Like many other people, I love my smart phone, which keeps me connected with the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop, because it holds all of my writing and thoughts. In spite of this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices and truly communicate with others.
On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the materials and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule ---no laptop, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.
Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There's a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There' s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it, so I carelate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course materials and the class discussion.
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect students' satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course materials beyond the classroom.
I'm not saying that I won't ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I'm sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
1.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The author's history class received low assessment.
B. The students think highly of the author's history class.
C. The author made the rule in that he was against technology.
D. The author made the rule mainly because of his unpleasant experiences.
2.According to the author, the use of technology in the classroom may .
A. allow students to get on well with each other
B. improve teaching and offer more help
C. prohibit students being involved in class
D. help students to better understand complex themes
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. More and more students will be absent in history class.
B. The author will carry on the success in the future
C. Some students will be punished according to the rule.
D. The author will help students concentrate on what they learn.
| The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks Reviewed by Helena No lyrical, romantic account, but a hard-bitten, dull and down-to-earth story of a family, a community and an environment. A story of cycles—of seasons, years, people, generations, stretches back centuries. A story of farming which only exists now in the remoter, wilder region of the UK, where the land is too hard and the environment too harsh for farming to be an "agribusiness". Where success, survival of farms, their sheep are dependent on knowledge passed down through generations and shared between farmers and shepherds in a small, close-knit and mutually-dependent community. A story of people hefted to their land every bit as much as their sheep are hefted to their fells. |
| A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Reviewed by T. Bently Having read all of Bill Bryson's travel books, this was the last one left. I hadn't read this because I had been told it was one of his weakest one. But I decided, through no other reason that I needed a hit of Bryson, to read it. People couldn’t have been more wrong. From the very beginning of assessing the feasibility, arranging for Katz to accompany him to the purchasing of his equipment and the purchasing of “a large knife for killing bears and hillbillies”, Bryson is at his absolute best. His cute eye-is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile but fragile trail. His encounters along the trail and Katz anti-social, childish antics(滑稽动作) make the first 150 pages more than a laugh-out-loud-hike. I couldn't have been more surprised. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modem classic. |
1.In The Shepherd's Life, James Rebanks takes readers through a shepherds' life .
A. little noticed, and deeply attached to the harsh land
B. alternated by the seasons and changed by the generations
C. featuring a hard struggle in the remote and beautiful area
D. spent in a profitable agricultural and friendly community
2.What does the reviewer wants to convey by saying "People couldn't have been more wrong"?
A. Bryson's travelling experience is laughable.
B. Bryson's travel book is the best seller in travelling literature.
C. A Walk in the Wood combines artistic quality well with natural beauty.
D. It's a pity that people turn a blind eye to Bryson's travelling experience.
The first time Mercado thought seriously about becoming a professional model, she surfed the Internet for someone with a physical disability in the modeling world. That was six years ago, when disabled models were ______. Thus, her search came up empty.
“ I didn't think there was a ______. ” she talks of the career she'd imagined "Not because I wasn't worthy of it, but because I didn't see anyone else like me out there. It was just not a thing.” However, Mercado has helped ______ that reality because of her not giving up. Last year, Mercado signed with IMG Models, the powerhouse agency which ______ top supermodels.
During a shoot, there are certain movements and ______ that are simply not an option for her. But her team has always found a way to work around these ______, and she's never been cut from a campaign because of concerns about her disability.
"There’s ______ been a problem with the team not getting what they need to get from me as a model. There's never been an excuse where it's like—‘she has a disability, this is not going to work because the ______ won't look nice.’ "She says, "If I'm a model, a clothing company wants to showcase their ______ on me, that's great, "she says. "That's all it should be. "
Her small body has more than a dozen surgical ______ and she fell both nervous and excited when she decided last year to ______ them for a shoot for a lingerie(女式贴身内衣) company. "______ I'm very outspoken with what I believe in, I'm very much of a ______ person still at heart. But I wanted to ______ a challenge. "Mercado liked ______ people that everyone can and should feel attractive in their own skin: "You shouldn't be ashamed of your own ______.”
In the meantime, she's focused on her work and using her blog to encourage those who want to follow her ______. When the next generation of disabled models searches the Web for ______, they’ll find her.
Mercado ______ her success to confidence, faith and never ______,"I'm an example that you can do what you want, because.. "she pauses. "Just because! That's it. You just can. "
1.A. popular B. invisible C. scarce D. enough
2.A. responsibility B. failure C. challenge D. possibility
3.A. avoid B. change C. escape D. realize
4.A. rejects B. complains C. praises D. represents
5.A. poses B. entertainment C. campaigns D. situations
6.A. events B. issues C. questions D. methods
7.A. never B. just C. ever D. even
8.A. faces B. photos C. clothes D. magazines
9.A. stripe B. style C. stuff D. scarf
10.A. injuries B. wounds C. hurts D. scars
11.A. show B. cover C. hide D. bare
12.A. In case B. Even though C. As though D. Now that
13.A. shy B. quiet C. eager D. active
14.A. draw on B. count on C. put on D. take on
15.A. managing B. informing C. reminding D. urging
16.A. body B. figure C. appearance D. disability
17.A. example B. spirit C. mood D. dream
18.A. amusement B. pleasure C. inspiration D. cooperation
19.A. gives B. gets C. takes D. owes
20.A. blowing up B. giving up C. calling off D. putting off
Although Mr. Jenkins wanted to buy a new computer as quickly as possible, he decided to____ to see where he could find the best deal.
A. sink or swim B. push your luck C. burn the midnight oil D. shop around
We'll make the final decision on our scheme. change your mind, please inform us as soon as possible.
A. Should B. You should C. Would you D. You would
As a result, these countries are always struggling to their repayments; government finances that could be spent on health, education and long-term development are instead used for debt repayment.
A. dive right in B. catch up on C. push ahead with D. split off from
