56. Which is the main idea of the article?

　 A. Swine flu is spreading quickly globally.

　 B. Swine flu is confirmed in New York City.

　 C. How does swine flu spread?

　 　D. Many people died of swine flu in Mexico.

E

Computers have been used in teaching for more than twenty years. But a new book says that only now are they changing education. And it predicts that a lot more is about to happen.

The book is called “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.” “Disruptive innovation” is a theory developed by lead author Clayton Christensen, a professor at the Harvard Business School. He says organizations almost always use new, creative technology only to continue what they already do.

New technology should change organizations, he says disrupt them in a good way. They should use the technology to do things differently – for example, to serve more needs. The new book says the needed disruptive force in education is computer-based learning.

Michael Horn, another author of “Disrupting Class”, told us about a Boston public school that he visited. Every student at Lilla G. Frederick Middle School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, has a laptop computer. One class was learning about storms. Michael Horn says the laptops made it possible to truly individualize the lessons, to divide materials by ability level and learning style. At the end, the students all took part in a discussion led by the teacher.

Computer-based learning includes online courses. Enrollments in online courses have grown sharply. In 2007, the United States had about one million enrollments(登记为学员), not including college courses. Students could be enrolled in more than one course, through schools or education companies.

High school students make up about seventy percent of the enrollments. Still, nationally, only about one percent of all high school courses last year were taught online.

But the authors of “Disrupting Class” predict it will be ten percent in about six years. And their research suggests that the number will be about fifty percent by 2019. And Michael Horn says the future of online learning could be even greater in developing countries.

55.　　 Compared with cases in the U.S. cases in Mexico are _________.

A. milder　　　 B. more severe　　　 C. more typical　　　 D. more gentle

54.　　 Which of the following is true?

A.　　　 45 people are proved to be infected with the swine flu in New York State.

B.　　　　 Cancun is sufering a lot from the bird flu.

C.　　　　 Cancun belongs to Mexico.

D.　　　 St. Francis is the largest public high school in USA.

53.　　 What did St. Francis do in response to the outbreak?

A.　　　 The school called off courses.

B.　　　　 The school handed out masks to every student.

C.　　　　 The school planned another trip to Cancun.

D.　　　 The infected students were required to stay at home.

52.　　 The passage seems to suggest that _________.

A.　　　 people appear to have immunity(免疫力)to the virus

B.　　　　 children are likely to be infected with the swine flu

C.　　　　 New York City hasn’t done enough to prevent the disease

D.　　　 the swine flu in the U.S. likely came from Mexico

51.　　 A Scottish adult spends at least _______ a day on the phone.

A. 20 minutes　　　 B. 26 minutes　　 C. 30 minutes　　 D. 39 minutes

D

New York City was dealing with a growing public health threat Sunday after tests confirmed(证实)that eight students at a private Catholic high school had contracted(感染)the same strain of the swine flu that has ravaged(重创)Mexico. Some of the school’s students had visited Cancun on a spring break trip two weeks ago.

Officials reported 68 U.S. cases of swine flu in five states so far, with the latest in Ohio and New York. Unlike in Mexico, cases in the United State have been mild – and U.S. health authorities can’t yet explain why.

In New York City, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that there were 45 cases, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

About 100 students at St. Francis Preparatory School complained of flu-like symptoms(症状); further tests will determine how many of those cases are swine flu. St. Francis is the largest private Catholic high school in the nation, with 2, 700 students. The school canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday in response to the outbreak.

Bloomberg stressed that the New York cases were mild and many are recovering, but said that some family members of students also had flu symptoms.

In Mexico, health officials say a strain of swine flu has killed up to 160 people and sickened over 2, 000. New York officials said the flu strain discovered in the patients here is the same strain as in Mexico, though all the New York cases are mild.

Swine flu is a respiratory(呼吸道)disease of pigs caused by type A flu viruses. Human cases are uncommon but can occur in people who are around pigs. It also can be spread from person to person. Symptoms include a high fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat and respiratory congestion.

50.　　 Which of the following are the topics for women?

A.　　　 Sport, money and clothes.　　　 B. Money, men and friends.

C.　 Men, clothes and friends.　　　 D. Clothes, sport and women.

49.　　 Why do men spend more time on the phone than women?

A.　　　 Because men like chatting.

B.　　　　 Because women have less to say.

C.　　　　 Because men prefer to share their gossip by chatting

D.　　　 Because women prefer to use e-mail and text messages.

48.　　 The underlined word “chatterbox” might mean _________.

A.　　 a box used for chatting　　　　 　　B. an over talkative person

C. chatting about box　　　　　　　 D. telephones used for chatting

47. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. On September 8^th the color-symbol of Beijing City’s air quality is “Blue”.

B. With API value below 150 the air is free from being polluted.

C. The colors from Purple to Yellow indicate the air quality is becoming much worse.

D. When there are floating solid particles and dust in the air, it is dangerous pollution.

C

If you’re wndering where the man of the house has got to, he’s probably on the phone.

Men have swapped( 交换)places with women as the family chatterbox, a survey has found. They dominate the house phone as well as constantly chatting on their mobiles.

The average man is on the phone for 32 minutes a day, up from 22 five years ago. Women, on the other hand, spend a daily average of 26 minutes on the phone, down from 35 in 2002.

But it’s not because they suddenly have less to say. Women appear to prefer to share their gossip using e-mail and text messages, said the study of 3, 500 adults.

Calling banks or insurance companies, buying tickets and booking restaurant tables were included in the conversations used to calculate the time spent on the phone. Work calls, however, were not.

Almost three in ten men( 29 per cent )said that sport was their favorite topic, followed by 22 per cent who discussed themysteries of women and 20 per cent the even greater mysteries of money.

A third of women( 32 per cent )said they chatted most about men. A similar number said what( and what not )to wear was their main topic of conversation. Other top subjects were mutual friends and making plans to socialize.

Scotland boasts the biggest chatterboxes with 62 per cent of all adults spending more than 30 minutes a day on the phone. Those in the South West and Wales also tend to be hooked on their phones.