16．The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past．With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphones，writing by hand has become something of a nostalgic （怀旧的） skill．However，while today's educators are using more and more technology in their teaching，many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful-both in school and in life．
Virginia Berninger，professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington，says it's important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand．
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks-both on a computer and by hand．The study，published in 2015，found that when writing with a pen and paper，participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate．
In a more recent study，Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student's writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write．"Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active，which helps us access our vocabulary，word meaning and concepts．It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas．"Berninger said．
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe （转换）"those words in the mind into written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen，"the study said．Seeing the words in the"mind's eye"helps children not only to turn their ideas into words，says Berninger，but also to spot （发现） spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time．
"In our computer age，some people believe that we don't have to teach spelling because we have spell checks，"she said．"But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level，they won't have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer．"
28．What makes writing by hand a thing of the past？B
A．The absence of blackboards in classrooms．
B．The use of new technologies in our daily life．
C．The lack of practice in handwriting．
D．The popular use of smartphones．
29．Berninger's study published in 2015A．
A．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer
B．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper
C．found that good essays are made up of long sentences
D．discussed the importance of writing speed
30．Which of the following best shows the role of spelling？B
A．Spelling improves one's memory of words．
B．Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability．
C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas．
D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas．
31．What conclusion could be drawn from the passage？C
A．Computers can help people with their choice of words．
B．Spelling checks can take the place of spelling teaching．
C．Handwriting still has a place in today's classrooms．
D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade．
分析 本文是一篇说明文．讲述的是随着电脑和智能手机等新技术的到来，手写这一技能在当今的形势．文章还多次引用了Virginia Berninger和她同事的研究结果以及她的观点，最后得出了"手写在如今的课堂上仍有一定的地位"的结论．
解答 28．B 细节理解题．根据文章的第一段：The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past．With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphones，writing by hand has become something of a nostalgic （怀旧的） skill．学生们不断地从黑板上抄写字母和句子的实践已经成为过去式了．随着电脑和智能手机等新技术的到来，手写已成为一种怀旧的技能．由这句话可知是因为我们生活中新科技的使用导致了"手写"成为了过去式．再根据题中选项可知B项准确，故选B．
29．A 细节理解题．根据文中第二段：Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks-both on a computer and by hand．The study，published in 2015，Berninger和她的同事进行了一项观察学生分别在计算机上和用手完成各种写作任务的能力的研究．这个研究结果出版于2015年．在结合题中问题可知A项正确，故选A．
30．B 推断理解题．根据文中第三段："Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active，which helps us access our vocabulary，word meaning and concepts．It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas．"Berninger said．"拼写使一些大脑的思考部分活跃，这有助于我们使用我们的词汇，词的意义和概念这让我们的书面语言连接到思想．"Berninger说．在结合题中选项，可知B项更符合提议，故选B．
31．C 主旨大意题．根据文章第二段：Virginia Berninger，professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington，says it's important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand．和最后一段In our computer age，some people believe that we don't have to teach spelling because we have spell checks，"she said．"But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level，they won't have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer．"可知：手写在如今的课堂上仍有一定的地位．故选C．
点评 考点：本文考察学生的说明文的阅读理解水平，需要学生认真阅读原文，仔细查找文中细节，对文章脉络有整体的了解，并能根据文章进行合理推断．
