From 2016, Children in Finland would not be taught cursive handwriting. Instead of learning this skill, schools would be given the choice to teach keyboard typing in its place. The change shows typing skills are now more related than handwriting, but experts say the move could do harm to a child’s brain development.
“Most people would agree that everyone should at least be able to pick up a pen or a pencil and write a message that others can read,”said Misty Adoniou, a lecturer.“But beyond legibility（易读性）, does it matter how you form your letters when you handwrite?”
She continued there was research connecting fluent（流畅的） handwriting with better written articles,“but the key isn’t the quality, form or style of the handwriting, but rather the automaticity（自动性） of the handwriting.”
Reports have also found that by the age of eight, children can already type faster than they can handwrite. But, as Misty Adoniou agreed, handwriting can play an important part in brain development.“Research shows that learning to write in cursive further improves students’ motor and visual（视觉的） skills, eye-to-handco ordination, hand and finger skills, and brain development. The physical act of handwriting also helps the memory of information and the flow（流动）of ideas.”
For example, in a recent study, researchers did brain scans on five-year-olds before and after receiving different letter-learning tasks. In children who practiced writing letters by hand, the neural（神经的） activity was more improved and“aduit-like”than in those who had simply looked at letters. “Technology can encourage and support plenty of child development and educational objectives, such as physical and health、”explained Dr.Leves, “And there is a body of research supporting the idea that children learn best when they’re having fun.”
But as Ms Adoniou concluded:“With so many things to do in a school day, it is hard to see why handwriting lessons continue. No matter how standardized we try to make handwriting, we all end up with our own style. Perhaps we’d do just all well to let children find their own style.”
1.Ms Adoniou probably agrees that you will write articles better when _____.
A. you care less about your handwriting
B. you have a special style of handwriting
C. you improve the quality of handwriting
D. you have different forms of handwriting
2.According to Ms Adoniou, cursive handwriting _____.
A. improves children’s eyesight
B. makes children’s hands strong
C. makes children have fewer ideas
D. helps children’s brains develop better
3.What is the passage mainly about _____?
A. How to teach keyboard typing.
B. The reasons why students drop pens.
C. Some opinions on cursive handwriting.
D. How to improve your own writing style.
Do you know some great inventors and their inventions?
What factors (因素) are needed for their success?
Well, good timing for a start. You can have a great idea which the public simply doesn’t want ... yet. The Italian Giovanni Caselli invented the first fax(传真)machine in the 1860s. Although the machine was excellent, his invention quickly died a commercial(商业的) death. It was not until the 1980s that the fax became very common in every office... too late for Giovanni Caselli.
Money also helps. The Frenchman Denis Papin (1647-1712) had the idea for a steam engine (蒸汽机)almost a hundred years before the better-remembered Scotsman James Watt was even born... but he never had enough money to build one.
You also need to be patient (it took scientists nearly eighty years to develop a light bulb which actually worked)... but not too patient. In the 1870s, Elisha Gray, a professional inventor from Chicago, developed plans for a telephone. Gray saw it as no more than “a beautiful toy”. However, when he finally sent details of his invention to the Patent Office(专利局) in February， 1876, it was too late. Almost the same invention had arrived two hours earlier... and the young man who sent it, Alexander Graham Bell, will always be remembered as the inventor of the telephone.
Of course what you really need is a great idea—but if you haven’t got one, a walk in the country and careful look at nature can help. The Swiss scientist, George de Mestral, had the idea for Velcro（魔术贴）when he found his clothes covered in sticky seed pods after a walk in the country. During a similar walk in the French countryside some 250 years earlier, Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur had the idea that paper could be made from wood when he found an abandoned wasps’ nest（蜂巢）.
You also need good commercial sense. Willy Higinbotham was a scientist doing nuclear（核能的） research in the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, USA. In 1958, the public were invited to an exhibition in the Laboratory to see their work, but both parents and children were more interested in a tennis video game on the screen. Soon hundreds of people were ignoring the other exhibits to play the first ever computer game—made from a simple laboratory instrument called an “oscilloscope”. Higinbotham, however, never made money from his invention: he thought people were only interested in the game because the other exhibits were so boring!
1.How many factors do inventors need according to the passage?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6.
2.The word “ignoring” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.
A. having no idea of B. doing no good to
C. getting no chance of D. paying no attention to
3.What can you learn from the passage?
A. Giovanni Caselli invented the first fax machine in the 1980s.
B. Denis Papin afforded to build a steam engine a hundred years ago.
C. Elisha Gray missed the chance to be the inventor of the telephone.
D. George de Mestral got an idea from a walk in a French countryside.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to be a successful inventor
B. How to get a great idea from nature
C. How to have a good commercial sense
D. How to make money from inventions
Mindfulness Matters
In recent years, some schools have begun to introduce meditation, or mindfulness training, into their classrooms. During mindfulness training, students may be asked to sit quietly and observe their own thoughts and feelings to avoid being controlled by them. Mindfulness training can help students overcome anxiety (焦虑), control their behavior, and improve their ability to pay attention in class. Students are expected to learn how to meditate in order to reduce stress and do better in their schoolwork.
Among schools that already teach meditation, the results have been positive. In one study, teachers reported that after five weeks of mindfulness practice, their students were more focused. They also participated more fully in class. A middle school in San Francisco reported that a student meditation program led to higher attendance rates and better grades. Another study suggested that meditation helped students perform better on tests by improving their working memory and reducing their anxiety.
Many supporters believe that meditation training programs can also help students overcome stress. For example, Headstand is a mindfulness education program designed to help students overcome anxiety. A study concluded that ninety-eight percent of participating students felt less stressed after they completed the Headstand program. In another study, researchers in New Haven, Connecticut, followed students who participated in meditation and yoga classes three times a week. They found that after each class, participants had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone (激素), in their bodies.
Despite the positive results seen so far, critics also point out that much of the current research is not rigorous(严谨的) enough. Associate Professor Tamar Mendelson agrees that research on meditation in children is still in its early stages. However, even she insists that she has seen the positive impact of meditation on children. Others express worries that meditation is not a valuable use of class time. But many disagree. Denise Pope, a professor from the Stanford University, says, “This is something teachers can do immediately. You get a lot of bang for your buck and anyone who is against it isn’t thinking clearly.” Indeed, additional studies will surely strengthen our understanding of the benefits of mindfulness.
Although still in its early stages, research shows that meditation can help students learn to deal with anxiety and stress. As an added bonus, students of mindfulness training also report better concentration and gains in their academic performances. Therefore, meditation should be a part of every student’s school day. Participating in “stillness” can be just as productive as other school-related activities.
1.Why do some schools introduce mindfulness training into classes?
A. To control students’ working memory.
B. To reduce students’ stress and anxiety.
C. To increase students’ attendance rates.
D. To research students’ thoughts and feelings.
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Mindfulness training is not a valuable use of class time at school.
B. Mindfulness training is more productive than other school activities.
C. Students felt more stressful after joining yoga classes three times a week.
D. Students paid closer attention in class after weeks of mindfulness practice.
3.The words “a lot of bang for your buck” in Paragraph 4 probably mean “_____”.
A. challenges B. complaints C. advantages D. influences
4.The writer probably agrees that ______.
A. further studies will prove the benefits of mindfulness training
B. students will become more talented with mindfulness training
C. doctors will do researches on the spread of mindfulness training
D. mindfulness training decides students’ mental and physical health
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence（AI:人工智能）discusses AI technology and how it might affect humans in the future, but the future is already here. In 2011, America’s Favorite Quiz Show held a competition between two men and an IBM computer named “Watson”. IBM describes Watson as “a technology that understands all forms of data and also reasons and learns.” Both men thought they could beat Watson. Instead, the computer and its Artificial Intelligence soundly beat both of the human beings.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MADE SIMPLE
Artificial Intelligence generally refers to machines with human-like intelligence, such as problem-solving and learning. In order to be considered AI, the computer must pass the Turing test, named after Turing, a British mathematician who worked with the first computer.
In the 1950s, Turing published a paper questioning whether a computer could be used to trick humans into believing they were interacting（互动） with an actual human being. He found that if 30% of humans who interacted with a “machine”believed they were actually interacting with a human being, then the computer could be considered as AI.
A simple example of AI is Apple’s Siri. Ask Siri to do anything, from calling a friend to booking a dinner table, and Siri can do them. Siri seems almost to be a human being. When you ask, “Are you a real person?” Siri answers, “That is a really personal question.”
But just because a system can behave like a human being, that does not mean it can think like humans, Or, does it?
JOINING OF HUMAN & MACHINE
It seems that our devices（设备）will turn into humans. Our phones already tell us to take an umbrella before we walk out the door. They volunteer traffic conditions so we know how long it will take to drive to work.
Our devices can interact with us in a way that looks like a real conversation with another human being, like with Siri. It does not seem crazy at all to think that AI may be programmed to actually think. If it has not already happened, it will likely happen in the near future.
Have we come to the time when computers and AI have caught up to human beings? Although computers have the ability to make our life better, is it possible that they may control and destroy human beings in the end?
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
It seems pretty clear that in the future, we’re going to see a human-machine hybrid. Humans will be stronger, live longer and be smarter. Ray Kurzweil, a computer scientist, believes that within 50 years, the humans on Earth will be about 50 to 80% robotic. There is no question that AI will be a part of every technology that humans create. Will it turn out be more of a benefit to humankind or will it be a risk and threaten（威胁到） humanity as we know it? If AI is programmed according to Isaac Asimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics, humans won’t have a problem with machines; but for some, evil AI still stands in the way of a peaceful and safe life on Earth.
1.The story of computer Watson is mentioned here to tell us that ______.
A. the age of machines has come
B. humans make their own enemies
C. AI has actually come into our life
D. humans are playing a dangerous game
2.From the passage, we can learn that _____.
A. Turing test was designed to examine the first computer
B. machines interacting with humans can be called AI
C. Siri can volunteer to book a dinner table
D. AI will help humans to be stronger and smarter
3.What does the underlined expression “a human-machine hybrid” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. A machine with a human look.
B. A human created by machines.
C. A body part robotic part human.
D. A robot that can behave like humans.
4.The passage is mainly about _____.
A. the history and future of AI
B. the advantages and disadvantages of AI
C. the examples of AI
D. the competition between humans and AI
Students in western Ohio(俄亥俄州) have to say “bye-bye” to snow days. Snow may fall, but students won’t be able to spend the days sledding(滑雪橇). Classes will continue online. Officials say that holding electronic workdays(e-days) will help students keep up with their studies. It will also prevent requiring students to make up schooldays later in June.
Which would you prefer: spending a cold day on a computer, or sitting in school in June when you should be on vacation? Jordan Dewar, a student reporter, holds the opinion that having online work on a snow day is the better choice. “You would be working on a day that you already planned on having schoolwork.”
“Having extra days of school in summer can interfere with(妨碍) families’ vacation plans. Besides, what if your school does not have air-conditioning? Imagine sweating through seven hours at school on a hot June day when you could have been relaxing by a pool with your family. Doesn’t an e-day sound better than that?” Jordan Dewar said.
For some students, it would be easier to concentrate(专注) on e-days than on makeup days. “You can do a little work online, go play, and then come back later,” says Rachel Meyers, 12. “But on June days you would just have to sit there for seven hours, thinking about how you could be outside, so you lose focus.”
There are some students arguing that it’s not fair to ditch snow days, however. They say that snow days give them a much-needed break. They also note that missing a day here and there is not enough to put them behind. Most students in Silver Valley School think one problem of e-days is that sometimes siblings(兄弟姐妹们) have to share computers at home. In addition, it punishes the students who don’t have computers at home. When school starts again after e-days, these students will be left behind and have to work double-time to catch up with others.
“School budget cuts(预算削减) across the country are expected to continue into the 2017-2018 school year.” the American Association of School Administrators(AASA) Web site states. “The school wouldn’t be able to afford both online classes and taking care of the school,” Austin Krewson, an eighth grader, says.
Moreover, electricity is likely to be cut off during snowstorms. If kids don’t have power at home, the money and the time in running the new program would be wasted.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Officials suggest students should have more schooldays in June.
B. Officials believe snow days put students behind in their studies.
C. Students have to end snow days earlier than planned.
D. Students won’t have sledding classes at school.
2.The student reporter, Jordan Dewar, believes that _____.
A. siblings can help each other with their studies on e-days
B. students can learn better on e-days than on makeup days
C. having e-days in winter will save the cost of air-conditioning
D. students should study online when it snows heavily on weekdays
3.What does the word “ditch” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. give up B. put off C. carry out D. pay for
4.The writer mentions the statements on the AASA Web site to _____.
A. explain the reason to hold the e-day program
B. show the difficulty of running the e-day program
C. suggest government should spend more money on education
D. stress why some students can’t afford computers for online classes
Songs help memories
The power of music
Most people can remember important news stories clearly, whether it was the murder of President Kennedy in the US or 9/11.But now psychologists Martin Conway and Catriona Morrison, from the University of Leeds in the UK, are investigating how music can create “autobiographical memories” of the main events in our lives. The study is online. People have to choose a song by the Beatles and describe the memories that they have when they listen to it.
Reminiscence bump
Morrison explained that they looked at different age groups and their memories. We often remember more from when we are teenagers and this is called “the reminiscence bump”. This is the time in your life when you form your idea of who you are. For older people who have memories related to the Beatles’ music, most of those memories are from when they were teenagers. But younger people also had clear personal memories from their past.
She loves you
This study was different from other memory studies, because people remembered events from their past with lots more details. Morrison explained: “It was like people had travelled back to the past, and they had very clear memories of things that had happened. When they heard a song like She Loves You by the Beatles, they could remember one night in autumn 1963.They remembered what they were wearing, what the weather was like and what their friend said to them. You get a lot more information than if you just say, ‘tell me about a night you remember’. ”
The study has found that music could be used with people who have problems remembering the past. “You could use music to help improve people’s ability to remember,” said Morrison. “In the future, we would like to do more experiments to see how useful music is in helping people to remember the past, and compare it to other things that might also help.”
1.Professor Conway and Dr. Morrison’s research aims to _____________.
A. see how music can help people remember the past
B. study old songs’ influence on people’s behavior
C. find out what influences people’s memories of the past
D. find ways to help people with memory difficulties
2.The example of She Loves You is used to show that ___________.
A. love songs can help people to have clearer memories
B. songs tell stories that are similar to our experiences
C. music can take people back to their teenage years
D. people can remember more details with the help of music
3.Morrison’s team’s future research is probably on ___________.
A. why some people have memory problems
B. what methods can best help people bring back memories
C. how music can help people in their studies or work
D. how to help older people remember more details about the past
