Learning just as much outside the Classroom

    Every Thursday afternoon，my art history class meets not in our usual lecture hall hut in the Yale University Art Gallery(美術(shù)館)．

    We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings，many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class.

    The professor begins by selecting one work of art .After giving us a quick background on

the artist，he'll open up for class discussion. Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions

to the work．Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and

subject matter，yet we always manage to make some interesting observations.

  In America，professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose

students to real world experiences．

  With some creativity，almost any subject can be applied to such beyond the classroom learning．

  My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example．

  Many other disciplines (學(xué)科)also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom，for instance，business，psychology，art，journalism and biology．

  A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday

working with mentally disabled children．

  Her mornings are spent playing with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior. Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations．

  Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities．They're almost always fun and interesting，and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months．

    No one denies(否認(rèn)) the value of classroom learning．But it can only take students so far．

    Slides and textbooks may do a good job of carrying facts and dates，but creativity and originality (創(chuàng)造性)of thought cannot be taught．They can only be got through first-hand experience．

1．The writer studies art history         ．

    A．in a lecture hall                                              B．in an art gallery

    C．in a simple way                                             D．in a practical way

2．To study artists，we should first              

    A．meet and talk with them                      B．pay a visit to their hometowns

    C．get some information about their background     D．copy some works of theirs

3．In American universities it is popular for professors to           ．

    A．create textbooks by themselves

    B．teach their lectures through real world experiences

    C．a(chǎn)sk their students to memorize the texts

    D．share their experiences with the students

4．The writer introduces one of his friends' experiences to us in order to        

    A．give us an example                                        B．praise the professor

    C．praise his friend                                           D．a(chǎn)dvise us to study psychology

5．The writer holds the opinion that   

    A．learning outside the classroom is the best way

    B．teachers should develop students' creativity

    C．professors had better shorten their lectures

    D．students should put their textbooks away

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科目：高中英語 來源：河北省正定中學(xué)2010屆高三下學(xué)期第二次考試試題（英語） 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語 來源：2011年浙江省溫州市高二下學(xué)期期末考試英語題 題型：閱讀理解

We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells—but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper (雨刮器)？ Shouldn’t we know who they are?

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Her students agree. One young man with a patent（專利）for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’s statement. “If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention,” said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major, “ I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so useful.” Lee is now considering to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.

So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device(裝置) for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birminghan, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever (操作桿) on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.

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B．Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

C．they wanted their children to enter into the professional fields

D．it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

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A．enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence

B．treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

C．encourage people to compete with each other

D．promise talented children high positions

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012屆山東省棗莊市高三九月月考英語題（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

We know the famous ones — the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells— but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’ t we know who they are?

   Joan McLean thinks so. In fact, McLean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’ s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”， however, McLean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why”and“how”questions. According to McLean，“When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”

Her students agree. One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’ s statement.“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’ s invention，”said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major，“I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive.” Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.

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Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It’ s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’ s traffic light. It’ s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’ s innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

1.By mentioning “traffic light”and “windshield wiper”， the author indicates that countless inventions are________.

   A．beneficial, because their inventors are famous

   B．beneficial, though their inventors are less famous

   C．not useful, because their inventors are less famous

   D．not useful, though their inventors are famous

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   A．a(chǎn)dd colour and variety to students’ campus life

   B．inform students of the windshield wiper’ s invention

   C．carry out the requirements by Mountain University

   D．prepare students to try their own inventions

3. Tommy Lee’ s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was________.

   A．not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer

   B．inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper

   C．due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm

   D．not related to Professor Joan McLean’ s lectures

4.Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?

   A．How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?

   B．How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?

   C．Shouldn’ t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?

   D．Shouldn’ t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010年普通高等學(xué)校招生全國統(tǒng)一考試陜西卷英語 題型：閱讀理解

 

第二部分  閱讀理解（共兩節(jié)，滿分40分）

（共15小題，每小題2分，滿分30分）

閱讀下列四篇短文，從每小題后所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該選項涂黑。

  Ask Dr ? Jeffers

This month Dr. Jeffers is answering questions about the human brain and how it works.

Dear Dr. Jeffers,

One of my colleagues, Felix Moeller, told me that scientists are learning to use computer to ‘read minds’. Is there any truth to this story/

—Jane Leon, New York, USA

Dear Ms. Leon,

Well, a lot of research is being conducted in this area, but so far, the brain scanning equipment and corresponding computer programs haven’t been able to actually read thoughts. In one experiment, test subjects（受試者）were connected to scanning equipment and shown two numbers on a screen. They were then asked to choose between adding or subtracting（減）the two numbers. Using this method, researchers were able to follow brain processes and make the correct assumptions（假設(shè)）70 percent of the time. It’s not quite mind reading, but it’s certainly a first step.

—Dr. J.

Dear Dr. Jeffers,

My three-year-old son loves it when I dig my fingers into his sides and tickle （胳肢）him until he laughs uncontrollably. The other day I noticed him trying to tickle himself but he couldn’t do it. Why not?

—Glenn Lewis, Vancouver, Canada

Dear Mr. Lewis,

It’s because of how the brain works. The brain is trained to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore. It causes us to ignore physical feelings we expect to happen, but it causes a mild panic reaction when there is an unexpected feeling. For example, you don’t notice how your shoulder feels while you’re walking down the street. But if someone comes up behind you and touches you lightly on the shoulder, you may jump in fear. It’s that unexpected part that causes the tickle reaction.

—Dr. J.

1.What can we learn from the answer to the first question?                          

A. Some equipment is able to read human minds.

B. Some progress has been made in mind reading.

C. Test subjects have been used tomake decisions.

D. Computer programs can copy brain processes.

2.People laugh when tickled by others bedause the feeling is _______.                 

A. unexpected        B.expected        C. comfortable        D. uncomfortable

3.Who has got a little child according to the text?                                  

A. Ms. Leon          B. Mr. Lewis        C. Mr. Moeller        D. Dr. Jeffers

4.According to the text, Jeffers is probably _______.                                

A. a computer programmer                B. a test subject

C. a human brain expert                   D. a medical doctor

 

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