第二部分阅读理解
Can you imagine a classroom which misses the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing? Paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to use up ink at the critical(关键的) moment.
Such a “paperless classroom” is one that more and more schools are trying to get.
Students never do any handwriting in the class. Instead, they use specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.
Having computers also means that students can use the Internet. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying, from maths to social science.
A middle school teacher Judy Harrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Iraq in 2003.
“We could touch every side of the country through different sites: from the forest to refuges(难民营),” she said. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”
And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.
A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.
“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers,” she said.
But, with all this technology, there’s always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.
41.What does the underlined sentence “use up ink at the critical moment” in the 1st paragraph mean?
A.Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.
B.Pens get lost easily at any moment.
C.Pens may have little or no ink at the key moment.
D.Pens may not write well at the critical moment.
42.What did the middle school teacher show while using the example of her class?
A.the Web could take them everywhere.
B.the Web taught them a lot.
C.the Web is a good tool for information.
D.the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest information.
43.What does the phrase “break down” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Break up. B.Stop working. C.Fall down. D.Lose control.