Students and Technology in the Classroom
　　I love my blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts. Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices(设备) and truly communicate with others.
　　On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptop, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.
　　Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students.
　　The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course material and the class discussion.
　　I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.
　　I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
【小题1】Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with____

Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—animals.
　　That’s right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.
　　One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”. A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.
　　A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of Earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.
　　A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.
In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.
【小题1】Through the passage the writer hopes to explore __________.

完形填空

　　Do you know what kind of things the young people are reading? More and more ___1___ and parents have noticed another kind of pollution which came from the printed papers ___2___ on streets. These printed things ___3___ newspapers but have hardly ___4___ to do with them, you can only find reading materials badly made up there?---some are too strange for anyone to believe; others are ___5___ stories of something ___6___ However, many of the young readers are getting interested in such ___7___ reading, which ___8___ them what they should pay for their breakfast and brings them nightmares and immoral ideas ___9___. Homework was left undone; daily games lost. These sellers shout on streets selling their papers well. The writers, publishers and printers, ___10___ they are, we never know, are ___11___ their silent money. The sheep-skinned wolfs story seems to have been forgotten once again. Why not ___12___ this kind of things? Yes, ___13___ the teachers and parents have asked each other for more strict control of the young readers. Unfortunately, the more you want to forbid it ___14___ they want to have a look at it. ___15___ you may even find out several children, driven by the curious natures, ___16___ one patched paper, which has ___17___ from hand to hand. It really does ___18___ to our society. It has already formed a sort of moral pollution. The ___19___ teachers and parents need more powerful support in their protection of the young generation. At the same time the young readers need more interesting books to help them ___20___ those ugly papers.

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　　DC Hilton was one of the first American to find out that there was money to be made in the middle of the night. 42 years ago be bought a small __1___on US highway 69, in Oklahoma. His___2___customers were truck drivers and___3___salesmen who drank coffee and ate cheese-burgers when they stopped to___4___their journey.

　　It was they who first tried to____5____Hilton to remain open all night. He thought about it for a while, and then suddenly made up his___6____. He took the door key and threw it across the road. He hasn't closed the door____7___.

　　Over the years his simple cafe expanded into a 24-hour roadside ____8___,with a 100-seat restaurant, a petrol station, a mini shopping market, a car ___9___for mobile homes and all-night selfhelp laundry（洗衣店）.

　　Hilton was a ___10__in a 24-hour working trend which has now ___11___ around the world. Today not only restaurants but also hanks, supermarkets, mail-order ___12___and many other businesses are___13___to be open all night. But is this really a good thing?

　　A lot of ____14____has been done in America on the effect of 24-hour working and there is growing ___15____about the long term dangers of society that doesn't sleep.

　　Americans are said to be___16___20％ less than they did 100 years ago, and 55％ claim to __17___at least occasionally from overtiredness. ___18____of the worst man-made accidents happened in the last few hours before ___19___, when even the most experienced night-worker has difficult____20____awake.　　

Do you know what kind of things the young people are reading? More and more  36  and parents have noticed another kind of pollution, which comes from the printed papers  37  on streets.

　　These printed things 38  newspapers but have hardly anything to do with 39 . You can only find reading materials badly made up there---some are too strange for anyone to 40 ,  others are frightening stories of something  41  .However, many of the young readers are getting interested in such  42  reading, which  43 them what they should pay for their breakfast and brings them nightmares（噩梦）and immoral（邪恶）ideas in  44 .  Homework is left  45 ,  and daily games are lost.

　　These sellers shout on streets selling their papers well. The writers, publishers and printers,  46  they are, we never know,  are  47 their silent money.

The sheep-skinned wolf's story seems to have been forgotten once again .Why not 48 this kind of thing? Yes, both teachers and parents have asked each other for more strict control of the young readers.  49  ,the more you want to forbid it, the more they want to have a look at it. 50  you may even find  several children, driven by the curious natures,  51  one patched paper,  which has travelled from hand to hand.

　　It really does 52  to our society. It has already formed a sort of moral pollution. The  53  teachers and parents need more powerful support in their protection of the young generation. At the same time the young 54  need more interesting books to help them  55  those ugly papers.