Peter Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owen was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nineteen he was given the job of superintendent(监工) at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland.

When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid any attention to the workers' houses or their children's education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. There was a lot of crime and the men spent most of their wages on alcoholic drinks.

Owen improved the houses. He encouraged people to be clean and save money. He opened a shop and sold the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his mind on the children's education. In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain.

People came from all over the country to visit Owen's factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and more efficient than in other towns. Their children were better fed and better educated. Owen tried the same experiment in the United States. He bought some land there in 1825, but the community was too far away. He could not keep it under control and lost most of his money.

Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He was a practical man and his ideas were practical. "If you give people good working conditions," he thought, "they will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better people."

1.For Owen, his greatest achievement in New Lanark was _______.

A. improving worker's houses

B. helping people to save money

C. preventing men from getting drunk

D. providing the children with a good education

2. From the passage we may infer that Owen was born _______.

A. into a rich family B. into a noble family

C. into a poor family D. into a middle class family

3.Owen's experiment in the United States failed because _______.

A. he lost all his money

B. he did not buy enough land

C. people who visited it were not impressed

D. it was too far away for him to organize it properly

4. We may infer form the passage that no children in Britain could enjoy free education until

____.

A. 1771 B. 1816 C. 1825 D. 1860

Parents are fighting for their child’s right to rest across the country. Twenty-three elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, have been cutting back on rest, and even canceling it to increase class time.

In a recent Orange County School Board meeting, parents demanded that rest time be carried out in all local schools for all students. Angela Browning, a parent in the area, said that schools’ rest is ranging from zero to 30 minutes per day. “Five-year-olds not getting rest means abuse,” said Browning, whose twins in the second grade benefit from taking a break and learn better.

The main reason for reducing the rest time is Common Core exams including math, language arts and literacy, where the students’ performance often controls teachers’ pay and sometimes teachers may lose their jobs. Many teachers are using that extra 20 minutes that would have been spent on the schools’ scores, everybody is stressful,” said Diana Moore, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association.

The decision of whether reducing rest takes place, and for how long is up to each school’s rule. “Florida law requires that districts provide 900 teaching hours during the school year,” Florida’s Department of Education press secretary Cheryl Etters said in a statement. “Whether test is part of the school day is a decision made by the school board.”

Reducing test also can take away an opportunity for children to learn social skills, according to many experts. “In society, who cares if you have straight A’s and you get a scholarship to Harvard if you lack social skills?” said Mallet, a mother of two children.

1.What will Angela Browning agree with?

A. Kids of five years old had better get more break time.

B. Proper rest time improves children’s learning efficiency.

C. The more rest children have, the higher grades they will get.

D. Elementary schools should limit kids’ rest time to 30 minutes.

2.What drives so many teachers to reduce students’ rest time?

A. Parents’ demand

B. Students’ lack of social skills

C. Students’ bad behavior

D. The link between their pay and school’s scores

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Social skills are more important than high scores

B. Whether students get A’s in school is very important

C. Graduates from Harvard can’t find good jobs.

D. Rest time has nothing to do with students’ social skills

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. The government is to order schools to increase rest time.

B. Students expect to get more time to play in school.

C. Parents struggle for the rest right for their kids in school.

D. Teachers’ pay is related to their performance in teaching.

When it comes to President Obama,most of his personal business is already known by the public. Personal information about his children, Malia and Sasha,however,has been kept a little more under wraps.

The New York Times recently released a list of rules that Michelle Obama has mentioned over the years that Malia and Sasha must follow during their time in the White House,as well as in general. See how the first family educates their children:

The girls must write reports about what they've seen on their trips,even if it's not required by their school.

Malia may use her cell phone only on the weekend,and she and her sister cannot watch television or use a computer for anything but homework during the week.

Malia and Sasha have to play two sports:one they choose and one selected by their mother.

Malia must learn to do laundry(洗衣服)before she leaves for college.

The girls have to eat their vegetables,and if they say they are not hungry,they cannot ask for cookies or chips later.

While these might be shocking to some,Michelle said,“They're not little princesses. It's just basic rules,boundaries, and expectations that we would have normally.”

Michelle also mentions another set of rules:

The girls must do their chores(家务),though the White House has a large staff. Malia and Sasha have chores of their own.

They must play a team sport, because it's about learning how to play on a team,how to lose and how to win gracefully.

It sounds like Michelle and Barack want the best for their kids and to make them as well ­rounded as possible. What are your thoughts on the Obama family rules?

1.What's the passage mainly about?

A.The first family rules.

B.The first family daily life.

C.How to be good parents.

D.How to be good children.

2.What do the underlined words “under wraps” in Para 1 probably mean?

A.Attractive. B.Secret. C.Calm D.Public.

3.What has to be followed after the girls' every trip?

A.Emails. B.Reports.

C.Homework. D.Photos.

4.Which of the following is the exception for the girls?

A.To learn to do laundry.

B.To play two sports.

C.To use cell phone freely.

D.To eat their vegetables.

The Internet of Things (IoT) aims to get everything and everyone talking. Attaching sensors to “things”, such as cows, cars and refrigerator, and then assigning them unique IP addresses allow them to “talk” to the Internet. Of course, the IoT will involve much more than a handful of sensors. Networking company Cisco estimates that 50 billion Internet-connected devices and objects will

be sending over data by 2020.

Specific Benefits

The IoT will allow people to track things and processes like never before. Airplane manufacturers will be able to continuously track the condition of airplane parts, allowing them to do preventive maintenance and avoid costly downtime. Consumers could install smart meters in their homes to monitor energy usage and observe energy price changes in real time. That would allow people to adjust their habits and use electrical appliances during lower-priced hours.

Some Fears

Some critics fear that the IoT could end up being a fashion that people lose interest in over time. Having Twitter feeds on refrigerator doors may sound cool at first, but the attraction could fade as quickly as the excitement over last year’s smartphone! Other critics are doubtful that companies making Internet-connected appliances will provide long-term software updates. If that happens, a refrigerator or washing machine that should last 10 years or more could last two or three due to software that’s outdated.

A Positive Example

Early this year, owners of the Tesla Model S electric car received a recall notice alerting them to a charger plug needing to be fixed. Amazingly, owners of the Model S sat back while the company performed an “over the air” wireless update. Customers confirmed the update by tapping on the car’s touchscreen console to see that the Model S was running the latest software version. No trip to the dealer was required!

Perhaps Tesla’s remote fix is a sign of things to come. Someday soon, people’s lives might become a lot more efficient and convenient thanks to the IoT.

1.How do researchers get everything and everyone talking?

A. By establishing the IoT and launching a handful of sensors.

B. By connecting sensors with them and appointing them unique IP addresses.

C. By communicating with them all the time through the IoT.

D. By sending people to track them day and night and collect useful data.

2.According to the article, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. IoT can help people do preventive maintenance and save money.

B. IoT can help people monitor energy usage and observe price changes timely.

C. IoT can help people adjust their habits and use electrical appliances more smartly.

D. IoT can help people investigate things and update a lot of important data.

3.What else do critics worry about the IoT besides its probably ending up being a fashion?

A. People will lose interest in it as quickly as the thrill over last year’s smartphone.

B. Refrigerators and washing machines will be replaced by other devices in a few years.

C. Whether related companies will provide long-term software updates or not.

D. The software provided by companies will be outdated easily and quickly.

4.According to the passage, when owners of the Tesla Model S electric received a recall notice, they ______.

A. just waited in the car while the maintenance is being done through wireless update

B. were required to go to the nearest 4s store to make some adjustments or repairs

C. could definitely depend on the IoT to send them the charger plug to be fixed

D. had to confirm the update with the help of the equipment provided by the company

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