A report released this month found that grouping children by ability is on the rise again— teaching students in groups of similar ability has improved achievement for fast and slow learners alike—and who wouldn’t want bright kids to be able to move ahead, or strugglers to get the help they need?
But for most kids, labels (标签) applied early in life tend to stick, even if they are wrong.
Sorting school children by ability has long been controversial. In some countries, especially in Asia, school-wide tracking (分流) remains normal. Children are tested and placed in different schools that direct them toward professional or vocational careers. Movement between the tracks is rare.
School-wide tracking decreased in U.S. schools in the 1960s and ’70s. It never died out, though. Sorting students into separate tracks for math at about junior high school age continues to be common, and other forms of tracking persist as well.
Unlike tracking, which means sorting students into separate classrooms, ability grouping happens within classrooms. When done according to the latest research, it has proven to promote achievement.
Ability grouping is changeable and temporary. Within classrooms, students might be divided into different learning groups dealing with materials of different levels. Any students who master concepts can move upward between groups, and the student groups might look different from subject to subject and unit to unit. For instance, a student who stands out in language arts might be at an average or slower level in math. A student who flies through multiplication tables might need extra help with fractions. Students who lag in reading can be pulled out of the classroom in small groups for practice with a tutor until their reading improves.
Research shows ability grouping within classes has more positive benefits than tracking. However, that must be weighed against the challenges involved. In many regular classrooms, the differences between student ability levels are very big. That presents challenges for teachers and low-performing students to constantly compare themselves with students who seem to fly through school with ease.
The rigid ability groups and tracking of the past are still with us in many schools. Likely, labels are applied with more caution than in the bad old days when some teachers gave reading groups not-so-secret code names like “Bluebirds”, “Robins”, “Crows” and “Buzzards”. But kids still know.
1.Why is grouping children by ability becoming popular again?
A. Because most teachers do not like slower learners.
B. Because grouping children should be done early in life.
C. Because it is academically beneficial to different learners.
D. Because fast learners can move ahead without teachers’ help.
2.By saying “Movement between the tracks is rare.” (Para 3), the writer really means______.
A. tracking children is normal in Asia
B. school-wide tracking has decreased in US
C. professional and vocational careers are unrelated
D. sorted students can hardly change schools
3.The examples in Paragraph 6 are used mainly to illustrate ______.
A. a good language learner promises to be good at maths
B. a student might join different groups for different courses
C. ability grouping benefits gifted students more than slow ones
D. ability grouping presents no challenge for those slow students
4.What might be the challenge in regular classrooms for teachers?
A. Students’ different levels.
B. Students’ low performance.
C. Constant self-comparison.
D. Application of not-so-secret code.
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Wind turbines are efficient sources of cheap energy but also a source of concern as their huge spinning blades (叶片) frequently kill birds and bats. A new type of wind generator developed in Spain offers a creative solution to that problem.
In 2002, Spanish inventor David Yanez saw a short film about the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the U.S., collapsing in strong wind. It was a vivid example of the powerful vibrations wind can create when it blows past a long pole, such as a car antenna or even a stick of bamboo. It gave him the idea for a new type of wind-energy generator.
“The initial philosophy or spirit was to create a generator of dreams that had all the qualities one would want: It should be as cheap as possible, need as little maintenance as possible, the setup as simple as possible,” he said.
Yanez and his friend Raoul Martin took the idea to an engineering firm, where they were told it would never work. Undiscouraged, they started experimenting on their own in a small wind tunnel they built.
Good initial results were repeated by a larger working model called Vortex (涡旋) installed in a nearby field. “What we have is a mast (桅杆), which is the top piece and acts as a blade,” Yanez said. “It’s constructed from the same material as a conventional generator, and what it does is it oscillates (振荡), transmitting the oscillation to a conventional alternator, which by its own oscillation converts the wind’s energy into electric energy.”
Yanez said the output of the 6-meter-tall generator, and even that of smaller models, was better than expected. The Vortex creates about 30 percent less energy than a comparable bladed wind turbine, but it is lighter and cheaper to build and maintain. It is made mostly of reinforced plastic and has very few moving parts. Also, it does not create noise and—even more important for many environmentalists—it does not present a threat to passing birds.
The current prototype works at wind speeds ranging from 1.5 to 7 meters per second. The inventors say the next step is building a 12.5-meter tall bladeless generator with a 4-kilowatt capacity that could power small businesses or individual homes, or provide supplemental power to a main grid. The commercial version of the Vortex Bladeless generator should be ready for the market by 2017.
1.The author mentions a short film about the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to show ________.
A. what the initial philosophy or spirit was
B. what inspired Yanez to create the generator
C. how the bridge was destroyed in strong wind
D. how wind creates powerful vibrations
2.What do we know from the passage?
A. The original idea was considered as practical in an engineering firm.
B. Yanez and Martin’s initial tests by themselves proved to be successful.
C. The material for constructing the mast is different from that of the past.
D. The new generator is better at creating energy than a comparable bladed one.
3. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Bladeless wind-power generator is friendly to birds.
B. Wind turbines are efficient sources of cheap energy.
C. A new generator will come onto the market by 2017.
D. Yanez has made a generator for the benefit of people.
INTRODUCTION The Omron HEM-780 IntelliSenseTM Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor quickly measures your blood pressure and your measurement reading can be clearly displayed on a large digital panel. |
KNOW YOUR UNIT
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IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES * Do not use a cell phone near the unit, which may result in operational failure. * Changes or modifications not approved by Omron Healthcare will declare the user warranty invalid. Do not disassemble or attempt to repair the unit or components. |
SUGGESTIONS BEFORE TAKING 1. Avoid eating, smoking, and exercising for 30 minutes before taking a measurement. Rest for at least 15 minutes before taking the measurement. 2. Stress raises blood pressure. Avoid taking measurements during stressful times. 3. Rest your left arm on a table so that the cuff is at the same level as your heart. 4. Wait 2-3 minutes between measurements. The wait time allows the arteries (动脉) to return to the condition prior to taking the blood pressure measurement. |
WARRANTY INFORMATION Your HEM-780 IntelliSenseTM Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor is guaranteed to be free from faults in materials and workmanship appearing within 5 years, when used in accordance with the instructions provided with the monitor. The above warranties extend only to the original retail purchaser. To obtain warranty service, ship the monitor and all of the components, together with proof of purchase and a note explaining the problem with $5.00 for return shipping and insurance to: Omron Healthcare, Inc. Attn: Repair Department 300 Lakeview Parkway Vernon Hills, IL 60061 |
1.Your measure reading might be inaccurate, if ________.
a. you have just finished your meal
b. you have just cycled home from work
c. your child is using the cell phone in the next room
d. your wife has just finished measuring her blood pressure
e. you have just been scolded by your boss because of the delayed work
A. a b c B. a b e C. b c e D. c d e
2.Which of the following monitors is under warranty?
A. The monitor that was bought six years ago.
B. The monitor that goes wrong due to false use.
C. The monitor whose purchase proof is missing.
D. The monitor whose system broke down when first used.
My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch. The Discovery was____to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it____so many times on television,____now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the____of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle____home one unforgettable point—the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building—it____4.5 million pounds—and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles off the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much____, so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small____of hundreds of portable radios all tuned to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating____
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts____The first things you see are large white____clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way____Thousands upon millions of pounds of____can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle picks up and roars into the sky, headed into space attaining a____of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is____Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first 2 minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital____
And that’s exactly how success____: The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the____and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However,____you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost____for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
1.A. advised B. hoped C. scheduled D. reminded
2.A. rise up B. come up C. step up D. go up
3.A. but B. and C. as D. therefore
4.A. universe B. world C. nature D. air
5.A. gets B. drives C. runs D. jumps
6.A. costs B. weighs C. measures D. sells
7.A. smaller B. greater C. bigger D. smoother
8.A. rockets B. workers C. speakers D. actors
9.A. off your mouth B. out of your stomach C. off your mind D. out of your chest
10.A. blow B. follow C. glow D. flow
11.A. gas B. smoke C. mist D. steam
12.A. downward B. upward C. forward D. outward
13.A. pull B. lift C. push D. pressure
14.A. distance B. degree C. height D. speed
15.A. ordinary B. absolute C. apparent D. present
16.A. attitude B. altitude C. route D. rail
17.A. puts off B. pays off C. takes off D. drops off
18.A. hardest B. easiest C. simplest D. biggest
19.A. while B. if C. unless D. until
20.A. useless B. careless C. wireless D. priceless
— I feel terrible. I didn’t do well in the math test.
— _______. You’re already making progress and will surely learn it well.
A. Don’t dream away your time B. Don’t take things for granted
C. Don’t put the cart before the horse D. Don’t take it too hard
The scenic spot’s worsening reputation doesn’t seem to be ______ tourists, who still flood in.
A. putting away B. putting on C. putting down D. putting off
