活过于依赖科技,远离科技的片刻时光是否显得非常温馨和宝贵。整篇文章都提到了作者对现代科技产品的看法,虽然很喜爱,但是它还是影响了人们之间的交流和思想。从最后一段最后一句话“A few hours of technology-free dialogue is jlust too sweet to give up”也可以看出来,作者还是希望可以有面对面交流的机会的。所以题干表述是正确的。
Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. My own children's school week is focused on pretests, drills,tests,and retests. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated state test. Teaching to the test is a strange phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some sensible methods of assessment (评估) to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First one looks at a test. Then one draws the skills needed not to master, say,reading, but to do well on the test. Finally, the test skills are taught. The ability to read or write or calculate might imply the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this fundamental confusion because people are test obsessed rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught. Recently many schools have faced with what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are good at test taking, but they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.
1. The author gives an account of Erica's performance in her study in order to ______.
A.illustrate her cleverness in test taking
B.reveal the incompetence of teachers
C.show there is something wrong with the current practice in teaching
2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The phenomenon of teaching to the test has aroused curiosity in many educators.
B.Skills in general are not only useless but often lead students astray.
C.Ability to read and write is one thing, and ability to do well in standardized tests is quite another.
D.Preparation for test of a skill does not necessarily mean the acquisition of that skill.
A B C D
D
[考点] 事实细节题。
[解析] A选项提到应试教育引起许多教育者的好奇,文中并未提到这一点,只说应试教育是一个奇怪的现象(Teaching to the test is a strange phenomenon)。B选项提到通常的技巧不仅无用还经常把学生引入歧途。文中所指的技巧是纯为应付考试的技巧而不是指所有的一般意义上的技巧,故B不对。C选项说读写能力是一回事,做好标准化试题的能力是另一回事,文中第三段的开头一句话证明了C项错误。由第三段第三句可知D正确。故选D。
3. The author insists that ______.
A.mandated state tests be replaced by some more sensible methods of assessment
B.teachers pay more attention to the nature and quality of what is taught
C.students be concerned with grades and more reading and thinking
D.radical changes be brought about in the general approach to teaching
A B C D
B
[考点] 推理判断题。
[解析] 要做好这道题,首先应明白这是一个虚拟语气的宾语从句,从句中都省略了助动词should。A选项是讲mandated state tests应被一些更明智的评估方法所代替,文中并未提到代替,只是说应该用一些更明智的评估方法去发现学生们是否已掌握了技巧(using some sensible methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills)。C选项说学生应关心分数和更多的阅读与思考,文章一直在批判应试教育不应该只关注分数,因此C选项错误。D选项说教学的一般方法应被彻底改变,文中只说改变应试教育的方法,故D不对。根据第三段最后一句可知,B选项正确。
4. By "crisis of comprehension" the author means many students ______.
A.are too much concerned with grades
B.fail to understand the real goal of education
C.lack proper practice in phonic and grammar drills
D.are unable to understand what they read, though they do reasonably well on standardized tests
A B C D
D
[考点] 语义理解题。
[解析] 根据题目中crisis of comprehension(理解危机)可定位至最后一段第一句。很明显in simple terms后面的内容是对前面的补充说明:有语法知识的学生仍看不懂他们所读的东西。由于这种应试教育,学生考试能拿高分,但并不一定懂得他所阅读的内容。因此该题正确答案为D。
5. We can safely conclude that ______ may cause educational problems.
A.teaching to test
B.standardized tests
C.test-taking
D.preparation for mandated state test
A B C D
A
[考点] 推理判断题。
[解析] 通读全文,特别是由第二段第一句“Teaching to the test is a strange phenomenon.”可知,答案为A。
① Have you ever seen a movie in which a building was burned down or a bridge was destroyed? Have you seen films in which a train crashed or a ship sank into the ocean? If so, you may have wondered how these things could happen without harming the people in the film. ② The man who knows the answer is the "special-effects" man. He has one of the most important jobs in the film industry. He may be ordered to create a flood or to make a battlefield explode. But he may also be asked to create a special effect which is much less exciting, though just as important to the success of the film. ③ In a scene for one movie, there was a big glass bowl filled with water in which small fish were swimming. The director of the movie wanted the fish to stop swimming suddenly while they seemed to stare at an actor. Then the director wanted the fish to stop staring and swim away. But fish cannot be ordered to do anything. It was quite a problem. The special-effects man thought about this problem for a long time. The result was an idea for controlling the fish with a harmless use of electricity. First, he applied electricity to the fish bowl, causing the fish to be absolutely still. Then he rapidly reduced the amount of electricity, allowing the fish to swim away. Thus, he got the humorous effect that the director wanted. ④ As in other parts of movie making, there are those who have developed particular skills in creating certain kinds of effects. For fires, the special-effects man does not trust the normal burning process of wood or other materials. He does not have time to wait until large flames appear. Usually he places metal pipes in the area that is to be burned. Gas flowing through the pipes burns instantly but can be kept under control easily by opening or closing the pipes. ⑤ All this requires training, skill, and experience. It also adds a great deal to the expense of producing the film. It helps explain why so many movies are very expensive to make.
1. Paragraph ①______ A. Raising Questions to Introduce the Topic B. Expense of Making a Film C. An Example of Making Special Effects on Fish D. Creating Effects of Fires E. What Is a "Special-Effects" Man F. Requirements in Making Special Effects
6. How could these disasters happen without ______ in the film? A. rapidly reduction in the amount of electricity B. harming the people C. through the pipes D. a great expense E. the "special-effects" man F. a harmless use of electricity
The secret of a long and happy marriage appears to be not to expect too much from it. US researchers say that, unless you have superior relationship skills, your hopes of happy marriage are likely to break. 1 The key to keeping the newly-wed happy is to be forgiveness and communication. The study was conducted by researchers from Ohio and Florida Universities. They looked at 82 couples in the study. 2 Their study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The result found those who believed their partner would be always kind, loving and agree with their every word, could keep their positive outlook. 3 In addition, the researchers said holding a more prosaic (平凡的) view of your loved one means you are less likely to be disappointed. 4 In contrast, those with high expectations are likely to be brought down to earth fairly quickly as their Prince or Princess Charming falls off their pedestal (台座). Writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers led by James McNulty, professor of psychology at Ohio University, said: "In contrast to the idea that expectations in the early years of marriage have main effects on satisfaction, the current findings suggest that the effects of expectations interact with the skills that partners bring to their relationships." Previous research found that people tend to select like-minded partners, because they believe they will be able to maintain a stable relationship. 5 In their study,the US researchers said people looking for long-term relationships should select partners who were similar to themselves. A. They were forgiving and having positive explanations for their partner's negative behavior. B. Low expectation keeps people from having a happy marriage. C. Obviously, this result contradicts (反驳) the old saying that opposites attract. D. Far better, they say, low expectation can ensure that you are not disappointed. E. Therefore, you will be more satisfied with your marriage. F. They quizzed all the spouses independently over 4 years.
[解析] 空格前后的The study, researchers, Their study是重要线索,本段都是围绕the study进行讨论的。浏览备选,只有F选项中的quizzed一词在语义上和它们相关联,而且在内容上,“他们在4年里对所有的夫妇进行了单独的测验”与“They looked at 82 couples in the study”衔接一致,因此F选项为应填句子。
[解析] 空格位于第三段的中间,考生可以根据空格前后的内容来判断空格处的内容。空格前讲到,研究人员认为在婚姻中,如果把自己的配偶看作是平凡的,对婚姻的失望就会少一些;选项E“Therefore, you will be more satisfied with your marriage”在句意上承接前面内容,符合上下文语境。
Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher's pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a 1 and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology, geology, and biology have 2 a consistent,unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. "Scientific" creationism, which is being pushed by some for "equal time" in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are given, is 3 on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of non-fundamentalist religious leaders have come to 4 "scientific" creationism as bad science and bad religion. The first four chapters of Kitcher's book give a very brief 5 to evolution. At appropriate places, he 6 the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters,he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics,and,for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their 7 and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have 8 more Christian behavior. Kitcher is philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The non-specialist will be able to 9 at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: "This book 10 for reason itself." And so it does—and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate. A. introduces B. given C. regard D. expected E. confused F. deception G. think H. stands I. obtain J. based K. introduction L. provided
Last year, the EIU ( Economist Intelligence Unit), a sister company of the Economist, attempted to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a 1 . (health), safe and prosperous life in years to come. People born in Switzerland will tend to be the 2 (happy) and have the best quality of life judged in terms of 3 (wealthy), health and trust in public institutions,according to the 4 (analyze). The index links the results of subjective life—satisfaction surveys—how happy people say they are—to objective determinants (决定因素) of quality of life across countries. One of the most important factors is being rich, but other factors come into play (起作用)—including crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total, the index takes into account 11 5 (indicate). These include 6 (fix) factors such as geography, others that change slowly over time such as demography (人口统计), social and 7 (culture) characteristics,and the state of the world 8 (economic). 9 (interesting), the largest European economies—Germany, France and Britain—do not do particularly 10 (good). Nigeria has the unenviable (不值得羡慕的) title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.
1.
healthy
[解析] 此处需填一个形容词。这个短句中有一个由and连接的并列结构,即“healthy, safe and prosperous life”,因此填healthy。
2.
happiest
[解析] 此处需填一个形容词最高级。这里也有一个and连接的并列结构,即“tend to be the...and have the best quality of...”,既然and后面用了“the+形容词最高级”结构,前面也应保持结构一致。
[范文]
Dear Xu Peng,
I'm writing to express my apology to you. I am very sorry to tell you that I won't be able to attend your birthday party on Saturday evening, because I have to meet an overseas visitor from Canada at 7:00 P.m. on Saturday. I have really planned to celebrate your birthday and prepared a surprising present for you. It's a pity that I can't say "Happy Birthday" to you in person. I know you are very kind and you will forgive me.
Although I can't go to your birthday party. I'd like to express my congratulation to you "Happy Birthday". I hope you will have a good time together with your family and friends.
Best wishes!