About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings.

Instead, they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers. The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools(网络学校)” and that is about twice as many as two years ago.

The money for students to go to a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.

Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.

Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschools called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.

Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.

Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.

1.What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschools?

A．They have to take long bus rides to school.

B．They study at home rather than in classrooms.

C．They receive money from traditional public schools.

D．They do well in traditional school programs.

2.What is a problem with cyberschools?

A．Their equipment costs a lot of money.

B．They get little support from the state government.

C．It is hard to know students' progress in learning.

D．The students find it hard to make friends.

3.Cyberschools are getting popular because__________.

A．they are less expensive for students

B．their students can work at their own speed

C．their graduates are more successful in society

D．they serve students in a wider age range

 

What do you do if you're in trouble on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.

Body signals (信号)

Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training, When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means, "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend (弯曲) your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.

Smoke signals

The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it’s a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn’t hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a tire unless you're sure that it can’t spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.

Ground-to-air signals

It's a good idea lo build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols (标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:

F "I need food and water"

II "I need medicine."

I "I am badly hurt."

X "I am unable lo move from here."

Pilots' replies

If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means: "message received and understood" (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilot flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received hut not understood" (At night, the: pilot flashes the plants red lights.)

However, there is no signal which means "message not received. Why not'?

1.How many signals can we use to draw the attention of the passing plane if you're in trouble?

  A. Three.        B. Four       C. Five      D. Six

2.Which picture means "it's not safe to land"?

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes"

B. If the ground is dark, light smoke can’t be seen.

C If you need some medicine, make a symbol “Ⅱ”.

D. The pilots make replies with a blue light at night.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The explanation of building signals on an island.

B. The importance of making signals on an island.

C. Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island.

D. Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island.

 

Now, are you changing your living habits to have a low carbon life? Here are some strategies (策略) for you.
Strategy One
●Each week, choose one day when you don’t eat meat. Meat takes up lots of energy because it takes a long time to produce. And animals must be fed on farmed plants, which could be used to feed many more people.
Strategy Two
●Only buy the amount of food you need. When you buy food, go local rather than imported (进口的), and get fresh vegetables instead of frozen.
Strategy Three
●Make sure you keep the things such as paper and plastic bottles separate (独立) so that they can be recycled. There are places where you can recycle batteries. Make sure you find them.
Strategy Four
●Take showers rather than baths and reduce your shower time by two minutes. This will save water and give you an extra two minutes in bed.
Strategy Five
●Buses and trains are better than cars, but walking or cycling is better still. It’s also better for your health and cheaper. It can even be quicker than sitting in a car at rush hours in a busy city. For long distances, coaches are better than trains.
Strategy Six
●Try to buy good, long-lasting products even though they may cost a little more. A small screen TV is better than a big screen. Keep your electronic products one year longer than you would usually have.
【小题1】What does the underline phrase “low carbon” in paragraph one mean?

A．便宜

B．低碳

C．高效

D．舒适

【小题2】 According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?

A．When we produce the meat, we need to take up lots of energy.

B．Taking showers in less time will help for saving the water.

C．When you go for a long-distance trip, you’d better drive your own car.

D．Buying the long-lasting products is a good idea to have a low carbon life.

【小题3】 What’s the purpose(目的) of the passage?

A．It helps to know walking is one of the low carbon lives.

B．It helps to realize how important it is to have a low carbon life.

C．It advises to save water and electric to have a low carbon life.

D．It advises to kick some bad habits and have a low carbon life.

阅读下面短文，掌握大意。然后从A.B.C.D四个选项中选出最佳选项 
I was waiting for the bus when I met the woman. “You look   26  . Come and sit here,” she said. “ 27   are you going?”
“I don’t know. I just want to catch a  28    and see what it will be like at the end.”
“I’m afraid you’ll see  29   there. Why don’t you enjoy the sights on the way?”
“How can I do that while my heart’s   30   ?” I asked sadly. My best friend had left me.
The woman seemed to understand my feeling. “Don’t cry, little girl. I’ve had a similar experience to you. Thirty-five   31   ago, my husband left our three children and me. I was deadly sad. I decided to kill myself and the children, so I took    32   to the sea.   33  ，they seemed to know what would happen, so they   34   loudly. Their cry suddenly woke me 35   . How could I  36    my hope to live for one of life’s problems? After that, I worked hard to raise the children. Now they all live   37    and one of them has his own family.
Then the woman gave me a   38  , “We should never wait for the door to   39     before us. We should find the key to the  40   or try to find another way”
The bus came and I got on it with a smile

【小题1】 A．tired B．excited C．happy D．well

【小题2】 A．What B．How C．Where D．When

【小题3】 A．train B．bus C．boat D．plane

【小题4】 A．nothing B．everything C．something D．anything

【小题5】 A．smiling B．breaking C．singing D．dancing

【小题6】 A．days B．weeks C．months D．years

【小题7】 A．her B．them C．him D．it

【小题8】 A．So B．Or C．Besides D．However

【小题9】 A．laughed B．talked C．spoke D．cried

【小题10】 A．in B．out C．up D．down

【小题11】 A．give away B．give up C．get up D．stand up

【小题12】 A．happily B．sadly C．badly D．hopeless

【小题13】 A．cry B．shout C．hit D．smile

【小题14】 A．open B．close C．lock D．mend

【小题15】 A．classroom B．office C．door D．shop

We moved to a new area when our son was in Grade Five. Before we moved, we took him to spend half a day at his new school. There he saw his new classmates and teachers. He enjoyed the visit. During the almost 150-kilometre drive home, he told us that he had told some of the students the dace when we would move there. And he had also invited them to visit us.

The moving day, a Saturday, was a busy day. We arrived at our new house at noon. About an hour later, kids began to come and soon one of them invited our son to his house to play for the afternoon.

By the time he returned, he knew where most of the kids lived and the histories of their families.

On Monday morning, the doorbell rang just before the time he would leave for school. Then it rang again and again.

By the time he was ready, we had eight young boys waiting to walk to school with him on his first day. They all live near us.

    I asked them if their parents had sent them. The answers surprised and pleased me, "No, we just came so that he would have someone to walk with." and "It is the right thing to do."

    The friendships were formed(形成) from that day. We have lived here for nearly six years and the same group of kids still play together, go to parties on weekends together, and surfing the Internet together.

    I am still thinking how welcoming and kind those kids are. And how lucky my son is to have them as friends.

1.Before the family moved to the new area, the son was taken to his new school to ______.

     A. invite the teachers to visit them       B. get to know it

     C. see if the school was far             D. play with his classmates

2. Why did the doorbell ring again and again on Monday morning?

     A. Because no one answered it.         B. Because it was time for school.

     C. Because kids were coming one by one. D. Because there was something wrong with it.

3.Which of the following is true?

     A. The family moved to the new house on Saturday afternoon.

     B. The kids visited the house before the family arrived.

     C. The son knew the kids well before he got there.

     D. The son was invited to play in a kid's house later that afternoon.

4. The passage shows us that ______.

     A. it's easy to move to a new place       B. it's kind of people to help a new comer

     C. it's good to make new friends         D. it's better to live in the same place