Creativity(创造性)is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

　     If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as very important: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking and developing new ideas.

　     Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily an indicator of high intelligence. Just that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.

　     Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention paid to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can't recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly, but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.

　     It is important to give children choices. From an early age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it's choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important characteristic of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

1.What did the company where Dick Drew worked learn from its mistake?

improving new ideas.

2.Creativity is something ______.

3.Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?

4.What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?

All documents are printed in the two official languages；________，English and French.

A．in a word　　　　　　　  B．or else

C．that is      D．for another

For many businessmen online education has been a dream．Now it has come true．The investment （投资） in higher education, whether financial or in terms of time, has long been impossible for many of them．But well-known educational institutions have chosen to deliver an internet-based program, and these barriers(障碍) have been lifted．

　　That is good news for people eager to improve themselves and is more attractive to employers．It is also a benefit to industry with better qualified candidates（候选人） applying for jobs at every level．

　　Having the benefits of a higher qualification（资格） without going to the university campus is attractive to many students．Campus study means greater cost, while online programs are flexible and save time, whether at home or at work．Students can achieve their degrees without causing too much disruption to their career or home life．

　　In addition to affordable, flexible（灵活） classes and greater convenience, students also have access to the online learning resources of many of the world’s top educational institutions．They can also communicate with their tutors no matter what time it is or whether either party is away for any reason．

　　This has opened up the possibility of getting a qualification from a university or college that many students could only have dreamed of in the past．It also allows specialists to get the precise qualifications and focus on their studies．As well as seeing the increase of applicants from lower-incomes and housewives, studying online in the US is even becoming popular with younger people of college age．

　　Employers have become increasingly welcome and positive to online qualifications as more candidates earn them, especially if they’re properly approved by the US Department of Education．

　　US institutions have led the way in online education provision（供给）．Many top US colleges and universities offer a range of online programs that are highly respected and in every way perfectly fit for adults who need to combine their studies with a working life．

1.According to Paragraph 1, many US colleges and universities ______．

A．have begun to lift the barriers to financial investment

B．have begun to run an internet-based program

C．have had a dream of offering online education

D．have gained financial investment

2.Why do people choose online education?

A．They can find jobs more easily than on-campus graduates．

B．They can get qualifications from US Department of Education．

C．They can save money and arrange their time and courses freely．

D．They can invest money in different courses provided online．

3.The underlined word “disruption” in the third paragraph probably mean ______．

A．dissatisfaction 　        B．attention 　C．attraction 　　　 D．interruption

4.Which would be a good title for the passage?

A．Adult Education Online

B．Online Education Taking the Place of Campus Education

C．Top US Universities Offering Online Education

D．The Best of USA’s Online Education