The kids in this village wear dirty, ragged clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can chant the English alphabet, and some can make words.
The key to their success : 20 tablet computers(平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.
The goal is to find out whether kids using today’s new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project data say they’re already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten,” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.
The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The device’s camera was disabled to save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.
With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. That’s unbelievable,” said Keller.
The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won’t be in Amharic, Ethiopia’s first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.
1.How does the Ethiopia program benefit the kids in the village?
A. It trains teachers for them.
B. It helps raise their living standards
C. It contributes to their self-study.
D. It provides funds for building schools.
2.What can we infer from Keller’s words in Paragraph 3?
A. They need more time to analyze data.
B. He is confident about the future of the project.
C. More children are needed for the research.
D.The research should be carried out in kindergartens.
3.It amazed Keller that with the tablet Kelbesa could _______.
A. learn English words quickly.
B. draw pictures of animals.
C. write letters to researchers.
D. make phone calls to his friends.
4.What is the aim of the project?
A. To offer Ethiopians higher paying jobs.
B. To make Amharic widely used in the world.
C. To help Ethiopian kids read to learn in English.
D. To assist Ethiopians in learning their first language.
Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A—Bath &Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge —£37 until 26 March and £39 thereafter.
Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum, Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.
Tour B—Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University St Mary's Church Tower and Anne Hathaway's —£32 until 12 March and £36 thereafter.
Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England's oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶)”from St Mary’s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C—Windsor Castle &Hampton Court including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace —£34 until 11 March and £37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VIII’s favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included).With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫)where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D—Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great—£33 until 18 March and £37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1. Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?
A. Tour A B. Tour B C. Tour C D. Tour D
2.Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee on 17 March?
A. Windsor Castle & Hampton Court
B. Oxford & Stratford
C. Cambridge
D. Bath & Stonehenge
3.Why is Hampton Court a major tourist attraction?
A. It is a world-famous castle
B. It used to be a well-known maze
C. It is the oldest palace in Britain
D. It used to be the home of royal families
书面表达最近,英国一个名为Gives Me Hope的网站火了,网友分享的一些小故事,给人带来了希望。假定你是李华,请你给在英国的网友Joe推荐这个网站。请根据要求给他写一封邮件,内容要点:
●网站名称和内容 (www. Givesmehope. com);
●自己看完故事的感受;
●鼓励Joe到网站上分享故事。
注意:
(1)词数:100字左右;
(2)可根据内容要点适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
(3)书信格式及开头均已给出 (不计入总词数)。
Dear Joe,
How are you going recently?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
文中共有10处错误, 每处错误仅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:把多余的词用斜钱(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Dear Jim,
I am so exciting that you will come to China.I will free from December 18 and will have a plenty of time to be together with you.I'll meet you at the airport and then you will take Bus No.8 for my home.You worry about the weather here in your email.In fact, the weather here is quite different from it in your city. It isn't very cold, but you needn't bring many clothes with you. During your stay here, I'll take you to some places of interests and you can taste some local snacks.I am sure we will have greatly fun together.
Looking forward to meeting you soon.
John
语法填空
More and more middle school students are going to various training classes or having family teachers at weekends. There are two different viewpoints (观点) about it.
Some think it is necessary. First of all, it’s 1. (effective) to study with a teacher than 2. students themselves. Secondly, it can strengthen 3. is learned in class. Besides, they can learn a lot more. Others think it is 4. (necessary). For one thing, students can 5. (easy) form the habit of dependence. For 6. , students need to relax from time to time. What’s more, the purpose of many training classes and family teachers is 7. (make) money.
In my opinion, whether a training class or family teacher8. (need) just depends on yourself. If you are really very weak at or interested in 9. certain subject, maybe it’s OK for you. But be sure to choose a good and suitable class or family teacher, 10. it would be a waste of time and money.
完成句子
根据所给首字母, 汉语提示或语境写出符合句意的单词或词组, 每空一词。
1.Middle school students chase after entertainment icons (偶像). That might _____ _____ _____ (与...情况相同)somebody else but not of my desk-mate.
2.I was unable to answer the test questions r_________ the Civil War.
3.She said the terrible weather s_______ harvests in Western Africa that year.
4.Sugar gives quick r_______ to hunger but provides no lasting nourishment (营养).
5.It appears the blue bed-cover_______ _______ (与...形成对比) the yellow curtains.
6.The aged man o______ a quality position in the morning market and began to sell eggs.
7.He ___ ____ ___ (与...一样) Sam in appearance, but somehow looked a little taller.
8.Some of the President’s advisers feared Hitler might _____ _____ _____ (向...宣战) the USA.
9.D______ his lack of experience, he got the job.
10.____ ____ ____ (突然) there was a terrific bang and a flash of smoke.