In a nation of schools typically named with sensible acronyms (首字母缩写词) or after the names of dead Frenchmen, 63 seems a strange title for an institution of higher learning. But then, Xavier Niel's new technology academy hardly aims to be conventional.
Niel, a friendly telecommunications manager with several billion euros to his name, set up the Paris campus this year to provide programming classes.
Its very name is something mysterious: In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the science-fiction novel by Douglas Adams, the number 63 is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything.
There are no lectures—the college achieves its teaching goals by combining an extreme form of “student-to- student learning” with project-based learning. Students can only find “friendly organizers" wearing T-shirts instead of lecturers. No degree will be awarded, nor must incoming students, ages 18 to 30, be high school graduates. 63 is tuition-free and has sought to attract students from the country’s poorest neighborhoods.
The school breaks with the conventional methods, and Niel believes it will produce graduates who are more creative, more employable, more diverse and more useful to the weak French economy as a result.
There were 20,000 applicants this year to enter 63. In the end, just 900 were admitted to the three- year program.
The school will teach problem-solving, its creators say. Some educators call this unworkable. To provide students with “recipes” is hardly enough, said Pierre Baylet, an administrator at the Institute Mines Telecom, a telecommunications school. “You have to teach them to cook!” Baylet told the education magazine I' Etudiant.
Still, some public officials have welcomed it, especially those who are concerned with the state of the economy.
Similar methods are used by other private universities, including Epitech, the programming college formerly led by Nicolas Sadirac (63's director) and generally considered France's best. But annual tuition there and at similar institutions runs into several thousand euros.
Corentin Denos, 18, said he would need to find a “suitcase full of money” to afford that. He scored high, survived the month long camp in Paris and was admitted by 63. The academy might strike some as “a bit strange”, Denos said. “It fits me perfectly.”
1.What do we learn about the name 63?
A.It honors a dead Frenchman. B.It was given by Douglas Adams.
C.It is from a traditional university. D.It comes from a number in a novel.
2.Which of the following is an unusual feature of 63?
A.It is run by public officials. B.It has no teachers.
C.It gives students no assignments. D.It is hugely expensive.
3.How did Pierre Baylet seem to look at 63?
A.It was creative. B.It forgot to teach cooking skills.
C.It wouldn't succeed. D.It shouldn't offer students recipes.
4.What did Corentin Denos say about colleges like Epitech?
A.He considered their tuition fees too high. B.He didn't like their teaching methods.
C.He dreamed of going to such colleges. D.He thought they were a bit strange.
My youngest son has a severe form of Autism (自闭症). Even though he is in his twenties now he still has the mind of a small child. Things I find silly delight him and little changes that wouldn't bother me at all bother him greatly. Most of the time he is happy but there are also times when he can be terribly upset. He will tear up things and cry for no reason. It always hurts me to see him suffer this way especially when there is little I can do to help.
This morning was particularly trying for him. He broke a new shirt and cried on and off for an hour. Finally he calmed down. I was still feeling stressed, however, and tiredly sat down at my computer to see if I could get a little work done. As I was turning it on, I heard my son laugh for the first time all day. I turned my head and saw him standing directly under the glass angel hanging from our ceiling fan. The light from our house lamps seemed to shine brightly all around him like a halo (光环). His eyes lit up as the little angel swung gently above his head.
At that moment my heart opened. I could see that the miracle was reminding me that my son was more than his Autism. I instead saw the shining soul within. I saw the love and light of his spirit and knew he was here for a purpose. My eyes watered and I appreciated this minor miracle and gentle reminder of his love for all of us.
Miracles are all around us, but we can't always see them with our eyes. We often have to see them with our hearts. Keep your heart open to them then. And let yourself be the miracle you were meant to be!
1.What can we learn about her son from the first paragraph?
A.Nothing can bring joy to him. B.He is always lost in his own world.
C.Any help from his mother is in vain. D.His upset arises from obvious reasons.
2.What does the underlined word “trying” mean in paragraph 2?
A.Terrifying. B.Embarrassing. C.Exhausting. D.Annoying.
3.What makes his mother grateful to him?
A.His burst of laughter. B.His changeable emotions.
C.His soul full of love. D.His eyes full of curiosity.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Miracles come in moments. B.A mother's love never changes.
C.Autism calls for public concern. D.Communication comes from hearts.
Free Level Test: Spanish courses in Sydney
Let your language journey begin.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world and the official language of more than 20 states, including Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, etc.
If you are planning a trip or just want to learn Spanish, consider taking a free Spanish Level Test at Instituto Cervantes Sydney, the official Spanish language and cultural centre in Australia.
Instituto Cervantes Sydney is home to Spanish language classes whose purpose is to develop students’ ability to understand, speak, read and write in Spanish. All teachers are university qualified and use the most up-to- date teaching methods.
If you already have some knowledge of Spanish, this Level Test is fit for you, as you will be tested by one of the teachers before being put into a class. You can also have all the information you need to start learning Spanish here, including courses and costs.
Ask the customer service team members about information on the free library service for students and the exciting cultural activities held all year round.
If you haven't studied Spanish before, you can enroll(注册) online in a level A1.1 ( Beginner Course). You can also enroll at the reception during business hours.
Don't miss out on discounts. Learn Spanish with up to a 7% Early Bird Discount if you enroll before the 20 of April. Students at Instituto Cervantes Sydney also enjoy special discounts on activities such as dance classes, cinema tickets and much more.
Begin your Spanish language journey with Instituto Cervantes Sydney today by joining a free Level Test this summer; there are different classes to choose from between the 11h and 18 of April.
For more information on Instituto Cervantes Sydney and their classes and cultural activities, please visit sidney. cervantes. es/ en/ default. shtm.
1.To a student who has learned Spanish, the class he will be in is decided by _______.
A.which country he is from B.his grades in a Level Test
C.when he enrolls for the course D.his reasons for learning Spanish
2.What do we know about the Spanish courses?
A.They are about business Spanish. B.They center on learners' listening.
C.They are run with cultural activities. D.They are taught with traditional methods.
3.Why are learners advised to enroll before the 20" of April?
A.They can save some money. B.They can go to free dance classes.
C.They can start their classes earlier. D.They can choose their favorite teachers.
假设你是晨光中学高三学生李津，你的美国朋友Chris发来邮件，询问你的高考选考情况，请给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 选考科目；
2. 选考某一科目的原因。
注意：
1. 词数不少于100；
2. 可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯。
参考词汇：选考科目 elective course
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阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
Reading with Rover is a reading program where children read to dogs. In addition to Reading with Rover, which is based on Washington state, there are many such reading programs around the country. The goal of all these programs is to improve the reading skills of children with reading problems by having children read to dogs.
When reading aloud in the classroom, many children with reading problems and poor reading skills feel frightened. They have little confidence in themselves and are afraid of being laughed at. They may also feel that reading is difficult, boring and stressful. However, when children read to dogs, reading becomes a fun and non-stressful experience for both the children and the dogs. Dogs don’t criticize, judge or laugh at the children’s reading ability.
Reading with Rover and other programs like it have been a huge success, resulting in improved reading skills for a significant number of participating children with reading problems. In addition to making learning enjoyable, when children read to dogs, it increases their sense of worth and self-confidence.
As part of the Reading with Rover program, the children read to dogs that are registered therapy dogs. These are dogs that have been trained and tested. Along with their owners, these dogs have become registered therapy teams.
A recent research study was conducted by the University of California, which concluded that when children read to dogs, it can increase their reading skills by thirty percent.
Children who took part in this study remarked, “I feel relaxed when I am reading to a dog because I am having fun.” “The dogs don’t care if you read really badly so you just keep going.”
When children read to dogs and improve their reading skills, it becomes just another example of how wonderful dogs are and how important they are to our society.
1.What’s the aim of Reading with Rover?(no more than 10 words)
2.Why does reading become a fun and non-stressful experience when children read to dogs?(no more than 12 words)
3.What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about?(no more than 12 words)
4.What does the underlined word “conducted” mean in the fifth paragraph?(no more than 2 words)
5.What do you think of Reading with Rover and other programs like it? Please explain.(no more than 25 words)
A school in North Carolina has banned skinny jeans and other excessively (过度地) tight-fitting trousers unless worn with a top or dress that must cover the bottom in its entirety. The school board introduced the ban because it says some girls were bullied (欺凌) when wearing tight-fitting trousers. Some parents think the ban is ridiculous and that more time should be spent on monitoring student behavior instead of banning clothing choices.
As a former teacher and a current parent of two girls, I have my opinion on the issue. Non-educators often seem to think “monitoring student behavior” is something as easy as putting on a pair of shoes, and that if teachers “just did their jobs better,” 99-100% of student discipline issues would never happen. The truth is that teachers can’t possibly monitor and control every single moment of a student’s life during the school day.
This is where my view as a parent of girls comes in. Girls of middle-high school age are dealing with their own bodily development, what TV and movies tell them a girl should dress and look like “to be pretty”, and what other girls at their age say they should look like and wear “to be pretty.” This means there isn’t a flawless outfit (套装) that some other girl won’t find “something wrong with” and then make fun of. Assuming we’re talking about girls in public schools, what they wear should be comfortable but also follow common sense. Wearing something that’s too tight probably isn’t that comfortable, but if it is, having some way to cover up certain areas accented (突出) by the tight clothing is a good idea.
Modern fashions might disagree, but psychology tells us tight clothes only cause a distraction.
School isn’t a fashion show. It’s a place of learning with some social interaction, and for those things to happen and also succeed, everyone needs to work together.
1.Why are some parents against the school ban?
A.It is not the proper time to introduce it. B.It will influence student behavior.
C.It is none of the school’s business. D.It will put girls at a disadvantage.
2.Which of the following about “monitoring student behavior” would the author agree with?
A.It is unfair to students. B.It’s a difficult job for teachers.
C.It can solve most student discipline issues. D.Teachers shouldn’t devote much time to it.
3.What does the underline word “flawless” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.tight B.perfect
C.casual D.comfortable
4.What should be the principle of dressing for school girls in the author’s opinion?
A.Modesty. B.Fashion.
C.Neatness. D.Prettiness.
5.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.How to monitor students’ behavior?
B.How to prevent campus bullying?
C.Should parents require their children what to wear?
D.Should “skinny jeans” be banned in school?
