A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco.A street musician,whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day,was playing the saxophone on a street corner.His name was Clifford,and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance.After he finished,my friend introduced him to me and his daughter.Clifford asked her if she played any instrument.When she replied that she was taking trumpet lessons and played in her junior high school band,he said,"That's fine,little lady.Learn your instrument well and you can play anything."Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader.If you learn to read well,you can read anything you want--not just newspapers and magazines,but more difficult material like philosophy,film criticism,military history--whatever interests you as your confidence grows.You would not be limited in any way.If you have the vocabulary -or at least a good dictionary near at hand--you can pick up a book,concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer's words. In the United States,reading instruction often ends at elementary school,so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school.They must take their assignments,armed only with their elementary,school reading skills.The result,too often,is frustration and loss of confidence.And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school.Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks:to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension,to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence,and to teach you to become an active reader. It can be inferred from the story that _ . A) Clifford was good at playing the saxophone B) the writer's friend was once a street musician C) the 12-year-old girl played the trumpet very poorly D) Clifford was a good music teacher
A
School leaders from around the country gathered at the White House on November 19 for"Connected to the Future," a conference about digital technology in education.Connected is the Obama Government's five-year plan to support the growth of digital learning in schools.This growth includes equipping America's schools with high-speed broadband Internet . At the conference,President Barack Obama said the U.S.Department of Education is taking steps to help educators and school districts as they change to digital learning.The department created new guidelines to help schools work to improve their technological infrastructure .The guidelines are also designed to help schools choose the right digital devices and set up policies for their proper use. "We have to do more to offer our children a world-class education,"Obama told the crowd of school leaders."We have to improve our education level if we are going to make sure that every child in America can go as far as their dreams and talents will take them." According to Cecilia Muoz,director of the Domestic Policy Council,less than 40% of public schools in America have high-speed Internet access in their classrooms.She believes that Connected will make America a leader in using technology to educate students. Muoz mentioned the Mooresville school district as a success story.Mooresville provides each student in grades 3 through 12 with a device,and uses a mostly digital subject.Muoz said Mooresville now ranks third in test scores and second in graduation rates in the state. At the end of the president's speech,1,200 school leaders attending the event signed the Future Ready District Pledge on their iPads.It promises the education leaders to help develop a culture of learning through technology at their schools,and to support teachers and students in using technology. "Every child deserves a chance at a world-class education,"Obama added."That's what makes our nation great." Which of the following statements is true? A) All students in Mooresville have digital devices. B) Mooresville has carried out Connected for years. C) Teaching quality in Mooresville was the worst in the past. D) Digital learning helps Mooresville's test scores and graduation rates go up.
D
Q: In some children who go blind, certain parts of the brain that normally control vision appear to switch jobs and focus instead on sound, a new study has found. The study, by researchers at the University of Montreal, involved 7 adults who could see and 12 adults who had lost their vision when they were children. Each participant sat in a room with 16 loudspeakers at different locations. The room was designed so that there were no echoes During the experiment, the speakers irregularly produced sounds. Participants had to point to where the sounds were coming from. Meanwhile, the researchers monitored blood flow in the brains of the participants to see which brain structures were working during the task. The results showed that five of the blind participants were very good at pointing to where sounds were coming from. In these people, blood flow increased in the visual cortex --- an area at the back of the right side of the brain. This part of the brain is usually associated with vision. The other seven blind participants showed no increase in activity in the visual cortex. These people didn't do very well at picking out where sounds were coming from. Now, the researchers are looking at whether these people have gained an enhanced sense of touch instead of sound to replace their lost vision. The scientists say that their study shows how adaptable parts of the brain can be. The purpose of the experiment described in the passage is to find whether _ . A) blood flow in the brains of blind people is slower B) blind people have a better sense of sound C) the sense of touch is better among blind people D) blind children can regain their sight
A: B
(Q).
Have you got a Facebook account? Are you thinking of getting one? Jamie Simmonds has just signed up. Let's see how she's getting along. My Diary MONDAY: I'm officially a Facebooker. I find a few people I used to know and I've soon got seven friends. I've never felt so popular! I wonder if my old university flatmate Steve is on here...What do you know! He is! Maybe Facebook has its uses. TUESDAY: I've received lots of nice welcoming messages on my wall. Later, I meet up with Steve for a drink after not seeing him for five years. We get on really well! Then, he uses his Facebook app for iPhone to suggest me as a friend to some other former classmates. Some of them even come to the pub and it's just like old times - possibly a bit too much like old times. During the night, photos are uploaded to Facebook. WEDNESDAY: Disaster! My mum's on Facebook! Has she seen the photos of me dancing on the table from last night? Has she shown them to dad? Oh. And I have a friend request - mum again! THURSDAY: There's a message from my boyfriend, "so, it's over then, ;is it?" Evidently I haven't changed my settings to show I'm "in a relationship", and I haven't even added him as a friend. Ah, well, I wonder what my ex-boyfriend is doing... Whoops! I accidentally type his name into my status box instead of the search ' and now every one can see it on their news feed.' FRIDAY: Time to update my status:"Work is boring. Can't wait for the weekend!" Yeah, that about sums it up. Oh, look, I've received a comment! Someone must feel the same way. Lots of my friends now"like" this status. SATURDAY: Good news! I've got 100 friends But wait! _ I look through my "friend list" to try to work out who it was. Why did they do that? Am I really such a terrible person? I never knew Facebook could be this cruel. SUNDAY: Wake up. Check my Facebook page. Make coffee. Check my Facebook page again. Get ready to leave. Change my mind and check my Facebook page ... again. I am becoming addicted to it! I think it's time to end it all before it takes... What does the word"un-friend" mean in"Someone's 'un-friended' me!"? A) Being unfriendly to others. B) Having a quarrel with somebody. C) Removing a name from the friend list. D) Ending friendship with somebody.
(A).
C