Last year, a report by a committee of education experts said that a lot of American students cannot write well. The report noted the concerns of business leaders and teachers. The experts said that more students should have to pass a writing test before they can finish high school. They pointed out that major college entrance tests are changing now to include a writing part.
Educators know that teaching students to write well is not easy. One problem is the amount of time needed to read through large amounts of work. So some companies have developed computer programs. These can grade student writing much more quickly than a person can. Writing tests can also cost less to carry out by computer than paper-and-pencil. These computer systems are known as e-readers. They use artificial (人工的) intelligence to think in a way like teachers. In the state of Indiana, computer grading of a statewide writing test began with a test of the system itself. For two years, both a computer and humans graded the student writing. Officials say there was almost no difference between the computer grades and those given by the human readers.
The entrance test commonly used by business schools, the GMAT, already uses e-readers. The GRE and TOEFL tests might start; officials are deciding. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Systems are also being used to grade writing in college classes. The computers read a few hundred examples of student writing already graded by humans. Then the systems compare new writings against those already examined.
How do teachers feel all about this? Many say machines can never do the job as well as people can. A computer can find spelling and grammar mistakes. But these teachers say it can never really understand what a writer is trying to say. Critics say a program cannot follow a thought or judge humor or understand a beautifully expressed idea.
But inventors of the programs say computer grading guarantees that each piece of writing is graded in the same way. They also say the systems are meant to judge knowledge more than creativity.
What do the teachers think of the computer system?
A. They think highly of the computer systems.
B. They think that computers cannot grade writing as well as people.
C. They believe that computers can understand a writer’s idea well
D. They are glad computers will spare their effort to correct students’ school work.
From the first paragraph we can conclude that _________.
A. American students’ writing ability is being improved
B. American students’ writing ability is not satisfactory
C. business leaders and teachers are not worried about students’ writing
D. all college entrance tests will include a writing part
Which of the following is NOT the advantage of e-readers?
A. Saving much of teachers’ time. B. Saving a lot of money.
C. Being fair and objective. D. Appreciating humor and beauty
The best title of this passage might be _________.
A. Computer-graded Writing B. Human-graded Writing
C. How to Improve Students’ Writing D. Advantages of E-readers
名校課堂系列答案科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011年度河北省唐山一中高三第二學期第一次調研英語卷 題型：閱讀理解
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 (郊區), 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.”
【小題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. |
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科目：高中英語 來源：福建省莆田一中2009-2010學年度高二下學期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
Female Chinese space pioneers?
CHINA plans to recruit(招募) women astronauts thanks to the lobbying(游說) of the leading women’s organization. Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women’s Federation(ACWF) (全國婦聯), said on Saturday that she put forward a proposal that women be trained for space missions after the manned space flight last October. And it was accepted by the central authorities, local media reported. But the plan to recruit female astronauts has yet to be worked out, according to sources close to the astronaut-training programme.
Beijing needs mental health care
MORE than 1,000 people committed suicide(自殺) in Beijing last year, and experts have been encouraging the capital to set up a mental health care system as soon as possible, local media reported last week. About 20 percent of the people of Beijing live in unhealthy conditions, with 3 percent of these suffering from affective disorder and 5 percent reporting symptoms of depression, according to the Beijing Mental Health Service Center.
No need to fear your licence plate
CAR licence plates in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, will not have the number “four” from this month on ---a move that has led to heated discussion among officials, schools and residents. The word for “four” sounds like “death” in Cantonese. The number has been cleared away from the computer data banks that generate the six-digit licence numbers for local cars. Some say that, for the first time, a public agency service has considered local customs and bans. Ot
hers worry it will encourage superstitious(迷信的) beliefs.
83．We can infer from the news that ____.
A．there are several female astronauts in China now
B．people in Guangdong province hate number “four”
C．the mental disorder concerns everybody all over the country
D．the city government of Beijing has promised to set up a mental health care system
84．The underlined sentence in the third news means that __ __.
A．there is no number “four” in the computers in Shenzhen
B．computer is used to print six-digit car licence numbers
C．local cars will be protected to use six-digit car licence numbers
D．number “four” will no longer appear in the six-digit car licence numbers
85．What is the message of the first news?
A．China only needs male astronauts.
B．Gu Xiulian wants to be the first space woman.
C．Society doesn’t discriminate(歧視) against women in China.
D．The proposal of female astronaut training hasn’t been approved.
86．Which word has the same meaning as the underlined word “symptoms”?
A．symbol B．signs C．sorts D．shocks
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科目：高中英語 來源：河北省唐山一中2010屆高三下學期第三次調研考試試卷（英語） 題型：閱讀理解
Illegal removal of coral(珊瑚) along Sri Lanka’s coastline increased the amount of destruction on the island by last December’s tsunami, say researchers.
Harindra Fernando, a fluid dynamicist (力學家) at Arizona State University in Tempe, made the connection after a visit to his native Sri Lanka earlier this year．While serving as a scientific expert and translator for a BBC-documentary team, he chatted with locals who said they saw the tsunami turn sideways when it hit coral—which would have made it less powerful than in coral-free areas．Fernando linked this to trucks he had seen last year carrying piles of coral away from the sea.
Using the eyewitness reports, estimates (估算) of wave heights, and a series of divers to check the presence or absence of corals, Fernando and his colleagues produced a map of coral gaps and wave flooding along Sri Lanka’s southwest coast.
The tsunami reached significantly farther inland through the gaps: in one instance, the water traveled 1.5 kilometres long and knocked a passenger train off its tracks, killing 1,700．But only a few kilometers away, where the coral was still undamaged, the wave travelled just 50 metres inland and caused no deaths.
There is a similar phenomenon．In Nicaragua in 1992, a tsunami poured through a break in the coral reef made to let boats through．“Within this passage, water went one kilometre inland,” says Fernando．“But nearby, where the coral was undamaged, there were still beach umbrellas standing.”
In Sri Lanka, coral is illegally mined to provide souvenirs for tourists, or to be used in house paint．Coral harvesters sometimes blow it up with dynamite (炸藥) in order to collect fish at the same time．Often, the reefs in the best shape are those in front of hotels, as the hotel owners maintain them for the tourists．Fernando hopes that his findings will encourage the Sri Lankan government to enforce(實施) its laws against coral mining.
57．Harindra Fernando did all the following EXCEPT ________.
A．serving as a translator for a BBC-documentary team
B．helping the Sri Lankan government enforce its laws against coral mining
C．producing a map of coral gaps along Sri Lanka’s southwest coast
D．linking the coral removal with the destruction of Tsunami
58．The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that________.
A．undamaged coral can greatly decrease tsunami damage
B．coral-free area is a danger to passenger trains
C．in general, water travels 30 times farther inland in a coral-free area
D．it is urgent to enforce laws against coral mining
59．Which of the following may NOT be the cause of coral gaps?
A．Boat passages． B．Tourists’ sightseeing．
C．Fish collecting． D．Tourists’ souvenirs.
60．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Harindra Fernando, a Great Environment Protector
B．Stop Using Coral as Souvenirs
C．Coral Cried “Help! Help!”
D．Coral Mining Enhanced (加劇) Tsunami Damage
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科目：高中英語 來源：2011年山東省濟南外國語學校高二上9月質量檢測（英語） 題型：閱讀理解
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(目錄)! “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.”
【小題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 |
【小題3】On the side of a mountain she feels _______.| 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? |
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科目：高中英語 來源：湖南省常德市2010屆高三階段性檢測（英語） 題型：閱讀理解
More than 600, 000 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited Taiwan last year, fulfilling expectations despite the impact of H1N1 flu and the global economic downturn.
A total of 606, 100 mainland tourists visited Taiwan in the past year, with each spending nearly $1, 800 on the island, including accommodation and shopping, Shao Qiwei, chairman of the Beijing-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits, said on Friday.
“We see good cooperation between tourism industries across the Straits taking shape,” Shao said. Since July 2008, when Taiwan first opened to mainland tourists, about 660, 000 mainland tourists have visited the island and spent $1.13 billion there, benefiting local transportation as well as the retail, entertainment and health industries.
In four months starting August last year, mainland tourists spent $65.72 million through UnionPay payment cards, figures from mainland bankcard association China UnionPay showed.
“Years of isolation between the two sides have made Taiwan an attractive place for mainland tourists,” said Zheng Lijuan, deputy (副的) general manager of CITS International MICE Co. Ltd.
But under the impact of H1N1 flu since May, the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan had also dropped sharply, leading to industry insiders（內部的人）casting doubt as to whether the goal of attracting 600, 000 mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009 could be achieved.
Despite the unfavorable conditions, a string of relaxed rules last year have spurred (刺激) the interest of mainland tourists in visiting Taiwan.
In the past year, Taiwan has opened to mainland residents in 25 provinces, up from the initial 13 provinces. Relaxed rules have also allowed five tourists to form a group to visit Taiwan, instead of the initial requirement of at least 10 tourists. Mainland tourists can also stay in Taiwan for a maximum of 15 days, instead of the initial 10 days.
Combined with mainland business groups, more than 900, 000 mainland travelers visited Taiwan in 2009, Christine Lai, director of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, told China Daily.
Without releasing the goal for this year, Lai expressed hopes that mainland tourists would head to Taiwan on second or even third visits.
66. Why do mainlanders like to visit Taiwan?
A. Taiwan is a very beautiful island.
B. There are many shops, malls and bookstores in Taiwan.
C. The accommodation and transportation are very good in Taiwan.
D. Years of isolation between Taiwan and mainland makes it an attractive place.
67. What was the original goal of mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009?
A. 660, 000 B. 606, 100 C. 600, 000 D. 900, 000
68. The number of mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009 was fulfilled because .
A. the residents of 25 provinces could visit Taiwan
B. mainland tourists could stay in Taiwan for 15 days
C. the Chinese government made a string of relaxed rules
D. there were no impacts of H1N1 flu in Taiwan and mainland
69. We can infer from the text that .
A. there may be a goal for Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan in 2010
B. Chinese mainland tourists can stay in Taiwan for a maximum of 10 days
C. the global economic downturn had not influnced Taiwan’s travel industry
D. H1N1 flu had not made the number of the mainland tourists to Taiwan drop
70. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Visitors to Taiwan will slowdown
B. Mainland tourists to Taiwan hit mark
C. More and more mainland tourists visit Taiwan
D. H1N1 and global economic influence Taiwan’s travel industry
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