题目内容
Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials.
The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%~3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%~15% by 2012.
Online versions(版本) are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An etextbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device(设备),so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of etextbooks?Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes.
The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its fulltime students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to etextbooks.
The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information.
But most found that using etextbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all,almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.
But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose etextbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase.
Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive(交互式的).
He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video,activities,games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now,most of the books are just words on a screen
- 1.
Etextbooks are not better than paper books in that________
- A.they cost more money
- B.they’re difficult to carry
- C.they’re not convenient to share
- D.they can’t be downloaded from the Internet
- A.
- 2.
How many surveyed students think paper books make better reading?
- A.60%
- B.56%
- C.55%
- D.50%
- A.
- 3.
It can be inferred from the text that in the future________
- A.digital books will be more popular
- B.the digital books available need improvement
- C.free digital books are available online
- D.digital books will replace print textbooks
- A.
试题分析:本文讲述了一所大学里进行的关于电子书的尝试,分析了电子书的优点和缺点。告诉我们现在的电子书还不成熟,有 很多的提高的余地。
1.C 细节题。根据文章第三段最后一句But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device(设备),so they are not easy to share.可知现在的电子书无法与别人分享,存在着很大的缺陷。故C正确。
2.A 细节题。根据文章第七段And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all,almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.可知百分之60的人仍然喜欢原来的书。故A正确。
3.B 推理题。根据文章最后两段He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive(交互式的).和He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video,activities,games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now,most of the books are just words on a screen.可知现在的电子书有很大的缺陷,需要很大的改善和提高。故B正确。
考点:考察社会知识类短文
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs (郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny (保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it has been worthy of. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”
Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”
【小题1】What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A.People seldom work long hours to make money. |
B.People hardly buy more things than necessary. |
C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place. |
D.People realize there is more to life than just making money. |
A.lived in central London | B.disliked his job |
C.missed his children | D.was well paid |
A.was easy to organize | B.has improved family life |
C.was extremely expensive | D.has been a total success |
A.Child-caring. | B.Liz’s advice. | C.Downshifting. | D.Liz’s job. |
Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995.
Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year.
People always ask her about her climbing. She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried.”
Catherine chooses new mountains from books—like buying from a shopping catalogue(目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. “It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help.”
【小题1】Catherine Destivelle is called ‘a star’ because ________.
A.she won a competition in 1995 | B.she loves rocks |
C.she’s a famous woman climber | D.she found a new route up to the Dru Mountain |
A.she lost her way | B.the climb took 11 days |
C.she needed help from an American climber | D.there was heavy snow |
A.independent | B.easy and happy | C.energetic and challenged | D.nervous |
A.Why do you like climbing? | B.Are you in love with an American climber? |
C.Do you enjoy reading books on mountains? | D.What do you do before you go climbing? |