In a class this past December, after I wrote some directions on the board for students about their final examination, one young woman quickly took a picture of the board using her smart phone. When I looked in her direction, she apologized: “Sorry. Was it wrong to take a picture?”
“I can’t read my own handwriting,”the young woman explained. “It’s best if I take a picture of your writing so I can understand the notes.”
That remark started a class-wide conversation about taking a picture instead of taking notes. For those in the photo-taking camp, motivations extended beyond their inability to comprehend their own handwriting. Some took pictures of notes because they knew their phone was a safe place to store material. They might lose paper, they reasoned, but they wouldn’t lose their phones. Some took photos because they wanted to record exactly the manner in which I had noted information on the board. Others told me that during class they liked to be able to listen to the discussion attentively.
Yet the use of cameras as note takers, though it may be convenient, does raise significant questions for the classroom. Is a picture an effective replacement for the process of note-taking?
Instructors encourage students to take notes because the act of doing so is more than merely recording necessary information—it helps prepare the way for understanding. Encouraging students to take notes may be an old-fashioned instructional method, but just because a method has a long history doesn’t mean it’s out of date. Writing things down engages a student’s brain in listening, visual, and kinesthetic(触觉的)learning—a view supported by a longstanding research. The act of writing down information enables a person to begin committing it to memory, and to process and combine it, establishing the building blocks of learning new concepts.
Taking a picture does indeed record the information, but it deletes some of the necessary mental engagement that taking notes employs. So can the two be equally effective?
I’m not sure how to measure the effectiveness of either method. For now, I allow students to take notes however they see fit—handwritten or photographed—because I figure that some notes, no matter the method of note-taking, are better than none.
1.The woman apologized in the class because she____.
A. took a picture of the board
B. missed the teachers’ directions
C. had the bad handwriting
D. disturbed other students’ learning
2.Students refuse to take notes by hand because_____.
A. they are unable to take notes
B. they are more likely to lose notes
C. they are interested in using their phones
D. they have a good memory of teachers’ instructions
3.According to the passage, taking notes by hand_______.
A. requires students to think independently
B. is unsuitable for students to learn new ideas
C. helps students actively participate in learning
D. proves to be an old and useless learning method
4.What’s the author’s opinion towards taking notes by phones?
A. Supportive. B. Neutral.
C. Doubtful. D. Disapproving.
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem — addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones. When we feel bad inside, we often do something to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for status, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What’s more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.
1.Which of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
A. Those who cannot control the amount of credit they use.
B. Those who just walk around the shopping malls.
C. Those who are occupied in too much shopping.
D. Those who feel sorry for their shopping.
2.According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
A. The awareness of how market forces work.
B. The desire for status, power, beauty or success.
C. Boredom, emptiness, tension, fear or unhappiness in people’s life.
D. Long-time bad feelings of anxiety, pain and shame.
3.What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
A. Never going to the shopping malls because there are many tricks.
B. Applying for a credit card before we go shopping.
C. Making the shopping time as short as possible.
D. Making a shopping list before we go shopping.
4.The author writes this passage to _______.
A. inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers
B. scold the problem shoppers
C. provide solutions to the problem shopping
D. tell a shopping story
In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada. The sound of children shouting made her turn around. To her horror, Lydia saw a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son. Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away. She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could. A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear. But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children’s lives. A local policeman described it this way: “… I guess when your back is up against the wall, we come up with super-human strength.”
Where does this “super-human strength”, courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action. These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it.
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects. Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful. In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel.
Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline(肾上腺素) which in turn increases our energy and excitement. The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more. This is why some people say they work better under a deadline.
Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them. We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit. Stress can also make us more confident. Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future. Who knows? Today’s stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!
1.In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to______.
A. introduce the topic to be followed
B. remind us of the unexpected danger of life
C. praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery
D. show the importance of super-human strength
2.What does the policeman probably mean by saying “your back is up against the wall”?
A. You are helped. B. You are inspired.
C.You are confident. D. You are cornered.
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Brave Mother
B. The Cause of Stress
C. The Benefit of Stress
D. Super-human Strength
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Tom，来信询问关于你的英语老师的情况。请你按照下列提示用英语写一封回信，介绍你的英语老师。
姓 名 | 王 梅 | 性 别 | 女 |
第一印象 | 热情洋溢，精力充沛 | ||
授课特点 | 清楚条理，严肃耐心 | ||
师生关系 | 严格、热心、友好、融洽 | ||
你的评价 | 良师益友…… | ||
注意：1. 不得简单翻译所给提示；
2. 适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 词数120左右。开头和结尾已写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Tom,
You’ve asked about my English teacher in your letter, and I’m writing to tell you about her. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes.
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不计分；
3. 错误类型不涉及单词拼写。
Zhou Kai, a senior school student, is very fit. He takes a lot of exercises. He is crazy in football and is captain of the class team at school. His mother always make sure his family eat very healthy. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a very important part of their diet. Live near the sea, they often have fish. He is not too heavy, so he never has to diet, and anything like that. Zhou Kai is such healthy a boy that he rarely gets a cold or flu. But in last week, he fall ill. That was because he was stupid enough play football in the rain.
Some say that madness and genius often come hand in hand. This is especially true 1. the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.
Van Gogh is famous for his 2. (amaze) use of color and shape. Born in 1853, he was painting at a time when art was changing. A long time ago, artists tried to make their 3. (paint) look real like photographs. But later on, art became more about the artist’s own ideas. If you see 4. Van Gogh, it won’t look like the real world. It will look even more beautiful.
Some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings are of natural scenes and flowers, such as sunflowers. He also painted many wonderful self-portraits, which 5. (bring) him a lot of fame. Van Gogh had a gift for painting; however, he was a troubled man. At one point, he cut off 6. own ear.
Van Gogh is now one of the world’s most famous artists. But he died at the age of 37, alone 7. poor. Almost nobody knew or cared about his art at that time. Although he was a great genius, he suffered 8. (great). Some say that his madness was 9. he paid for his art.
Actually, if Van Gogh had died at the age of twenty, no one would have connected him with failure or mental illness. 10. , he would have been remembered by those close to him as a dutiful son.
