Today, there are many chances for those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time.
Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time.
Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible (灵活的) is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study may be set aside at the student’s convenience. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from actually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Individual assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, fax machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.
Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject, so a student doesn’t need to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance learning program is the equivalence (等同) of the distance learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the company or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Supporting distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining (留住) career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part time education?
A.It requires some break in one’s career. |
B.It tends to last too long for many people to complete a degree program. |
C.It affects one’s career. |
D.It gives the student less time to share with the family. |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning?
A.The student may choose his or her own pace. |
B.The student may study at his or her convenience. |
C.They can pursue their chosen career while studying. |
D.Individual assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone and fax machine. |
What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business?
A.Attracting more talented people. |
B.Good image of the business. |
C.Better cooperation with universities. |
D.Further training of employees and business growth. |
Good distance learning program have the following characteristics EXCEPT _______.
A.distance learning course is the same as students taking courses on campus |
B.the diploma or degree should be the same as on campus study |
C.professor-student relationship is strictly one to one all through the course |
D.includes subject evaluation tool |
What benefit will distance learning bring to an employee of a business?
A.Higher salary. |
B.Professional growth. |
C.Good impression on the employer. |
D.Good relationship with the employer. |
As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence (暴力). He hated to go to school and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people. He later made them part of the history of America in the book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain received his genius (天才) from his mother. Obviously he didn’t get it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father’s face. On the other hand, his mother had the ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker.According to the passage, Mark Twain was a _______ boy.
A.shy | B.brave | C.naughty(调皮的) | D.poor |
Because of the nature of his jokes when he was a child, Mark Twain would _______.
A.ran away form school |
B.cause his parents to quarrel with others |
C.get into trouble with his friends and neighbors |
D.like to sit on the bank of the Mississippi River |
It can be learned form the passage that ______.
A.Mark Twain’s father was a cruel man |
B.Mark Twain never attended school on time |
C.Mark Twain often went boating in the nearby river |
D.Mark Twain’s mother was something of a humorist |
In his book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain wrote much about _______.
A.the Mississippi and the people living on it |
B.his friends and neighbors |
C.his school life |
D.his parents |
It is inferred that what affected Mark Twain’s character mostly was _______ .
A.his practical jokes |
B.his father’s seriousness |
C.the history of the Mississippi |
D.his mother’s genius for humor |
Last month, students from one hundred and three universities in eighty-eight countries took part in an international computer programming contest, which took place in Harbin, China. Three-person teams from each school had five hours to solve eleven real world problems.
The students first listed the problems in order of difficulty. Then they figured out the requirements of each. They designed ways to test their solutions. And they wrote the needed software systems. Even the winning team from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China was not able to solve all the problems within the given limit. Stanford’s team solved five problems and finished in fourteenth place. Stanford was one of twenty-one American universities that took part in the contest this year.
The official name of the Battle of the Brains is the ACM International Collegiate Contest. The first final competition was held in 1977 at the Association for Computer Machinery Computer Science Conference. Today, a network of universities holds area competitions that send the winners to the world finals, now organized by IBM.
Contest spokesman Dong Heintzman says the world champions receive prizes and scholarships. They are also guaranteed an offer of employment or internship(实习) with IBM. He said, “We have had past world champions that IBM has gone and employed in our Zurich research laboratory and are now working on some of the leading edge materials in science and physics. We have a world finalist from China who’s been working on the Watson Supercomputer that in the near future will be playing Jeopardy(一种超级计算机名称)against the best Jeopardy players in the world. So this competition is an opportunity to be recognized and to be recruited(招聘) by some of the top technology and research firms around the world.” From the first paragraph we can figure out there were _______ programmers taking part in the contest.
A.3 | B.88 | C.246 | D.a lot of |
From the last paragraph we know that _______.
A.the winners will be offered a job in IBM |
B.this contest provides a chance for the universities |
C.this competition is held every four years |
D.many big companies are short of programmers |
What is the best title of this passage?
A.The Best Top Contest |
B.The Battle of the Brains |
C.The Difficult Competition |
D.Courage and Wisdom Needed |
Zoe, Damacela, 19, didn't have nice clothes when she was young. It wasn't easy for Zoe’s hard-working single mother to make ends meet. They moved in and out of homeless shelters.
Everything changed for Zoe in grade nine. At that time, she heard about a sewing(缝纫) class at her school. She signed up and couldn't wait to turn her designs into clothes. The color of the first dress she made was white-black strips. Soon the clothes she wore were all made by her. Other girls at school loved her designs too. They asked her if they could buy dresses from her. Zoe sold her first dress for $13. Unfortunately, it cost her $25 to make the dress. “I had the creativity in designs," says Zoe. “But I really had no idea about business.”
Zoe kept selling the clothes she designed. Her business was booming, and even the girls who had ever teased her became her customers. In the eleventh grade, Zoe took a business class. She learned how to price her clothes so that she could be sure to make a fair profit.
Her business teacher suggested she take part in a contest for teenaged entrepreneurs (企业家). The contest was for teens from all over the United States. Zoe sent in her business plan, which explained how she planned to make her company grow. She won the second prize in the end. Zoe ’s success became a news item. Supermodel Tyra Banks heard about it and she invited Zoe to take part in her TV show. “Being recognized I felt really unreal,”says Zoe. Zoe has advice for teens who want to start their own business. “If you really work hard on it, you will be able to make it happen,” she says. “If I can do it, anyone else can.”We can learn that ______when she was in grade nine.
A.Zoe had no interest in designing clothes |
B.Zoe seldom wore her self-made clothes |
C.Zoe didn' t know how to make money |
D.Zoe attended a business course |
After winning the contest, Zoe ______
A.considered it a reward |
B.expected to be known |
C.was proud of her own gift |
D.could hardly believe it |
Zoe advised the teens ______ .
A.to make efforts to achieve their dreams |
B.to design and make their own clothes |
C.to try every means to become famous |
D.to do whatever they would like to |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.How Zoe learned to design clothes. |
B.A poor girl achieved success in business. |
C.How Zoe got a prize in a contest. |
D.A poor girl was invited to a TV show. |
While it is impossible to live completely free of stress,it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided.The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.
◆Try physical activity
When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running,walking,playing tennis,and working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try.
◆Take care of yourself
You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and can’t sleep well enough, or if you’re not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into stressful situations.If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping,you should consult a doctor.
◆Make time for yourself
Schedule time for both work and entertainment.Don't forget,play can be just as important to your overall well-being as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun.Go window-shopping or work on a hobby.Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy.
◆Make a list of things to do
Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that “there’s so much to do,and not enough time”.Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and as a result,you may not achieve anything.Instead,make a list of everything you have to do,then do one thing at a time,checking off each task as it is completed.Set out to do the most important task first.Which of the following statements shows that you have fallen into stressful situations?
A.You can't sleep well all the time. |
B.You have a break after work. |
C.You always feel happy and relaxed. |
D.You only do one thing at a time. |
According to the passage,how do you make a list of things to do?
A.Try to take care of everything at once. |
B.Do one thing at a time. |
C.Only do the most important thing. |
D.Have a break from your work. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.How to Deal with Stress? |
B.How to Make Time for Yourself? |
C.How to Take Care of Yourself? |
D.How to Make a List of Things to Do? |
Which of the following would be the advice to deal with stress according to the passage?
A.just lie in bed for a rest |
B.always listen to pop music |
C.insist on doing work |
D.make a list to do things one by one |
I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the American society until I was injured in a car accident. After the accident, I had to see a doctor and go to court. When the accident happened, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and decided to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He said he had good reason to charge me and that if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me to find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every time I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report only contained ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to fire him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Because of my inexperience, I told the insurance the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time … and I left without getting a cent.
My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America, money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality; secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its advantages and disadvantages. The author’s roommate offered to help him because ________.
A.he felt sorry for the author. |
B.he thought it was a chance to make some money |
C.he knew the doctor was a very good one |
D.he wanted the author to have a good lawyer |
A good lawyer is important for the author to _______.
A.be properly treated |
B.talk with the person responsible for the accident |
C.recover before he leaves America |
D.eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury |
Which of the following statements is wrong according to the passage?
A.The author has learned a lot through the experience. |
B.Everything about America is advantageous. |
C.The author’s roommate helped him but charged for that. |
D.The author’s final examination report only contained ten lines but cost $215. |
What conclusion can you draw from this story?
A.Going to court is something very common in America. |
B.One must be very careful while driving a car. |
C.There are more disadvantages in America than advantages. |
D.Money is more important than other things in the US. |