Bill Gates recently predicted that online learning will make place-based colleges less significant, and five years from now, students will be able to find the best lectures in the world online. I applaud Mr. Gates. But what’s taking us so long?
As early as 1997, MIT(麻省理工) decided to post videos of all university lectures online. for free, for all people. But today, how many students have you met who mastered advanced mathematics or nuclear physics from an MIT online video? Unfortunately, the answer is not many. The problem is the poor quality of online education websites and the experience they provide to students. Those who go to the MIT website and watch courses online are surely very smart people, but it’s not like playing a video game such as World of Warcraft. Only the most ardent students, those who are highly motivated, will devote themselves to studying these boring online videos.
The real question is why we aren’t spending more to develop better online education platforms. Where is the Avatar of education? Think about this. The market for Hollywood films per year is worth around 30 billion USD. Education in the world is a trillion-dollar-a-year market, hundreds of times bigger than Hollywood movies. Yet the most expensive digital learning system ever built cost well under 100 million dollars.
Bill Gates’ prediction is going to happen. There is no doubt about it. But it will only happen when we create high level educational content and experiences that engage and excite more than has ever been possible in the real world.
1.What has Bill Gates forecast about online learning?
A. It will concentrate on physics lectures
B. It will completely replace real universities
C. It will help to make universities more successful
D. It will play an increasingly important role in education
2.What does the underlined word “ardent” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Creative B. Enthusiastic
C. Well-behaved D. Experienced
3.According to the author, what is holding back the popularity of online learning?
A. The lack of lectures available online
B. The high cost of access to the websites
C. The low standard of educational websites
D. The competition with online computer games
4.Why does the author mention Hollywood?
A. To show that Hollywood produces many successful movies
B. To prove that education is more profitable than entertainment
C. To argue that movie directors should produce educational content
D. To urge that more money be spent developing educational websites
Dujiangyan is the oldest man-made water system in the world, and a wonder in the development of Chinese science. Built over 2,200 years ago in what is now Sichuan Province in Southwest China, this amazing engineering achievement is still used today to irrigate over 6,000 square kilometres of farmland, take away floodwater and provide water for 50 cities in the province.
In ancient times, the region in which Dujiangyan now stands suffered from regular floods caused by overflow from the Minjiang River. To help the victims of the flooding, Li Bing, the region governor, together with his son, decided to find a solution. They studied the problem and discovered that the river most often overflowed when winter snow at the top of the nearby Mount Yulei began to melt as the weather warmed.
The simplest fix was to build a dam, but this would have ruined the Minjiang River. So instead Li designed a series of channels built at different levels along Mount Yulei that would take away the floodwater while leaving the river flowing naturally. Better still, the extra water could be directed to the dry Chengdu Plain, making it suitable for farming.
Cutting the channels through the hard rock of Mount Yulei was a remarkable accomplishment as it was done long before the invention gunpowder and explosives. Li Bing found another solution. He used a combination of fire and water to heat and cool the rocks until they cracked and could be removed. After eight years of work, the 20-metre-wide canals had been carved through the mountain.
Once the system was finished, no more floods occurred and the people were able to live peacefully and affluently. Today, Dujiangyan is admired by scientists from around the world because of one feature. Unlike modern dams where the water is blocked with a huge wall, Dujiangyan still lets water flow through the Minjiang River naturally, enabling ecosystems and fish populations to exist in harmony.
1.What are the benefits of Dujiangyan according to the first paragraph?
A. Reducing flooding and watering farmland.
B. Protecting the mountain and reducing flooding.
C. Watering farmland and improving water quality.
D. Drying the river and supplying cities with water.
2.What was the main cause of the Minjiang Rivers flooding?
A. Heavy rains. B. Melting snow.
C. Low river banks. D. Steep mountains.
3.How was Li Bing able to break through the rocks of Mount Yulei?
A. By using gunpowder.
B. By flooding the rocks with water.
C. By applying a heating and cooling technique.
D. By breaking the rocks with hammers and spades.
4.Why is Dujiangyan greatly admired by scientists today?
A. It preserves much of the natural river life.
B. It took very little time to complete the project.
C. The building techniques used were very modem.
D. It has raised the living standards of the local people.
Inside the Rain Room
The Rain Room has arrived and local art lovers are taking notice. Is it worth the wait? Yes, I assure you it is. Once inside, visitors find a long, dark room with a high ceiling. A single bright light shines through heavy rain falling around visitors. The mist. The damp air. The noise. It feels like a mighty storm is pouring down. But the storm is inside. And visitors aren’t getting wet. Instead, visitors wander in awe, admiring the rain and the artists who created it.
The Rain Room was created to highlight the connection between humans, nature and technology. With a tracking system that senses movement and stops the rain wherever visitors move, it does just that. Light and sound produce an experience that feels both natural and foreign. The exhibit is moving on to Atlanta next month. I urge you to visit before then. It’s time to experience the Rain Room for yourself!
Welcome to the Rain Room
• The Rain Room features falling water. Please be aware you may get slightly wet. However, visitors wearing raincoats will be turned away.
• This exhibit features advanced technology. To ensure its effectiveness, please avoid wearing dark or reflective clothing.
• Visitors are welcome to take photographs of the exhibit.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• For the convenience of all guests, visits are limited to 10 minutes.
1.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To attract visitors to a new art exhibit.
B. To explain how an exhibit has been created.
C. To describe the technology used in the exhibit.
D. To promote the artists taking part in an exhibit.
2.What’s the function of the exhibit’s tracking system?
A. To keep visitors from getting wet.
B. To protect the exhibit from water damage.
C. To time how long visitors are in the room.
D. To count the number of visitors in the room.
3.What must you do when visiting the Rain Room?
A. Wear a raincoat.
B. Wear dark clothing.
C. Leave your camera outside.
D. Pass through within 10 minutes.
假如你是红星中学学生会主席李华。你了解到你校国际部学生对“全国戏曲进校园”活动（national opera on campus）很感兴趣，且学校决定承办一次戏剧演出。请你用英文给国际部的学生写封邮件告知此事。邮件内容包括：
1．说明事由；
2．演出信息（时间、地点等）；
3．欢迎参加。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Hello, everybody!
I am president of the Student Union in our school_____ ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
One day on my way to school, I went to buy the pancake in a food store, leave my bag on the table while waiting. With the pancake ready, and I paid for it, took “my bag” on the table, and hurriedly headed to school.
Seating in the classroom, I was about to take my books out while suddenly I became frozen. It was not my bag! I took the bag for mistake! What surprised me most was there was a large sum of money in it. Calming me down, I turned to the teacher for help.
At that time, I come to understand the true meaning of being honestly.
On my way back from the city, I was in the underground. A couple,1.child was young, came in on one of the stops. The young man opposite to me got up and sat somewhere else. There were many seats available2.no three seats were together, so he left his place willingly so that the family could sit together.
Seeing that, I thought 3.I should do was show my gratitude, so I reached for one of my little “shine” cards and wrote at the back “You are kind. Thank you”. I gave the card to the young man 4.a smile. He accepted it and said “Thank you.”
He was sure to feel5. (delight), because I noticed that the card6.(keep) in his hands for a while we were travelling together in silence. Later before 7.(get) off the underground, he came closer and, with a bigger smile, 8.(say) “Thank you very much for this. Have a lovely day.”
9.through this experience did I have a deeper understanding of the true meaning of kindness. Sometimes just a small thing can make a big difference, bringing convenience and 10. (warm) to people around us.
