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英语专项深度练习——阅读理解(七)
Accompanying the developments in computing as a subject for study there has been a
corresponding growth in the use of the computer as an aid to teaching across the curriculum.
The government offer of half-price computers led to the installation of a large number of
school microcomputer systems at a time when there was very little educational software. At
the same time there was an explosive demand for introductory courses， at first for
secondary teachers and later， when the offer was extended to primary schools， for primary
teachers. It would be impossible， and inappropriate， to make every teacher into a computer
programming expert.
What the teacher needs to know is how to connect up a system. And how to load and run
programs. Once these skills have been acquired the much more important topic of the
evaluation of. computer-based teaching materials can be addressed.
The Unintelligent Machine
Over the past 20 years the amount of computing power available for a given sum of money has
approximately doubled every two years， and it looks as if this trend will continue in the
foreseeable future. On the other hand， the fundamental logical design of computers is much
the same as at the beginning of this period. The revolution has been one of scale and cost
rather than a change in the kinds of things which computers can do. One might have expected
therefore that by now we would know the best way in which computers can be used to help with
the educational process.
In the early sixties， programmed learning was looked on as the pathway to mechanize the
learning process. But teaching machines of the time were inflexible and unresponsive. It was
soon recognized that computers provide a much higher level of interaction with the student.
Responses need not be restricted to multiple-choice button pushing， but can involve the
recognition of words or numbers related to the context of the subject.
In order to present information and questions to the student and to provide for appropriate
branching， depending on the responses， some form of programming language is required.
COURSEWRITER and later PILOT are “ author languages” which allow someone without technical
knowledge of computing to prepare programs of this kind. Text and graphics can be
displayed， responses analyzed， and appropriate action taken.
A tool such as this might seem to put considerable power in the hands of the teacher and yet
such systems are hardly used at all in our schools. One reason is that the preparation of
course material using an author language is， like that for videodisc systems， a very time-
consuming business. A figure of 20 to 100 hours of preparation is quoted for each hour of
student time at the computer. Such an investment is only worthwhile if the material can be
used by a large number of students， and that assumes that the necessary resources in time
and hardware are actually available.There is a more fundamental reason for lack of progress in computer-based tutorial systems
and this relates to the fundamental lack of “intelligence” on the part of the computer. It
is easy to generate drill and practice exercises which test a student‘s ability to produce
response. It is quite another matter to provide useful advice if the response is wrong. The
human teacher has a mental model of the student and can make a reasonable estimate of why a
particular wrong answer has been produced. The longer the teacher has been in contact with
that student the better he or she is able to offer constructive advice. The kind of system
discussed above has no such model of the student on which to make decisions， nor does it
have access to the large body of subject knowledge which is held by the human teacher. Its
responses therefore must be stereotyped and unintelligent.
Further evidence of the lack of machine intelligence is the failure to make computer “
understand” natural language. We talk about “ programming languages” for computers， but
these are not languages in the ordinary sense. They are just systems of coding which provide
a highly stylized way of writing down the solutions to particular sorts of problems. The
tact that programs in these languages， although made up largely of English words and some
well-known mathematical symbols， are unintelligible to the layC^f-ff W） reader indi¬cates
the gulf which still exists between the kind of verbal instructions which can be given to
another human， and the coded instructions required by the compu¬ter. One expert has argued
that the construction of an intelligent machine is a logical impossibility. Many researchers
in this area would dispute such a claim， but so far they cannot provide the essential
demonstration to the contrary.
The development of “ expert systems”， which can provide advice and information on the
basis of human experience which is fed into them， is one step in the direction of machine
intelligence. However， such systems are limited to knowledge in a tightly defined domain，
and cannot operate outside this area. Nevertheless， there may well be something here for
education. The Computer in the Classroom
Where does this leave the computer as a tool for the teacher？ Clearly teachers must exploit
its strengths rather than complain about its weakness. However dull much drill and practice
material may seem， children will often work at it for a considerable time without losing
concentration. Rote learning （硬记硬背） is rightly out of favor in most educational
contexts， but there are certain things which it is convenient to be able to recall
instantly， and the computer can help us to remember them. The school pupil soon learns that
the computer never gets tired， never loses its temper， will always respond almost
instantaneously to any input， and does not display the pupil’s ignorance to other people，
and these factors help to provide a micro-environment within which the pupil is stable and
secure.
The introduction of computers into primary schools has concentrated the minds of educators
on the use of the machine as an aid to the teacher， without the distraction of computer
studies as a subject in its own right. The computer is very good at storing and rearranging
information， and the introduction of simple database manipulation packages has allowed
teachers to present pupils with the opportunity to collect information which is of interestto them， to structure it appropriately， and to store it on the computer. From the files
thus produced various reports can be generated. These packages can be used in a variety of
areas of study， from history to science， and an introduction to them is now an important
part of teacher education in the use of computers. Computers can also simulate （|模拟）
various dynamic situations， and a number of packages exploit this ability. Even the
adventure games， which are sold for amusement to home computer users， can be turned to
advantage if the problem-solving aspects are emphasized and the pupils‘ activity is
appropriately structured.
1. A computer has its limitations in the use as an aid to teaching.
2. It is likely that computers will take the place of human teachers in the future.
3. With the use of many computers in schools， the computer courses were in great demand.
4. Computers are more reliable than human teachers in many respects.
5. If focusing on problem-solving， pupils can get more amusement from the computer games.
6. There is an argument over the possibility of making computers as intelligent as human
teachers.
7. The more fundamental factor that affects computer aided teaching is that it is time-
consuming to prepare course materials.
8. Coursewriter and Pilot are______.
9. For constructive advice， students will have to rely on______.
10. The advantage of computer’s capability of storing information has been displayed by the
use of______.
答案：I. Y 2. NG 3. Y 4. Y 5. N 6. N 7. N
8. computer languages 9. human teachers 10. database manipulation packages
According to the latest research in the‘ United States of America， men and women talk such
different languages that it is like people from two different cultures trying to
communicate. Professor Deborah Tannen of Georgetown University， has noticed the difference
in the style of boy’s and girl‘s conversations from an early age. She says that little
girls’ conversation is less definite than boys‘ and expresses more doubts. Little boys use
conversation to establish status with their listeners.
These differences continue into adult life， she says. In public conversations， men talk
most and interrupt other speakers more. In private conversations， men and women speak in
equal amounts—although they say things in a different style. Professor Tannen believesthat， for woman， private talking is a way to establish and test intimacy. For men，
private talking is a way to explore the power structure of a relationship.
Teaching is one job where the differences between men’s and women‘s ways of talking show.
When a man teaches a woman， says Professor Tannen， he wants to show that he has more
knowledge， and hence more power in conversation. When a woman teaches another woman，
however， she is more likely to take a sharing approach and to encourage her student to join
in.
But Professor Tannen does not believe that women are naturally more helpful. She says women
feel they achieve power by being able to help others. Although the research suggests men
talk and interrupt people more than women， Professor Tannen says， women actually encourage
this to happen because they believe it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a
relationship.
Some scientists who are studying speech think that the brain is pre¬programmed for language.
As we are usually taught to speak by women， it seems likely that the brain must have a
sexual bias（倾向性） in its programming，
otherwise male speech patterns would not arise at all.
1. In the opinion of the writer， women encourage men to talk because
A. it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a relationship
B. it will help to establish status with their listeners
C. it will help to express more clearly
D. it will help to communicate better
2. There are_______in little girls’ conversation than in boys‘。
A. fewer doubts B. more demands
C. more doubts D. fewer uncertainties
3. Some scientists believe that brain is pre-programmed for language. The word “pre
programmed” means_______.
A. programmed already B. programmed before one is born
C. programmed early D. programmed by women
4. In private conversation， women speakA. the same things as men B. less than men
C. more than men D. as much as men
5. The theme of this article is _______.
A. women are naturally more helpful
B. men and women talk different languages
C. men talk most and interrupt other speakers more
D. little girls’ conversation is less definite
答案：1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. B
In the last two hundred years there have been great changes in the method of production of
goods. This is now also true of the building industry; for mechanization has been
introduced. System building can save both time and money. The principle of system building
is that the building is made from a set of standard units. These are either made at the
building-site or at a factory. Some designers， in fact， are standardizing the dimensions
of rooms. They are made in multiples of a single fixed length， usually ten centimeters.
This is called a modular （标准件的） system， and it means that manufactures can produce
standardized fittings at a lower cost. The most important fact about system building is its
speed. A ten-storey flat， for example， can be completed in four months.
There are several new methods of system building. One is the panel method. In this case，
the construction company sometimes erects a factory on the site. The walls and floors of the
building， called panels， are cast in a horizontal or vertical position. Conduits for
electrical wires and sleeves for pipes are cast in the panels when they are being made. The
moulds for making these castings are situated all around the building.
After the concrete panels are cast， they are allowed to set and harden for a week. Next
they are lifted by a tower crane on to any section of the building. There the panels are
cemented together at their joints and the floor covering is laid.
After the panels have been cemented together， the crane lifts a case into the area. It
contains all the fittings to be installed， such as wash-basins， radiators and pipes.
Finishing tradesmen， such as plumbers， plasterers， painters and electricians， follow
behind to complete the work.
In some building developments， in some countries， whole flats with internal features like
their bathrooms， bedrooms and connecting stairs， and weighing as much as twenty tons， are
carried to the building-site ready-made. A giant overhead crane is used to lift them into
position. In the future， this method may become more widespread.1. The main difference between panel method and the method discussed in the last paragraph
is_______.
A. the latter uses ready-made internal features
B. panels are cast in a level position
C. the former is used to build walls and floors while the latter to construct bathrooms or
bedrooms
D. the former is more expensive than the latter
2. Which of these statements is TRUE of system building？
A. It employs more men. B. It is difficult and dangerous.
C. It can save both time and money. D. It means less mechanization.
3. According to the passage， the principle of system building is that_______.
A. construction methods are safer
B. buildings are made from a set of standardized units
C. similar buildings can be produced
D. all units are produced on the site
4. The usual fixed length in the modular system is_______.
A. twenty centimeters B. ten millimeters
C. fifty centimeters D. ten centimeters
5. What lifts the concrete panels onto the building？
A. Cranes. B. Man-power.
C. Pulleys. D. Hydraulic jacks.
答案：1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A
The economy of the United States after 1952 was the economy of a well-fed， almost fully
employed people. Despite__1__alarms， the country escaped any postwar depression and lived
in a__2__of boom. An economic survey of the year 1955， a typical year of the 1950‘s， may
be typical as__3__the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was__4__at 10percent above that of 1954（1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars）。 The
production of manufactures was about 40 percent more than it had__5__ in the years
immediately following World War I 。 The country’s business spent about 30 billion dollars
for new factories and machinery. National income __6__ for spending was almost a third
greater than it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about
700 million dollars a day， or about twenty-five million dollars every hour， all round the
__7__ 。 Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted
jobs but could not find them. Only agriculture__8__that it was not sharing in the boom. To
some observers this was a sad reflection of the mid-1920‘s. As farmers’ share of their
products__9 __ ， marketing costs rose. But there were， among the observers of the national
economy， a few who were not as confident as the majority. Those few seemed to fear that the
boom could not last long and would__10__lead to the opposite—depression.
A. eventually B. averaged C. gradually D. state
E. valued F. form G. declined H. occasional
I. casual J. argued K. descended L. complained
M. clock N. available O. illustrating
答案：I. H 2. D 3. O 4. E 5. B 6. N 7. M 8. L 9. G 10. A
