Online courses have become popular in many countries. There are different kinds of online courses, but most show a video of a teacher and students in a classroom. Students watch the video online and take part in online activities. Some courses are free and open to anyone. 1. Of course, watching videos on a screen is not the same as taking part in a real class.
2. In Singapore, eight schools have been chosen to try new ways of using technology in the classroom. The schools have tablets(平板电脑)and touchscreens instead of books and blackboards in the classrooms. 3. Through them, students can communicate with each other and work on projects together.
In South Korea, some students have been taught English by teachers in the Philippines and other countries since 2011. The teachers are in their home countries and are connected to the Korean classrooms via the Internet. Instead of looking at a screen, the students interact with a robot in the classroom. The robot is controlled by the teacher. 4.
Thanks to technology, more and more ways of teaching and learning are being developed.
5. But one thing is for sure – there has never been a more interesting time to be a student.
A. E-learning can be successful.
B. There are also social media platforms(平台).
C. Other kinds of e-learning are being tested around the world.
D. They give students anywhere the chance to study at any time.
E. Nobody knows what the classroom of the future will look like.
F. And it can move around the classroom and talk with the students.
G. The courses that are taught via the Internet are called online courses.
In this digital age, people measure their popularity by the number of likes and followers they get on social media. But as it turns out, people are happiest when their friends are high quality – not high quantity.
Scientists from the University of Leeds, UK, studied data from two online surveys of nearly 1,500 people. Those who took the survey gave details about their age, social interactions, and how satisfied they were with their social lives. The researchers found that those who had a small number of close friends generally tended to be happier than those who had a large number of superficial(关系浅表的)friends.
“Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,” said Wandi Bruine de Bruin, one of the researchers.
Bruine de Bruin found that older people tended to have smaller social circles than young people, but the people in these circles tended to be closer to them.
Younger people, on the other hand, tended to have bigger circles that were made up of “peripheral(次要的)others” – people who are not true friends, but just people they know. These people had no influence on the younger interviewees’ happiness.
The results of the study show that the opinion society has about old people being sad and lonely might not be accurate.
“The research shows that older adults’ smaller networks didn’t prevent social satisfaction and happiness. In fact, older adults tend to report better well-being than younger adults,” said Bruine de Bruin.
1.According to the study, people tend to be happier when they _____.
A.have a small circle of close friends
B.are satisfied with their work and lives
C.have a lot of followers on social media
D.make friends with people who are older
2.What do we know from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.Older people’s friends seem to be of higher quality.
B.Young people don’t need to make peripheral friends.
C.Older people’s happiness has nothing to do with their friends.
D.Both old and young people find it hard to make close friends.
3.Which word might Bruine de Bruin use to describe older adults?
A.Sad. B.Happy.
C.Lonely. D.Superficial.
4.What is the focus of the story?
A.Different types of friends.
B.Changes in people’s happiness levels.
C.Interactions between old and young people.
D.The relationship between happiness and number of friends.
Do you live in a city? You’ve probably noticed how noisy and crowded life in a city can be. What if you could live next to a calm lake instead?
As it turns out, living near bodies of water – lakes, rivers, ponds, even oceans – can help us feel both happier and healthier. Those who live less than a kilometer from the coast are around 22 percent less likely to have mental health problems than those who live 50 kilometers or more away, according to a study by researchers from the University of Exeter, UK. People who visit the coast at least twice a week tend to experience better general and mental health as well.
So how does “blue space” make us feel better? For one thing, aquatic environments tend to have less pollution and more sunlight, both of which are linked to better mental and physical health. People who get more sun tend to be happier than those who do not.
There’s also the air above the sea. After spending time near the ocean, you might find that you feel more relaxed than usual. This is because sea air is filled with negative ions（负离子）. These ions balance our levels of serotonin（血清素）, a chemical that affects our moods. With balanced serotonin levels, we feel more calm and relaxed, according to Daily Mail.
Finally, people who live near water tend to be more physically active, according to the Guardian. Water sports like swimming and rowing can help us stay in shape, which in turn keeps us healthy.
1.What did the researchers from the University of Exeter find?
A.Living near water can improve our mental health.
B.An increasing number of people don’t like living in cities.
C.Living near water has more advantages than living in cities.
D.People with mental health problems mainly come from cities.
2.The underlined word “aquatic” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A.natural
B.outdoor
C.oceanic
D.clean
3.What do we know about negative ions?
A.They are chemicals in our bodies.
B.They can only be found in sea air.
C.They can help people reduce stress.
D.They increase serotonin in our bodies.
4.In which column can you find this passage?
A.Health.
B.Travel.
C.Environment.
D.Entertainment.
There was once a famous scientist who made several important discoveries. Once he was asked how he could be so creative. He replied that it all came from an experience he had with his mother when he was 2 years old. He was trying to take a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator. But the bottle was too slippery（滑的）and he dropped it. The kitchen floor was covered in milk.
Instead of shouting at him or punishing him, his mother said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have never seen such a huge puddle of milk. Would you like to play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
So he did. After a few minutes, they cleaned it up together. Then his mother said, “This was a failed experiment in how to carry a big bottle of milk with two tiny hands. Let’s fill the bottle with water and see if you can find a way to carry it without dropping it.”
The little boy learned that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
The scientist then added that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes. He learned that mistakes are just opportunities to learn something new.
1.Robert made a mess on the kitchen floor by _____.
A.doing an experiment
B.dropping a bottle of milk
C.throwing bottles around
D.drinking a bottle of milk
2.What did Robert’s mother do after he made the mess?
A.She showed him a huge puddle of milk.
B.She shouted at him and punished him.
C.She asked him to clean the kitchen.
D.She allowed him to play in the mess.
3.Which of the following words best describes Robert’s mother?
A.Hardworking.
B.Careful.
C.Smart.
D.Protective.
4.With this story, the author tries to _____.
A.tell readers how much he loved his mother
B.suggest that we should treat life as a big experiment
C.show that scientific discoveries come from everyday life
D.tell readers that they should keep an open mind about mistakes
Barbican Art Gallery
A world-class arts and learning center, the Barbican pushes the boundaries（界限）of all major art forms including dance, film, music and theater.
Tickets
Adult: £10 online/£12 at the door
13–17 years old: £6 online/£8 at the door
Children aged 12 and under: Free
Opening Times
Sat – Wed: 9 am–6 pm
Thu – Fri: 10 am–9 pm
Reviews
By Steven Ashmore
When traveling, I always look for museums and sites that have evening hours. We went to the Barbican Gallery on a Thursday evening and caught their recent Lee Krasner exhibition. It was fabulous. The gallery is two levels with numerous smaller spaces, making the exhibition an interesting and enjoyable experience.
By Laura Miller
I have just watched To Kill a Mockingbird here. The play and actors were fantastic. Nice and clean ladies’ toilets with hot water. During the break, they were selling the usual ice cream and drinks. Not all staff were friendly, but most were. I would come again to watch another show or even the same one.
1.How much would a couple with two kids aged 11 and 14 pay for the online tickets of Barbican Art Gallery?
A.£20.
B.£26.
C.£32.
D.£36.
2.You can visit Barbican Art Gallery at _____.
A.9 am on Thursday
B.8 pm on Sunday
C.10 am on Monday
D.9 pm on Tuesday
3.What did Miller like most about Barbican Art Gallery?
A.Drinks they sold.
B.Its staff service.
C.Its opening hours.
D.The show they put on.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
My Parents and I had been planning my brothers birthday party since the beginning of March. Johnny would be six years old in two days 。 My mom was going to bake her special chocolate cake with white icing. As I watched her, I thought, Gee, I wonder what I can do to make my brothers birthday special.
I knew my parents had already bought a present for me to give to Johnny .but I wanted to buy him something I had chosen myself and with the money I had saved . After giving it some thought,I wanted to buy him the paint・by・number kit（数字涂色小套装）I had seen at the store around the comer.
I decided to empty my coin jar and see how much money I had saved. However, I was disappointed to find there was much less than I had imagined, Oh, no , I only have about three dollars, ” I muttered to myself. The set cost more than I have saved.
Suddenly a "great” idea occurred to me. I slid into my parents’ bedroom where my dad kept loose change on top of the dresser. I stood on my tiptoes and saw some dime, nickels, and a few quarters. I carefully counted out what I needed to make up the difference . I'm sure Dad won't mind just this once, I thought.
However,I was soon overcome by guilt. Even though there was no one else in the bedroom, I felt like I was being watched. Mom was always telling us about the importance of honesty. Maybe my plan wasn't such a great idea after all, I thought. I jingled the change around in my pocket while wondering what to do.
I grabbed my jacket from the closet and headed toward the door. " Where are you going, honey? " Mom asked, " Oh, just up to the corner store," I replied. "Well, don't stay out too long, Daddy will be home soon. " " Okay, Mom” I ran out of our house.
Once I got to the store ,1 took the paint-by・number kit from the shelf.
"Can I help you,young lady?” the salesclerk asked.
"No. I'm just looking,thank you," I said.
"That's a really nice paint kit. We sell a lot of them and, as you can see, that's the last one. " she said.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
I nodded my head in agreement , with my mind racing.
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Paragraph 2:
I would just have to wait until I saved the extra money I needed.
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