There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and green fields. There’s even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events.
Cushing Academy has all the characteristics of a New England school, with one exception. This year, after having had a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. They have decided to give away all their books. The future, they believe, is digital.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology,” said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing. “We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and use technology. Instead of a traditional library, we’re building a virtual library where students will have access to millions of books on the computer. We see this as a model for the 21st-century school.”
Not everyone on campus is sold on Tracy’s vision.
Liz Vezina, a librarian at Cushing for 17 years, said she never imagined working as the director of a library without any books. “It makes me mad,” said Vezina, who has made a career of introducing students to books. “I’m going to miss them, and there’s something lost when they are done on a computer. There’s sensual side to them — the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special.”
Cushing is one of the first schools in the country to give up its books. William Powers, author of a book called the changes at Cushing “radical（激进的）” and “a huge loss for students”.
“There are modes of learning and thinking that at the moment are only available from actual books,” he said. “There is a kind of deep-dive reading that’s almost impossible to do on a screen. Without books, students are more likely to do the quick reading that screens enable, rather than be by themselves with the author’s ideas.”What is special about Cushing Academy?
| A．It is built in rolling mountains |
| B．Its buildings are covered with ivy. |
| C．There will be no books in its library. |
| D．There is a clock tower with a big bell. |
The underlined sentence in the passage probably means _________.
| A．not all people agree with Tracy’s idea |
| B．Tracy’s idea is welcome in the school |
| C．in Tracy’s opinion not all books are sold |
| D．not everyone can imagine a virtual library |
【改编】According to the Powers, actual books can make students _________.
| A．do a lot of quick reading |
| B．develop the habit of reading |
| C．experiencing the pleasure of reading |
| D．make sense of the author’s views deeply |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cushing is facing challenges |
| B．The Internet library promises a bright future |
| C．A library says goodbye to books |
| D．Cushing leads the world in digital technology |
Verbier language school
Beginner? Fluent? Young? Young at heart? VLS can help you learn or improve your language skills in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with fun, professional teachers.
What we offer:
·Individual (个人) and group French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Swedish lessons for children and adults.
·Exam preparation for TEFL, TOEFL, IELTS, Common Entrance, GCSE.
·Summer course.
·Translation services.
·Summer immersion (浸泡式) camps—language and activities including cooking, performances, art and crafts, walking, biking, various sports etc. 9am—4pm (lunch included)
·Winter immersion camps—language and skiing. 9am—4pm (lunch included)
Course + prices (Prices shown are for 1 hour lessons, per student):
| Private lessons |
90 dollars |
| Semi-private (2 people) |
50 dollars |
| Group lessons (3-6 people) |
30 dollars |
Private—one-to-one tuition focusing on the individual needs of the student.
Group—learn in a relaxed and fun environment.
Maximum of 6 students per group so there are still plenty of chances to ask questions.
Children—learning with fun and games in private or group lessons.
Corporate—arrange private or group classes for your company aimed at your specific needs.
Conditions
·If registering by phone and email, classes are not confirmed(确认) until a deposit(定金) has been received via the bank or Paypal. Please contact us for bank details.
·Payment for the classes must be paid in full in advance or at each lesson.
·Students must complete a test at their first lesson to make sure of their level.
Contact us
By post: Verbier Language School, Centre de l’Etoile, Case Postal 475, Rue de M dran 6, 1936 Verbier, Switzerland
By phone: + 41 (0) 79 653 22 27
By email: info@verbierlanguageschool.comIn the first paragraph, “Young at heart” refers to ___________.
| A．happy people |
| B．people with a strong heart |
| C．old professional teachers |
| D．the elderly people |
It can be inferred that IELTS is _________.
| A．a language course | B．a language test |
| C．a sports competition | D．a summer camp |
John and his father both attend the Group lessons to learn German. They learn two hours each day. How much do they need to pay per day?
| A．200 dollars | B．180 dollars |
| C．120 dollars | D．60 dollars |
In their first lesson, students are required to _______.
| A．report their interest | B．take an exam |
| C．complete a form | D．pay by credit card |
We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
“Look down, Elsa,” father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. “See, my dear,” father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.
When I turned to father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered（喷溅出） “ The cook must have gone mad！” Quickly I told her what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed, I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.The author’s father took her to the top of a church tower to ____________.
| A．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town |
| B．find out how many ways lead to the square |
| C．inspire her to find out another way to solve her problem |
| D．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day |
What did the author want her mother to do earlier that day?
| A．Do something delicious for lunch. |
| B．Taste her awful lunch. |
| C．Dismiss the mad cook. |
| D．Speak to the school about lunch. |
The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph suggests that_____________.
| A．the cook agreed to serve the soup to the writer’s mother |
| B．the author’s mother was angry with the cook |
| C．her father persuaded her mother successfully |
| D．the method the author thought of was effective |
By sharing her own experiences, the author tries to tell us ____________.
| A．when one road is blocked, try another |
| B．how bad the lunch of her school is |
| C．how wise her father is |
| D．about the church tower near her home |
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp（头皮）and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.BCI is a technology that can ________.
| A．help to update computer systems |
| B．link the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to recover |
| D．control a person's thoughts |
How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
| A．By controlling his muscles. |
| B．By talking to the machine. |
| C．By moving his hand. |
| D．By using his mind. |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
| A．scalp → computer → cap →wheelchair |
| B．compute → cap → scalp →wheelchair |
| C．scalp → cap → computer →wheelchair |
| D．cap → computer → scalp →wheelchair |
The team will test with real patients to ________.
| A．make profits from them |
| B．prove the technology useful to them |
| C．make them live longer |
| D．learn about their physical condition |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together, they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: international competitions encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred．There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sport encourages international brotherhood．Not only was there the tragic incident including the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by incidents caused mainly by smaller national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were sure that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in great anger when he said, “This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension（停赛）of the team for at least three years.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism（爱国主义）.According to the author, recently the Olympic Games have ______.
| A．created goodwill between the nations |
| B．brought about only false national pride |
| C．hardly showed any international friendship |
| D．put an end to misunderstanding and hatred |
The underlined word “disallowed” (in Paragraph 2) means “______”.
| A．permitted to pass |
| B．considered as reasonable |
| C．won by the other side |
| D．refused to accept |
What did the manager mean by saying, “Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished"?
| A．His team would no longer take part in international games. |
| B．Hockey and the Federation are both ruined by the unfair decisions. |
| C．There should be no more Hockey matches organized by the Federation. |
| D．The Federation should break up. |
The author gives the example in paragraph 2 to show ______.
| A．how false national pride led to undesirable incidents in international games |
| B．that sportsmen are often against the final decisions |
| C．that competitiveness in the games discourages international friendship |
| D．that unfair decisions are common in the Olympic Games |
What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
| A．The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved. |
| B．Athletes should compete as individuals in the Olympic Games. |
| C．A game should be played competitively rather than for the love of the game. |
| D．More and more athletes will compete for their own honor. |
After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret（担心）that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned（委任）the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle（尽量兼顾）all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics（策略）such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．discuss | B． communicate |
| C． understand | D． combine |
According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents ________.
| A．can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every day |
| B．spend their daytime commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores |
| C．worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enough |
| D．fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．I will be glad to listen. |
| B．I will be very interested. |
| C．I will listen carefully. |
| D．I will call your teacher at school. |
Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?
| A．Where are you off to with your friends this weekend? |
| B．Who played the best in your football match today? |
| C．What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it? |
| D．What are the names of the toys you played with today? |
What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?
| A．It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children. |
| B．It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids. |
| C．It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills. |
| D．It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores. |