With their long histories, the United Kingdom’s universities have earned reputation and become favored destinations for many international students. However, while many people dream of attending these institutions, a growing number of the schools have fallen victim to cheating scandals (丑闻) in recent years.
The Telegraph reported that investigations for cheating have risen at Leeds University, from 127 in 2014/15 to 516 last year. Over the same period, cases at Queen Mary University of London increased from 104 to 248, and Nottingham University tripled to 514.
The increase has been linked to the rise of essay mills (论文作坊). These are companies that, for a fee, provide original essays, written by real people, for specific university assignments. Widely advertised on social media, these essay mills target those who struggle with their university workloads.
Even though many students have the ability to complete work on their own, it is believed that the pressure of too many deadlines and a lack of discipline encourage them to use essay mills.
In response, many universities have introduced new measures, such as oral exams to test students’ knowledge of assignments and subject areas. New software is also helping catch cheaters. Currently, most UK universities use Turnitin to check assignments for plagiarism (剽窃). Now it is being used to analyze students’ natural writing styles. This way, it may detect abnormal changes in their written assignments.
Despite the risks, essay mills seem like an easy ticket to a degree. However, a majority do not deliver the A+ essays they promise, and students are vulnerable to being cheated and blackmail (敲诈). According to the BBC, multiple Coventry University students were blackmailed up to $5,000 (35,190 yuan) after using an essay-writing service last year.
A Nottingham University spokesman told the Guardian, “The best way to deal with essay mills is for the government to legislate (立法) against them and block their webpages at a national level.”
Currently, these sites are legal in the UK, but other countries, including New Zealand and Australia, have banned them altogether. Students in Australia could even face two years in jail and a $210,000 fine if found guilty of cheating.
1.Why do many students turn to essay mills, according to the writer?
A.Because they want to pay for top marks.
B.Because essay mills are popular on social media.
C.Because they find college work is too difficult.
D.Because they have heavy workloads and they are undisciplined.
2.The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to “_______”.
A.knowing little about something
B.paying close attention to something
C.well prepared for something
D.likely to suffer from something
3.What is the best way to deal with essay mills, according to the Nottingham University spokesman?
A.The government should make laws to ban them.
B.Students found guilty of cheating should be put into jail.
C.Teachers should change the way of testing their students.
D.Universities should better manage their campus websites.
4.What is the main idea of the article?
A.The increase of cheating at UK universities.
B.The rise of essay mills in the UK.
C.Pressures faced by students in the UK.
D.Attitudes toward plagiarism in different countries.
Did you know that most humans are able to recognize about 1 million different colors? Well, some people can’t recognize this many because of something called colorblindness. If someone is colorblind, that means they can’t see as many colors as others – or, in rare cases, can’t see any colors at all.
Thankfully, special glasses have already been made to help fix some types of colorblindness. Now, according to new research published in Optics Letters, scientists have brought this solution one step further.
Sharon Karepov and Tal Ellenbogen, engineers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, have found a way to apply this technology to contact lenses. This new method is so groundbreaking because it can be customized to fix many different kinds of visual disadvantages.
People are able to see colors because of how the eye is structured. At the back of our eyes, there are three different kinds of cone-shaped (圆锥形的) cells that absorb light waves. When light waves are absorbed, the cells send a message to the brain for the image to be processed.
If something is wrong with these cone-shaped cells, this can cause problems when the brain processes the image. One of the most common types of colorblindness is red-green colorblindness. People who have this specific type of visual disadvantage have difficulty telling apart the colors red and green.
“Problems with distinguishing red from green interrupt simple daily routines such as deciding whether a banana is ripe,” Karepov explained.
Karepov also stressed the importance of applying this finding to create special contact lenses instead of relying on color-correcting glasses.
“Glasses based on this correction concept are commercially available, however, they are significantly heavier than contact lenses.” Karepov continued. “Our contact lenses … create a customized, simple and durable way to correct these disadvantages.”
1.Why is Sharon Karepov and Tal Ellenbogen’s finding groundbreaking?
A.They found an effective method to cure colorblindness.
B.They found what causes different kinds of visual disadvantages.
C.They developed special contact lenses to fix many visual disadvantages.
D.They developed glasses to fix all visual disadvantages.
2.What is the cause of colorblindness, according to the text?
A.Only one type of cone-shaped cell exists in the eyes.
B.Cone-shaped cells cannot process images received.
C.The brain fails to absorb light waves.
D.Cone-shaped cells in the eyes don’t work properly.
3.Why are the customized contact lenses better than special glasses, according to Karepov?
A.They are easier to make. B.They are cheaper.
C.They are simpler and more durable. D.They can help correct colorblindness.
4.Which of the following can be the best title?
A.Special Contact Lenses—Seeing the World’s Full Beauty
B.Glasses to Correct Colorblindness
C.Colorblindness Preventing People from Seeing Colors
D.Colorblindness—Something is Wrong with Cone-shaped Cells
I entered a cabinetmaking(家具制造)program. I didn’t think I would be good at making furniture. I’m not handy. Nobody in my family is.
I had great teachers, but making furniture is hard. There are so many steps and something can go wrong at each one. I couldn’t even get organized. My toolbox always looked as if a hurricane had gone through it.
I didn’t fully know what I was committed to in the beginning, but I kept attending class. I tried to be wrapped up in math. The projects forced me to solve new kinds of problems. My brain started to build new connections. Working in this new physical manner and giving it 100 percent of my effort had huge benefits for my mental health. I got over my fear of embarrassment and asked for help at every opportunity.
I spent that year truly learning. True learning is the most challenging experience, especially for those of us who are learning a new set of skills. I could understand exactly what was wrong with the furniture I made, but I couldn’t fix those problems. And yet, I kept trying. I failed again and again, until I learned to fail better.
In the end, I finished the program—with honors, no less! My grades were helped by my good written work. I also learned how to use tools. Having to constantly push myself to step outside my comfort zone has made me a more well-rounded person.
Maybe most importantly, the school gave me a more realistic idea of my strengths and limitations. I’m stronger than I thought!
1.What can we know about the author from the first two paragraphs?
A.She had a gift for making furniture. B.She lacked practical skills.
C.She disliked making everything in a mess. D.She went to the program to surprise her family.
2.What was the biggest challenge the author encountered?
A.Physical condition. B.Psychological preparation.
C.To know how to correct mistakes. D.Not being good at math.
3.What do you think of the author?
A.Hard-working and determined. B.Confident and efficient.
C.Cooperative and creative. D.Modest and talented.
4.What did the author benefit most from the project?
A.She won an award for good writing. B.She became stronger both mentally and physically.
C.She became skillful at making furniture. D.She had a better understanding of herself.
Escape Surf School
The Escape Surf School is in Newquay and has been teaching people to surf for over 12 years. As well as being one of the longest running UK surf schools, we are also the only school in Newquay with a 35-year professional surfer as head coach.
We are open 12 months of the year, 7 days a week, so if you want to learn to surf or improve your surfing, then look no further.
Surf Lessons
At the Escape Surf School we are proud to specialize, not generalize. We offer lessons at all levels, from complete beginners to advanced and contest surfers. As well as offering surfing lessons, we also offer a variety of packages which include surfing and accommodation!
All lessons take place on Towan, Great Western or Fistral beach, all of which are less than 5 minutes walk from school. So we meet at the school, where we all change into wetsuits, and then proceed to the best beach.
Guide Prices
1 lesson--￡65:
Perfect for a beginner, taster session, or quick surfing fix!
Full day (2 lessons)--￡90:
Can be split over 2 days to really progress in your surfing.
Family lesson--￡160:
Have fun with the family in a private lesson with one of our professional coaches. (Price is based on 2 adults and 2 kids.)
One on One--￡100:
Experience private coaching with Pro Surfer. All levels taught.
Two on One--￡140:
Couples or friends, experience a private surf coaching session, perfect to fast track your surfing and impress your partner! All levels taught.
The prices include board and wetsuit(and boots or gloves if required), there are no hidden charges.
1.What advantage does the Escape Surf School have over the others?
A.Its head coach. B.Its courses.
C.Its prices. D.Its location.
2.How much will be paid if a beginner wants a private lesson?
A.￡90 B.￡100 C.￡65 D.￡40
3.What do we know about the Escape Surf School?
A.It teaches surfing as well as swimming.
B.Learners should bring board themselves.
C.It opens from Monday to Saturday all the year round.
D.Learners at all levels can take the lesson.
假设你是晨光中学的李津。你校英语社团的微信公众号正在开展以 “Changes in Our Life”为题的征文活动。要求同学们谈一谈这些年来，在生活方 面发生的、使人们受益的变化。现请你投稿，文章内容应包括：
(1)描述生活上发生的变化(两个方面)；
(2)这些变化给人们带来的好处；
(3)相信未来生活更加美好。
注意：(1)词数不少于100；
(2)内容充实、行文连贯；
(3)题目已给出，不计入总词数。
Changes in Our Life
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By Li Jin
阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题
I remember doing the household chores to help my mother when I was nine. I hated changing the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器)bag and picking up things the machine did not suck up. Twenty years later, in 1978, with this lifelong dislike of the way the machine worked, I decided to make a bagless one.
Easier said than done, of course. I didn't realize that I would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a process that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes (样机).By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into debt. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to solving the problem.
In the early 1980s, I started trying to get licensing agreements for my technology. The reality was very different, however. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the profits from bags and filters (滤网). No one would license my idea, not because it was a bad one, but because it was bad for business. But soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines like mine. I had to fight legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner.
I was still in financial difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally persuaded Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then I was able to go into production. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a best-seller in Britain.
Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of the process. Nothing beats the excitement of invention.
1.What drove the author to make a bagless vacuum cleaner? (No more than 10 words)
2.What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us? (No more than 10 words)
3.Why did the companies refuse to license the author's technology? (No more than 10 words)
4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? (No more than 10 words)
5.What lesson may you learn from the author's experience? (No more than 25 words)
