Electronic books have changed the way many people read for pleasure. Now online textbooks are changing the way some students learn and some teachers teach.
More than one hundred seventy-five thousand students attend the public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside Washington. Last year, the school system used digital books in fifteen schools. This school year, middle schools and high schools changed from printed to electronic textbooks in their social studies classes.
Luke Rosa is a history teacher at Falls Church High School. His students work on laptop computers at school. He explains the idea to them this way. “I mean, it’s just like a regular textbook, except it’s got it all online.”
Peter Noonan, an assistant superintendent (助理监督) of schools, said, “The world’s changing. And the online textbooks can change right along with the events that are happening.” Digital books also cost less than printed textbooks, he said.
A student named Melanie Reuter said, “I don’t have to carry a textbook around, so that’s nice.”
But another student said, “I don’t like it because the Internet sometimes doesn’t work.”
Students also need access to the Internet when they are not at school. About ten percent of students in Fairfax Country do not have a computer or online access at home. Public libraries in the country have free Internet. There are also after-school computer labs as well as computer clubhouse supported by the country. Middle school student Slieman Hakim is happy about that. He said, “My family only has one computer; my sister and I both do our homework on it. So I come here to do my homework. It’s good.”
Other school systems in the area are also considering online textbooks. Which of the following is /are NOT used when students have social studies classes?
| A．Paper textbooks. | B．The Internet. |
| C．Computers. | D．Electronic textbooks. |
According to the passage, one of the disadvantages of digital textbooks is that_________.
| A．they are more expensive |
| B．they can’t be used if the computer is offline |
| C．they’re soon out of date |
| D．reading online does harm to the students’ eyes |
Why does Slieman Hakim feel happy?
| A．He is offered a free computer to do his homework. |
| B．He doesn’t have to do his homework at home. |
| C．He has access to the Internet to study at any place. |
| D．He needn’t share a computer with his sister to do homework. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The lessons online are completely different from those in paper textbooks. |
| B．Digital textbooks are more beautiful than paper textbooks. |
| C．All students like digital textbooks because they are new. |
| D．Students can do their homework in the computer clubhouses. |
The passage aims to ________.
| A．report the use of electronic textbooks in school |
| B．show how to use electronic textbooks |
| C．encourage more schools to use electronic textbooks |
| D．tell readers electronic textbooks will replace regular textbooks |
From school to band practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get where you want to go. This battery-powered, zero-emission (meaning it doesn't pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy. Solar panels on the Eclectic's roof absorb sun rays when you're driving. On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car's roof that collects energy from the wind while you're parked. The Eclectic's top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged. Zipping (迅速行进) around the neighborhood has never been better.
Here's an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock's tank (箱) with water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful batteries. There are two sets of metal electrodes(电极) inside the water tank. Water contains ions (离子) that carry negative and positive charges. These ions complete a charge between the electrodes, creating enough energy to power the clock. Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
You’re having a blast at your friend’s birthday party. But when it's time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around, blocking your view. No worries. Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera catches the view from above. The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles. You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting (拍摄)whenever it hears that noise. That's one smart camera.According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic .
| A．is popular with businessmen |
| B．is suitable for a long trip |
| C．has only a little gas emission |
| D．can turn wind into energy |
What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?
| A．They don't need batteries. |
| B．They can be powered by water. |
| C．They are difficult to operate. |
| D．They are environmentally friendly. |
The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph probably means .
| A．looking at a picture | B．recording sounds |
| C．enjoying yourself | D．blowing out a candle |
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and loved the boy very much. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous（有毒的）medicine meant for adults in small dosages（剂量）. When the child fell down, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was shocked. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. The husband just said ‘I am with you, Darling’. The husband's totally unexpected reaction is active behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was comfort and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
If everyone can look at life with this kind of viewpoint, there would be much fewer problems in the world. Take off all your envies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.The uncapped medical bottle was not put back into the cupboard because .
| A．the husband was careless | B．the wife ignored the matter |
| C．the husband was busy | D．the wife wasn’t informed of the matter |
What do we know about the bottle? .
| A．It contained poison only for adults | B．It was kept in the kitchen |
| C．It was broken by the child | D．It appeared like a nice drink |
The husband’s attitude towards his wife can be described as .
| A．optimistic | B．confident | C．considerate | D．generous |
What did the writer intend to tell us about life? .
| A．Think of nothing and life will be easy |
| B．It is always useless finding who is responsible |
| C．Let go the negative side and we can enjoy life. |
| D．Life should give way to responsibility |
When you think of all the ways your body can get hurt---falling off a bike, stepping on a nail, being bitten by a crazed dog---the aches and pains that come from sitting at a computer may not seem like much.
But more doctors are getting worried about just that. If you sit at a PC the wrong way, the nerves and muscles in your back, neck and arms can get out of line.
Ergonomics is the study of how people work and how jobs and equipment can be designed so that people are safer and more comfortable in the things they do---whether that’s working on a factory assembly line or sitting in front of a computer.
The monitor
You should not have to tilt（倾斜） your neck up or down to lock at the screen. Your eyes should be level with the top of the screen.
How far away should you sit? Reach your arm out so your fingertips just touch the screen.
The keyboard
It should be directly in front of you. Don’t unfold the legs on the bottom of the keyboard so that it tilts up toward you---it should be as flat as possible, or even tilted away from you. You want your wrists “neutral,” which means straight, not bent. This puts less strain on your nerves and muscles.
Arms should be close to the body. Don’t look at your fingers as you type. Use a document holder to hold papers at the same level as the monitor. Keep the mouse on the same level as the keyboard and close by--- so you don’t have to reach for it.
The chair
Your feet shouldn’t dangle---the blood will pool in your feet. They should rest flat on the floor, or on phone books, if necessary. Your back needs support. Roll up a towel and stick it there.
The Body
If you think of your body as a collection of right angles when you sit at a computer, you should be just fine.
Your hips should be at a 90-degree angle to your back. That takes the pressure off the spine. And your knees should bend at a 90 degree angle so your feet are flat.The passage mainly talks about.
| A．avoiding pains caused by using PC | B．the science of ergonomics |
| C．illness caused by a computer | D．how to keep fit |
The underlined word “ergonomics” most probably means ______ in Chinese.
| A．管理学 | B．人机工程学 | C．机械工程学 | D．经济学 |
How high should a monitor be placed according to the passage?
| A．As high as your arms. |
| B．A little higher than your eyes. |
| C．A little lower than your eyes. |
| D．At the same level as your eyes. |
How shouldn’t a keyboard be placed?
| A．Tilting away from you. | B．Tilting up toward you. |
| C．Flat. | D．Not mentioned. |
How should you place your foot?
| A．Rest them on a phone book. | B．Rest them on the floor. |
| C．They should rest flat. | D．They should dangle. |
I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I’m in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New York. There, “I’m having a dinner party” means “I’m booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can’t afford and we’ll be sharing the cheque evenly, no matter what you eat.”
Worse, in Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They’ll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don’t drink, end up paying even more. But if I try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout “Where are you going?” And it’s not like I can say I have somewhere to go : everyone knows I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people’s homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations. In New York, the mix is less striking. It’s like a gathering at Bloomingdale’s, a well-known department store.
For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery’s, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was. In New York people would think it was a usual new club.What does the word “shot” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Choice. | B．Try. | C．Style. | D．Goal. |
What does the author dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
| A．There is a strange mix of people. | B．The restaurant are expensive. |
| C．The bill is not fairly shared. | D．People have to pay cash. |
What does the author think of the parties in London?
| A．A bit unusual. | B．Full of tricks. |
| C．Less costly. | D．More interesting. |
What is the author’s opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
| A．Easygoing.. | B．Self-centred. |
| C．Generous. | D．Conservative. |
What is the main idea of this article?
| A．The author hated dinner parties. |
| B．The author prefer dinner parties in London to those in New York. |
| C．The difference between London and New York. |
| D．Mallery invited the author to a party. |
Many job opportunities are offered to those who wish to work. It helps if you know more than one language. There are good jobs for interpreters and typists who know English and another language.
There are many good jobs in government. In most cases, you must be a citizen of this country, and you must take a civil service examination. These examinations are open to everyone, regardless of race, religion, or color.
For many civil service jobs you need a high school diploma. The person who does not have a high school diploma can get one. There are several ways. You can study high school subjects at home and then take special tests. If you pass the tests, then you get a diploma. Or you can go to night school. There are classes that prepare you to take special tests to earn a diploma.
You can attend a night school that grants a high school diploma if you complete certain courses. If you do this, you do not have to take the special tests. Be as well trained as you can. Get as much training as you can. Opportunity knocks at every door. Be sure that when it knocks at your door you are ready.From the passage, we know that an interpreter’s job must have something to do with_________.
| A．money | B．languages | C．opportunities | D．diploma |
In order to get a government job, you must take a certain__________.
| A．course | B．trip | C．test | D．service |
The passage suggests that _________.
| A．any citizen can try to get a government job |
| B．civil service jobs are offered only to foreigners |
| C．training programs are often poorly organized |
| D．anyone who wishes to work can get a good job |
We can see that.
| A．one can work on a high school diploma at home |
| B．typists who know English get a good pay |
| C．well-trained people are often out of work |
| D．job opportunities will help you to know more than one language |
Which of the following is not true? If you want to get a high school diploma, you need.
| A．to study at home and pass special tests |
| B．to go to night school to prepare you to pass special tests |
| C．to attend a night school and complete certain courses |
| D．to get as much training as you can and be always ready |