MusicOperaatMusicHall:1243ElmS-优题课

But what is teacher quality? How can one measure it reliably?
An analysis is issued on a sample of data from a Texas school district. Experts argue convincingly that teacher effectiveness should be measured by students’ gains on standardized tests: Mr. Smith is probably a better teacher than Ms. Brown if his students consistently improve their test scores more than hers do.
Though this approach is appealing, there are tricky issues. For example, what if Ms. Brown teaches in a school where students score so high there is little room for improvement?
The authors try to correct for this problem, as well as other sorts of measurement issues, to generate a measurement of teacher effectiveness. The paper is primarily concerned with how this measure is related to other observable characteristics.
The first finding is that there is a large variation in teacher effectiveness: some teachers consistently have a larger impact on their students’ achievement than others.
Second, easily observable characteristics like having a master’s degree or a passing score on the teacher certification exam are not correlated关联 with teacher effectiveness.
Then what does matter? The most important single influence is experience: first-year teachers are much less effective than others. The second year is significantly better, and by the fourth year, most teachers hit their stride.
It is not entirely clear whether this experience effect is learning by doing (the more you teach, the more effective you become) or survival of the fittest (those who are not good at teaching tend to drop out early.)
From my reading of the paper, both effects appear important and there is no simple answer. The data do suggest, however, that teacher effectiveness is pretty clear by the end of the second year, so the information to make an informed decision is available at that time.
The authors also investigate the contentious 有争议的issue of racial matching of students and teachers. Here they find strong evidence that minority teachers tend to be more effective with minority students. Again, it is unclear whether this is because of a role model effect (students respond better to a teacher of their own race) or an empathy effect 移情效应(teachers empathize better with students of their own race) or something else entirely.
The authors also look at teacher mobility. There is some evidence that teachers who quit teaching or switch schools tend to be below average in effectiveness. This is consistent with the survival-of-the-fittest model.
The schoolmaster could decide wisely whether to further employ the teacher by the end of the ______.

A．the first year	B．the second year
C．the third year	D．the fourth year

The phrase “hit their stride” most probably means “______”.

A．reach their normal level	B．become confident
C．walk with long steps	D．get bored

The author of this passage holds the view that ______.

A．teachers will perform better with time passing

B．ineffective teachers should leave earlier rather than later

C．teacher’s effectiveness is apparent after a couple of years

D．a master’s degree will improve teacher’s effectiveness

Why do black teachers tend to be more effective with black students?

A．Students fell secure, so they respond better.

B．Teachers sympathize with students of their own race.

C．There are entirely some other identified reasons.

D．The reasons are far from clear and definite.

Which of the following may serve as the best title?

A．The Quality of Teaching

B．Impact of Teacher Quality on Student Learning

C．Different Sorts of Measurement Issues

D．Survival-of-the-fittest Model vs. Learning-by-doing Model

Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us，shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me．it's something I would rather avoid．Thank goodness for the Internet! It's more convenient to buy CDs，electrical items，even food，from the comfort of your sofa．But that’s not the only reason：price is an important factor．We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy．This has led to a type of shopping called “show rooming”．
Show rooming is something I've done．I will go to a shop to see，touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock—down price．I'm not alone in doing this．Research by a company called Foolproof，found 24％of people show roomed while Christmas shopping in 2013．
Amy Cashman，Head of Technology at TNS UK，says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that“people are lacking time，lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying．”She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around．
But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change．They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in—store discounts or free girls．
We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare．It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by show rooming，you get the best of both worlds!
The two questions in Paragraph l are raised to _______.

A．introduce the topic	B．give two examples
C．compare different opinions	D．get answers from readers

What does show rooming mean in the text?

A．Trying in shops and buying online．

B．Showing products in a room．

C．Buying something in a store．

D．Shopping on the Internet．

According to Amy Cashman，which is not the reason for show rooming?

A．The lack of time．	B．The comfort of the sofa．
C．The shortness of money．	D．The security of the product．

What can be inferred from Paragraph 4 ?

A．Online shops will disappear．

B．Free gifts will surely promote sales．

C．Shops need necessary changes．

D．Shops will be replaced by online shops．

The author's attitude towards show rooming is _______

A．critical

B．neutral

C．supportive

D．casual

My parents influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and love for one’s motherland when l was young．Even though we struggled to make ends meet, they stressed how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities．
I got my first real job when l was ten．My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard - box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist．He rented space in a little mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr．Ben's Coiffure．
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. to pick up rubbish. Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower．Mom and I emptied rubbish cans and picked up rubbish by hand．It took two to three hours to clean the lot．I'd s1eep in the car on the way home. I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime, I acquired discipline(自制力) and a strong work morality(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests---in my case, school, homework and a job．This really helped during my senior year of high school, when l worked 40 hours a week flipping hamburgers at a fast–food joint while taking a full load of college-prepared courses．The hard work paid off．I attended the U．S．Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degree in law and business from Harvard．Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state committee．In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot．The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families, that is something we should honor．
According to the text, the author thinks .

A．he is lucky to have many chances to get a job

B．it is difficult to find a job to make ends meet

C．his parents are full of complaint about their life

D．it is not acceptable to live in such bad conditions

In order to get a discount on rent, .

A．his father had to work as a hairstylist

B．his father had to work in a cardboard - box factory

C．they had to clean the-parking lot three nights a week

D．his father had to pick up litter by hand three hours a day

Which of the following is NOT true of the author?

A．He got the graduate degrees from Harvard．

B．He took a college - prep courses at high school．

C．He took a part-time job during his senior year．

D．He regretted having worked in the parking lot．

What does the underlined sentence "The hard work paid off" mean?

A．The author got a high pay by working hard．

B．The author complained of the hard work．

C．The effort which he made had no effect．

D．The hard work was worthwhile for the author．

We can learn from the text that _

A．it is unimaginable for a child to help his family

B．it is honored to work for one's family as a member

C．it is unnecessary to keep work rules-of behavior

D．the harder the work is, the more interest one shows

Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, continues to show off ideas for the future.
The Q80 Inspiration here in Paris is an excellent piece of work, perhaps a concept elegant enough to make us forget that Infiniti’s former Hong Kong-based president, Johan de Nysschen, moved to take over General Motors’ Cadillac car brand in July and Infiniti chairman Andy Palmer is the new CEO at Aston Martin, the British luxury car brand.
The Q80, if it becomes reality, will be brought to market by Infiniti’s new boss, former BMW （another famous car brand ）executive Roland Krüger. He should focus on this, at least until he is head-hunted to another company.
The Q80 Inspiration is a low and sexy four-door fastback, and it is also a showcase for technology – from autonomous driving to eco-friendly power trains. Here in Paris, the Infiniti people say the hybrid drive in this concept suggest exactly where the brand is going in the future.
The company says the Q80 speaks to how Infiniti plans to pull people into more expensive cars – cars that compete with the Porsche Panamera, for instance.
Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director, said the car “delivers feminine elegance and muscular menace in equal measure and strikes big in terms of styling, craftsmanship, choice of materials and attention to detail.”
Most importantly, for luxury cars buyers who are increasingly puzzled by all the technology, the designers focused on making things simple.
“There is a tendency with modern design that every time you add interior features and technology you add complexity,” said Albaisa, pointing to the concept’s easy-to –understand –and –operate infotainment interface.
As for power, the Q80 Inspiration gets 550 horsepower from a twin turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6 combined with a hybrid electric power train. Fuel economy could be as good as 5.5 litres/100 km.
Who will take charge of the launch of the Q80 Inspiration?

A．Andy Palmer	B．Alfonso Albaisa
C．Johan de Nysschen	D．Roland Krüger

In the future Infiniti will pay more attention to ______.

A．details	B．craftsmanship
C．energy conservation	D．materials

The Q80 Inspiration _______.

A．has been produced in large numbers

B．has autonomous driving system

C．has double doors

D．has complicated operating features

How many car brands are mentioned in the passage?

A．3

B．4

C．5

D．6

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．An introduction of the Q80 Inspiration.

B．A promotion of The Q80 Inspiration

C．The future of the Q80 Inspiration

D．The history of the Q80 Inspiration

【改编】The island of Great Britain being small (compare the size of Australia), the natural place for holiday relaxation and enjoyment is extensive coastline, above all its southern and eastern coasts, and the favorite resort of the mass-population of industrial Lancashire, is on the north-west coast. Distant and little-inhabited area like Northern Scotland, are too remote for the development of large seaside resorts.
For most children, going to the seaside suggests a week or fortnight of freedom on the beach, ideally a sandy one providing enough opportunities for the construction of sandcastle, fishing in pool, paddling in shallow water or swimming in deep water. Their parents spend sunny days swimming in the sea and sunbathing on the beach. Not that the British sun can be relied on and the depressing sight of families wandering round the town in old –fashioned and under umbrellas is only too common. However, there are always shops with their tourist souvenirs, plenty of cafes and if the worst comes to the worst, the cinema to offer a refuge.
The average family is unlikely to seek accommodation in a hotel as they can stay more cheaply in a boarding-house. There are usually three or four-storeyed Victorian buildings, whose owners spend the summer season letting rooms to a number of couples or families and providing three cooked meals a day at what they describe as a reasonable price, with the hope that in this way they will add enough to their savings to see the winter through. Otherwise there are the camping sites for those who prefer self-catering.
Nowadays, even when an increasing number of people fly off to Mediterranean resorts where a well-developed suntan (晒黑) can be assured, or explore in comfort Swiss lakes and mountains or romantic Italian or Spanish cities, the British seaside is still the main attraction for families, especially those with younger children. As they queue for boats trips, cups of tea or ice-cream under gray skies and in dizzling rain, the parents are reliving (重温) their own childhood when time seemed endless, their own sandcastles the most splendid on the beach, the sea always blue and friendly and the sun always hot.
Where do tourists seldom go ?

A．Australia	B．Great Britain
C．Northern Scotland	D．Lancashire

Why do children prefer the seaside ?

A．Because they can stay with their parents.

B．Because they can play various games on the seaside.

C．Because they can meet many other children there.

D．Because they can buy whatever they want.

What attracts people to Mediterranean resorts?

A．Romantic Italian or Spanish cities

B．Ice-cream under gray skies.

C．Cups of tea in dizzling rain.

D．Reliving their own childhood.

Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．The cinema is the best place to get enough sunshine.

B．The English seaside is an ideal place for children.

C．Northern Scotland is very popular with tourists.

D．Few people in Britain go abroad for holiday.

Where can you find this passage in a newspaper ?

A．Economy	B．Science.
C．Fashion.	D．Tourism.

A．	Music Hall.	B．	Memorial Hall.
C．	Patricia Cobbett Theater.	D．	Riverbend Music Theater.

A．	It has seats in the open air.
B．	It gives shows all year round.
C．	It offers membership discounts.
D．	It presents famous musical works.

A．	241-2742.	B．	723-1182.
C．	381-3300.	D．	232-6220.