Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions（使命）often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station（ISS）. ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email , internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy . Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters . And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS , giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing（冲浪）”in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.What does the word “mimic” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．find | B．lose | C．change | D．copy |
Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS ?
| A．They are caring and thoughtful. |
| B．They are worried and upset. |
| C．They are impatient and annoyed. |
| D．They are excited and curious. |
In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts .
| A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth |
| B．love to see the Earth from space |
| C．regard space life as common |
| D．find living in space a bit boring and tiring |
The passage mainly discusses how astronauts .
| A．work for longer missions in space |
| B．connect with people on the Earth |
| C．spend their free time in space |
| D．observe the Earth from space |
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 |
How to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:
Recite As You Study
Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.
Take Fuller Notes
Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.
Study the Middle
The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.
Sleep On It
Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you have just learned after sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.
Combine(结合) Memory and Understanding
There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.
The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.You can notice your mistakes by .
| A．studying the middle | B．taking notes |
| C．speaking things out aloud | D．sleeping on it |
When taking notes, you should to better help you with reading.
| A．underline important notes |
| B．write as quickly as possible |
| C．take down every detail |
| D．write notes in your own words |
The writer advises you to as it is easier for you to remember material.
| A．study before going to sleep |
| B．do some exercise after studying |
| C．study as soon as you get up |
| D．study after a period of activity |
Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?
| A．Thinking about an idea in different ways. |
| B．Reading from the beginning to the end without stop. |
| C．Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know. |
| D．Going back to what first made you confused and start again. |
ORTOTROT? I heard that word while studying in Australia. It is a local language for “Are you ready (to go)?”. And at Sydney Airport, I asked the way to the train station and a man told me“Go ask that “bloke” over there.” “Bloke” is used in Australia and refers to a person. “Day” and “die” sound almost alike and since “a”, “i” and “o” all sound almost the same, I have always told my Australian friends, jokingly, that they only need 24 letters, and not 26 like the rest of us do.
Australian English began to be different from British English in 1788 and has many words that some consider unique (独特的) to the language, such as outback, meaning a remote, sparsely-populated (人口稀少的) area. Early settlers from England brought other similar words, phrases and usages to Australia. “Bonzer”, which was once a common Australian word meaning “great” or “beautiful”, is thought to have been an American term. The American influence on language in Australia has come from pop culture, the mass media (books, magazines and television programmes) and the Internet. Australian English is most similar to New Zealand English for their similar history.
Words of Irish origin are used, some of which are also common elsewhere in Irish, such as “tucker” for “food”. Some native English words whose meanings have changed under Irish influence, such as “paddock” for “field”, which has exactly the same meaning as the Australian “paddock”are still in use.According to the passage, we know Australian English .
| A．has special characters |
| B．is a kind of old language |
| C．is very difficult to learn |
| D．is the same as British English |
Why did the writer tell his Australian friends they only need 24 letters?
| A．Because Australians never use “a” or “i”. |
| B．Because Australians speak very easy English. |
| C．Because there are 3 letters having similar pronunciation. |
| D．Because there are some different ways to call the same thing. |
Australian English is most similar to New Zealand English because .
| A．they learn from each other |
| B．they have similar history |
| C．the two countries have the same political system |
| D．people from the two countries often travel to each other’s country |
The American influence on Australian English comes from the following EXCEPT .
| A．pop culture | B．the Internet |
| C．computer software | D．the mass media |