① In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.
② The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore the disadvantages of distance learning. School facilities are expensive to build and maintain, and teachers are expensive to employ. Online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people simultaneously, resulting in greater savings, thus increasing the temptation of distance education for those concerned more about budgets than learning. But moving away from a traditional classroom in which a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily would be a disaster. Physically attending school has hidden benefits: getting up every morning, interacting with peers, and building relationships with teachers are essential skills to cultivate in young people. Moreover, schools should be more than simple institutions of traditional learning. They are now places that provide meals. They are places where students receive counseling and other support.
③ Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to “transform” education overnight. But online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos may deliver academic content, but they are unable to make eye contact or assess a student’s level of engagement. Distance education will never match the personal teaching in a traditional classroom. In their first 18 years of life, American children spend only 9% of their time in school. Yet teachers are expected to prepare them to be responsible citizens, cultivate their social skills, encourage successful time management, and enhance their capacity to flourish in an increasingly harsh labor market. Given these expectations, schools should not become permanently “remote”.
④ The power of the classroom is rooted in the humanity of the people gathered in the same place, at the same time. Personal teaching is about teachers showing students a higher path, and about young people going through the process together. Technology, no matter how advanced, should simply be a tool of a good teacher.
1.1.What mainly accounts for the possibility that distance learning could become the norm?
A Advances in education technology.
B Shrinking financial resources.
C Shortage of school facilities.
D Lack of qualified teachers.
解析：选B。B 推理判断题。由题干中的 distance learning couldbecome the norm定位到第一段。第一段指出,在即将到来的教育预算削减时代,远程教育可能会成为常态。第二段前三句提到,远程学习可以节省建造和维护学校设施的成本以及人力成本,这对负责教育预算的人非常有吸引力。由此可见，远程学习可能成为常态的主要原因是教育预算的削减,即财政资源的缩水,故答案为 B。
2.2.What does the author say is one possible benefit of students attending school physically?
A Developing the habit of getting up early.
B Eating nutritionally well-balanced meals.
C Growing into living and breathing human beings.
D Cultivating relationships with peers and teachers.
解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的 benefit 和 attending schoolphysically 定位到第二段倒数第四句。定位句提到,去学校上课有潜在的好处:每天早上起床、与同龄人互动、和老师建立关系,由此可知,去学校上课能培养与同龄人和老师的关系,故答案为 D。
3.3.What does the author think of the latest technology in education?
A It may have potential disadvantages.
B It may render many teachers jobless.
C It may add to students’ financial burden.
D It may revolutionize classroom teaching.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。由题干中的 the latest technology ineducation 定位到第三段。定位段第二至四句指出，在线教育无法让老师在课后留下一个学习困难的学生,并提供帮助。教育视频可以传递学术内容,但无法与学生进行眼神交流，也无法评估学生的投人程度,远程教育永远无法与传统课堂上的个人教学相匹敌。由此可见,作者认为最新的教育技术也存在潜在的缺点和不足,故答案为A。
4.4.What does the author say teachers are expected to do?
A Enhance students’ leadership capacity.
B Elevate students to managerial positions.
C Enable students to adapt to the changes in life.
D Prepare students to be competitive in the future.
解析：选D。D 推理判断题。由题干中的 teachers are expected to do定位到第三段倒数第二句。定位句提到,教师被期望将学生培养成负责任的公民,培养他们的社交技能，鼓励他们成功地管理时间,并增强他们在日益严峻的劳动力市场中蓬勃发展的能力。由此可见教师应当培养学生在未来的竞争力，故答案为 D。
5.5.Why couldn’t technology replace a good teacher?
A It lacks humanity.
B It is still immature.
C It cannot track students’ growth.
D It cannot cater to personal needs.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。由题干中的 technology 和 a good teacher定位到最后一段。定位段指出，课堂的力量根源于在同一地点、同一时间聚集在一起的人们的人性。技术无论多么先进,都应该只是一个好老师的工具。由此可见,技术不能取代一个好老师是因为技术缺少人性，A)中的humanity对应定位段第一句中的humanity,故答案为A。
