Last year, a report by a committee of education experts said that a lot of American students cannot write well. The report noted the concerns of business leaders and teachers. The experts said that more students should have to pass a writing test before they can finish high school. They pointed out that major college entrance tests are changing now to include a writing part.
Educators know that teaching students to write well is not easy. One problem is the amount of time needed to read through large amounts of work. So some companies have developed computer programs. These can grade student writing much more quickly than a person can. Writing tests can also cost less to carry out by computer than paper-and-pencil. These computer systems are known as e-readers. They use artificial (人工的) intelligence to think in a way like teachers. In the state of Indiana, computer grading of a statewide writing test began with a test of the system itself. For two years, both a computer and humans graded the student writing. Officials say there was almost no difference between the computer grades and those given by the human readers.
The entrance test commonly used by business schools, the GMAT, already uses e-readers. The GRE and TOEFL tests might start; officials are deciding. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Systems are also being used to grade writing in college classes. The computers read a few hundred examples of student writing already graded by humans. Then the systems compare new writings against those already examined.
How do teachers feel all about this? Many say machines can never do the job as well as people can. A computer can find spelling and grammar mistakes. But these teachers say it can never really understand what a writer is trying to say. Critics say a program cannot follow a thought or judge humor or understand a beautifully expressed idea.
But inventors of the programs say computer grading guarantees that each piece of writing is graded in the same way. They also say the systems are meant to judge knowledge more than creativity.What do the teachers think of the computer system?
| A．They think highly of the computer systems. |
| B．They think that computers cannot grade writing as well as people. |
| C．They believe that computers can understand a writer’s idea well |
| D．They are glad computers will spare their effort to correct students’ school work. |
From the first paragraph we can conclude that _________.
| A．American students’ writing ability is being improved |
| B．American students’ writing ability is not satisfactory |
| C．business leaders and teachers are not worried about students’ writing |
| D．all college entrance tests will include a writing part |
Which of the following is NOT the advantage of e-readers?
| A．Saving much of teachers’ time. | B．Saving a lot of money. |
C．Being fair and objective. | D．Appreciating humor and beauty |
The best title of this passage might be _________.
| A．Computer-graded Writing | B．Human-graded Writing |
| C．How to Improve Students’ Writing | D．Advantages of E-readers |
More than three years after moving from Australia to this remote part of England, we are still learning how things are done here.
Not too long after we arrived and unpacked, we were invited for “a drink on Sunday morning” by a retired couple nearby. We got there about noon, to find the living-room crowded — lots of chat and discussions, and in all a very jolly occasion.
Trouble was, there was no food — no self-respecting Australian would regard a tray of crisps as food. In Sydney, when you are invited for a drink any time after midday on a Sunday, you know you will be fed as well as watered and you plan accordingly. Meaning the hardworked little woman makes no plans to cook lunch because you are eating out.
By one-fifteen my stomach was sending up “please explain” to me. Even the crisps had gone. There was nothing we could do except wait, and wonder if the hostess was going to perform some magic and feed us fashionably late. Then, as quickly as if word had spread that there was free beer at the local pub, the room emptied. By one-forty-five there were only a few guests left, so we decided to go home. Tinned soup for lunch that day because the little woman was not really interested in real cooking for us.
A few weeks ago we were invited out for “supper” and the hostess suggested 8:15. Ah, we thought greedily, “this is going to be the real thing.”
We dressed with some care — I putting on a dark suit — and arrived on time. My wife looked pretty good, I thought, a little black dress and so on. But when we walked in I had a terrible feeling we had got the night wrong because the hostess was dressed in a daytime kind of way and the husband was in jeans and an open-neck shirt. But no, we were greeted and shown into the sitting-room.
After a drink I looked around and saw that this was indeed a superior cottage because it had a (more or less) separate dining-room. But there were no signs of a table-setting. Not again! I thought. Were we meant to eat before we came? I decided that in future my wife and I would always carry a chocolate bar. About 9:28 our hostess went out of the room, saying something about food. Ten minutes later she returned and asked us to follow. We were led out to the kitchen. There on the table were country style plates and a huge bowl of soup, rough bread and all the makings of a simple meal. And that is what it was. In other words we had not read the signals right when we were invited for “supper”. If they want you to come to dinner, they say so, and you know that means dark suits and so on. If they mean supper, they say it, and you get fed in the kitchen.When the author and his wife were invited out for “a drink on Sunday morning”, they thought _______.
| A．they would be the only people there |
| B．they would be given lunch as well |
| C．they would be taken to a restaurant for lunch |
| D．they would be asked to take some food with them |
The “party” had been going on for about an hour and three quarters when _________.
| A．the hostess decided to feed her guests | B．everyone had tinned soup for lunch |
| C．most of the guests went to lunch at the pub | D．the author realized he would go home hungry |
When invited out for “supper” a few weeks later, the writer _________.
| A．expected to be served a proper dinner |
| B．arrived on the wrong evening |
| C．interpreted the invitation correctly this time |
| D．realized there was no dining-room in the cottage |
As the evening went on, the writer became aware that _________.
| A．no one used their dining-rooms in the countryside | |
| B．he should have had a meal before going out | |
| C．“supper” meant a simple, informal meal |
D．he should, in future, eat only chocolate in the evening |
The first people who gave names to hurricanes were those who knew them best — the people of Puerto Rico. The small island of Puerto Rico is in the West Indies, off the coast of Florida. This is where all the hurricanes begin that strike the east coast of the United States. Often they pass near Puerto Rico or cross it on their way north. The people of Puerto Rico expect some of these unwelcome visitors every year. Each one is named after the Saint’s Day on which it arrives. Two of the most destructive storms were the Santo Ana in 1840 and the San Ciriaco in 1899.
Giving girls’ names to hurricanes is a fairly new idea. It all began with a story called “Storm”, written by George Stewart in 1941. In it a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after girls he knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how she Maria grew and developed, and how she changed the lives of people when she struck the United States.
Weathermen of the U.S. Army and Navy used the same system during World WarⅡ. They were studying weather conditions over the Pacific Ocean. One of their duties was to warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever they spotted one, they gave it a girl’s name. The first one of the year was given a name beginning with [A]. The second one got a name beginning with [B]. They used all the letters from A to W, and still the storms kept coming. They had to use three lists from A to W to have enough names to go around. This was the first list of hurricane names that followed the alphabet. It served as a model for the system the Weather Bureau (局) introduced in 1942.
Before 1950 the Weather Bureau had no special system for naming hurricanes. When a hurricane was born down in the West Indies, the Weather Bureau simply collected information about it. It reported how fast the storm was moving and where it would go next. Weather reports warned people in the path of the hurricane, so that they could do whatever was necessary to protect themselves.
This system worked out fine as long as weather reports talked about only one hurricane at a time. But one week in September 1950 there were three hurricanes at the same time. The things began to get confused. Some people got the hurricanes mixed up and didn’t know which was which. This convinced the Weather Bureau that it needed a code for naming the storms in order to avoid confusion in the future.Hurricanes were first named after the _________.
| A．date on which they occurred | B．place where they began |
C．amount of destruction they did | D．particular feature they have |
The practice of giving girls’ names to hurricanes was started by _________.
| A．a radio operator | B．an author | C．a sailor | D．local people |
The purpose for which weathermen of the army and navy began using girls’ names for hurricanes was ________.
| A．to keep information from the enemy | B．to follow the standard method of the United States |
C．not given in the article | D．to remember a certain girl |
The Weather Bureau began naming hurricanes because it would help them _________.
| A．collect information more rapidly | B．warn people more efficiently |
C．make use of military (军事的) records | D．remember them |
HOUSTON (Reuters) — Houston tops a U.S. magazine’s annual fattest cities list for the fourth time in five years, with four other Texas cities in the top 25.
Fast food restaurants — Houston has twice the national average number — are partly to blame for the dishonor, Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said.
“Americans work long hours, don’t take vacations, and when they’re faced with the worst food choices, they indulge (沉溺于) in those,” he said.
High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation’s longest commute (每天去上班的路程) times also helped Texas’ most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2003 heavy weight champion, the magazine said.
Houston Mayor Bill White, who has worked with a major food company to develop healthy food products and the city’s public schools to improve lunch menus, called the report “mostly ungrounded and nonsense.”
“On the other hand, it calls attention to real issues the mayor is trying to deal with,” his spokesman, Frank Michel, said.
The magazine said it looked at factors such as the number and types of restaurants, park space, air quality, weather and the number of health clubs.
Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago followed Houston on the seventh edition of the fat list. Texas cities Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso were in the top 14, which Boulton said was no surprise.
“It’s pure big indulgence, just living big, and that’s part of the culture,” said Boulton.
Seattle ranked as the fittest city. Austin and Arlington, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, were the only Texas cities on the fit list. Austin was 19th and Arlington 22nd out of 25.What decides the magazine’s annual fattest list?
| A．The size of fat population. | B．The number of fast food restaurants. |
| C．The economic growth rate of the state. | D．Things related to unhealthy ways of life. |
Which city topped 2003 fattest cities list?
| A．Houston. | B．Dallas. | C．Detroit. | D．Philadelphia. |
By saying “living big” (in Paragraph 9), Boulton means people _________.
| A．are growing fatter | B．are living wastefully |
C．eat too many fatty foods | D．are spending too much time working |
Which of the following is best supported by the text?
| A．Texas has the most fat cities in the U.S. |
| B．Bill White is happy with the newspaper report. |
| C．People in Texas are the most hardworking in the U.S. |
| D．Most school children in Houston have weight problems. |
阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sports of canoe (划船) racing was added to the list of international competition. The 31 team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man named Bill Havens.
As the time for the Olympics 32 , it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child at about the 33 that the U.S. team would be competing in the Pairs games. In 1924 there were no planes form Paris to the United States, only 34 ships. Bill found himself in a dilemma (左右为难的困境).
Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris. 35 , competing in the Olympics was a lifelong dream. But Bill felt 36 and, after much soul-searching, decided to remain home, where he could 37 his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her 38 his highest priority (优先考虑的事), even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his 39 .
The team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was 40 in giving birth to their child. 41 , Bill could have competed in the event and returned home 42 to be with he when she gave birth.
People said, “What a shame!” But Bill said he had no 43 . For the rest of his life, he 44 he had made the better decision.
Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody 45 that out. Not everybody has the strength to say no to something he or she truly 46 in order to say yes to something that truly 47 . Peace begins to 48 our lives when we learn to say yes to the things that really matter.
Twenty eight years later, Bill 49 a telegram. It was from Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The telegram read, “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you 50 while waiting for me to be born.”
A．new B．favorite C．special D．weak
A．arrived B．passed C．neared D．ended
A．moment B．opportunity C．time D．promise
A．fast B．old C．small D．slow
A．In all B．After all C．As a result D．As usual
A．honored B．worried C．conflicted D．delighted
A．persuade B．accompany C．support D．satisfy
A．place B．side C．door D．mercy
A．duty B．promise C．dream D．demand
A．favoring B．successful C．safe D．late
A．In addition B．For example C．In fact D．At last
A．on time B．in time C．on purpose D．in need
A．judgments B．excuse C．choices D．regrets
A．believed B．wished C．wondered D．proved
A．puts B．takes C．figures D．gives
A．trusts B．wants C．understands D．respects
A．matters B．happens C．appears D．continues
A．turn into B．look into C．settle on D．rely on
A．discovered B．wrote C．sent D．received
A．grasped B．offered C．took D．lost
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