Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials.
The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%～3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%～15% by 2012.
Online versions(版本) are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An etextbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device(设备)，so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of etextbooks？Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes.
The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its fulltime students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to etextbooks.
The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information.
But most found that using etextbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all，almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.
But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose etextbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase.
Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive(交互式的)．
He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video，activities，games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now，most of the books are just words on a screen.Etextbooks are not better than paper books in that________.
| A．they cost more money |
| B．they’re difficult to carry |
| C．they’re not convenient to share |
| D．they can’t be downloaded from the Internet |
How many surveyed students think paper books make better reading?
| A．60%. | B．56%. | C．55%. | D．50%. |
It can be inferred from the text that in the future________.
| A．digital books will be more popular |
| B．the digital books available need improvement |
| C．free digital books are available online |
| D．digital books will replace print textbooks |
At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders（性别）．
David Chadwell, South Carolina’s expert of single gender education says, “Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently．We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know．”
Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains．The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction．“Boys understand the world as objects moving through space,” he says．
The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black．It’s no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class．
The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange．To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn’t need to move as much as in boy’s class．Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention．
Boys and girls also hear differently．“When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling,” Chadwell says．“They think you’re mad and can shut down．” Girls are more sensitive to sounds．He advises girls’ teachers to watch the tone of their voices．Boys’ teachers should sound more forceful, even excited．
A boy’s nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit．Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused．Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit．Girls also respond to stress differently．When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts（肠道）, leaving them feeling nervous or anxious．
These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds．“Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning．”What is David Chadwell’s attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?
| A．Supportive | B．Worried | C．Concerned | D．Uninterested |
To engage boy in a class, the teacher ______．
| A．must have a moving object in this hand |
| B．needs to wear clothes in warm color |
| C．has to speak politely |
| D．had better move constantly while teaching |
Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
（ =" Paragraph" 1 ‚=" Paragraph" 2 ƒ=" Paragraph" 3 …．．． ˆ=" Paragraph" 8 ）
Which of the following students is most likely to be focused?
| A．A boy sitting in a warm room | B．A standing boy who is faced with stress |
| C．A girl standing in a cold room | D．A girl who is facing a lot of pressure |
International Studies (BA)
Key features
● Recognizes the “global community”
● Has close connections with practical research
● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups
About the course
The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states．It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.
The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries．You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.
Related courses
BA (Hons) Community Management
BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management
Employment possibilities
International organizations
International business
Earth Science (BSc)
Key features
● Based on key courses and the latest research findings
● Pays much attention to practical skills
● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）
About the course
The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind．Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.
The course covers geography and geology．You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.
Related courses
BSc (Hons) Geograhpy
BSc (Hons) Geology
Employment possibilities
Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industriesInternational Studies is a course in ________.
| A．international polities | B．international business |
| C．international systems | D．international bodies |
After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.
| A．become practical and open-minded |
| B．have a greater ability to discuss theories |
| C．know how to settle international problems |
| D．have good jobs in any international organizations |
Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.
| A．is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork |
| B．pays more attention to practical skills than theories |
| C．is built on important courses and the results of recent studies |
| D．encourages students to play a role in using natural resources |
It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.
| A．enjoy research work | B．plan to choose courses |
| C．study in the UK | D．are interested in overseas fieldwork |
Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye broke, there has been confusion（混淆） over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever．
Sudan 1 is a red industrial dye（颜料） that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003．
Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been trying to remove some food products from the shelves．So far 580 products have been recalled．
Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification(澄清) of the origin of the dye’s name．
Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye．
"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said．"Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country．But they told us there was no relationship．"
The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week．
"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said．"People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name．Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out．"
Sudan dyes, which include Sudan 1 to 4, are red dyesused for colouring oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes．They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer．What does the underlined word “carcinogenic” mean in paragraph one?
| A．Causing cancer． | B．Having side effect． |
| C．Containing poison． | D．Poisonous． |
How did the Sudan 1 get its name?
| A．The dye is often produced in Sudan． |
| B．The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan． |
| C．Nobody is sure of the origin of the name． |
| D．Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye． |
We can infer from the passage that．
| A．the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety |
| B．Sudan 1 is often used to be added to the food |
| C．people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan1 until 2003 |
| D．many food shops will be closed down |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Keep away from Sudan1 |
| B．No Sudan 1 dye links to the country |
| C．How Sudan1 dye got its name? |
| D．Pay attention to the food safety |
A powerful earthquake struck the northeastern coast of Japan at two forty-six p.m. local time on March eleventh.2011. Japan's Meteorological Agency released its first tsunami（海啸） warnings just three minutes later. The country has one of the best earthquake early warning systems in the world.
There are more than four thousand Seismic Intensity Meters in place throughout Japan to measure earthquake activity. These meters provide information within two minutes of an earthquake happening. Information about the strength and the center of the earthquake can be learned within three minutes.
There are also concrete(混凝土) sea walls around much of the Japanese coastline. But these measures proved no match for the powerful earthquake and tsunami.
Costas Synolakis ，a tsunami expert at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles said，"Japan is one of those most well-prepared countries on earth in terms of tsunami warning. They had a warning. I think what went wrong is that they had not expected the size of this event."
He says there are two reasons for this. Japan has not had any event anywhere near as big as this one in the last one hundred fifty years. And scientists had not expected such a large earthquake happening off the coast of Japan.
The nine point zero magnitude earthquake was the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded worldwide. It was also the worst earthquake ever to hit Japan. The tsunami waves that followed were reported to have reached as high as thirteen meters in some areas.
Costas Synolakis says Japan's concrete sea walls were not built to handle such high waves.
Experts say early warning systems will continue to be limited by these facts until earthquakes and tsunamis can be predictedWhere can this passage probably be adapted from?
| A．A magazine on science | B．A fairy Tale |
| C．A scientific fantasy book | D．A newspaper |
Which of the following statements NOT true ?
| A．A terrible earthquake hit the northeastern coast of Japan |
| B．It was also the worst earthquake in Japan |
| C．The 9.0 earthquake was the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan |
| D．Japan's concrete sea walls was unable to handle such high waves. |
According to Costas Synolakis, why did Japan suffer such a loss?
| A．The country has never experienced any event as big as this one over the past 150 years |
| B．Japan has the best earthquake early warning systems in the world. |
| C．There are not concrete sea walls around all of the Japanese coastline |
| D．The government didn’t announce its first tsunami warnings three minutes earlier. |
Long before the white man came to the America, the land belonged to the American Indian nations, The nation of the Cherokees lived in what is now the southeastern part of the United States.
After the white man came, the Cherokees copied many of their ways. One Cherokee named Sequoyah saw how important reading and writing was to the white man. He decided to invent a way to write down the spoken Cherokee language. He began by making word pictures. For each word he drew a picture. But that proved impossible; there were just too many words. Then he took the 85 sounds that made up the language. Using his own imagination and an English spelling book, Sequoyah invented a sign for each sound. His alphabet proved amazingly easy to learn. Before long, many Cherokees knew how to read and write in their own language. By 1828, they were even printing their own newspaper.
In 1830, the US congress passed a law. It allowed the government to remove Indians from their lands. The Cherokees refused to go. They had lived on their lands for centuries. It belonged to them. Why should they go to a strange land far beyond the Mississippi River?
The army was sent to drive the Cherokees out. Soldiers surrounded their villages and marched them at gunpoint into the western territory. The sick, the old and the small children went in carts, along with their belongings. The rest of the people marched on foot or rode on horseback. It was November, yet many of them still wore their summer clothes. Cold and hungry, the Cherokees were quickly exhausted by the hardships of journey. Many dropped dead and were buried by the roadside. When the last group arrived in their new home in March 1839, more than 4000 had died. It was in deed a march of death. The Cherokee Nation used to live____________.
| A．on the American continent | B．in the southeastern part of the US |
| C．beyond the Mississippi River | D．in the western territory |
One of the ways that Sequoyah copied from the white man is the way of__________.
| A．writing down the spoken language | B．making word pictures |
| C．teaching his people reading | D．printing their own newspaper |
A law was passed in 1830 to__________.
| A．allow the Cherokees to stay where they were |
| B．send the army to help the Cherokees |
| C．force the Cherokees to move westward |
| D．forbid the Cherokees to read their newspaper |
When the Cherokees began to leave their lands, __________.
| A．they went in carts | B．they went on horseback |
| C．they marched on foot | D．all of the above |
Many Cherokees died on their way to their new home mainly because________.
| A．they were not willing to go there |
| B．the government did not provide transportation |
| C．they did not have enough food and clothes |
| D．the journey was long and boring |
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