Art is an important part of education, not only on its own but in the rest of education as well. However, in this information age, advanced technology in school has gained more attention than art. Sometimes when the school has a tight budget, it is usually art rather than technology that becomes the first thing to be cut.
Anyway, the significance of art can’t be ignored. First of all, in school it can help students develop a variety of life skills such as communication skills, problem-solving skills and self-expression skills. Secondly, for high school students, those who are involved in arts classes can have higher test scores. Besides, for some students, art seems to be motivation for coming to school because it’s a subject that they can outshine, which eventually balances their educational experience.
New technology surely offers many benefits to some aspects of education, making teaching and learning easier and more effective. For example, technology simplifies tasks that take much longer to do, like conducting research or finding information. But advanced technology has bad effects such as the risk of being overweight, tiredness and even potential mental health problems, while art doesn’t. On the other hand, unlike art, no technology can develop students’ critical (批判的) thinking skills and a creative mind, both of which can help them to find successful careers after they graduate. Furthermore, no technology can help students to learn to bear responsibility, develop their imagination and increase their confidence.
Generally, art should not be replaced with advanced technology in schools and the last thing to be cut out of school curriculum.
Title | Should Technology 1. Art? |
Situation | Technology has attracted more2. than art In schools, which is in danger of being cut. |
The3. roles that art plays in school | ● Developing 4. life skills ● Improving academic performance ● Serving as 5. for attending school |
Advantages of art over technology | ● Causing less health problems ● Developing critical thinking and 6. ● Helping students take on 7. ● Developing imagination ● Making students feel more 8. |
9. | Art should be no doubt 10.on the school curriculum. |
For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.
Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”
The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia（矮牵牛）, some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.
It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil – and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.
The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meat-eating plants," they added.
1.Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to _____.
A. get more sticky hairs
B. make themselves grow better
C. make their roots stronger
D. avoid falling down to the ground
2.The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _____.
A. fast-growing
B. harmless
C. insect-killing
D. nutritious
3.The insect-killing technique of vegetables is developed most probably through _____.
A. evolution of species
B. helps from other garden plants
C. artificial cultivation
D. nutrients preserved in rich soil
4.The text is probably taken from _____.
A. a student book
B. a science fiction
C. a scientific repot
D. a bulletin board
This message is to inform all the children that Santa's post office in Himmelpfort, Germany, is open to receive your holiday wishes. That means you can mail your letters to Santa about 6 weeks sooner than that last year. Santa knows you've been good and wants to make sure he and his helpers receive your wish list earlier.
Eight post offices are organized across Germany to answer all letters children send. This year they plan to receive over 250,000 letters. Though the letters fly from over 80 different countries, Santa and his helpers can understand and make sure to answer all the letters.
In 1984, two children from Berlin sent their wish lists to Himmelpfort after spending vacation there. Their letters were answered by postal employees and later Himmelpfort increased its helpers to meet the needs of increased mail traffic. Year after year, Santa and his crew use an eco-friendly powered vehicle to collect the thousands of letters he receives from young boys and girls. The great news for this year is that if you come to the beautiful town of Himmelpfort, you can drop off your letter and visit Santa in person, from Tuesdays to Thursdays until Christmas Eve.
Santa does not currently have an e-mail, Twitter or a Facebook account. He believes in old-fashioned communication. So get out your paper and write your wish list. Just make sure your letter is clear so you can receive an official response, send your letters to:
Santa
Christmas Post Office
Himmelpfort, Germany 16798
1.This year Santa and his helpers _____.
A. are eager to receive more wishes
B. keep traveling around 80 countries
C. are able to receive kids’ letters earlier
D. answer most of the letters from kids
2.From the 3rd paragraph, we know that _____.
A. post offices send kids all the presents they ask for
B. children from Berlin like spending holidays in Himmelpfort
C. Santa uses a powered vehicle because of the heavy mail traffic
D. children can visit Santa in the flesh before Christmas Eve this year
3.Santa doesn’t have social communications online probably because he _____.
A. is not sure about the online security
B. trusts traditional ways of communication
C. prefers official and formal letters
D. thinks written letters are clearer than e-mails
4.This text is intended for _____.
A. tourists coming to Himmelpfort
B. teenagers preferring writing letters
C. parents preparing for Christmas
D. children planning to write to Santa
More than half a century ago, there were 4, 000 drive-in movie theaters in the United States, and watching a movie from your car was a popular way to spend an evening. But with the number of drive-ins reduced to just a few hundred, outdoor movie has been popping up across the nation. Going to an open-air theater has become a modern summer pastime for an increasing number of movie fans.
In recent years, outdoor movie screenings have come up in parks, vacant lots and shopping malls around the nation. On average, about 1,000 people attend each movie night. It attracts a lot of young professionals, young workers and residents nearby. For some, the outdoor movies bring back the memories of the drive-in theaters of their youths. But for the majorities, they think it is comparable to the atmosphere of drive-ins, as they can bring friends, food, good wine, and watch the movie together.
The returning of Americans’ love affair with outdoor movies makes Stephen Bastas ever busier. His seven-member crew sets up screens in various locations mostly in the Washington area every day throughout the summer. They are doing pretty well and they hope to continue the trend. And it looks like they are going to. That’s because many fans say there is nothing like watching a movie on a breezy summer evening under the stars.
1.In the first paragraph, the author tries to tell us _____.
A. outdoor movies attracts more movie-lovers
B. summer brings back more drive-in movie fans
C. drive-in movie theaters have already disappeared
D. watching a movie from your car is becoming more popular
2.Most people choose to go to an outdoor movie mainly because they can _____.
A. have snacks before the movie
B. cheer up with young friends
C. bring back good old days
D. enjoy the casual atmosphere
3.From the text, we can learn that Stephen Bastas is most probably _____.
A. a movie maker
B. an outdoor movie fan
C. a movie director
D. an open-air theater operator
4.How does Stephen Bastas feel about the future of outdoor movie?
A. Optimistic. B. Amazed
C. Worried. D. Disappointed.
Dogs and cats are not for students who live in the dormitory. Just think about the noise, the smell and all that wild behavior—chewing on whatever they can get their teeth on, or knocking over the trash can. But don’t feel sad. There are smaller and less destructive pets to make your dormitory life colorful.
Betta fish
They make great pets with their big personality and astonishing colors, ranging from bright red, dark blue to lemon yellow. Unlike many fish, most bettas react to their owner’s presence and become more active when they are nearby, which is unusual in the fish world.
Chinchillas
Without bad smell, about the size of a rabbit and with fur so dense that they can’t get pests such as fleas(跳蚤), the friendly creature originally from the Andes Mountains in South America makes an ideal indoor pet. Chinchillas are very social animals, so if you only have one, you will become its family. In cold winter days, in a glace at this fury pet in a dorm will bring you a lot of warmth.
Land hermit crabs
In a society where owners are often asked “Are they tasty?”, land hermit crabs are among the most unlucky animals commonly kept as pets. But they are easy to care for, inexpensive and fascinating to watch. And the fact that they don’t cause any allergic reactions makes them perfect for college dormitories.
Red-eared sliders
If you’re interested in a lifelong friend, a red-eared slider makes a wonderful pet. If well cared for, they can live for around 40 years. But there are a couple of things you should know. Red-eared can grow to an adult size of up to 30cm! So you may need a larger tank quickly. In addition, you will need to provide UV lighting, water heater, and a swimming area and a basking (晒太阳) area. Housing a red eared slider is not easy.
1.All the dormitory pets mentioned in the text are _____.
A. active and allergic
B. quiet and peaceful
C. colorful and tasty
D. small and smelly
2.Which of the following is not true about these creatures?
A. Bettas are active and rich in colors.
B. Chinchillas are originally mountain animals.
C. Land hermit crabs are allergic but tasty.
D. Red-eared sliders need more care from the owner.
3.If you want to keep the pet as long as possible, you’d better choose _____.
A. Betta fish
B. Chinchillas
C. Land hermit crabs
D. Red-eared sliders
4.The text is mainly to _____.
A. introduce the best way to keep pets
B. offer useful tips for choosing pets
C. inform students of lifestyle of pets
D. recommend some dormitory pets
Steve knew he’d been adopted as a baby, and when he turned 18, in 2003, he decided he’d try to track down his birth mother. The agency from which he’d been adopted gave him his mother’s name: Tallady. But online searches didn’t turn up any results about it, and Steve had to let it go.
In 2007, though, he searched for the name again online. This time, the search results included a home address near the Lowe’s store where Steve, then 22, worked as a deliveryman. When he mentioned the coincidence to his boss, his boss said, “You mean Tallady, who works here?”
Steve and Tallady, a cashier, had said hello to each other a few times at the store, but they’d never really talked. He hadn’t even known her name. Steve thought there was no possible way she was his mother though they shared the same name. For a few months, Steve avoided Tallady. “I wasn’t sure how to approach her,” he told a local reporter. Finally, the agency volunteered to arrange their reunion.
When Tallady realized that the nice guy she’d been waving at was his son, she sobbed. She’d always hoped to meet her birth son one day. Later that day, mother and son talked for almost three hours at a nearby bar. She’d given him up for adoption in 1985, when she was 23. “I wasn’t ready to be a mother,” she told him. Married with two other children, Tallady says, “I have a complete family now.”
1.Steve gave up the on-line search for his birth mother in 2003 because _____.
A. the agency didn’t give him any help
B. there was no information about his mother
C. his mother didn’t turn up online
D. he missed the information about his mother
2.What did Steve find about his mother online in 2007?
A. Her home address.
B. Her full name.
C. Her boss’s name.
D. Her new job.
3.Why Steve avoided Tallady for months?
A. Because she didn’t want to talk to him.
B. Because he wasn’t fully prepared for the reunion.
C. Because she was very difficult to approach.
D. Because he didn’t think she was his birth mother.
4.The best title for the text is _____.
A. The Love of Mother
B. An Unexpected Meeting
C. The Power of the Internet
D. An Unusual Reunion
