Students and Technology in the Classroom

    I love my Blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me．I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts．Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices（设备） and truly communicate with others．

    On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers．My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas．Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptops, iPads, phones, etc．When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy．

    Most students assume 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 assume 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 and truly engage complex ideas．Interruptions 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 inspiration and 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 the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create．Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, 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, I’m sticking to my plan．A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up．

1.Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with______．

    A．the course material                  B．others’ misuse of technology

    C．discussion topics                    D．the author’s class regulations

2.The underlined word “engage” in Para．4 probably means ______．

    A．explore         B．accept           C．change           D．reject

3.According to the author, the use of technology in the classroom may ____．

    A．keep students from doing independent thinking

    B．encourage students to have in-depth conversations

    C．help students to better understand complex themes

    D．affect students’ concentration on course evaluation

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ______．

    A．is quite stubborn

    B．will give up teaching history

    C．will change his teaching plan soon

    D．values technology-free dialogues in his class

 

In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.

Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, You might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.

In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting, talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.

Attitudes to women vary considerably around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.

Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).

1.The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because ________.

A. they didn’t know the English language

B. the bus conductor told them to jump the queue

C. they didn’t know the custom of lining up for a bus

D. they thought they were looked down upon

2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1?

A. Modest.   B. Entertaining.      C. Misunderstanding.      D. Rude.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?

A. In Europe, using the left hand is considered less respected.

B. In India, the left hand is not used as a sign of respect to others.   

C. In Thailand, you’d better cross your legs when sitting or talking.       

D. In Japan, it is considered bad manners to touch the head of an adult.

4.The underlined sentence “Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty” means in Bulgaria _______.

A. you are probably thirsty if you nod your head

B. you’re possibly eager to have a drink if you nod your head

C. you probably refuse to drink when you nod your head

D. you’d like to have a cup of tea because you nod your head

5. We can infer from the passage that _________.

A. in Asian countries, women are equal to men in every field

B. learning a language well is a necessity before going abroad

C. attitudes to women vary from country to country

D. in Japan, men are still the centre of the family

 

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．

    After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

    One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.

    After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"

    Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．

    Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．

1.Why did Alex give up his job?

    A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

    B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

    C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

    D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

2.What did Alex express when he answered the call?

    A．He refused the job offer．

    B．He was willing to give them a hand．

    C．He expected them to pay him more money．

    D．He would write in his spare time．

3.What kind of person is Alex?

    A．Determined．  B．Modest．      C．Shy．     D．Brave．

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

    A．Look before you leap．               B．Two heads are better, than one．

    C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．   D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

 

People say teenagers are no good．They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower．And at least some of the time those things are true．But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too．

    I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral（葬礼）．I didn’t expect the event to affect me．Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved．

    Then her teenage grandson stepped forward．With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten．Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me．She never failed to see light in any situation．When our family dog would literally attact her, what would Nana say? ‘Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has．’ That was Nana．

    “She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city．But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling．“That was Nana’s way．”

    Through a muffled sob, he continued．“Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to brag．”

    Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage．She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life．That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner．”

    There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time．The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled．

    When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest ally and est friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ritual．He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults．He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death．

    All over again we felt those powerful losses crisscrossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to a beloved grandparent, you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself．And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away．

1.From the boy’s speech, we know his grandmother ____________．

    A．was a weak woman living in the shadow of his grandpa

    B．liked dogs very much even if they often attacked her

    C．could see everything around her though she was old

    D．had great influence over the boy when she was alive

2.According to the first paragraph, _____________．

    A．young people should keep quiet before the public

    B．people don’t think highly of the teenagers

    C．people shouldn’t forget the young people

    D．young people are living a hard life

3.The writer wanted to tell the readers ____________．

    A．the young people were too weak to face the fact

    B．the young people had to learn to control themselves

    C．the adults could learn something valuable from the young

    D．the adults should teach the young how to deal with the death

4.We can infer from the passage that the boy ___________．

    A．was filled with sadness and gave up finishing his talk

    B．was always very good at expressing himself

    C．practiced a lot in order to give a moving speech

    D．had great difficulty in accepting the loss of Nana

 

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳答案。选项中有两个为多余选项

Millions of people all over the world use the word OK. In fact, some people say the world. OK means all right or acceptable it expresses agreement or approval.

___1.___ .Some people say it came from the Native American Indian tribe known as the Choctaw. The Choctaw word “oken” means the same as the American word “okay”. Experts say early explorers in the American West spoke the Choctaw language in the 19^th century.

But many people doubt this. Language expert Allen Walker Read wrote about the word OK in reports published in the 1960s. He said the word began being used in the 1830s. __2.___.Some foreign –born people wrote “all correct” as “o-l-l k-o-r-r-e-c-t”, and used the letters O.K. Other people say a railroad worker named Obadiah Kelly invented the word long ago. They said he put the first letters of his names--- O and K --- on each object people gave him to send on the train.

__3._ The organization supported Martin Van Buren for president in 1840. They called their group the OK Club. The letters were taken from the name of the town where Martin Van Buren was born--- Old Kinderhook, New York.

Then there is the expression A-OK. It is a space-age expression. It was used in 1961 during the flight of astronaut Alan Shepard. He was the first American to be launched into space. His flight ended when his spacecraft landed in the ocean, as planned. Shepard reported, “Everything is A-OK.”__4.__ One story says it was first used during the early days of the telephone to tell an operator that a message had been received.

There are also funny ways to say okay. __5.__ .These expressions were first used in the 1930s. Today, a character on the American television series, “The Simpsons”, says it another way. He says okely-dokely.

A.      Some people say okey-dokey or okey-doke.

B.      Still others say a political organization invented the word.

C.      Therefore, it has become popular in that area from then on.

D.      But many experts don’t agree on what the expression means.

E.       Language experts do not agree about where the word came from.

F.       It was a short way of writing a different spelling of the words “all correct”.

G.      However, some exerts say the expression did not begin with the space age.