Forty-two of the fifty American states offered some kind of public online learning this past school year.One state,Michigan,now requires all students to have an online learning experience before they finish high school.Even the idea of a school has changed since the rise ofthe Internet in the 1990s.
A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University says eighteen states have full-time virtual schools.There are no buildings.All classes are online.
Florida started the first statewide public virtual school in the United States in 1997.Today,the Florida Virtual School offers more man ninety courses.56,000 students were enrolled as of December.Almost sixty percent were female.The school's website says each student was enrolled in an average of two classes.
Florida Virtual School has now opened the Florida Virtual Global School.Students in other countries pay for classes.Janet Heiking teaches an English class.She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.Her students live as far away as Africa and Japan.She says they are taking her Advanced Placement class to prepare for attending an American college.They can earn college credits by passing the AP test.
So how good are virtual schools? Studies have shown mixed results, as a new report from Indiana University notes.For example, students at Florida Virtual School earned higher grades than those taking the same courses the traditional way.And they scored higher on a statewide
test.But virtual school students in Kansas and Colorado had lower test scores or performed at a lower level than traditional learners.Studies also find that virtual schools may not save much in operating costs.
Education experts say the mixed results suggest the need for more research to find the best ways to teach in virtual schools.A1so, they say schools of education need to train more teachers to work in both real and virtual classrooms.
【小题1】A virtual school is one that___________.

A.is set up after the rise of the Internet
B.uses textbooks as a main teaching resource
C.uses computer-based resources and has no teachers
D.has online classes and no real classrooms
【小题2】The first statewide public virtual school in the USA was started in ________ .
A.FloridaB.IndianaC.MichiganD.Colorado
【小题3】Florida Virtual School is open to ________.
A.students in Indiana
B.students only around the USA
C.students across the world
D.only foreign students
【小题4】Foreign students take Advanced Placement classes for the eventual purpose of __________ .
A.earning college credits
B.entering an American college
C.learning advanced science
D.passing the AP test
【小题5】From the passage we learn that________.
A.the majority of virtual school students in Florida are male
B.all senior students m Michigan have an online learning experience
C.virtual schools are better than traditional schools
D.both real and virtual classrooms need more trained teachers

The girl looking for the job turned out to be excellent but she ended up giving her employer a headache when it also turned out that she used an unreal diploma(文凭).
In December, a Civil Administration Bureau in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, an­nounced that it needed five new staff members. Some 120 people applied and took the exam. Ap­plicants were required to show proof of a college degree at least.
Mei Jing beat everyone in the test and the interview. When a follow-up check was done, however, her education certificate(证书) was discovered to be an unreal one.
This was a bit of an embarrassment for the employers. A dilemma, one might say. If she were hired because of her excellent performance, she still wouldn't have the qualifications on pa­per. But, if she were dropped because she didn't meet the education requirements, they would lose a good worker. Tough problem!
While Mei's future hangs in the balance, the public having learned of the case got involved. Some people said the Bureau should employ her, since results are the only important thing. “After all, ability is more important than a diploma, ”said one office worker.
Others, however, have attacked Mei's dishonesty. They said that morality was, after all, more important than talent, especially in the case of a government position. Mei wasn't honest, so she shouldn't be hired.
But, Shen Ronghua, the head of the Shanghai Public Administration and Human Resources Institute, tries to be a bit more philosophical.
“There is still a sort of  'diploma means this'  prejudice among people,” Shen explains, “Many employers regard a diploma as the only sign of ability and talent.”
So, with this in mind, people may pay little attention to whether someone has real ability or not. They turn to chasing a diploma instead. The unreal diploma is the natural product of this thought.
The conclusion? "China needs a new human resource system. The new system will not define a person only by his or her diploma, " Shen says.
【小题1】What's the meaning of the underlined word “dilemma” in Paragraph Four?

A.A problem easy to deal with or solve.
B.A situation in which it is difficult for you to make the decision.
C.A difference in two or more statements, ideas, or stories.
D.Something said or done that is funny.
【小题2】What can we infer from this news report?
A.The Civil Administration Bureau of Wuhan employed the girl.
B.The girl was not employed because of dishonesty.
C.It remained to be seen whether the girl was to be employed or not.
D.Another Human Resource Institute employed the girl.
【小题3】What does Shen Ronghua mean by saying “diploma means this”?
A.A diploma can tell whether a person is honest or not.
B.A diploma is the only sign of ability and talent.
C.A diploma is what you get after you finish a course.
D.A diploma means a job.
【小题4】 Which of the following do you think is the best title of this news report?
A.A Girl's Unlucky Experience.B.Unreal Diploma.
C.Dishonesty Has Been Attacked.D.Can A Diploma Be All There Is.

National Forecast

LONDON —This Evening and Tonight:

Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas.  Dry with clear spells(持续时间)in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.

Saturday:

Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.

http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/

The Nation's Weather

Fri, Aug 24,

NEW YORK—Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.

Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.

Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant(剩余部分)of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.

Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.

http://www.underground.com

Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon

Wed, Aug 22,

BEIJING— At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation (撤退)of l.37 million people.

More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.

Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.

Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.

Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap

1.On August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _____.

A.low cloud and fog                       B.typhoon and flood

C.cloud and rain                          D.sunshine and mild wind

2.What was the weather like in the south and west of the USA on Thursday?

A.It was hot.                             B.It was rainy.

C.It was foggy.                            D.It was warm.

3.The storm named Sepat _____.

A.caused one death in the Philippines

B.killed 18 people in Taiwan

C.destroyed about 60,000 homes in Fujian

D.caused great economic losses

4.The name of Typhoon Sepat comes from  _____.

A.a tropical storm                         B.a Malaysian fish

C.a place                               D.a person

 

 

A

Hobbies: reading, listening to music and watching birds

Purpose: asking for spare copies of textbooks, teaching materials or journals

B

Hobbies: reading, singing and traveling

Purpose: learning about ideas of teaching professionals in the world

C

Hobbies: role-playing, listening to music and collecting nice things

Purpose: communicating with new friends among English teachers from the UK and the USA

D

Hobbies: reading and exchanging fancy gifts and ideas about local customs and conventions

Purpose: exchanging ideas on teaching methods

E

Hobbies: listening to western pop music, exchanging gifts and collecting things

Purpose: making friends with both fellow teachers and students of English around the world

F

Hobbies: swimming, cycling and raising cats and dogs

Purpose: finding pen friends all over the world and communicating in English

以下信函为上面关键备忘信息的来源。为有效管理资料,请将关键备忘信息与信函原件匹配起来。

1.

Dear Editor,

I am a secondary school teacher of English.  I would like to have pen friends all over the world for my students.  They are aged 15-19 and good at swimming, cycling and raising cats and dogs.  If students in your country are interested in corresponding with Turkish students in English, please tell them to write to my address, so that I can distribute their letters to my students who are willing to have friends and are in need of practice.

Ms.  Imbat

81030, Istanbul

Turkey

2.

Dear Editor,

I am interested in corresponding with other TEFL teachers and researchers about issues of professional development.  I would like to share ideas with fellow teachers from English-speaking countries throughout the world.  My hobbies are reading, listening to music and watching birds.  Since I live in a rather isolated area, I would appreciate any spare copies if text books, teaching materials or journals that other teachers would be able to send me.

Ms.  Juliana Sirait

21214,Kisaran

Indonesia

3.

Dear Editor

I am a 33-year-old secondary school teacher of English in Hungary.  I would like to make new friends among English teachers mainly from English, the USA, Switzerland, and Scandinavia.  I am interested in role-playing and team work, I would also like to correspond with colleagues all over the world with the same hobbies as mine: collecting nice things, listening to music, reading and traveling

Mariann Nyari

6724, Szeged , Tavasz1/B

Hungary

21214,Kisaran

Indonesia

4.

Dear Editor,

I am a 23-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer teaching secondary English in Equatorial Guinea.  This is my first experience teaching formally, so I would like to know some of the ideas of all you professionals out there in the world.  Letters do not have to be all business.  When the school day ends, I would enjoy hearing from you.  I enjoy reading.  Singing, traveling and so on.

Kury W. Cobham

AP Box 456

Equatorial Guinea

5.

Dear Editor,

I’m a 30-year-old teacher of English at a middle school.  I’d be happy to make friends with both fellow teachers and students of English around the world. I also wish to find penfriends for my students between 13 and 20 years old. My interests are letter writing,listening to western pop music,exchanging gifts,and collecting stamps,maps,picture postcards and coins.

Mr. S.  Thevachandra

47/1,Kalm Unai

Sri Lanka

 

URBANA, ILL. (AP)--Mike dropped out of college to support his pregnant(怀孕的) girlfriend and now works as a manager of a trucking company, Lynn graduated with honors from Harvard University and was hired as a lawyer with a top law firm in a major city. What do these two people have in common? Ten years ago they were both high school valedictorians (致告别辞者).

A University of Illinois study follows the lives of 81 valedictorians and salutatorians (致词的学生代表) who graduated a decade ago from public and private high schools in the state.

Tales of Success and Failure

The study found tales of success and failure. The research on 46 women and 35 men found that some were doctors and scientists, one was a drug addict, another was a waitress with emotional problems.

"There is a popular idea about people who do well in school doing well in life," said Terry Denny, professor of education. Denny conducted the study with Karen Arnold, a former graduate student of Denny' s who is now a professor at Boston College. Denny and Arnold contacted the 81 students before graduation, and then followed up with interviews nearly every other year. They also sent them questionnaires in the mail.

Varied Careers

One-third of the students are lawyers, or have a doctorate. Nineteen are in business and 15 are engineers or computer scientists. Others include a farmer, a stock broker, and an aerobics instructor.

Arnold says many of the students have only average positions in the work world and that "most are not headed for greatness in their careers." Denny, however, says that it is too early to make such predictions. "Who expects someone to be on the Supreme Court at the age of 28 or to be the discoverer of an important scientific invention right after college?" he said. "These students are just getting started in life. They are just beginning to find out what life is all about."

1.What can we conclude from Paragraph 1?

A.Mike got married before he went to college.

B.Lynn was honored by a law firm in the city.

C.Mike was not so lucky as Lynn after graduating from college.

D.Mike and Lynn both graduated first in their high school class.

2.According to the article Denny is probably older than Arnold because      .

A.Denny was her professor

B.Arnold did well at school.

C.Denny interviewed some students

D.Arnold helped Denny in the research

3.What is probably the best title for the article?

A.Successful Careers for College Graduates

B.Success in Education Predicts Success in Later Life

C.High School Honors Not Always Key to Life Success

D.A study on Successful Jobs and College Graduates

4.Who probably wrote this article?

A.College graduates

B.Reporters

C.Professors and researchers

D.Teachers

 

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