In the past three years, according to a study, the number of people who study part- time in England has decreased by 42%—the equivalent (等同的)of 106,000 fewer students. Almost half a million students were studying part-time in the past three years, with most of them working at the same time and studying vocational subjects, according to Universities UK(UUK), which conducted the research. The report, which was requested by ministers, said, ''There seems to be many factors responsible for it: the current economic climate limiting employer support for further study and putting pressure on household budgets, changing pathways to higher education and the current changes to the funding system in England and associated increase in tuition fees. Factors such as the rise of apprenticeships(学徒制),increase in private providers (whether for profit or not for profit), and a shift to online learning also have an impact. ''
Professor Sir Eric Thomas, chairman of the review and vice-president of Bristol University, said, ''The reality is that the UK needs more graduates and relies heavily on part-time higher education to meet these fast changing skill needs in a fast changing world. We ignore part-time study's transformative power for individuals and society. While part-time students are a great success story for the UK, something is going wrong. In England in particular, numbers are reducing and do not look like recovering. The situation is highly complex. This review is the beginning of a process of universities working together and with partners to take steps in dealing with this issue. We cannot and must not give up on these students. ''
Rachel Wenstone, vice-president for higher education at the National Union of Students (NUS), said, ''NUS welcomes this report and we are pleased that this issue is getting the attention it deserves. It is incredibly disheartening to see the number of part- time students decreasing. The sector took responsibility in analyzing the issues facing part-time students and it's now time for the sector to take responsibility for dealing with the problems. ''
The university's minister, David Willetts, said, Part-time study brings enormous benefits to individuals, the economy and employers. Tuition fee loans are now available to new part-time students. We will also change the rules which stop people from getting financial support to learn new skills in engineering, technology and computer science part-time. This will make sure that the nation has the skills we need to keep our businesses ahead in the global race. Institutions must also play their part to encourage more part-time study by emphasizing the benefits to future students. I am calling on all universities to make sure that part-time options are highly visible on websites and detailed information about the courses is also up to date.
1.Which of the following is NOT the reason for the decline of the number of part- time students in the UK?
A.The tuition fees have been increased.
B.Many people choose to learn on the Internet.
C.People are too busy with their work and daily lives.
D.Families are short of money to let their members study further.
2.What does Eric Thomas really want to express in Paragraph 2?
A.Part-time higher education is very important in the UK.
B.More graduates in the UK have to improve their skills.
C.Part-time students have been very successful in the UK.
D.Universities in the UK play a key role in attracting part-time students.
3.How does Wenstone feel about the present part-time study in the UK?
A.Puzzled. B.Satisfied.
C.Optimistic. D.Discouraged.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.The UK sees the decline of its part-time students
B.Part-time students receive more attention nowadays
C.The UK comes up with ways to attract more part-time students
D.The decline of part-time students has effects on the UK
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that kids who read for pleasure are more likely to be at or above their expected reading level. Unfortunately, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress scores in 2018, 48 percent of fourth graders in the US have fallen below their grade level when it comes to reading. Schools have been trying different ways to improve students' reading skills, primarily by encouraging children to read more outside of the classroom.
One of the most successful programs has been the Reading to Dogs Program. The program is simple. Schools and libraries pair children that need help with their reading skills up with assistance dogs. The environment is usually very relaxed, with the dog and the child sitting together on the floor. This encourages physical interaction during the process which can help the child relax (petting dogs has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce stress). Children benefit from the patience, acceptance and comfort of the dog's presence, while getting much needed practice with their reading skills in a non-judgmental environment. Children have an ability to interact one-on-one with a therapy dog to improve their reading skills. The benefits apply to other areas of the classroom as well, including students' concentration in class and their completion of homework.
In addition, the Reading to Dogs Program helps children:
1. Gain confidence. Children that score lower on reading exams are generally self- conscious about their abilities, and thus they are more likely to be uncomfortable when reading in front of their classmates. By replacing their classmates with a therapy dog, they are able to read in a completely non-judgmental environment, thus helping them to gain confidence in their skills.
2. Learn about responsible pet care. In addition to the educational and social benefits of this program, children also learn about interacting with an animal. For those who do not have pets at home, this program can teach children about proper dog care and behavior.
1.The author tends to think that .
A.reading for fun may improve children's reading level
B.nearly half of all American students in Grade Four have performed badly
C.students cannot improve their reading ability by reading in class
D.dogs should be brought into classrooms to encourage kids to read
2.Assistance dogs can help children .
a. improve their reading skills
b. raise more pets
c. focus on lessons
d. finish homework
A.a, b, c B.a, c, d
C.b, c, d D.a, b, d
3.What is the main idea of the last three paragraphs of the passage?
A.Why children read to dogs in America.
B.How the Reading to Dogs Program works.
C.What children gain from the program.
D.How dogs benefit from the program.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A.the program is the best way to improve reading skills
B.children can learn more from the patience of dogs
C.the dogs must receive training in reading in advance
D.children with lower reading abilities lack self-confidence
When Randy Heiss went hiking behind his Patagonia, Ariz. farm, the last thing he expected to find was a Christmas list from a little girl across the US-Mexico border. “I found this balloon on my morning walk near Patagonia on Sunday. Attached to it was a piece of paper with the Christmas wishes from a little girl,” Heiss wrote on his Facebook page.
When he brought the list home to his wife, who speaks fluent Spanish, they determined that the little girl had asked for Enchantimals toys, clothes, art supplies and various other gifts. That's when Heiss set out to make the little girl's Christmas dreams come true. Heiss said he had attempted to send Christmas letters to Santa Claus via balloon when he was a kid but never received a response.
Heiss sent a Facebook message on Wednesday to XENY, a radio station in Nogales, to see if it could help him track down the girl or her family. He later received a response from the station, which had determined the author of the letter was an 8-year-old girl named Dayami, and the station wanted to set up a meeting between the two on Thursday. “It just changed my entire day,” Heiss told the Washington Post. “Instead of going back to my office in Bisbee, I went with my wife to Walmart. “
The couple bought almost everything on Dayami's list. They also brought a few gifts for Dayami's little sister, Ximena. They told the children they were “ ayudantes de Santa,” or Santa's helpers.
Heiss,60, said the experience was very healing for him and his wife. Nine years ago,the couple's only son died. “ Being around children at Christmas time has been absent in our lives,” Heiss said. We now have friends for life. For a day, that border fence with its concertina wire melted away.
1.How did Dayami send out her Christmas wishes?
A.By calling Heiss. B.By attaching them to a balloon.
C.By writing to a radio station. D.By sending a Facebook message.
2.When did Heiss know what the girl exactly wanted?
A.After the help of his wife.
B.When he found the balloon.
C.After their meeting in America.
D.When he got a response from the radio station.
3.What might make Heiss decide to fulfill the little girl's Christmas wishes?
A.His son's will.
B.The girls request for help.
C.His similar unsuccessful experience.
D.His desire to make friends with the girl.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The couple got out of the pain completely.
B.The experience was a great relief to the couple.
C.The couple would help more children from Mexico.
D.There will be no border between countries one day.
Kindle Voyage is our most advanced e-reader ever.
Brilliant display
New—The high-resolution（高分辨率的）display features sharp, dark text that reads even more like the printed pages.
Light that adjusts with you
New—Kindle Voyage can be read in bright sunlight or total darkness, and it's smart enough to know the difference. With a new adaptive front light, Kindle Voyage senses the light in your environment, and changes the setting to the ideal brightness. In order to more closely resemble reading on real paper, we researched and hand-tuned the optimal brightness setting for every lighting condition. When reading in the dark, the adaptive front light slowly lowers the display's brightness over to match the way the eye responds to darkness.
Effortless page turns
New—PagePress allows you to turn the page without lifting a finger. Simply apply pressure on the bezel surrounding the screen to turn the page, and PagePress will provide a silent haptic（触觉的）response for consistent and immediate reaction.
Remarkably thin design
Improved—At just 7. 6mm thin, Voyage is our thinnest Kindle ever. Kindle Voyage was designed to come one step closer to a sheet of paper. Comfortably hold Kindle Voyage in one hand for long reading sessions. With a magnesium(镁金)back and a glass front, Kindle Voyage is both durable and smooth.
Long battery life
Like Kindle Paperwhite, the battery lasts weeks on a single charge.
Kindle Unlimited
With Kindle Unlimited, you can read as much as you want, choosing from over 70,000 titles. From mysteries and romance to science fiction and more, freely explore new authors and books on any device for just $ 9. 99 a month. Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days.
1.According to the passage, the adaptive front light _______.
A.is designed specially for reading in the dark
B.changes its brightness according to readers' eyesight
C.provides readers with suitable brightness while reading
D.can make reading on screen more comfortable than on the printed pages
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Kindle Voyage?
A.It was designed with easy page turns.
B.Its battery lasts longer than Kindle Paperwhite.
C.Customers enjoy a 30-day free trial of Kindle Voyage.
D.One of the new features of Kindle Voyage is the thin design.
3.The passage is most probably________ .
A.a science report
B.a news report
C.a commercial advertisement
D.a travel guide
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was very unfriendly to them.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to have them fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn't until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali's running shoes, Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that would be held for the boys in the city. When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win the new shoes.
The day of the race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted, he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided （碰撞）with him from behind. Ali crashed to the ground. 注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为120左右；
2 .续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Paragraph 1:
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
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Paragraph 2:
Filled with pleasure, Ali walked home quickly.
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假定你是李华，在你校学习的英国交换生Tim发邮件说他下学期要选修一门艺术课, 学校共开设两门课程：中国书法（Chinese Calligraphy）和中国绘画（Chinese Painting）,希望 你能向他推荐其中一门课程。请你给他回一封邮件，内容包括：
1.推荐的课程；
2.推荐的理由；
3.你的祝愿。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tim,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
