A 33-year-old financial analyst in California recently quit his job to devote himself to an unpaid job teaching math on the Internet, and his lessons are reaching almost 100,000 people a month. Salman Khan’s voice is heard every day on the net --- by tens of thousands of students around the world who are hungry for help learning math. He has posted 1,200 lessons on YouTube ... lessons that appear on an electronic blackboard, which range from basic addition to advanced mathematics for science and finance. And they are free.
Khan lives in Silicon Valley, with his
wife, a doctor, and their new baby. He got the idea for his “Khan Academy” four years ago, when he taught a young cousin how to convert kilograms to grams. With Khan’s help, the cousin got good at math, and Khan began a new career.
Now, Khan records his lessons himself, but he never goes on camera. “It feels like my voice in their head. You’re looking at it and it feels like someone’s over your shoulder talking in your ear, as opposed to someone at the blackboard, which is distant from you,” he said.
When Springfield High School in Palo Alto, California invited Khan to speak in person --- he immediately connected to the students there.
The idea of short lessons that can be played over and over again attracted high school senior Bridget Meaney. She says she had trouble with math in the seventh grade. “I think the teachers are good, but they can’t teach at a speed that’s perfect for everyone,” she said. “I like the idea of learning something in class but then going back and pressing pause or rewind and actually getting a deeper understanding of it.”
Originally, Khan kept his lessons short because of YouTube restrictions. Now, he thinks short is better. “Education researchers now tell me that 10 minutes is how long someone can have a high level of concentration. And anything beyond that and your brain switches off,” he said.
For Khan, teaching math, science, and finance is just the beginning. He says he’s ready to expand his YouTube site to include other subjects as well.What gave Khan the idea of teaching math online?
| A．His success in helping his cousin learn math. |
| B．His discovery that many students found learning math difficult. |
| C．A suggestion made to him at a local high school. |
| D．His interest in Internet teaching. |
Why does Khan never go on camera?
| A．He’s too shy to show his face on camera. |
| B．It’s restricted by YouTube for education videos. |
| C．He wants to keep distance from the viewers. |
| D．He wants to create a more relaxed learning atmosphere. |
From the passage, we know that ________.
| A．Khan travels to many schools to promote his lessons |
| B．Khan plans to include more subjects in the future |
| C．Khan gives live math lessons every day for free |
| D．Khan set up the Khan Academy with his wife |
Why does Bridget Meaney like Khan’s les
sons?
| A．Khan teaches seventh grade math better than her teacher. |
| B．The lessons can be watched repeatedly until fully understood. |
| C．She can perfectly follow the pace of Khan’s teaching. |
| D．She cannot concentrate when learning in class. |
What does Khan mean by “short is better” in the 6th paragraph?
| A．Keeping the lessons short can ensure better concentration. |
| B．YouTube recommends short lessons for its site. |
| C．Short lessons encourage students to return to the website. |
| D．Students enjoy short mathematics lessons more. |
Young people and older people do not always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special program in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and fun in work. Some teenagers work in the forests or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or drawing. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to pass his free time.
When people live together, they should have rules. In this program the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has said something about it, “You have to stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.” In one special program in New York State, young and older people_______.
| A．don’t work well together | B．teach each other new ways of building houses |
| C．are friendly to each other | D．spend eight weeks together, working as farmers |
All the members work some time every day mainly to________.
| A．lead a busy life | B．find useful things and pleasure in work |
| C．get used to the life on the farms | D．learn new skills of farming |
Living together, ________.
| A．the teenagers don’t have to obey the rules |
| B．the members have to obey the regulations the adults make |
| C．the members have no free time but on weekends |
| D．the members should not break the regulations they make together |
The best title for the passage is________.
| A．The Rules of Living Together | B．Teenagers and Adults Together |
| C．Life in New York State | D．Free Hours in the Special Work Group |
A growing number of consumers, especially young people , are a
dopting more Western habits when it comes to spending money—by favoring credit cards over savings.
A survey of 11,500 people in 18 cities by The Nielson Company found the credit card market had witnessed a major change in recent years.
“Today’s consumer is clearly not interested in saving for a rainy day, as may have been the case in the past,” Bega Ng, director of financial services research with the company said. “Consumers have been adopting Western habits and attitudes in almost every way—including saving and spending habits. Consumers in their 20s spend tomorrow’s cash to fund today’s needs.”
The report found consumers aged 18 to 24 were the most eager credit card users.
Although the report did not give the amounts credit card users in each of the 18 cities spent, it mentioned the example of Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province, where consumers put an average of 50 percent of their monthly incomes into their credit card accounts to indulge(沉湎于) in cashless shopping.
Included in the survey for the first time, Xiamen is reported to have a fast growing penetration rate(渗透率) for credit cards, with four out of ten consumers now owning at least one card. With more than half of cardholders in Xiamen owning two or more cards, it is catching up with key “tier one” cities, the report said. The report did not make known the figures in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Last year, the same Nielson survey showed Shanghai had the biggest population of credit card holders, with citizens owning 1.8 credit cards on average. Half of them use credit cards at least once a week, the survey said.
Yunfei, 30, from Beijing, said she spent at least 2,000 yuan a month by credit cards, most of which went on daily necessities and dining out.Which of the following best shows the young urbanites’ idea of consumption?
| A．Using credit cards in every way. |
| B．Spending tomorrow’s cash for today’s needs. |
| C．Owning more cards for cashless shopping. |
| D．Saving money for future use. |
How is the situation of credit card use in Xjamen?
| A．Forty percent of the consumers own at least one card. |
| B．Credit card users use up most of their monthly income. |
| C．The number of credit card users is larger than that in Guangzhou. |
| D．Over half of the consumers use two or more cards. |
Which city had the largest number of credit card users according to a previous survey?
| A．Xiamen. | B．Beijing. | C．Shanghai. | D．Guangzhou. |
What is the main idea of the survey reported by Nielson Company?
| A．Most credit card users are young people aged 18 to 24. |
| B．Western habits have a big influence on the Chinese people. |
| C．The number of credit card users is growing rapidly in Chinese cities. |
| D．Chinese consumers are no more interested in saving money. |
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk（收缩）. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communication’s equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a breed of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic(国内的) business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive(行政的) ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superior will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate(候选人) the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clie
nts(客户) over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.What is the author’s attitude toward high-tech communications equipment?
| A．Critical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, business people_________.
| A．have to get familiar with modern technology |
| B．are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations |
| C．are placing more importance on their overseas business |
| D．are eager to work overseas |
In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Para. 3) probably means _________.
| A．being unable to think properly for lack of insight |
| B．being totally out of touch with business at home |
| C．missing opportunities for promotion when abroad |
| D．leaving all care and worry behind |
According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today?
| A．Connections with businesses overseas. | B．Ability to speak the client’s language. |
| C．Technical know-how. | D．Business experience. |
Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing?
Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta（Putnam）. She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic（法庭的） intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.
If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World （Riverhead）. Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer （as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia）, you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.
What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny（Random House）, about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest （March, on stands now）, by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.
Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking（Simon & Schuster）. Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives. What does the writer want to tell us by the underlined sentence?
| A．The world is complex and hard. | B．Scarpetta is a thriller. |
| C．The fiction is hard to understand. | D．Society is hard to fit into. |
Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?
| A．She is an adventurous writer. | B．She doesn’t care about fortune. |
| C．Her books normally sell well. | D．She can help you achieve writing skills. |
To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.
| A．go to Reader’s Digest issued in March | B．go to Random House |
| C．analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny | D．read the novel Oh, Johnny |
Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?__________________
| A． Seeking Peace. | B．Reviving Ophelia. |
| C．Wishful Drinking. | D．Oh, Johnny. |
Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my f
ather, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely mad and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.
Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.
I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers(窃笑) about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.
When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.
One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.
The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena (赛马场). We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.
As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it. The underlined expression "shown the gate" (paragraph 4) most probably means " __________".
| A．told how to enter the arena |
| B．shown how to make the horse beautiful |
| C．removed from the competition early |
| D．told to enter the timed-speed events |
Why was the writer not confident of victory?
| A．He was an inexperienced rider. |
| B．He had not practiced enough. |
| C．He believed he was unpopular with the crowd. |
| D．He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others. |
When the final race finished, nobody cheered because____________.
| A．the audience didn’t like Cowboy | B．people envied the writer |
| C．the win was unexpected | D．the writer had run out of time |
What did the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Life can sometimes be unfair. |
| B．Anything is possible if one tries hard enough. |
| C．A positive attitude will bring success. |
| D．One should not make judgments based on appearance. |
The best title for the story is ___________. .
| A．A Race to Remember | B．A Horse’s Tale |
| C．Neck and Neck | D．A Difficult Age |
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