About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school

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About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings.
Instead, they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers. The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools(网络学校)” and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to go to a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschools called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.
小题1:What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschools?

A．They have to take long bus rides to school.

B．They study at home rather than in classrooms.

C．They receive money from traditional public schools.

D．They do well in traditional school programs.

小题2:What is a problem with cyberschools?

A．Their equipment costs a lot of money.

B．They get little support from the state government.

C．It is hard to know students" progress in learning.

D．The students find it hard to make friends.

小题3:Cyberschools are getting popular because__________.

A．they are less expensive for students

B．their students can work at their own speed

C．their graduates are more successful in society

D．they serve students in a wider age range

答案

小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:D

解析

小题1:根据文章内容可知答案为B
小题2:根据文章内容They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.可知答案为C
小题3:根据文章内容They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.可知答案为D

举一反三

Photography is about taking photographs. In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photograph.
The next important date in the history of photograph was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, the process was improved. The photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment(设备). But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States.
Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality. Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and destroyed cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photograph. Photographers could buy films readymade in rolls(卷). So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process(冲洗) the film at once. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later. They did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small hand-held camera made photography less expensive.
Photography is also a form of art. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
Title: The 1 of Photography

Photography doesn’t only mean taking photographs; it is also a form of art. Photographs showed not only the real world, but also the ideas and feelings.
In 1826	A Frenchman named Niepce invented a very simple camera and the first photograph was 2 by him.
In 1837	Another Frenchman Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called daguerreotype. People could see 3 things in the pictures.
In 1840	The photographers could take pictures of people and moving things with lots of films and processing equipment.
In 1862	An American photographer Brady took many pictures of real and 4 things in the war. He was the first person to take war pictures.
In the 1880s	There were films readymade in rolls(卷). Photographers did not have to carry lots of equipment any more. The invention of the small hand-held camera made photography 5 .

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What will the house of the future look like? Architects (建筑师) believe that there are all possibilities. The only thing for sure is that the house will be as green as possible.
The tree house
Many architects in the world would like to build a “tree house.” Like a leaf, the surface (表面) of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even create fresh air for the home. The “root” of the house is deep under the ground.
The lizard (蜥蜴) house
Like a lizard, changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it’s in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn dark to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns white and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy.
Meals at home
It has gardens on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every day in the morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals.
Learning from the past
Looking to the future isn’t the only way to be green. Sometimes, ancient techniques (古老的技术) can also help cut down energy use. For example, a chimney can be a useful air conditioner because it is easier for hot air to flow out at the chimney.
小题1:We can heat water, produce electricity or create fresh air for the home _________.

A．with a leaf from the tree

B．with the energy from sunlight

C．with gardens on its wall

D．with the door in the house

小题2:What will happen to the cover of the lizard house when it’s in the bright sun?

A．It will take in light.	B．It will produce energy.
C．It will turn dark.	D．It will turn white.

小题3:People can’t plant __________ on the outside wall of the house according to the passage.

A．tomatoes

B．potatoes

C．carrots

D．green tea

小题4: What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Future life	B．Green house of the future
C．Different houses	D．Energy saving in the future

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Electronic books have changed the way many people read for   15 . Now online textbooks are changing the way some students learn and some teachers teach.
More than   16  students go to the public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside Washington. Last year, the school system used digital books in fifteen schools. This school year, middle schools and high schools changed   17  printed to electronic textbooks in their social studies classes.
“I mean, it’s just   18  a regular textbook, except it’s got it all online.” says Luke Rosa, a history teacher at Falls Church High School.
Peter Noonan, an assistant superintendent(主管) of schools says, “The world’s changing   19 . And the online textbooks can change right along with the events that   20 .”
“Digital books also cost   21  than printed textbooks,” he says, “Usually it’s between fifty and seventy dollars   22  a textbook for each student, which adds up to about eight million dollars for all of our students in Fairfax County. In fact, we have bought all of the online textbooks for our students for just under six million dollars.”
Social studies teacher Michael Bambara says the e-book he uses in his government class is better than a(an)   23  textbook. It has materials for students   24  different levels of reading skills…

小题1:

A．pleased

B．pleasing

C．pleasant

D．pleasure

小题2:

A．one hundred seventy-five thousand

B．one hundred seventy-five thousands

C．one hundred and seventy-five thousand

D．one hundred and seventy-five thousands

小题3:

A．into

B．from

C．with

D．along

小题4:

A．like

B．liking

C．liked

D．likely

小题5:

A．at times

B．at all times

C．at that time

D．at the same time

小题6:

A．is happened

B．is happening

C．are happening

D．have been happened

小题7:

A．more expensive

B．cheaper

C．more

D．less

小题8:

A．buy

B．buying

C．to buy

D．bought

小题9:

A．online

B．printed

C．digital

D．electronic

小题10:

A．with

B．have

C．who has

D．they have

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If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.
One of the first sayings taught to school children is, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an “apple polisher”. This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the “apple of our eye”.
Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.
An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert, and made into sweet juice.
In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.
Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is “the biggest apple” of all the American cities.
小题1:What does the underlined phrase “apple polisher” mean?

A．Something for cutting apples.

B．A person who likes to please others.

C．A person who is dealing with fruits.

D．A machine for cleaning apples quickly.

小题2:Which of the following is TRUE with apples?

A．Apples are medicine.

B．Apples are the most important food.

C．New York is famous for its big apples.

D．The Bible says Adam was given an apple.

小题3:The passage is mainly about .

A．stories about the apple

B．apples in American culture

C．some famous sayings of the apple

D．big cities that is famous for apples

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While watching movies, it’s getting hard to tell what is and isn’t real. Thanks to computers, movie makers can now use their full imaginations. There’s even a new type of character--made entirely by computers—which is getting more and more screen time.
Making the impossible look easy has always been a part of movie magic. As far back as 1895, filmmakers used special effects in movies. Over the years, many few techniques（技术） were developed. Then, starting in the 1970s, computers took their place at the center of the process.
One of the first movies to widely use 3D computer generated（生成的，产生的） imagery (CGI) was Tron(1982). In the following years, more CGI characters were brought to life, one by one. Then, Jurassic park (1993) brought us an island full of man-eating dinosaurs. Shortly afterwards, Toy Story (1995) became the first cartoon made entirely with 3D CGI effects. It was a big hit, and audiences loved the characters.
By using “motion capture” technology, filmmakers can make the movements of CGI humans even more lifelike. With this technique, a real actor wears sensors（感受器，传感器） on his face and body. The sensors record the actor’s movements and send the information to a computer. Then the movements are given to a CGI character. This technique was used to make the creature（生物，有生命的东西） Gollum in the second and third The Lord of the Rings movies (2002,2003). Other films, like Beowulf (2007), have also used motion capture to help create CGI humans.
It is still rather easy to tell that a CGI human is not real. But the technology is improving every year. Over time, many problems ( like the teeth and eyes looking fake) will be solved. We will certainly see more CGI animals, monsters, and people in movies and TV shows. The question is – in the future, how many real actors will be put out of work by computer actors?
小题1:What is the main idea?

A．Tron was important in the history of CGI films.

B．Many people go to the movies to see incredible special effects.

C．More and more film characters are being made by computers.

D．All the humans in Beowulf were CGI characters.

小题2:In what year was a film made with many CGI dinosaurs?

A．1895

B．1982

C．1993

D．2003

小题3:What was special about Gollum?

A．Motion capture was used to help make the charater.

B．Gollum had an important role in a CGI cartoon.

C．He was the only CGI character in the Lord of the Rings.

D．Little money was spent to bring the creature to life.

小题4:What does the world hit mean?

A．attack

B．shot

C．success

D．try

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