Eleven top universities are joining the Open University to launch free Internet courses. King’s College London, along with the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St Andrews and Warwick, has partnered with FutureLearn, a company set up by the Open University that will offer free and non-credit bearing courses to Internet-users around the world.

The courses are modeled on the US phenomenon “Massive open online courses” ( Moocs ), which have attracted millions of users around the world and are especially popular in emerging economies.

FutureLearn will improve UK institutions for international students, said Prof Martin Bean, voice-chancellor of the Open University. “At the moment, foreign students’ perception of UK Universities is: wonderful history, great tradition, really good teaching, but a bit boring.”

Leeds University says the partnership will benefit students studying on campus. “Students will have access to a rich set of resources from both Leeds and our partners. They can also broaden their education beyond their main subject areas.”

The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for Britain Moocs have grown rapidly in the US over the past year, with two providers leading the field. Coursera offers courses from 33 Universities, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke, and has reached more than 1.7 million users, EdX, a nonprofit start-up from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology courses this autumn.

Simon Nelson, one of the key architects of BBC Online, will head FutureLearn as launch CEO. “It’s really meaningful for these universities to come together –we’ll punch much harder collectively than any other university will individually,” he said.

Partner Institutions will be responsible for their own content while the OU, which has been providing distance-learning courses since 1971, will assist with course delivery and infrastructure. Details of further universities will be revealed next year, as will the courses on offer.

1. What does the underlined word “perception” in paragrah3 mean?

A．expectation        B．view             C．dream            D．proposal

2. We can learn from the passage that              

A．Coursera, one of the two providers, leads the online courses in the US.

B．Economics is the most popular subject among these online courses.

C．FutureLearn is only set up for the Internet-users.

D．About 1,7million users are taking the free courses launched by UK.

3.What is implied in Simon’s words?

A．It’s really meaningful for these universities to cooperate.

B．Single university can’t do the work very well.

C．These universities will compete with each other.

D．Joint efforts by these top universities will help the program go more smoothly.

4.All of the following statements are true except             

A．Internet-users don’t need to get credit for the courses.

B．UK may top the list of online education one day.

C．The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for England.

D．Some foreign students may think UK universities are not so satisfying.

5. In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?

A．Entertainment      B．Science           C．Education         D．Business Week

Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types

If you have blood type O, you are a leader. When you see something you want , you strive to achieve your goal. You are passionate, loyal, and  self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter(标新立异的人)。Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow you. When you want something ,you may be ruthless(不留情面的)about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others .

Aother blood type A, is a social , “people” person . You like people and work well with them . Y ou are sensitive , patient , compassionate , and affectionate .You are a good peacekeeper because you want everyone to be happy .In a team situation , you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course . Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it difficult to relax. They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone.

People with type B blood are usually individualist who like to do things on their own . You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean . Also you can adapt to situations , you may choose to do so because of your strong independent streak. You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team .

The final blood is type AB . If you have AB blood , you are a natural entertainer. You draw people to you because of your charm and easy-going nature .ABs are usually calm and controlled , tactful(圆滑的) fair. On the downside ,though , they may take too long to make decisions. And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute.

1.People with type O will do the following things except__________

A．manage businesses                      B．self-control

C．be considerate                         D．set the fasion

2.Which of the following is not the feature of type A?

A．Stubborn          B．Sensitive          C．reserved          D．Patient

3.The best profession for a type AB is __________

A．athlete           B．peacekeeper       C．actor             D．country leader

Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types
If you have blood type O, you are a leader. When you see something you want , you strive to achieve your goal. You are passionate, loyal, and  self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter(标新立异的人)。Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow you. When you want something ,you may be ruthless(不留情面的)about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others .
Aother blood type A, is a social , “people” person . You like people and work well with them . Y ou are sensitive , patient , compassionate , and affectionate .You are a good peacekeeper because you want everyone to be happy .In a team situation , you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course . Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it difficult to relax. They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone.
People with type B blood are usually individualist who like to do things on their own . You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean . Also you can adapt to situations , you may choose to do so because of your strong independent streak. You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team .
The final blood is type AB . If you have AB blood , you are a natural entertainer. You draw people to you because of your charm and easy-going nature .ABs are usually calm and controlled , tactful(圆滑的) fair. On the downside ,though , they may take too long to make decisions. And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute.
【小题1】People with type O will do the following things except__________

Eleven top universities are joining the Open University to launch free Internet courses. King’s College London, along with the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St Andrews and Warwick, has partnered with FutureLearn, a company set up by the Open University that will offer free and non-credit bearing courses to Internet-users around the world.
The courses are modeled on the US phenomenon “Massive open online courses” ( Moocs ), which have attracted millions of users around the world and are especially popular in emerging economies.
FutureLearn will improve UK institutions for international students, said Prof Martin Bean, voice-chancellor of the Open University. “At the moment, foreign students’ perception of UK Universities is: wonderful history, great tradition, really good teaching, but a bit boring.”
Leeds University says the partnership will benefit students studying on campus. “Students will have access to a rich set of resources from both Leeds and our partners. They can also broaden their education beyond their main subject areas.”
The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for Britain Moocs have grown rapidly in the US over the past year, with two providers leading the field. Coursera offers courses from 33 Universities, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke, and has reached more than 1.7 million users, EdX, a nonprofit start-up from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology courses this autumn.
Simon Nelson, one of the key architects of BBC Online, will head FutureLearn as launch CEO. “It’s really meaningful for these universities to come together –we’ll punch much harder collectively than any other university will individually,” he said.
Partner Institutions will be responsible for their own content while the OU, which has been providing distance-learning courses since 1971, will assist with course delivery and infrastructure. Details of further universities will be revealed next year, as will the courses on offer.
【小题1】 What does the underlined word “perception” in paragrah3 mean?

Swim Birthday Parties

    Ages 3 and up.

Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1—5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must be at arm’s length from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian.

Please contact Sarah Hagan 762—8384x210.

Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225

Youth Fitness Birthday Parties

Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282).

Fee:$295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child—16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request.

The Art Spot Birthday Parties

The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4—Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet(花束), paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake!

Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available.

Cost: $21 per child.

Rain or shine there’s no better place than the Art Spot for your child’s next party!

Nursery School Birthday Parties

If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214).

Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child.

1.The phrase “be at arm’s length” probably means“       ”.

A. be as careful as possible              B. be as long as an arm

C. be as near as possible                D. be as faraway as possible

2.If 12 children take part in Youth Fitness Birthday Parties, they will pay       .

A.$ 455             B.$315          C.$ 200            D.$250

3.If your child joins in the Art Spot Birthday Parties, he will        .

A. swim in the 25-yard pool              B. spend half an hour to clean up

C. create his own art project              D. o activities with other kids

4.What information can you get from the passage?

A. You can schedule the party when it is convenient for you.

B. The number of people for these parties is limited.

C. ou need to bring nothing to join in the birthday parties.

D. All of these birthday parties center on a special theme.