Hundreds of secondary schools are using a controversial reward scheme which “bribes” (贿赂)pupils with iPods and DVD players to turn up in classes and do homework.
Almost one million schoolchildren have been issued with supermarket-style reward cards which allow them to collect good-behavior “points” and cash them in for prizes.
Schools taking part in the “Vivo Miles” scheme are spending several thousand pounds a year in an attempt to cut truancy (逃学) and promote achievements. The prizes are ultimately funded by the taxpayer, through school budgets. Nearly 500 secondary schools, one in six, have decided to take part in the scheme, which is intended to replace old-style rewards such as stickers and golden stars.
But the extent of rewards being offered in schools brought a warning that a generation of children is growing up expecting to be rewarded at every stage. Many youngsters are collecting points for ordinary achievements such as remembering to bring their PE kit and wearing the correct uniform.
Under the scheme, teachers award Vivo points—worth 1 penny each—according to the school’s policy. Schools typically spend￡4 to￡6 on prizes per pupil each year, although some commit considerably more. Most pupils accumulate between 400 and 600 Vivos a year. Vivo Miles insists it is “pretty rare” for a pupil to accumulate enough points to buy an iPod, which requires 3,100 Vivos.
But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the scheme amounted to “bribery”. “It misleads children into thinking anything which requires effort has to have a special reward,” he said. “This ‘all must have prizes’ view is damaging to children in the long-term.” The scheme amounted to an “admission of failure” by schools. He said. “It shows a school has failed to convince children education is important.”The “Vivo Miles” scheme is aimed at ______________.
| A．increasing the income of the school |
| B．encouraging students to perform well at school |
| C．inviting more students to attend the school nearby |
| D．encouraging parents to donate to the school |
The underlined word “controversial” in the first paragraph can be replaced by __________.
| A．arguable | B．practical | C．strange | D．mature |
Those who oppose the “Vivo Miles” scheme think ______________.
| A．it helps control the problem of truancy |
| B．it teaches children the importance of saving |
| C．it will mislead children about efforts and rewards |
| D．it’s not easy to get more than 600 Vivos a year |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards the scheme?
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Objective. |
My family moved around a lot when I was growing up．In 2nd grade，I lived here in Washington D．C，where I made an amazing group of friends．I was upset when my parents told me we were moving again and I would have to leave all my best friends behind．
In 7th grade．we moved back to Washington D．C．And I could not have been more excited and I felt like I was finally home again．But things had changed．There were two new girls，who decided that they didn’t like me，which meant no one else could，not even all my former best friends．
And then one day during school，I opened my locker，only to find a note lying on the floor．The note said：Die．Nobody likes you．
My heart started beating faster and I felt the blood rushing to my face．I had no idea what to do．The note wasn’t signed and I had no idea who had written it，but I figured the new girls were behind it．I had to sit in class all day with my head down，wondering who else knew about this shame．I felt horrible and sure that nothing would ever be good again．
I decided that the perfect way to end all of this was with another note，left on the bathroom mirror at school．
It’s sad for someone to bully(欺负)other classmates to make themselves feel better or look cool．Bullying others is a way to impress others．It’s common，but that doesn’t mean it's okay．Looking cool is not worth making others feel bad．Obviously I’m very happy now，but it doesn’t mean I’11 ever forget about that note or how it made me feel．And to those of you that are current victims(目前的受害者) of bullying—know that you are NOT alone．It will get better．I promise．Why was the author unhappy when she left Washington D．C．?
A．She couldn’t adapt herself
B．She had to leave best friends．
C．She was growing up there．
D．She hated traveling a lot．When the author opened the locker，she felt .
| A．satisfied | B．cheerful | C．amused | D．ashamed |
In the end，the author turned things around ．
| A．under her teacher’s guide |
| B．by compromising to others |
| C．with her best friends’ help |
| D．through her own efforts |
What suggestion does the author give to the teenagers?
| A．Meet friends whenever possible． |
| B．Make efforts to fight back hard． |
| C．Be optimistic and let a thing slide． |
| D．Go on well with others． |
At thirteen, I was diagnosed（诊所）with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots（点）, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day-with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”The author didn’t finish the reading in class because .
| A．He was new to the class |
| B．He had an attention disorder |
| C．He was tired of literature |
| D．He wanted to take the task home |
What do we know about Louis Braille from the passage?
| A．He made a great invention |
| B．He had good sight |
| C．He gave up reading |
| D．He learned a lot from school |
What was Mrs. Smith’s attitude to the author at the end of the story?
| A．Angry | B．Impatient | C．Encouraging | D．Awkward |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts. |
| B．It’s teachers’ responsibility to help students gain confidence. |
| C．Everyone needs help when faced with challenges. |
| D．The disabled should be treated with respect. |
Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. However, scientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important. New evidence suggests that the link between handwriting and educational development is deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they are also better able to create ideas and remember information. In other words, it’s not only what we write that matters—but how.
A study led by Karin James, a psychologist （心理学家）at Indiana University, gave support to that view. A group of children, who had not learned to read and write, were offered a letter or a shape on a card and asked to copy it in one of three ways: draw the image on a page but with a dotted outline (虚线) , draw it on a piece of blank white paper, or type it on a computer. Then the researchers put the children in a brain scanner and showed them the image again.
It was found that when children had drawn a letter freehand without a dotted outline or a computer, the activity in three areas of the brain was increased. These three areas work actively in adults when they read and write. On the contrary, children who chose the other two ways showed no such effect. Dr. James attributes the differences to the process of free handwriting: Not only must we first plan and take action in a way but we are also likely to produce a result that is variable. Those are not necessary when we have an outline.
It’s time for educators to change their minds and pay more attention to children’s handwriting.
What do scientists mean by saying “it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important”?
| A．Handwriting is not very important to children. |
| B．Handwriting has nothing to do with education. |
| C．Handwriting can not be learned in a short time. |
| D．Handwriting should not be ignored at present. |
What does “that view” in Para. 3 refer to?
| A．Children read quickly when they write by hand. |
| B．Children create ideas and remember information. |
| C．How we write is as important as what we write. |
| D．A group of students should know what to write. |
Which is NOT the children’s task in the experiment?
| A．Put a brain scanner and show the image again. |
| B．Draw the image on a piece of blank white paper. |
| C．Type the image directly on a computer. |
| D．Copy the image on a page but with a dotted outline. |
According to the passage, the author obviously giving up handwriting.
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is responsible for | D．doesn’t care about |
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
| Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18, 2015) |
|
| Nearpod ❖9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ❖Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context (语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO ❖2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ❖Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
| Kahoot ❖10:30 am to 11:30 am ❖Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback (反馈), including reports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi ❖3:30 pm to 4:20 pm ❖Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students' attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by ______.
| A．9:00 a.m. | B．2:00 p.m. |
| C．3:30 p.m. | D．10:30 a.m. |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to____________.
| A．Room 501 | B．Room 502 |
| C．Room 601 | D．Room 602 |
Nearpod can be used to ______.
| A．offer grammar tests | B．teach listening on-line |
| C．help vocabulary learning | D．gain fluency in speaking |
Du Kun，a Chinese boy is called“the youngest writer in the world．”He has written three books till now．Du Kun was born in Jiangsu in 1994．When he was 7 months old．his parents started working in over 30 different cities，such as xi’an and Shenzhen．This kind of life gave him things to think and write about．When he was 9 months old，he could speak and at the age of one，he could say five to six hundred words．At three，he could look up words in the dictionary．At four，his father taught him how to learn by himself．His parents like reading very much．So does he．At the age of 5，he began writing fairy tales．At the age of 6．he wrote a novel about his life in different cities with his parents．His fairy tales are all from his life．One day，he found many mice in the house．They not only ate their food but also hurt his mother’s hand．So he thought，“If we give mice the stomach of cows，they will eat grass and they will be helpful to people．”This was his first fairy tales Change Stomach for Mice．Now he studies well in a middle school．
He has written his third book．The novel called Eyes of Children．He says，“I am not different from other children，I just wrote several books．”Thanks to his________，Du Kun could write his books．
| A．mother | B．father |
| C．school life | D．life in different cities |
Du Kun began to use a dictionary，________．
| A．when he wrote fairy tales |
| B．before his father taught him how to learn something |
| C．after he went to school |
| D．after his mother taught him how to learn something |
The underlined sentence shows us that Du Kun________．
| A．is different from other children |
| B．doesn’t tell the truth |
| C．is the same as other children |
| D．likes his books |
Which is the best title?
| A．Three Books by a Child |
| B．How to Write a Fairy Tales |
| C．How Clever the Boy is |
| D．Du Kun the Youngest Writer |