Called “the School of the Future” and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently-opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers avoid traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their child's work on the Internet.
The school, which cost the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams. The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants.
Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other schools around the world. “You have become instant role models,” Vallas said. “People are going to be watching you. “
Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on computer and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access the school's network to read teacher feedback on their child's progress.
Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview. “It's not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式）and then presenting them in a test,” Grover said. “It's about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality-of-water problem or how it might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the birdflu.”
David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to “turn over a new leaf” after discipline problems in his previous school left him with an “average to really bad” academic record. “This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “In other schools, I would not .”
小题1:What's the best title of this passage? ( no more than 10 words)
小题2:Complete the following statement with proper words.（no more than 5 words）
Although the students have their lessons in classrooms, they mainly the Internet and on some software.
小题3:Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. ( no more than 10 words)
小题4:Do you think this kind of school good? Why? ( no more than 30 words)
小题5:What does the underlined word“this” ( Line 2, Paragraph 6) probably refer to? ( no more than 6words)
