While there is no widely accepted definition of MOOCs, their key features are open access：they are currently free to participants, no entry qualifications are required, they support an unlimited number of participants and as yet, very few include any form of accreditation (认证).
Currently offered by some famous universities, MOOCs are attractive to people who do not have the financial resources to meet the growing costs of university education, or who do not have formal qualifications. They also allow participants to study at their own pace.
The potential for MOOCs to deliver education is obviously vast—they could be considered as a huge step forwards in widening participation. They also have the potential to provide a unique window on universities that offer popular and valuable courses, they may attract some participants to register for formal fee-paying programmes at the same or other universities and are likely to promote new ways of on-line education.
However, it is still very early days for MOOCs. The quality of the education provision is highly variable, with many courses offering only recordings of lectures, and delivery is particularly difficult in some special fields that require practical classes, research projects or extensive library access. Besides, wider engagement with participants requires very considerable resource. Even limited feedback or examination becomes a major task if there are several thousand students in the class.
Considering the challenges, some people argue MOOCs will soon evaporate (蒸发). But they certainly provide good opportunity for widening higher education, are a means of raising awareness of universities to audiences of tens or hundreds of thousands, and are well worthy of serious consideration. (271 words)

According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which connects the Palazzo Ducale to an ancient prison, got its name because the walk across it gave prisoners on their way to jail a final chance to enjoy the beauty of the city. The view from the bridge today, however, is more likely to be of a giant billboard selling Bulgari or Coca-cola.

???? But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings near the Piazza San Marco,which is at the historic heart of Venice, there was a public debate.

???? "We can't commercialize everything, " said Alessandra Mottola? Molfino,? a Venetian.

???? "We couldn't stay quiet, " said Maria Camilla Bianchini d'Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association.

??? City of officials. however, argue that without these ads, the city could not afford to maintain its heritage. Many have been damaged by centuries of wear and are even a threat to public safety.

???? "I can't turn down the image of a bottle when there are pieces of the Palazzo Ducale falling to the ground, " said Renata Codello,? a Culture Ministry official.

???? The Culture Minister has a budget of about $ 47 million (315 million yuan) for restoration of monuments. but Italy has a rich architectural heritage, and funds are always tight. Of that amount,? $ 1. 8 million was given to the entire Veneto region, which includes Venice.

???? Two years ago, the city signed an agreement with the Dottor Group, a company responsible for the restoration of the Bridge of Sighs and the Palazzo Ducale. It allows it to sell ad space.

???? But there is a condition in the agreement: The ads should not offend public taste.

???? In August, Venice banned US actress Julianne Moore's Bulgrari ad from a billboard in the Piazza San Marco.

???? The photo shows a naked Moore covered with lion cubs. handbags and jewelry. Mayor Giorgio Orsoni called the image too racy (猥亵) and unsuitable for the Piazza San Marco.

???? "l consider the fact that Venice is part of the real world_ but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images. There are wise sponsors. and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice. not Times Square, " he said in a speech.

1.The article is mainly about__________in Venice.

A. restoration of cultural heritage

B. widespread commercialization

C. the conflict between ads and cultural heritage

D. the difficulty of restoring monuments

2. In the first paragraph, the beautiful view from the Bridge of Sighs is mentioned to__________.

A. introduce other monuments of the ancient city

B. show many ancient structures need repairing

C. indicate that the view is blocked by huge ads

D. attract readers' interest in the famous city

3. From the article we can conclude that Renata Codello__________? the advertising.

A. is in favor of??????? B. is worried about??? C. objects to?????????? D. doesn't mind

4.Why do many Venetians complain about the ads?

A. They support commercialization.

B. They feel the ads are damaging the city.

C. The ads are usually racy and in an American style.

D. The ads don't present a traditional view of Venice.

5.It can be inferred from the passage that

A. Hollywood stars' ads cannot go up in Venice

B. people can buy Bulgari or Coca-cola on the Bridge of Sighs

C. the Dottor Group may stop its restoration work for lack of funds

D. the mayor of Venice is expecting new advertising

Four out of five parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook,  according to a study.

Eighty percent believe social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the ability to take over their children’s lives. One in three parents,  meanwhile,  believe the Internet has the power to “rewire” brains(“改装”大脑)without a person’s knowledge and think their children are in danger of the web.

The extraordinary findings come from a poll of 1, 000 parents carried out by the Nominet Trust,  an organization that promoted Internet projects which address social disadvantages.

However,  Nominet said their findings fly in the face of neurological(神经学上的) evidence. The Trust worked with neuroscience and education expert Dr.  Paul Howard Jones,  who analysed researches on the Internet and society. The report—The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Well-being—concluded that there is no neurological evidence to suggest that the Internet is more effective at “rewiring” our brains than other environmental influences. It also found that the Internet is a valuable learning resource and all forms of learning cause changes within the brain.

There have been reports that the use of the Internet with its vast resources of information is changing the way people think and affecting their ability to concentrate. But Nominet said that’s scaremongering（危言耸听）and the misinformation about the Internet use can potentially deny（否定）its benefits to people,  in particular parents who are worried about the effects on their children’s development.

The report also found that social networking sites,  in themselves,  are not a special source of risk to children,  and are generally beneficial as they support existing friendships. In addition,  playing action video games can improve some visual processing and motor response skills,  while computer-based activity provides mental stimulation,  and can help slow rates of cognitive decline.

61. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Four in five parents fear their children will become Facebook addicts.

B. Social networking sites make people more sociable.

C. More and more children will become addicted to Facebook.

D. The Internet has the power to “rewiring” brains.

62. What does the underlined phrase “fly in the face of” in Paragraph four probably mean?

A. Go against.

B. Have a lot in common with.

C. Be similar to.

D. Have something to do with.

63. We can infer from the passage that_______ .

A. social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will rewire children’s brains

B. Dr.  Paul Howard Jones is a member of the Nominet Trust

C. Dr.  Paul Howard Jones thinks the Internet is useful and beneficial

D. the study surveyed a poll of 1, 000 children

64. According to the passage,  the study carried by the Nominet Trust showed that_______ .

A. one in three parents believes Facebook has the ability to take over their children’s lives

B. the Internet is more effective at “rewiring” our brains than other environmental influences

C. four out of five parents think their children are in danger of the web

D. eighty percent of parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook

65. The last paragraph mainly tells people_______ .

A. playing action video games can improve some visual processing and motor response skills

B. the Internet,  in itself,  is not a danger to children but generally beneficial

C. social networking sites,  in themselves,  support existing friendships

D. computer-based activity provides mental stimulation,  and can help slow rates of cognitive decline

B
Rome-Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition to the news that an Italian specialist is on the point of cloning the first human baby．　　
Dr．Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant （怀孕的）with a cloned baby．　　
Antinori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo （卵）for implantation within two years．So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits．　　
Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admit that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a world wide ban on the practice．　　
Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby．It is using humans as guinea pigs．It makes people feel sick．” But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth．　　
So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births ．　　
Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one．　　
“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm,”said Dr．Michael Wilks of the UK．
45．What is the doctors’ general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?
A．They are against it．                    B．They support it．
C．They welcome it．                          D．They pay no attention to it．
46．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
　  A．Doctor Severino Antinori is strongly opposed to cloning human beings．
　  B．Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats, humans and rabbits．
　  C．Professor Rudolf Jaenisch is carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight-week-old embryo．
　  D．Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so-called cloned embryo．
47．Which is the best title for the passage?
　  A．The Success of Cloning Humans           B．The Anger at Cloning Humans
　  C．Failure of Cloning Humans             D．First Cloned Human?

     Four out of five parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook, according to a study.

    Eighty percent believe social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the ability to take over their children’s lives. One in three parents, meanwhile, believe the Internet has the power to ‘rewire’ brains(“改装”大脑)without a person’s knowledge and think their children are in danger from the web.

    The extraordinary findings come from a poll of 1, 000 parents carried out by the Nominet Trust, an organization that promoted Internet projects which address social disadvantages.

    However, Nominet said their findings fly in the face of neurological(神经学上的) evidence. The Trust worked with neuroscience and education expert Dr Paul Howard Jones, who analysed researches on the Internet and society. The report—The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Well-being—concluded that there is no neurological evidence to suggest that the Internet is more effective at ‘rewiring’ our brains than other environmental influences. It also found that the Internet is a valuable learning resource and all forms of learning cause changes within the brain.

    There have been reports that the use of the Internet with its vast resources of information is changing the way people think and affecting their ability to concentrate. But Nominet said that’s scare-mongering（危言耸听）and the misinformation about the Internet use can potentially deny（否定）its benefits to people, in particular parents who are worried about the effects on their children’s development.

    The report also found that social networking sites, in themselves, are not a special source of risk to children, and are generally beneficial as they support existing friendships. In addition, playing action video games can improve some visual processes and motor response skills, while computer-based activity provides mental stimulation, and can help slow rates of cognitive decline.

59. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Four in five parents fear their children will become Facebook addicts

B. Social networking sites make people more social

C. More and more children will become addicted to Facebook

D. The Internet has the power to ‘rewire’ brains

60. What does the underlined phrase “fly in the face of” in Paragraph four probably mean?

A. go against

B. have a lot in common with

C. be similar to

D. have something to do with

61. We can infer from the passage that________ .

A. social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will rewire children’s brains

B. Dr. Paul Howard Jones is a member of the Nominet Trust.

C. Dr. Paul Howard Jones thinks the Internet is useful and beneficial.

D. the study surveyed a poll of 1, 000 children.

62. According to the passage, the study carried by the Nominet Trust showed that______ .

A. one in three parents believe Facebook has the ability to take over their children’s lives

B. the Internet is more effective at ‘rewiring’ our brains than other environmental influences

C. four out of five parents think their children are in danger from the web

D. eighty percent of parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook