The unquestioned role of a student is to learn as much as possible through whatever means it takes to acquire knowledge. Teachers and professors are human beings and are therefore not perfect. No one knows the correct answer to every question even when you limit the questions to a certain field of study. Having certain skepticism (质疑) about what they are being taught can help students to make the teachers even better by correcting mistakes and misinformation.

Students certainly have a huge role in their own abilities to learn. Teachers should act more as guides along the way rather than try to force each student to learn. The best teachers in the world cannot teach an unmotivated student. If the teacher, for whatever reason, cannot motivate the student, then the student must somehow find a way to motivate himself or herself.

One method of doing this is by becoming an active rather than a passive student. The more the student involves himself or herself in the act of studying, the better he or she can learn. One of the best ways to become more active is simply to ask the teacher or professor questions. Students who passively sit in a classroom and take everything that the teacher says for granted are not fully using their mental capacities(能力) to learn.

Better education comes from teachers who are able to get their students to think about a subject rather than merely absorb a certain amount of information. Having a healthy skepticism can improve a student’s ability to both think and absorb knowledge in a learning situation.

Teachers are human beings and no one is one hundred percent right all of the time, even in a classroom situation. Perhaps a teacher would simply unconsciously say the wrong word or pass on some misinformation that the teacher truly believed was correct. A student’s question could prevent an entire classroom from becoming confused or misinformed.

There is of course a fine balance between a student having a healthy skepticism, and just

being a downright(令人不快的) skeptic. But with the proper attitude toward learning and a little skepticism, both the students and teachers can improve upon the learning process and maximize learning efficiency.

64. Which of the following is the author’s main argument?

A. Passive learning results from passive teaching in class.

B. A student’s ability plays a huge role in the learning process.

C. A healthy skepticism fully depends on students’ motivation and ability.

D. A healthy skepticism and proper attitude contribute to effective learning.

65. Being passive learners, the students ________.

A. use little of their mental ability while studying

B. seldom involve themselves completely in learning

C. can hardly tell the right from the wrong in class

D. simply ask their teachers questions without thinking

66. According to the passage, a good teacher should ________.

A. help the unmotivated students patiently

B. instruct students in the learning process

C. make no mistakes in the teaching process

D. answer all the questions raised by students

 

Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.
【小题1】 What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?

A．Teaching music.

B．Writing music.

C．Making musical instruments.

D．Repairing musical instruments.

【小题2】They love the job because they can     .

A．earn more money	B．learn repair skills
C．enjoy music	D．watch performances

【小题3】 Which of the following is true of the two men?

A．They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.

B．They can play and repair musical instruments.

C．Jernigan used to play in an army band.

D．West was trained to play the piano.

【小题4】 According to West, what can people learn from music?

A．Teamwork and patience.	B．The value of time.
C．The truth of society.	D．Diligence and confidence.

【小题5】 What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．How to repair musical instruments.

B．Learning experiences of two repairmen.

C．How to prepare a musical performance.

D．The enjoyable job of two music lovers.

 Remove the batteries when they become weak or when the unit is not in use for extended periods. This will           damage to the unit from battery leakage at such times.   

A．disappoint

B．concern

C．instruct

D．prevent

 

More parents are looking to cellphones to help keep their children safe.  But mom and dad should be careful: Kids who talk on a cellphone may be more likely to step into traffic. Children should learn to end phone conversations before they prepare to step into traffic.

     While research shows that older kids and more experienced users also don’t navigate(穿行于) streets as well while on a cellphone, younger children tends to find the small tools more distracting(令人分心的).

“Kids of this age are just learning to cross the street on their own, ”says David-Schwebel, a co-author of the study. “They’re beginners. ”

     Kids don’t need to be stopped from chatting on the phone when outside,

however. Instead, parents simply should instruct them to finish their conversations before crossing the street.        

“I don’t think this means parents should take phones away from their kids, ”says Schwebel. “I encourage families to get cellphones for their children.  They’re more helpful than harmful,  if they’re used in a safe way. ”

     Other distractions, such as conversations with friends, listening to music,  and text messaging, may also cause problems for children in this age group.  The researchers expect to study the effect of those types of distractions in the future.

Experts in child safety approved the cellphone study. “If you’re talking on a cellphone,  you’re not paying much attention to the environment around you, ” says Susan Baker, a professor.

     Brooke Carlson, a 44-year-old mom, has noticed how riveted her 9-year-old son is when he’s talking on the cellphone. Although she’d never thought of the dangers of crossing traffic while on the phone, Carlson says, “Now that I know about it, it makes total sense. ”She plans to have a chat with her child about cellphones and street safety.

For younger kids, parents might consider purchasing a phone with a plan that only allows the child to call up his or her parents. That way the cellphone can be used for emergencies, but not for chatting with friends for hours.

1.In Schwebel’s opinion, _____ .

A. kids are still too young to walk on the street alone

B. kids don’t know how to use cellphones appropriately

C. kids have little experience in crossing the street alone

D. kids are not experienced cellphone users

2. Which of the following is Schwebel in favor of?

A. Children shouldn’t be allowed to have a cellphone.

B. Children should be forbidden to chat on the phone when outside.

C. Cellphones do more harm to children than other distractions.

D. Parents should teach kids about cellphones and street safety.

3. The underlined word “riveted” may mean“_____”.

A. confused              B. absorbed

C. dangerous             D. excited

4. According to the passage, what does Mrs Carlson know?

A. There are dangers of crossing streets while on the phone.

B. Her 9-year-old son is not interested in talking on the phone.

C. Cellphones are more helpful than harmful to children.

D. Kids don’t pay attention to the environment when talking on the phone.

5. The purpose of writing this passage is to _____.

A. advise parents not to buy cellphones for children

B. introduce a phone that only allows kids to call up parents

C. expect kids not to talk on cellphones while on the street

D. expect people to use cellphones less in daily life

 

 

 

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retried employees. To make this possible,  a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must  take life long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately , as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable  answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some workplaces especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

66. What is the passage mainly about?

The problem faced by the old in society.

Why we should take responsibility for the old.

How we can improve the lives of the old

Where the old can go to get their pensions.

According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire

Increase saving levels of people during their working years

Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old

Make available pensions for those who have retired

The underlined word “viable” most probably means ____.

A. impossible   B. practical   C. usefull   D. successful

69. What can be concluded from the passage?

   A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money

   B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age

   C. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people

   D. There is no single solution to the problem of the old

70. What is the writer’s main purpose of writing this article?

   A. To point out the need for government supporting for old people

   B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people

   C. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem

   D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.