We live in a digital world now, and a student's technology needs have changed. For the early years, say when you are in primary school, you can get by with no technology at all. Even if you have a computer, it's a good idea to get children familiar with libraries. At this age, trips to the library are like family outings.
As you get closer to middle school, a computer with Internet access becomes more of a necessity. Teachers will often give assignments that require a student to use the Internet for research. After a computer, technology choices for students become more difficult to make – especially when it comes to cell-phones. Kids will beg their parents for a cell-phone, especially in middle school. For many parents, it's a safety issue: They want to know that their kids can reach them quickly if necessary. For teachers, cell phones can be used to record lessons when students are absent. But many teachers dislike cell-phones. Some kids send messages or have talks in the class. Sending messages also raises the problem of cheating on exams. More and more schools are now forbidding the use of cell-phones.
Many kids see iPods as necessary things to have. IPods are great for music, but do they do anything good for your children’s education? Maybe they do. That’s the opinion of Doug Johnson, an educator for 30 years. Johnson says that educators should accept all new forms of technology in the classroom, including iPods. “Some do more with their cell- phones than we can do with our laptops,” he jokes. “I don’t think we should be afraid. The truth is that it’s easier to change the way we teach than to change the technology habits of an entire generation.” According to author, primary school children should___.
| A．use the computer and the Internet regularly | B．ask their parents to buy them cell-phones |
| C．buy iPods to listen to music | D．go to libraries to read more books |
Why do parents agree to buy their children cell-phones?
| A．They want their children to be cool. | |
| B．They think cell-phones be helpful to their study. | |
| C．They want to keep in touch with their children. |
D．They want their children to keep up to date. |
The following are all reasons why many teachers dislike cell-phones EXCEPT ____.
| A．cell-phones can be used to cheat on exams |
| B．schoolchildren will send messages during class |
| C．cell-phones can be used to record lessons |
| D．schoolchildren might talk on them during class |
We can infer from what Doug Johnson said that _____.
| A．cell-phones are not useful to students |
| B．teachers should let students use cell-phones |
| C．it’s better for teachers to change their teaching methods |
| D．schoolchildren should follow the trends(潮流) of fashion |
Air pollution is a leading cause of cancer and classified among Group 1,or top, human carcinogens (致癌物质), said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer agency, on Oct 17,2013.
The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC, which places them into five groups. Group 1 carcinogens definitely cause cancer in humans. Group 2A is probably carcinogenic to humans, Group 2B is possibly carcinogenic, the carcinogenicity of Group 3 in humans is unclassifiable, and Group 4 is probably not carcinogenic to humans. Only a little more than 100 are classified as Group 1 cancer-causing substances, including ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.
“Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants,” the lARC's Dana Loomis said in a statement. “The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution.”
In 2010, lung cancer resulting from air pollution killed 223,000 people worldwide, and there was also convincing evidence that it increases the risk of bladder (膀腕) cancer, according to the IARC.
Air pollution is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory and heart diseases.
Air pollution is global, although the levels of it vary over space and time.
Loomis said people in Asia, eastern North America, some places in Central America and Mexico, as well as North Africa have relatively high exposure. Developing countries with large populations and booming manufacturing sectors, such as China, are particularly at risk.
Many cities in China, such as Beijing, frequently see smog. This week, Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, became the first Chinese city to officially suspend classes due to serious smog
Many developed countries face similar problems, although to a lesser degree than most developing nations. In Europe, levels of many pollutants have fallen. But between 91 and 96 percent of Europeans living in cities are exposed to levels of PM2.5—tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers—that are higher than the WHO safety limits, says a report published by the European Environment Agency on Oct 15.
Although both the composition and levels of air pollution can vary dramatically from one location to the other, the 1ARC said its conclusions apply to all regions of the world.
“Given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay,” said Christopher Wild, director of the IARC.What might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Signals of air pollution |
| B．Safety limits of air pollution |
| C．Air pollution, cancer risk |
| D．Air pollution, smog risk |
What’s the main task of IARC?
| A．To focus on cancer-causing substances. |
| B．To evaluate the air quality. |
| C．To study the developing risk of cancer. |
| D．To send signals to the international community. |
Why should the international community take action without further delay?
| A．The composition and levels of air pollution vary from place to place. |
| B．More and more people in developing countries are exposed to air pollution. |
| C．Developed countries face air pollution, the level of which is higher than the safety limits. |
| D．A large number of people worldwide are exposed to air pollution. |
Here’s a movie—a sharp, sugar-rush of fun that’s guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film (动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half of Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare parts they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles—including Robin Williams as the cowardly' (胆小的）Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)—Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that's gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be an animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline (see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips (扣人心弦) right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual，has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述): Fender: “Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.”
BEST BIT: Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT: Robin Williams, character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story... YOU’LL LIKE THIS.This piece of writing is a _______.
| A．commercial advertisement | B．film review |
| C．movie poster | D．literary essay |
The cast of Robots is made up of all the following actors or actresses EXCEPT _______.
| A．Ewan McGregor | B．Robin Williams |
| C．Britney Spears | D．Halle Berry |
What is Shark Tale an example of?
| A．A great cast. | B．A poor plot. |
| C．Special effects. | D．Clumsy animation. |
Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence - and a not-so-good influence - on this generation of American teenagers．More than 2,000 teachers took an online survey．Three-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a "mostly positive" effect on their students' research habits and skills．But 64 percent said the technologies "do more to distract（使 - - - ---分心） students than to help them academically．" And 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an "easily distracted generation with short attention spans．"
The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the National Writing Project．Judy Buchanan is the vice director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report．Ms．Buchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more and faster．"Teachers really favor these tools because they are ways to make some of the learning exciting and engaging．Young people favor these tools．The goal is to really help them become creators of meaningful content, and not just sort of consumers．"
But one problem the survey found is that many students lack digital literacy．They trust too muck of the information they find on the Internet．Judy says these students haven't developed the skills to determine the quality of online information．"It's something that really has to be taught and paid attention to．Because in a world in which things happen quickly, you do need to step back, reflect and analyze the information you have．"
Another problem is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all: being able to quickly find information online．Teachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and ability of their students to work hard to find answers．They say students are overly dependent on search engines and do not make enough use of printed books or research libraries．
Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities．The text mainly tells us____．
| A．all the students use digital tools |
| B．the Internet is playing a key role |
| C．teachers encourage using digital tools |
| D．digital tools bring about benefits and problems |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means
| A．students do not have the right digital tools |
| B．students do not always have access to the Internet |
| C．students haven't the ability to adjust themselves |
| D．students can't judge online information properly |
Some students don't tend to work hard because
| A．they can get answers on the Internet quickly |
| B．printed books and libraries around aren't enough |
| C．the Internet can't make students concentrate |
| D．they can copy each others' work without being punished |
Helen Thomas, the pioneering White House reporter known for putting presidents on the hot seat, died at 92．
To those who regularly watch presidential press conferences, Helen Thomas is a familiar figure．Usually dressed in red and always seated in the front row, she is always the first or second reporter the president calls upon．It is an honor she has earned．Besides, it affords her the perfect opportunity to do what she does best - challenge the president and other public officials to tell the plain truth．She said, "We reporters' priority（首要事情） is the people's right to know - without fear or favor．We are the people's servants．"
Helen Thomas was born in Kentucky in 1920．All the nine Thomas children were brought up to value education, and all were expected to make something of themselves through working hard．She made up her mind while still in high school to become a reporter after writing for the student newspaper．After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1942, Thomas headed straight for Washington, D．C．in search of a newspaper job．Before long, she landed one at Washington Daily News．Her duty included fetching coffee and doughnuts for the paper's reporters and editors．The eager young woman found the atmosphere exciting and was convinced she had made the right career choice．
Her big break came when she was sent to Florida to report on the vacation of President-elect John F．Kennedy and his family．Once President Kennedy took office, Thomas changed her focus from the president's family to his policies．She began attending the daily press briefings at the White House as well as presidential press conferences．Thomas has covered every president since Kennedy．Over the years, Thomas found her job "thrilling and inspiring," but never boring．And she took very seriously her duty to "keep an eye on the president" and keep American people informed．What can we learn about Helen Thomas from the passage?
| A．Her career took off after covering the Kennedys． |
| B．Her first job was to deliver doughnuts to a news agency． |
| C．She was born to a large family in Kentucky in 1942． |
| D．She decided to be a reporter while in college． |
Paragraph 3 is written to show Helen Thomas
| A．is a good decision maker for her career |
| B．appreciates education and hard work |
| C．wants to be famous by writing reports |
| D．has great support from her family |
What does Helen Thomas think other work?
| A．Unbearable． | B．Exciting． | C．Challenging． | D．Unforgettable． |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．A reporter sticking to the facts． |
| B．A reporter challenging President Kennedy． |
| C．A reporter from an ordinary family． |
| D．A reporter for Washington Daily News． |
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob （快闪族）, which is a group of people who come together suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly break up．They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communication network．At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distractions（消遣） such as waving their hands and exchanging books, Then, they quickly break up before the police can arrive．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its location if the first one has been replaced for any reason．
Bill Lasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob came together on June 3, 2003 - after the first attempt was foiled at Macy's department store．Lasik claimed that the activity was designed to make fun of hipsters （起时髦的人）, and call attention to the cultural atmosphere．
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing and untrue, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．They also have great economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson's fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael's famous song "Beat It" together．Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．The undefined word "foiled" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by _。
| A．forgotten | B．prevented | C．announced | D．confirmed |
What can you learn about the flash mob from the passage?
| A．The flash mob usually breaks up quickly for lacking enough time． |
| B．Once the place for the activity is determined, it can't be changed． |
| C．The flash mob can be made use offing many fields just for fun． |
| D．It gives people the chance to come together to do something unusual． |
The main purpose of the passage is -
| A．to entertain | B．to encourage |
| C．to inform | D．to persuade |
The writer's attitude towards the flash mob is
| A．negative | B．favorable | C．objective | D．doubtful |