I love my iPhone---it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my computer, as it stores all of my writing and thoughts. Though I love these devices(装置) of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from them and truly communicate with others.
I teach history in a high school. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes(主题) and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and share their ideas with each other in the classroom. I have a rule---no computers, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule before class, some of them were not happy at all.
Most students think that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students believe that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations. Interruptions(打断) by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion.
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and students realize that with deep conversation, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
【小题1】What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The reasons why students should use computers or iPads in class.

B．The advantages of using cell phones and computers in the classroom.

C．What the writer is trying to do and what rule has been made in class.

D．A new learning style that the teacher enjoys using in history class.

【小题2】According to the writer, the use of technology in the classroom may _____.

A．improve teaching and offer more help

B．allow students to get on well with each other

C．help students concentrate on what they learn

D．keep students from making deep conversations

【小题3】What can we infer from the passage?

A．The teacher will carry on the success in the future.

B．The teacher will have to cancel the rule in class.

C．Some students will be punished according to the rule.

D．More and more students will be absent in history class.

I love it at night. It’s peaceful. And when it cools down I sometimes do some ironing. I don’t really care for it. I work full-time and I am too busy for most housework. I remember the old woman who taught me to iron. I was about 15 and I had to get a job taking care of a woman to make a living. She had been an able-bodied, healthy woman until the accident that caused her to be paralyzed.
The woman sat in an electric wheelchair all day. She could only move her head and arms. She would tell me how to do things. She would teach me in great detail on the correct ways to do things. Her home was perfect and beautiful. She would follow me around in her electric wheelchair to make sure I did everything exactly right. I’m sure she had been a perfect homemaker. She would have me fold(折叠) everything, including socks. I would complain silently and wish terrible things on her. She taught me the right way to make the bed. I know sometimes she’d get frustrated(沮丧) and impatient with me. I knew she wanted to do it herself. But she never shouted or scolded. She only insisted I do it right. I didn’t like it much, but I did it.
Today I can iron pretty well. I know where to start on a shirt and the right way to do the trousers. Now when I think about it, I don’t think she is an old lady. I think she might have been about my age now. Anyway, when I iron, I think of her and silently thank her for all the things I learned.
【小题1】The writer used to take care of the lady because ________.

A．she wanted to learn to do housework

B．she was a friend of the lady’s

C．she had to earn some money

D．she couldn’t find a room to live in

【小题2】The underlined word ‘paralyzed’ in the first paragraph may mean ‘______’.

A．destroyed

B．deaf

C．seriously ill

D．unable to walk

【小题3】The little girl was ______ when the lady taught her how to do housework.

A．encouraged to learn	B．unwilling to learn
C．delighted to learn	D．recommended to learn

【小题4】Now the writer ______.

A．is still afraid of the lady	B．hates the strict lady
C．admires the disabled lady	D．is very grateful to the lady