Students at Empire High School started class with no text books－but it wasn’t because of money problems.
Instead, the school gave iBooks－laptop computersto each of its 340 students, becoming one of the first US public schools to stop printed textbooks.
School officials believe that the electronic materials will make students enjoy learning more. Empire High Schoolwas designed to have a textbook-free environment.
Students at Empire High School get the materials over the school’s Internet network. The school has a central control system that limits what can be downloaded(下载) at the school.
“Students can hand in homework online. We have a web program that helps to check if you copy from others,” the headmaster Baker said.
In addition to offering up-to-date information, teachers can make the lessons more enjoyable. For example, lessons in history can include links to a person’s daily life, his ideas, his discovery, and so on.
Social studies teacher Jeremy Gypton said the change was easier than expected. Gypton said he assigned reading based on websites, used online groups and message boards to keep the students connected. And he also asked them to comment（评论）on each other’s work.
Julian Tarazon, a new student, said that it was kind of hard at first, because you had to put things in folders(文件夹). But after a couple of days, you got used to it. Another student Morgan Northcutt said the computer system had made it easier to do homework.
The school isn’t completely paperless, however. It has a library, and students can read books in it.
“We’re not trying to get rid of books,” Baker said. “We love books.”The students at Empire High School will study in class without ___________ this year.
| A．text messages | B．printed textbooks | C．reading materials | D．electric machines |
The teachers at Empire High School began to use iBooks because they___________.
| A．had money problems | B．had limited network |
| C．wanted to improve their teaching | D．wanted a web program |
A central control system can help to control __________.
| A．how much to download | B．what to download |
| C．how to download | D．why to download |
The underlined word “assigned” probably means “___________”.
| A．说明 | B．完成 | C．转让 | D．布置 |
The biggest advantage of the homework online is that___________.
| A．students can do it anytime |
| B．information online is available |
| C．there is a lot of reading based on websites |
| D．it provides a platform for students to share ideas |
The best title of the passage might be “___________”.
| A．High School uses iBooks instead of textbooks |
| B．Don’t try to get rid of books |
| C．Learning without textbooks is harder |
| D．Doing homework online |
The following four advertisements are from Yangtse Evening News, Mar 8th , 2012.
| Guitar lessons An excellent musician. Good at teaching kids for 5 years. Your home or mine. Call Larry at 86087593. |
Taxi driver wanted Full time. Experience and good knowledge of the city needed. Under 45 years old. Call Mr. White at 75132633 or 13935728866. |
| Lost dog Medium size, spotted white short hair. Answer you when you call it David. Many thanks for returning it. Call Susan at 87328059. |
Flat for sale Two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. Hot water 8:00—18:00. Beautiful sights out of the windows. QQ: 770519666. Call Ms. Green at 86777555 or 13813913788. |
Which of the four people may get the job as a taxi driver?
| A．A 50-year-old person. |
| B．A 40-year-old person who can drive well in the city. |
| C．A person who has just got his driver’s license. |
| D．A person who can drive and has free time on weekends. |
How can you contact (联系) the owner of the flat for more information?
| A．By visiting her. | B．By sending a letter. |
| C．By making a phone call. | D．By sending an e-mail. |
Who can teach children to play the guitar?
| A．Larry. | B．David. | C．Mr. White. | D．Susan. |
When you find a medium-sized dog with spotted white short hair, you may call at_______.
| A．86087593 | B．75132633 | C．87328059 | D．86777555 |
Where are these advertisements from?
| A．China Daily. | B．New York Times. |
| C．Yangtse Evening News. | D．Jingling Evening News. |
B) 根据短文内容及首字母提示，填写所缺单词。
Carrots are grown on farms and in small family gardens all over the world. It is one of the most popular sweet v 1. When people think about the carrots, they usually think they are a kind of long, thin, orange-colored vegetable w 2a good taste. In fact, carrots are in many different sizes and s 3. And not all carrots are orange.
Carrots should be grown in a field that doesn’t hold w 4for a long time. That is to say, the field should not be too wet. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over. Weather, soil condition, and time
a 5the way that carrots taste. Warm days and cool nights are the b 6time to grow great tasty carrots. The quickest way to know if a carrot is ready to be harvested(收获) is to see its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is. Many people do not know that carrots can be grown d 7the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough, you can grow carrots the same way as you d 8in the summer months.
Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They are cut in thin p 9and cooked with other vegetables or meat. Or they are washed and eaten just as they come out of the g 10. If you don’t eat them at once, they can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
A) 根据所读内容，在文章后第62—71小题的空格里填入恰当的单词。每个空格只填1个单词。
How important is homework? According to the Los Angeles Unified School District(LAUSD), it’s not that important! The district has made a big change for the 2011-2012 school year. It started on July 1, homework counts for only 10% of a student’s grade. The district, the second largest in the country, says its new way can provide a fairer assessment(评定) of students’ homework and achievements.
The district hopes students only need to spend less time on homework and more time on hobbies and with their families. By reducing the weight of homework toward a student’s grade, a truer picture of the student’s knowledge will be shown in the achievement grade.
However, it doesn’t mean the students can throw out homework. It says that homework is a chance for students to practice their skills and a tool for students to prepare for coming lessons. Still, LAUSD is joining a growing list of schools that have controlled the amount of homework.
How much time children should spend on homework is a hot topic. Harris Cooper, a professor at a university, says that the proper amount of homework time is ten minutes a day multiplied by(乘以) the student’s grade. This means a third grader should spend 30 minutes a day on homework. And a sixth grader would spend 60 minutes. “Good homework in the proper amount will have better effects on them,” he said. “Bad homework or too much homework will have worse effects.”
But some people think homework is an important part of learning. They say many children just won’t try their best if homework doesn’t count toward their grade. Some teachers also think homework is important. They argue that students who do their homework perform better on tests and in school than those who do not. They are afraid that the new way will encourage students to pay less attention to homework.
| The topic of the article: The1of homework in learning |
|
| A big change for homework |
Reducing the 2of homework grade by 10% in assessing students’ performance and achievement in school. |
| The advantages of reducing homework |
Students will have more time for 3and with their families. Students will be able to 4their truer pictures of knowledge in the achievement grades. |
| The advantages of doing homework |
Students can have more 5to practice their skills. The 6of schools that have controlled the amount of homework is getting bigger. |
| The amount of homework |
The time that a ninth grade student 7to homework should be 90 minutes. Students will 8good homework in the proper amount to bad homework or too much homework. |
| 9about the new policy |
If homework isn’t included in their grade, many students won’t put their heart into study. Students who don’t do their homework perform much 10than those who do their homework. |
"I didn’t hear them call my name," explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2004. "Are you ready?" is what she heard. Then she said, "I shook my head no, and then they said ‘yes’ and it was announced again."
It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen-year-old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana—she was still on cloud nine.
"I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen." Present in the audience that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.
Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there, AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete（比赛）."She’s always been my role model. I’ve danced with her since I was six. She’s been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I’ve learned to get over bad life’s experiences and learned how to move on because of her."
One of those bad life’s experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the hard days. She said, "I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot, a lot...”
As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving, in addition to(除…之外) many other things to help the youth.
When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, "Don’t let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way, it is easy to be yourself."What do the words “on cloud nine” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．hard to believe | B．hard to forget |
| C．very happy | D．very satisfied |
Shelley’ dance teacher was present in her competition mainly because _______.
| A．she just expected to help Shelly to move on |
| B．she wanted to stay with Shelly when in need |
| C．she experienced as many difficulties as Shelly |
| D．she played an important role in Shelly’s life |
How many children did the Hennigs have according to the text?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
What happened to Shelly before 2004 according to the passage?
| A．She wrote to her brother to get through difficulties. |
| B．She succeeded in competing for Miss Louisiana Teen. |
| C．She had his younger brother killed in a car accident. |
| D．She gave kids and teens suggestions about road safety. |
If you are asked to find a proper title for the passage, you choose_________.
| A．Miss Teen USA 2004 | B．A life changing event |
| C．Never to lose yourself | D．Bad experiences help |
Not long ago, I opened an interesting e-mail from Jennifer, a friend of mine. “I’ve realized I want to be around people who make me happy,” she wrote, “I’ve been seeing how I feel after communicating with different people and making a mental list of who I feel good about. And you’re on my list.”
Then she invited me — and 11 other women— to a “Movie Night” to be held every six weeks at her house. We’d chat, eat, and watch feel-good movies. She made it clear in her invitation that there was no stress to show up to all or any movie nights. Wonderful! I e-mailed her back immediately. I was in.
Later, Jennifer told me she had some puzzled reactions to her invitation. Though all the women were willing to join, some said they didn’t see themselves as cheerful people. “I’ve told them they didn’t have to be cheerful around me all the time. I invited them because they made me feel happy,” she says.
Research shows that gatherings such as Jennifer’s make sense. In a US study, researchers measured(测量) the happiness of 4739 people at regular intervals (间隔) over 20 years. The study found that a person’s happiness depends on(取决于) the happiness of people they connect with. Amazingly, it also found that happiness spreads not only between direct friends, but also among friends of your friends’ friends! And those good feelings seem to be the most contagious (传染性的) among friends of the same sex.
“People with more supportive friends are less likely to develop sadness,” says Dr Toupey Luft, a psychologist in Penticyon, British Columbia. “Though you can’t choose your family or workmates, you do have control over friendships.” With a little effort, you can add more positive(乐观的) relationships to your social circle. Here’s how…How many people did Jennifer invite?
| A．1 | B．11 | C．12 | D．13 |
What kind of things can you do on Jennifer’s movie night?
| A．Gathering and measuring happiness among friends. |
| B．Chatting, eating and watching feel-good movies. |
| C．Being cheerful all the time. |
| D．Showing up stress. |
What do the underlined words mean?
| A．有意义 | B．有鉴赏力 | C．有感觉 | D．制造气氛 |
Which of the following is right?
| A．Jennifer was puzzled with her invitation. |
| B．All the women who were invited are cheerful people. |
| C．Jennifer invited people who are cheerful around her all the time. |
| D．People with more supportive friends seem to be more positive than people who don’t. |
Can you guess what will be talked about in the following passage?
| A．Why it is important to pick friends who make you feel good. |
| B．How to make friends who make you feel good. |
| C．What kinds of friends you should not make. |
| D．How you can find your social circle. |