Will online courses transform world of education?
Some may wonder what it feels like to attend a class at Stanford University. The recently popular MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) can satisfy this desire. But they are also most likely to change the situation of higher education. Only last month，both Peking University and Tsinghua University announced plans to start open online course on the edX platform，one of the world’s major providers of MOOCs，to explore this new form of online education.
Gaining momentum(势头)
“It’s not only a change of platforms from offline to online. It’s more about a reform of
teaching methods，even the whole education system，”said Chen Jining，president of Tsinghua University.
The potential of MOOCs to reform education has been obvious in the US ever since the immediate popularity of the course Artificial Intelligence，taught by Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun, who later co-founded Udacity, a platform with 1.6 million enrolled(注册) students in 200 countries. According to Nature magazine，by June 2013，74 percent of universities in the US offered some type of online course. Lu Fang, vice-president of Fudan University，explains the appeal of MOOCs as a simple case of supply and demand：“The demand for high quality educational resources from both enrolled students and professionals is feeding the rise of MOOCs，in which classes usually taught by top teachers are available to everyone，”said Lu.
Too early to replace
With easy access and free of charge, MOOCs are said to have the potential to change the present education system. But there are barriers，because hardly any universities offer degree certificates, as college administrators point out, it’s difficult to confirm if students are foaming anything in MOOCs，reposed USA Today．
The Wall Street Journal also reposed that，presently，a typical MOOC student is likely to have
already graduated from college and is using the course to explore an interest or acquire professional
skills. Even so, an increasing number of undergraduates are signing up.
“What we are really establishing(创建)are educational pathways for people who want skills that are related to contemporary jobs，”Thrun told The Wall Street Journal．
小题1:MOOCs have been considered likely to reform education since___________．| A．the founding of Udacity | | B．the wide application of online education | | C．the popularity of the course Artificial Intelligence | | D．the opening of MOOCs on the edX platform in China |
小题2:According to Lu Fang, MOOCs have become popular because___________．| A．high quality educational resources are in demand | | B．students can attend courses in famous universities | | C．college students have access to famous teachers | | D．MOOCs have brought about revolution in education |
小题3:What can we learn from the passage?| A．Most of the MOOCs focus on professional training for college graduates． | | B．There are barriers for MOOCs to replace the present education system． | | C．International companies prefer applicants who graduate from MOOCs． | | D．More and more undergraduates have realized the limits of MOOCs． |
小题4:The author’s attitude towards MOOCs is___________．| A．doubtful | B．negative | C．critical | D．optimistic |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:D |
试题分析：本文主要讲述的是新型的网络教学的MOOCs的兴起以及它的前景。
小题1:C 细节题。根据第二部分第2段1,2行The potential of MOOCs to reform education has been obvious in the US ever since the immediate popularity of the course Artificial Intelligence，可知自从Artificial Intelligence课程之后，它就很受欢迎。故C正确。
小题2:A 推理题。根据第二部分Lu Fang, vice-president of Fudan University，explains the appeal of MOOCs as a simple case of supply and demand：“The demand for high quality educational resources from both enrolled students and professionals is feeding the rise of MOOCs，in which classes usually taught by top teachers are available to everyone，”said Lu.可知人们对于高质量的高等教育的需求是MOOCs受欢迎的主要原因。故A正确。
小题3:B 细节题。根据文章倒数第3段But there are barriers，because hardly any universities offer degree certificates, as college administrators point out, it’s difficult to confirm if students are foaming anything in MOOCs，reposed USA Today．可知MOOCs要取代现在的教育还是有着很多的障碍的。故B正确。
小题4:D 推理题。根据文章倒数第三段With easy access and free of charge, MOOCs are said to have the potential to change the present education system.可知MOOCs有着巨大的潜力，所以作者对于这一新鲜事物持有的态度是很乐观的。故D正确。 |
核心考点
试题【Will online courses transform world of education? Some may wonder what it feels 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
What’s the greenest place in America? If you answered something like the warm sunlight of Santa Barbara, you’d be wrong. The greenest place in America has almost no sign of nature— the buildings outnumber the trees— and the air isn’t all that great. What it has is density(密度)and efficiency— the twin qualities that finally define green in the global warming time. Applying those standards，the greenest place in America is New York City— particularly，the overcrowded，overpriced island of Manhattan, which produces 30％ less per-capita(人均)greenhouse gas than that of the nation．
It’s that density that makes Manhattan so green. Manhattan’s population density is 800 times the national average. Density comes with negatives，certainly— small living spaces，air pollution— but it also enables amazing efficiencies．Over 80％ of Manhattanites travel to work by public transport, by bike or on foot— compared to an average of about 8％ everywhere else in the country. Manhattan’s apartment buildings are far more energy-efficient than the houses in the suburbs.
What’s true of New York City is more or less true of other American urban areas, which explains why a growing part of the environmental movement now focuses on greening cities, hoping to attract more Americans back downtown. There’s an effort to make cities more sustainable(可持续的)，by improving public transport，reducing air pollution and upgrading energy efficiency. But even more important, it is quite urgent to change decades of government policies that have been in favor of the suburbs，with disastrous consequences for energy，the environment and the climate.
That’s exactly the difficult point. For all the high efficiency and convenience and richness of living in a city，there are disadvantages too．New York，for example，has some of the highest childhood asthma(哮喘)rates in the U.S.
So it’s welcome news that New York has continued to push its P1aNYC scheme, a long-term program to make the city greener and more sustainable over the next decades. Recently it announced an update to the plan that includes phasing out heavy heating oils in New York City apartment buildings by 2030，to be replaced with cleaner natural gas.
小题1:Manhattan is considered as the greenest place in America because of its__________| A．buildings and trees | B．density and efficiency | | C．sunlight and nature | D．transport and population |
小题2:We can infer from the passage that___________.| A．New Yorkers have urged the city government to carry out green policies | | B．the public transport and living space are quite satisfactory in New York | | C．life in the countryside is more comfortable and energy efficient than that in cities | | D．the significance of making cities greener is gained in promoting energy efficiency |
小题3:The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to___________.| A．New York city | B．PlaNYC scheme | | C．Manhattan | D．Santa Barbara |
小题4:The underlined part “phasing out” in the last paragraph probably means___________.| A．rapidly promoting dealing with | | B．widely suggesting researching on | | C．gradually stopping using | | D．immediately forbidding producing |
小题5:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．Manhattan the Greenest Place in America? | | B．The Higher Density，the Greener City? | | C．PlaNYC Scheme：New York City’s Future | | D．Living in Cities Does Good to the Environment |
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Coffee is a powerful beverage．On a personal level，it helps keep US awake and active．On a much broader level，it has helped shape our history and continues to shape our culture．
Coffee didn’t take off until the l400s when people figured out they could roast its seeds．By the l500s，the drink had spread to coffeehouses across the Arab world．Within another l50 years，it took Europe by storm．
“It actually had a major impact on the rise of business，” historian Mark Pendergrast says．Coffeehouses became a spot not just to enjoy a cup but to exchange ideas．The insurer Lloyd’s of London was founded hundreds of years ago in one of London’s 2,000 coffeehouses．Literature，newspapers and even the works of great composers like Bach and Beethoven were also spawned(涌现)in coffeehouses．
It is often said that after the Boston Tea Party of l773，when American colonists attacked British tea ships and threw boxes of tea into the harbor，Americans universally switched over to drinking coffee．In a letter John Adams wrote to his wife，Abigail，the Founding Father claims his love of tea but says he will have to learn to embrace coffee instead，because drinking tea had become a symbol of not loving the country．
For all the upsides coffee has brought the modern world，it also led to its fair share of downsides，too．Europeans carried coffee with them as they colonized various parts of the world，and this frequently meant they enslaved people in order to grow it．In Brazil — where slavery was legal until l888 — coffee plantations would use slash-and-burn agriculture，tearing down rain forests and planting coffee trees．Once the soil had been exhausted，growers would move on to another place．
And yet，coffee，as Pendergrast says，”had a very good impact in many ways on our civilization，even though it was，for a long time，grown by slaves．”
小题1:Why did people enjoy going to coffeehouses?| A．Because it was a fashion to drink coffee． | | B．Because coffeehouses provided a better flavor． | | C．Because they could stay awake and active there． | | D．Because they could exchange ideas there． |
小题2:What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?| A．American colonists made great profits by trading in coffee． | | B．Tea was regarded as a symbol of loving one’s country． | | C．Coffee became very popular after the incident in Boston． | | D．John Adams was the Founding Father of the Tea Party． |
小题3:In the fifth paragraph．the writer points out that __________ .| A．Coffee plantation was closely connected with slavery | | B．coffee plantation led to outdated agriculture in Brazil | | C．slavery in Brazil had been against the law until l888 | | D．slavery was responsible for the damage to rainforests |
小题4:What is mainly talked about in this passage?| A．Some interesting stories about coffee culture． | | B．Important Roles that coffee played in history． | | C．How coffee became the most popular beverage． | | D．How coffee affected America’s independence． |
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Some people have travelled to Canada while others may have just heard of it . As is known to all, the Canadian red and white maple leaf flag is officially called The National Flag of Canada. The Canadian flag shows a stylized red maple leaf with 11 points on a white background, with red borders down each side. The Canadian flag is twice as long as its width. The white square containing the red maple leaf is the same width as the flag. Canada is a very large country, too. It is the second largest country in the world.By contrast, it has a very small population. There are only about 29 millinon people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language as well English. About 45 % of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc, come from Britain. Nearly 30 % are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of quebec. Over the years people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are mostly from European countries and also from China, as well as other Asian countries.
However , Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian-Indian lived along the coast, bythe rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only 350,000 Canadian-Indians in the whole country, with their own language. In the far north live the Inuits. There are only 27, 000 Canadian-Inuits. Their life is hard in such a harsh climate.
小题1:What is the populatin of Quebec?| A．More than 29, 000.000 | | B．About 30% of the total population. | | C．Over 45% of th etotal population | | D．Less than 30% of the French-Canadians. |
小题2:Which of the following stands for Canada?
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?| A．The Canadian flag I stwice as wide as its length. | | B．Most Indians are now forced to live along the coast. | | C．Nowadays Inuit still have difficult living conditions. | | D．Nobody existed when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada. |
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Everybody knows how to learn. Learning is a natural thing. It begins the we are born. Our first teachers are our f amilies. At home we learn to talk and to and feed ourselves. We learn these and other skills by .
Then we go to school. A teacher tells us to learn and how to learn. Many teachers teach us, and we pass many tests and exams. Then people say we are .
Are we really educated? Let"s the real meaning of learning. Knowing facts doesn"t being able to solve problems. Solving problems requires creativity, not just a good . Some people who don’t know many can also be good at solving problems.
Henr Ford is a good . He left school at the age of 15. Later, when his company couldn’ t build cars enough, he solved the problem. He of the assembly line. Today the answer seems . Yet, just think of the many university graduates who solve any problems.
What does a good teacher do? Does he students factct remember? Well, yes, we must sometimes remember facts. But a good teacher how to find answers. He brings us to the stream of knowledge so we can think for ourselves. When we are , we know where to go.
True learning combines intake with output. We take information our brains. Then we use it. Think of a ; it stores a lot of information, but it can’t think. It only obeys commands. A person who only remembers facts hasn’t really learned. Learning takes only when a person can use what he knows.
| 小题1: | | A．month | B．minute | C．time | D．day |
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| 小题2: | | A．wear | B．put on | C．have on | D．dress |
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| 小题3: | | A．asking | B．listening | C．following | D．drilling |
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| 小题5: | | A．controlled | B．educated | C．suffered | D．passed |
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| 小题6: | | A．pick up | B．turn away | C．set out | D．think about |
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| 小题7: | | A．mean | B．say | C．suggest | D．show |
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| 小题8: | | A．word | B．thing | C．memory | D．condition |
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| 小题9: | | A．people | B．facts | C．techniques | D．ways |
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| 小题10: | | A．learner | B．teacher | C．example | D．driver |
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| 小题11: | | A．new | B．fast | C．beautiful | D．cheap |
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| 小题12: | | A．complained | B．heard | C．talked | D．thought |
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| 小题13: | | A．ordinary | B．strange | C．simple | D．special |
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| 小题14: | | A．never | B．almost | C．seldom | D．ever |
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| 小题15: | | A．make | B．understand | C．master | D．give |
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| 小题16: | | A．knows | B．shows | C．orders | D．encourages |
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| 小题17: | | A．thirsty | B．tired | C．bored | D．free |
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| 小题19: | | A．radio | B．computer | C．record | D．machine |
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| 小题20: | | A．measures | B．notes | C．place | D．time |
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The requirements for high school graduation have just changed in my community.As a result，all students must ____sixty hours of service learning，____ they will not receive a degree.Service learning is a kind of learning that helps the community.__ __ of service learning include cleaning up a polluted river，working in a soup kitchen，or instructing a student.__ __ a service experience，students must keep a journal(日志) every day and then write a ____ about what they have learned.
Supporters claim that there are many ____ of service learning. Perhaps most importantly，students are forced to think ____ their own interests and become ____ of the needs of others.Students are also able to learn real－life skills that ____ responsibility，problem－solving，and working as part of a team.____，students can explore possible careers ____ service learning.For example，if a student wonders what teaching is like，he or she can choose to work in a school classroom a few afternoons each month.
____ there are many benefits，opponents(反对者)____ problems. First，they ____ that the main reason students go to school is to learn core subjects and skills.Because service learning is time－consuming，students spend ___ time studying the core subjects.Second，they believe that forcing students to work without ____ goes against the law.By requiring service，the school takes away a student"s freedom to choose.
In my view，service learning is a great way to ____ to the community，learn new skills，and explore different careers.____，I don"t believe you should force people to help others—the ____ to help must come from the heart.I think the best ____ is one that gives students choices： a student should be able to choose sixty hours of independent study or sixty hours of service.Choice encourages both freedom and responsibility，and as young adults，we must learn to handle both wisely.
| 小题1: | | A．spend | B．gain | C．complete | D．save |
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| 小题3: | | A．Subjects | B．Ideas | C．Doubts | D．Examples |
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| 小题4: | | A．With | B．Before | C．During | D．After |
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| 小题5: | | A．diary | B．report | C．note | D．notice |
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| 小题6: | | A．courses | B．benefits | C．challenges | D．features |
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| 小题7: | | A．beyond | B．about | C．over | D．in |
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| 小题8: | | A．careful | B．proud | C．tired | D．aware |
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| 小题9: | | A．possess | B．apply | C．include | D．agree |
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| 小题10: | | A．Gradually | B．Finally | C．Luckily | D．Hopefully |
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| 小题11: | | A．through | B．across | C．of | D．on |
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| 小题13: | | A．deal with | B．look into | C．point out | D．take down |
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| 小题14: | | A．argue | B．doubt | C．overlook | D．admit |
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| 小题16: | | A．cost | B．pay | C．care | D．praise |
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| 小题17: | | A．contribute | B．appeal | C．attend | D．belong |
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| 小题18: | | A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．Besides | D．However |
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| 小题19: | | A．courage | B．desire | C．emotion | D．spirit |
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| 小题20: | | A．decision | B．purpose | C．solution | D．result |
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