We are now_____(准备) for the coming exam.
The workers are painting all the_____(长椅) in the park now.
Go_____(径直地) on and you’ll find the library on your left.
She often looks for some_____(信息) about fashion on the Internet.
When you’re not at home, many worries may start to crowd your mind. Did I turn the coffee maker off? Did I lock the door? Are the kids doing their homework or watching TV? With a smart home, you can forget all of these worries.
A smart home is a home with a communication network. This network connects(连接) devices (装置), such as lights and TV sets, and makes them to be controlled( 控制) from far away through electrical wiring( 电线), mobile phone communication or WiFi over the Internet.
More and more people may start to think about owning a smart home, because it makes life much easier. It can help keep your room at a certain temperature. It can record (录制) what happens inside the home and send the video to your phone. When you are on holiday abroad, you can use a smart home controller to switch on or off the electricity when necessary. Some smart homes can receive a visitor, allowing him to come in and offering him a drink. They can even feed the cat and water the plants.
Besides, smart homes are easy to fix. Most smart home technology and devices are wireless and can be set up with a minimum ( 最 少 量 ) of tools, using only the guiding information. When there is a problem, you can deal with it yourself without paying a professional (专业人士).
However, for home-users, the smart home technology is far from perfect. It can be rather expensive to own the technology and the devices. Also, because the smart home system ( 系 统 ) allows its owner to get home information from anywhere, it leaves the home easy to be attacked by hackers ( 黑 客 ), who may secretly use or change the information in the system.
Now, many scientists are excited about the future of smart home technology. Imagine being able to get fashion advice from your mirror, or receive food shopping suggestions from your fridge. While there are others who worry that those smart devices will make people lazier and lonelier. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure — smart home technology will change the way we live and work.
1.According to the passage, nowadays a smart home can lock the door through .
A.electric lights B.mirror technologies
C.mobile phones D.shopping programs
2.The third paragraph of the passage is mainly about .
A.the steps to use smart systems B.the prices of smart programs
C.the good points of a smart home D.the tools for setting up smart devices
3.Which of the following is TRUE about a smart home according to the passage?
A.Smart homes can’t help feed pets nowadays.
B.Smart homes cost a lot of money at present.
C.You can’t control your smart home in other countries.
D.It’s hard for hackers to get information from smart homes.
4.What’s the writer’s opinion(观点) according to the passage?
A.People will become less happy in the future.
B.People’s life style will be different in the future.
C.Mobile phones are the most important in smart homes.
D.Smart homes are much better than other smart systems.
Wang Jinyuan is an eighth-grader at Chongzhou High School, Sichuan. But thanks to an online course, he is studying with his peers (同龄人) at Yucai Middle School in Chengdu.
In every class, he and his classmates watch online course videos from the school. “It’s like I have classes together with students at Yucai,”Wang said.
Wang is not alone. Students from more than 200 schools in rural areas of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou are doing the same thing. They all use the online courses made by Yucai Middle School. The school started the online course program in 2007. It records (录制) courses, makes them into videos and offers them to other schools.
The online courses give students new ideas and broaden their horizons (拓宽视野). They can learn from their peers (同伴) studying in the city. “I remember that a topic in English class was about volunteering.” said Wan Jinyuan, “Students shared a lot about their own experiences. But it was hard for me to talk about it because I had little experience. It encouraged me to do more.”
But students don’t completely rely on online course. They still interact with (和……互动) teachers. In fact, the teachers edit (剪辑) the videos before using them. “I cut off some parts, like the discussion parts,” said Zhang Xiaomin, Wang’s English teacher. “I will let my students discuss for themselves, rather than only watch. Then, if necessary, I will show them what their peers said in their discussions. We benefit (受益) a lot from it.” Teachers further explain key points that students don’t understand.
Also, students can watch the videos again after class.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according the passage?
A.The students at Chongzhou High School have classes with those at Yucai Middle School every day.
B.The online courses were made by Chongzhou Middle School about ten years ago.
C.Students in rural areas of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou get new ideas and learn more by attending online courses.
D.The teachers don’t need to edit the videos before using them.
2.The underlined word “rural” in Paragraph 3 means .
A.far away in space B.far from towns
C.connected with a town or city D.connected with the countryside
3.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Online courses in cities B.Online courses in countryside
C.Online help for rural students D.Online help for city students
