话题18 科普与现代技术
主题语篇阅读
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A [2018·东城一模]
It was a February afternoon in a Brooklyn classroom. Sixteen-year-old Taylor Engler came face to face with a cow. But it was all in her head. She was transported by a virtual(虚拟的) reality (VR) headset—it took Taylor and her classmates to a farm 250 miles away. For students, the technology means field trips are no longer limited by the length of a bus ride. “I was not expecting it to be right in my face!” That’s what Taylor said after taking off the headset and finding herself back in the classroom.
On any school day, students can take virtual reality “trips”. They are deep-sea diving. They are observing medical operations. They are visiting the Science Museum in London. Teachers say it’s another way to involve the iPhone generation(一 代人) into classroom learning and it can help with their understanding and improve their grades. Colin Jones, a science teacher, has walked students through the northern forest with a Google app called Expeditions. “It can be done in a period or two with the help of the new technology,” he said. “But it could take even a week sometimes to take a real expedition.”
“It’s different from watching videos. You can actually move,” Taylor said during the lesson on farm animals. “Not only move, but also feel,” said Richard Lamb. He studies how brains deal with information. “Your physiological responses(生理反应) in virtual reality are similar to what you get in doing the actual activity,” Lamb said. “Heart rate, breathing… everything.”
It is unknown how many classrooms will use the technology. But experts say it’s still rare. Each headset can cost as little as $20 or $30, but systems and software for classes run into thousands of dollars. And good software is in great need. Another problem we face is how to make sure the VR technology mimics(模仿) the real world closely. “But we have to say VR technology provides students with a huge learning opportunity,” said David Evans, director of the National Science Teachers Association.
John Miller, a chemistry teacher, agreed. “Too often in schools, students did something wrong in their chemistry experiments. But we don’t have enough materials for them to redo the experiments. In virtual reality, all they do is hit reset on the computer. We don’t have to actually use chemicals.”
Both Miller and Evans stressed the technology could enrich—not replace—real-world experiences. “We have to remain anchored(立足) in the real world,” Evans warned, “because that’s the one that we really need to study and explain.”
1.On a February afternoon, Taylor . ( )
A.travelled to a farm on a bus
B.watched a video about a cow
C.had a virtual reality lesson in the classroom
D.played computer games with her classmates
2.What can we learn from the passage? ( )
A.VR technology is widely used in schools.
B.Teachers think VR technology helpful for students.
C.Colin Jones’ students prefer a real trip to the forest.
D.Students breathe faster in VR activities than in actual ones.
3.Miller and Evans probably agree that . ( )
A.people shouldn’t lose interest in the real world
B.people should develop more VR systems and software
C.VR technology won’t change students’ way of learning
D.VR technology will reduce students’ mistakes in experiments
B[2019·西城一模]
Over the past decade, an increasing stress has been placed on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related classes in primary, middle and high school education in the U.S. The reason for this direction is well founded: research and test scores from the 1980s and 1990s showed that our students had fallen behind their international peers in all of these subject areas. Education officials, teachers and parents all felt that the situation needed to be changed, and quickly. However, in the rush to play catch-up in STEM-related areas, there’s one important aspect that is being neglected (忽略): the Fine and Performing Arts, particularly drama.
