What do people in the outside world do when they want to learn something? They go to somebody who knows about it, and ask him. They do not go to somebody who is supposed to know about everything ---except, when they are very young, to their parents: and they speedily become dissatisfied with that variety of knowledge. They go to somebody who might reasonably expected to know about the particular thing they are interested in, When a man buys a motor-car, he does not say to himself: “Where can I find somebody who can teach me how to run a motor car?" He does not look in the telephone directory under T. He just gets an experienced driver to teach him. He just pays attention and asks questions and tries to do the thing himself, until he learns.
But this case, of course, assumes an interest of the pupil in the subject, a willingness and even a desire to learn about it, a feeling that the matter is of some importance to himself. And come to think of it, these motives are generally present in the learning that goes on in the outside world. It is only in school that the pupil is expected to be unwilling to learn.
When you were a child, and passed the door of the village blacksmith(铁匠) shop, and looked in, day after day, you admired his skill, and stood in awe of his strength; and if he had offered to let you blow the bellows for him and shown you how to make a red-hot penny, that would have been a proud moment. It would also have been an educational one. But suppose there had been a new shop set up in the town, and when you looked in at the open door you saw a man at work painting a picture; and suppose a bell rang just then, and the man stopped painting right in the middle of a brush-stroke, and started to read aloud “How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix"; and suppose when he was halfway through, the bell rang again, and he said, "We will go on with that tomorrow," and started to chisel the surface of a piece of marble; and then, after a little, somewhat exhaustedly, started in to play "The Rock of Ages" on a flute, interrupting the tune to order you to stand up straight and not whisper to the little boy beside you. There's no doubt what you would think of him; you would know perfectly well that he was crazy; people don't do things in that way anywhere in the world, except in school.
And even if he had assured you that what were taught were later in your life going to be matters of the deepest importance and interest, and that you should start in now with the determination of becoming proficient in them, it would not have helped much. Not very much. It's nonsense that children do not want to learn. Everybody wants to learn. And everybody wants to teach. And the process is going on all the time. All that is necessary is to put a person who
knows something---really knows it---within the curiosity-range of someone who doesn't know it: the process begins at once, It is almost irresistible
If there were no teachers---no hastily and superficially trained Vestals who were supposed to know everything---but just ordinary human beings who knew passionately and thoroughly one thing and who had the patience to show little boys and girls how to do that thing---we might get along with our learning pretty well, Of course, we'd have to pay them more, because they could get other jobs out in the larger world; and besides, you couldn't expect to get somebody who knows how to do something, for the price you are accustomed to pay those who only know how to
teach everything,
1.What does the author mainly want to say with this article?
A.An education without teachers is unimaginable,
B.A teacher who knows everything is more welcome,
C.School teachers are far from satisfactory and necessary,
D.We have paid too much for teachers for school education.
2.What does the underlined "somebody" in the first paragraph refer to?
A.A teacher. B.A parent.
C.A man in the outside world. D.A man like the blacksmith,
3.What happened in the "new shop" mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.Useless subjects like painting and poetry, sculpture and music were taught.
B.The man at work became crazy with so many subjects to deal with.
C.One man teaching everything influenced the efficiency of learning.
D.Children listened carefully and often discussed about what is taught with others.
4.According to the author, which of the following can we infer?
A.Teachers are not as useful as parents in helping a child to learn,
B.Schools are the places killing students' interest and willingness to learn,
C.Learning life related skills like blacksmithing is more important than arts.
D.Teachers are ordinary human beings who know thoroughly everything.
5.Which of the following figures of speech(修辞手法) are used in the article?
a. exemplification(举例)
b. exaggeration(夸张)
c. personification(拟人)
d. irony(讽刺)
e. analogy (类比)
A.abc B.ade
C.bcd D.cde
6.In the last paragraph, the author mainly _______.
A.introduces a new idea B.raises a new question
C.gives some new evidence D.stresses his viewpoint
For several decades, there has been an organized campaign intended to produce distrust in science, funded by those whose interests are threatened by the findings of modern science. In response, scientists have tended to stress the success of science. After all, scientists have been right about most things, from the structure of the universe to the relativity of time and space.
Stressing successes isn’t wrong, but for many people it’s not persuasive. An alternative answer to the question “Why trust science?” is that scientists use the so-called scientific method. But what is called the scientific method isn’t what scientists actually do. Science is dynamic: new methods get invented; old ones get abandoned; and at any particular point, scientists can be found doing many different things. False theories sometimes lead to true results, so even if an experiment works, it doesn’t prove that the theory it was designed to test is true.
If there is no specific scientific method, then what is the basis for trust in science? The answer is the methods by which those claims are evaluated. A scientific claim is never accepted as true until it has gone through a long process of examination by fellow scientists. Scientists draft the initial version of a paper and then send it to colleagues for suggestions. Until this point, scientific feedback is typically fairly friendly. But the next step is different: the revised paper is submitted to a scientific journal, where things get a whole lot tougher. Editors deliberately send scientific papers to people who are not friends or colleagues of the authors, and the job of the reviewer is to find errors or other faults. We call this process “peer review” because the reviewers are scientific peers—experts in the same field—but they act in the role of a superior who has both the right and the responsibility to find fault. It is only after the reviewers and the editor are satisfied that any problems have been fixed that the paper will be printed in the journal and enters the body of “science.”
Some people argue that we should not trust science because scientists are “always changing their minds.” While examples of truly settled science being overturned are far fewer than is sometimes claimed, they do exist. But the beauty of this scientific process is that science produces both creativity and stability. New observations, ideas, explanations and attempts to combine competing claims introduce creativity; transformative questioning leads to collective decisions and the stability of scientific knowledge. Scientists do change their minds in the face of new evidence, but this is a strength of science, not a weakness.
1.Scientists stress the success of science in order to ________.
A.promote basic knowledge of science
B.remind people of scientific achievements
C.remove possible doubts about science
D.show their attitude towards the campaign
2.What can we learn about the so-called scientific method?
A.It’s an easy job to prove its existence.
B.It usually agrees with scientists’ ideas.
C.It hardly gets mixed with false theories.
D.It constantly changes and progresses.
3.What can we learn about “peer” review?
A.It seldom gives negative evaluation of a paper.
B.It is usually conducted by unfriendly experts.
C.It aims to perfect the paper to be published.
D.It happens at the beginning of the evaluation process.
4.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that ________.
A.it is not uncommon for science to be overturned
B.scientists are very strong in changing their minds
C.people lose faith in those changeable scientists
D.changes bring creativity and stability to science
Spreading truth and knowledge
If you have ever talked to doctors in the hospitals, you may find that many of them are quite serious and speak in a range of terms that may be difficult to understand. But Zhang Wenhong, the leader of the Shanghai team of experts in the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia, is one of the exceptions. He caught the public's attention for his recent frank and funny speech.
Zhang's words first went viral (走红) on the internet after he said in late January that he had dispatched (派遣) doctors and nurses who are members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to frontline hospitals to treat coronavirus cases.
“When becoming CPC members, we vowed (发誓) that we would always prioritize people's interests. . . in the face of difficulties,” Zhang said. “This is the moment we live up to the pledge (誓言). All CPC members must rush to the frontline. No bargaining.” Such a hardcore declaration of his attitude won widespread applause among internet users. A person's morals are witnessed most in a critical situation. Nothing could win more recognition from the people than the down-to-earth behavior of the CPC members,” said Yang Haiyan, a 32-year-old Shanghai resident.
One month later, when Zhang advised local residents to reduce the risk of spreading the virus by staying at home, he said in Shanghai dialect: “If you don't stop seeing friends, you will see them again in the ICU.”
Though chased by the media, Zhang described himself as a medical worker who must speak out now, but will return to keeping a low profile after the outbreak ends.
“I spoke because of the fear among the public, owing to limited knowledge of the contagion (传染病),” said Zhang on Feb 26. “However, once the curtain of this coronavirus incident falls, it may be hard to find me. I'll just hide myself in a corner, studying complicated patient cases and doing some reading, silently. ”
1.What has made Zhang Wenhong so popular online?
A.The way he treats his patients.
B.His honest and humorous speech.
C.His pledge to fight against the virus.
D.His broad knowledge of the novel coronavirus.
2.He dispatched CPC members to frontline hospitals because he believed that .
A.they would bargain less
B.they are more professional
C.they should take the lead as they had vowed
D.they would be calmer in a critical situation
3.What can we conclude from Zhang Wenhong's words in the last two paragraphs?
A.He doesn't like to speak in public.
B.He mainly treats people with complicated diseases.
C.He is not a person who is after fame and attention.
D.He is looking forward to taking a break after the epidemic.
Nonfiction Contest
Make us laugh, move us to tears ... write a brilliant, memorable nonfiction piece and you may be one of our two monthly winners. The sections include: Nonfiction, Focused/Special Issue, College Essays, Heroes, Pride & Prejudice, Health, Points of View and Sports.
Prizes
Winning articles will be published in Teen Ink magazine, and contest winners will receive a copy of the magazine featuring their work. Plus, they’ll have the opportunity to choose from an exciting selection of Teen Ink products — clothes and other items — available only through Teen Ink.
Guidelines
Teen Ink will only consider original writing by teens. Entries of all kinds are accepted — serious, funny, long or short. We like to read it all!
Submit entries through our website. All nonfiction works submitted to Teen Ink are automatically considered for the monthly contest. See our submission guidelines for more information.
Deadlines
There are no deadlines; entries are accepted throughout the year. Winning nonfiction pieces will be published in Teen Ink magazine and online each month. Keep in mind that if your submission has a seasonal or holiday theme, it’s best to send it early.
Here’s how you can reach us:
Mailing address: Teen Ink, Box 30, Newton, MA 02461
Phone number: (617) 964-6800
Main email address: Editor@TeenInk.com
1.What do we know about the contest?
A.It is held twice a month. B.There will be 12 winners every year.
C.It covers a wide range of topics. D.Winners will receive some prize money.
2.What must we do to take part in the contest?
A.Write an article by ourselves. B.Write a long enough article.
C.Focus on a seasonal or holiday theme. D.Send our work at the beginning of a month.
听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1.Where does Mr.Smithson live?
A.In a country house. B.In a luxury apartment. C.On the second floor of an apartment building.
2.What was the photographer's project about?
A.Neighbors at home. B.People going to art galleries. C.People watching birds.
3.Why are the residents probably angry?
A.The photos are too private.
B.Their faces can't be seen clearly.
C.They want to earn some money from the photos.
4.What will probably happen to Mr.Smithson?
A.He'll be thrown in jail. B.He won't get in trouble. C.He will have to pay a fine.
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers probably?
A.In the middle of a city. B.In a boat. C.On a hill.
2.What are the speakers looking at?
A.The ocean. B.The city lights. C.The stars.
3.Why was the man probably surprised?
A.A lot of birds flew around him.
B.He wasn't expecting to see his father.
C.A wild animal was coming toward him.