Schools are almost all connected to the Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like video conferencing, to bring the world into the classroom.
And some classrooms are equipped with things like a Smart Board, a kind of interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can operate by touch. They can be used for documents or writing or to project video.
Some teachers are trying creative new ways to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But educators say the most important thing, as always, is the content.
Yet technology can have special importance in some cases. Cosmobot is a therapy robot. It stands about half a meter tall and has a blue body and a friendly face with big eyes.
One child who works with it is six-year-old Kevin Fitzgerald. Kevin has developmental dyspraxia; he has difficulty moving his mouth and tongue.
He works with Carole Semango-Sprouse as he interacts with the Cosmobot during therapy for his condition. Here, he uses a set of buttons attached to a computer to make the silent robot move forward, backward or around in circles.
Kevin’s mother thinks the robot has had a calming influence, helping her son get along better with his friends.
Cosmobot was developed by Anthro Tronix. Corinna Lathan started the company ten years ago to work with children with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities.
Children become friends with the robot, she says. That can have a big effect on their behavior, helping them work harder and longer in therapy sessions.
Corinna Lathan is currently working with a British company to develop other socially helpful robots. She says they are still considered research tools in the United States, and not used as much as in places like Britain and Japan. But she hopes to change that. It’s known from the text that ________.
| A．schools have easy access to the Internet today |
| B．new technology is seldom applied to teaching |
| C．the Internet is of equal importance in schools |
| D．using computers for activities is labor-saving |
Which of the following is NOT right about Smart Board?
| A．It’s a kind of teaching facility. |
| B．It can be used to project video. |
| C．It’s a display for presentation. |
| D．It’s not easy to be connected to computers. |
What’s “dyspraxia” according to the text?
| A．Speech barrier. |
| B．Movement disorder. |
| C．Visual impairment. |
| D．Loss of memory. |
Which of the following is RIGHT according to the text?
| A．Cosmobot is designed to play with. |
| B．Cosmobot is costly and not user-friendly. |
| C．Cosmobot can be controlled by a computer. |
| D．Anthro Tronix is a designer of a certain company. |
What can we learn from Corinna Lathan?
| A．She’s employed by a British company. |
| B．Cosmobot is popular around the world. |
| C．She wants to make previous products widespread. |
| D．IPods and mobile phones are valued in class. |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents(专利)on inventions than another American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power could be shut off in homes, streets, and factories.
Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his invention meant to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was out of the question.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his country people's fingertips.People decided to honor Edison when________.
| A．he made the first electric light |
| B．electric power was 100 years old |
| C．the country realized electricity's importance |
| D．he died in 1931 |
The suggested plan was to________.
| A．turn off the lights in factories and schools |
| B．observe a few minutes of total silence |
| C．dim all electric lights |
| D．shut off all electricity for a short time |
Americans fully realized what Edison's inventions meant when they________.
| A．heard of his death |
| B．heard of the plan to honor him |
| C．first used electric power |
| D．tried to carry out the plan |
The plan was never carried out because________.
| A．not everyone wanted to honor Edison |
| B．it was too difficult |
| C．electric power was too important to the country |
| D．it honored only one of Edison's inventions |
This passage was probably written to________.
| A．tell about Edison's inventions |
| B．explain electricity |
| C．prove that people wished to honor Edison |
| D．show what a great Edison was |
Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research time before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable：390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times bestselling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the real life problems of death, new hobbies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times bestselling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times bestseller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源)and has kept in touch with them by email. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公)of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的)style. There is only one Danielle Steel.Danielle Steel is different from other writer in that________.
| A．she can write several books at the same time |
| B．she often does some research before writing the book |
| C．she is one of the most popular American women writers |
| D．she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break |
Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know______.
| A．how to deal with affairs at school |
| B．what to do if Max and Martha die |
| C．what to do when new babies are born into their families |
| D．how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes |
One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that________.
| A．some TV plays were based on her books |
| B．her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
| C．one of her books became a bestseller in 1998 |
| D．she wrote the Guiness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel________.
| A．lives an exciting life |
| B．values her readers a lot |
| C．writers about quiet women |
| D．is pleased with her achievements |
If there is one thing scientists have to hear, it is that game is over. Raised on the belief of an endless voyage of discovery, they recoil(畏缩)from the suggestion that most of the best things have already been located. If they have, today's scientists can hope to contribute no more than a few grace notes to the symphony(交响乐)of science.
A book to be published in Britain this week, The End of Science, argues persuasively that this is the case. Its author, John Horgan, is a senior writer for Scientific American magazine, who has interviewed many of today's leading scientists and science philosophers(哲学家). The shock of realizing that science might be over came to him, he says, when he was talking to Oxford mathematician and physicist Sir Roger Penrose.
The End of Science provoked(激怒)a wave of denunciation(谴责)in the United States last year. “The reaction(反应)has been one of complete shock and disbelief，” Mr. Horgan says.
The real question is whether any remaining unsolved problems, of which there are plenty, lead themselves to universal solutions. If they do not, then the focus of scientific discovery is already narrowing. Since the triumphs(胜利)of the 1960s—the genetic code, plate tectonics(板块构造说), and the microwave background radiation that went a long way towards proving the_Big_Bang—genuine(真正的)scientific revolutions have been scarce. More scientists are now alive, spending more money on research, than ever. Yet most of the great discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries were made before the appearance of state sponsorship, when the scientific enterprise was a fraction(小部分)of its present size.
Were the scientists who made these discoveries brighter than today's? That seems unlikely. A far more reasonable explanation is that fundamental(基础的)science has already entered a period of diminished returns. “Look, don't get me wrong，” says Mr. Horgan, “There are lots of important things still to study, and applied(应用的)science and engineering can go on forever. I hope we get a cure for cancer, and for mental disease, though there are few real signs of progress.”The sentence “most of the best things have already been located” could mean________.
| A．most of the best things have already been changed |
| B．most of the best things remain to be changed |
| C．there have never been so many best things waiting to be discovered |
| D．most secrets of the world have already been discovered |
John Horgan ________.
Ⅰ. has written a book entitled The End of Science
Ⅱ. has been working as an editor of Scientific American
Ⅲ. has been working many years as a literary critic
Ⅳ. is working as a science writer
| A．Ⅰand Ⅱ | B．Ⅰ only |
| C．Ⅰand Ⅳ | D．Ⅰ，Ⅱand Ⅳ |
There have not been many genuine scientific revolutions in the past few decades because________.
| A．there have been decreased returns in the research of fundamental science |
| B．there are too many important things for scientists to study |
| C．applied science and engineering take up too much time and energy |
| D．today's scientists are not as intelligent as those in the past |
The term “the Big Bang” probably refers to________.
| A．the genetic code theory |
| B．a theory of the origin(起源)of the universe |
| C．a geological theory |
| D．the origin and the power of atomic energy |
He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But in his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time.
Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003“The Van Gogh Year”in his honour. And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions through the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a minister. He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions(情感)into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes(绘画笔法). “Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use colour more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly，”he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His Portrait of Dr Gachet sold for US $ 89.5 million in 1990. It is the powerful and the brilliant colours in them are attractive to people，”said a Van Goah's fan.All through his life Van Gogh________.
| A．depended on his brother |
| B．worked hard on his dream |
| C．was not recognized by people |
| D．expressed himself in paintings |
Van Gogh killed himself because of________.
| A．the poor life |
| B．his illness |
| C．his pain from the left ear |
| D．the refusal by artists of his time |
One of the characteristics of Van Gogh's paintings is________.
| A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality |
| B．the short time for him to complete a painting |
| C．the various styles mixed together |
| D．the special strokes he made |
The selling of his paintings is considered to be the most successful because________.
| A．more and more people like his paintings |
| B．people can understand him through his paintings |
| C．1.3 million people visit his paintings museum every year |
| D．Zundert has made 2003“The Van Gogh Year”in his honour |
B
(2010·江苏卷)Usually，when your teacher asks a question，there is only one correct answer.But there is one question that has millions of correct answers.That question is “What's your name？”Everyone gives a different answer，but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people's names？Where do they come from？What do they mean?
People's first names，or given names，are chosen by their parents.Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used.Some parents choose the name of a wellknown person.A boy could be named George Washington Smith；a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things.Clara means“bright”；Beatrice means“one who gives happiness”；Donald means“world ruler”；Leonard means“as brave as a lion.”
The earliest last names，or surnames，were taken from place names.A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long，paved road.The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people's occupations.The most common occupational name is Smith，which means a person who makes things with fron or other metals.In the past，smiths were very important workers in every town and village.Some other occupational names are：Cartera person who owned or drove a cart；Pottera person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village.The Carpenter's greatgreatgreatgrandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin，or their size，or their special abilities.When there were two men who were named John in the same village，the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray.Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman.John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father's name. Englishspeaking people added s or son.The Johnsons are descendants of John；the Roberts family's ancestor was Robert.Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O'Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived. |
| B．People's characters. |
| C．Talents that people possessed. |
| D．People's occupations. |
According to the passage，the ancestors of the Potter family most probably________.
| A．owned or drove a cart |
| B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or containers |
| D．built houses and furniture |
Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their newborn son to become a world leader，the baby might be named________.
| A．Beatrice Smith |
| B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet |
| D．Donald Greenwood |
The underlined word“descendants”in the last paragraph means a person's________.
| A．later generations |
| B．friends and relatives |
| C．colleagues and partners |
| D．later sponsors |
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