大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷54（共240题）

大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷54（共9套）（共240题）大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷第1套一、长篇阅读(本题共20题，每题1.0分，共20分。)AdvantagesofPublicTransportA)AnewstudyconductedfortheWorldBankbyMurdochUniversity'sInstituteforScienceandTechnologyPolicy(ISTP)hasdemonstratedthatpublictransportismoreefficientthancars.Thestudycomparedtheproportionofwealthpouredintotransportbythirty-sevencitiesaroundtheworld.Thisincludedboththepublicandprivatecostsofbuilding,maintainingandusingatransportsystem.B)ThestudyfoundthattheWesternAustraliancityofPerthisagoodexampleofacitywithminimalpublictransport.Asaresult,17%ofitswealthwentintotransportcosts.SomeEuropeanandAsiancities,ontheotherhand,spentaslittleas5%.ProfessorPeterNewman,ISTPDirector,pointedoutthatthesemoreefficientcitieswereabletoputthedifferenceintoattractingindustryandjobsorcreatingabetterplacetolive.C)AccordingtoProfessorNewman,thelargerAustraliancityofMelbourneisaratherunusualcityinthissortofcomparison.Hedescribesitastwocities:AEuropeancitysurroundedbyacar-dependentone.Melbourne'slargetramnetworkhasmadecaruseintheinnercitymuchlower,buttheoutersuburbshavethesamecar-basedstructureasmostotherAustraliancities.TheexplosionindemandforaccommodationintheinnersuburbsofMelbournesuggestsarecentchangeinmanypeople'spreferencesastowheretheylive.D)Newmansaysthisisanew,broaderwayofconsideringpublictransportissues.Inthepast,thecaseforpublictransporthasbeenmadeonthebasisofenvironmentalandsocialjusticeconsiderationsratherthaneconomics.Newman,however,believesthestudydemonstratesthat"theauto-dependentcitymodelisinefficientandgrosslyinadequateineconomicaswellasenvironmentalterms".E)BicycleusewasnotincludedinthestudybutNewmannotedthatthetwomost"bicyclefriendly"citiesconsidered—AmsterdamandCopenhagen—wereveryefficient,eventhoughtheirpublictransportsystemswere—"reasonablebutnotspecial".F)Itiscommonforsupportersofroadnetworkstorejectthemodelsofcitieswithgoodpublictransportbyarguingthatsuchsystemswouldnotworkintheirparticularcity.Oneobjectionisclimate.Somepeoplesaytheircitycouldnotmakemoreuseofpublictransportbecauseitiseithertoohotortoocold.Newmanrejectsthis,pointingoutthatpublictransporthasbeensuccessfulinbothTorontoandSingaporeand,infact,hehascheckedtheuseofcarsagainstclimateandfound"zerocorrelation".G)Whenitcomestootherphysicalfeatures,roadlobbiesareonstrongerground.Forexample,NewmanacceptsitwouldbehardforacityashillyasAucklandtodevelopareallygoodrailnetwork.However,hepointsoutthatbothHongKongandZurichhavemanagedtomakeasuccessoftheirrailsystems,heavyandlightrespectively,thoughtherearefewcitiesintheworldashilly.H)Infact,Newmanbelievesthemainreasonforadoptingonesortoftransportoveranotherispolitics:"Themoredemocratictheprocess,themorepublictransportisfavoured."HeconsidersPortland,Oregon,aperfectexampleofthis.I)Someyearsago,federalmoneywasgrantedtobuildanewroad.However,localpressuregroupsforcedareferendumoverwhethertospendthemoneyonlightrailinstead.Therailproposalwonandtherailwayworkedspectacularlywell.Intheyearsthathavefollowed,moreandmorerailsystemshavebeenputin,dramaticallychangingthenatureofthecity.NewmannotesthatPortlandhasaboutthesamepopulationasPerthandhadasimilarpopulationdensityatthetime.J)IntheUK,traveltimestoworkhadbeenstableforatleastsixcenturies,withpeopleavoidingsituationsthatrequiredthemtospendmorethanhalfanhourtravellingtowork.Trainsandcarsinitiallyallowedpeopletoliveatgreaterdistanceswithouttakinglongertoreachtheirdestination.However,publicinfrastructuredidnotkeeppacewithurbansprawl,causingmassivecongestionproblemswhichnowmakecommutingtimesfarhigher.K)Thereisawidespreadbeliefthatincreasingwealthencouragespeopletolivefartheroutwherecarsaretheonlyviabletransport.TheexampleofEuropeancitiesrefutesthat.TheyareoftenwealthierthantheirAmericancounterpartsbuthavenotgeneratedthesamelevelofcaruse.InStockholm,carusehasactuallyfalleninrecentyearsasthecityhasbecomelargerandwealthier.L)Anewstudymakesthispointevenmorestarkly.DevelopingcitiesinAsia,suchasJakartaandBangkok,makemoreuseofthecarthanwealthyAsiancitiessuchasTokyoandSingapore.Incitiesthatdevelopedlater,theWorldBankandAsianDevelopmentBankdiscouragedthebuildingofpublictransportandpeoplehavebeenforcedtorelyoncars—creatingthemassivetrafficjamsthatcharacterizethosecities.M)NewmanbelievesoneofthebeststudiesonhowcitiesbuiltforcarsmightbeconvertedtorailuseisTheUrbanVillagereport,whichusedMelbourneasanexample.Itfoundthatpushingeveryoneintothecitycentrewasnotthebestapproach.Instead,theproposaladvocatedthecreationofurbanvillagesathundredsofsites,mostlyaroundrailwaystations.N)Itwasonceassumedthatimprovementsintelecommunicationswouldleadtomoredispersalinthepopulationaspeoplewerenolongerforcedintocities.However,theISTPteam'sresearchdemonstratesthatthepopulationandjobdensityofcitiesroseorremainedconstantinthe1980safterdecadesofdecline.Theexplanationforthisseemstobethatitisvaluabletoplacepeopleworkinginrelatedfieldstogether."Thenewworldwilllargelydependonhumancreativity,andcreativityflourisheswherepeoplecometogetherface-to-face."1、ThehillycitylikeAucklandisinappropriateforrailtransportsystem.标准答案：G知识点解析：题干意为，像奥克兰这样的山城不适宜开发轨道交通网。根据Auckland关键词．定位于G段第二句，“itwouldbehardforacityashillyasAucklandtodevelopareallygoodrailnetwork”可知，题干为原文改写，故选G。2、Byputtingmorefundsintootherfields,efficientcitiescanimprovethequalityoflifefortheirinhabitants.标准答案：B知识点解析：根据关键词“efjficientcities”定位于B段最后一句，“thesemoreefficientcitieswereabletoputthedifferenceintoattractingindustryandjobsorcreatingabetterplacetolive”意为这些高效率城市可以将更多的资金投入到吸引工厂、扩大就业和创造更好的场所中。题干“improvethequalityoflifefortheirinhabitants”是原文“creatingabetterplacetolive”的近义替换。所以，正确答案是B。3、Areferendumwasheldbylocalorganizationstodecidewhethertoconstructlightrail.标准答案：I知识点解析：根据关键词“referendum”定位于I段第二句．“localpressuregroupsforcedareferendumoverwhethertospendthemoneyonlightrailinstead”意思是，当地压力团体强行组织了一次公投，来表决是否要投钱建轻轨。题干大意相符，故选I。4、Citieswithhighlevelsofbicyclesusagecanbeefficientevenwhenpublictransportisonlyaveragelygood.标准答案：E知识点解析：题干意为，自行车使用普及率高的城市效率也高，即使其公共交通只是一般。原文E段，“…twomost“bicyclefriendly”cities…reasonablebutnotspecial”可看出，题干为此句的改写，所以，正确答案是E。5、ThefactthathousesinMelbourne’sinnersuburbsarelargelydemandedindicatesthatpeopleshifttoanewperceptiononwheretolive.标准答案：C知识点解析：根据关键词“innersuburbs”定位于C段最后一句．“TheexplosionindemandforaccommodationintheinnersuburbsofMelbournesuggestsarecentchangeinmanypeople’spreferencesastowheretheylive．”题干“housesarelargelydemanded”对应原文“explosionindemandforaccommodation”，且整句话为原文的改写。故选C。6、TheISTPstudyexaminedpublicandprivatesystemsin37citiesoftheworld.标准答案：A知识点解析：根据关键词“ISTP”和“37cities”定位于A段，“Thestudycompared…bythirty-sevencitiesaroundtheworld．”研究比较了37个城市公共交通投入的资金比例。很明显，正确答案是A。7、Somepeopleargueagainstpracticingpublictransportfortheextremeclimate.标准答案：F知识点解析：题干意为，由于极端天气，一些人反对公共交通。原文F段第三句，“Somepeoplesaytheircitycouldnotmakemoreuseofpublictransportbecauseitiseithertoohotortoocold．”题干“extremeclimate”对应“eithertoohotortoocold”所以．正确选项是F。8、Massivetrafficjamandlongercommutingtimeresultfromtheimbalancebetweenpublicinfrastructureandurbanexpansion.标准答案：J知识点解析：题干意为．大规模的交通堵塞和通勤时间加长是由于公共设施和城市扩张之间的不平衡所致。原文J段最后一句，“However，publicinfrastructuredidnotkeeppacewithurbansprawl，causingmassivecongestionproblemswhichnowmakingcommutingtimesfarhigher．”题干“trafficjam”与“congestionproblem”为同义替换，题干为此句的改写。9、FromtheperspectivefromNewman,theresearchshowsthatcitymodel,reliableoncars,lacksofadequaciesinthefieldsofeconomicandenvironment.标准答案：D知识点解析：原文D段最后一句．“…theauto-dependentcitymodelisinefficientandgrosslyinadequateineconomicaswellasenvironmentalterms．”题干“citymodel，reliableoncars”对应“auto-dependentcitymodel”(依赖汽车的城市模式)，“lacksofadequacies”对应“inadequate”(不足)。所以，正确答案是D。10、Humaninnovation,whichisoftenactivatedbypeople’sdirectinteraction,playsamajorroleinthefuture.标准答案：N知识点解析：题干意为，创造力常在人们直面交流中活跃起来，并将在未来起重要作用。是原文N段最后一句的改写。“Thenewworldwilllargelydependonhumancreativity，andcreativityflourisheswherepeoplecometogetherface-to-face．”“innovation”对应“creativity”(创造力)，“peoplecometogetherfacetoface”对应“people’sdirectinteraction”(人们面对面的沟通)。因此，正确答案是N。GrayingPopulationStaysinthePinkA)Elderlypeoplearegrowinghealthier,happierandmoreindependent,sayAmericanscientists.Theresultsofa14-yearstudytobeannouncedlaterthismonthrevealthatthediseasesassociatedwitholdageareafflictingfewerandfewerpeopleandwhentheydostrike,itismuchlaterinlife.B)Inthelast14years,theNationalLong-termHealthCareSurveyhasgathereddataonthehealthandlifestylesofmorethan20,000menandwomenover65.Researchers,nowanalysingtheresultsofdatagatheredin1994,sayarthritis,highbloodpressureandcirculationproblems—themajormedicalcomplaintsinthisagegrouparetroublingasmallerproportioneveryyear.Andthedataconfirmsthattherateatwhichthesediseasesaredecliningcontinuestoaccelerate.Otherdiseasesofoldage—dementia,stroke,arteriosclerosisandemphysema—arealsotroublingfewerandfewerpeople.C)"Itreallyraisesthequestionofwhatshouldheconsiderednormalageing",saysKennethManton,ademographerfromDukeUniversityinNorthCarolina.Hesaystheproblemsdoctorsacceptedasnormalina65-year-oldin1982areoftennotappearinguntilpeopleare70or75.D)Clearly,certaindiseasesarebeatingaretreatinthefaceofmedicaladvances.Buttheremaybeothercontributingfactors.Improvementsinchildhoodnutritioninthefirstquarterofthetwentiethcentury,forexample,gavetoday'selderlypeopleabetterstartinlifethantheirpredecessors.E)Onthedownside,thedataalsorevealsfailuresinpublichealththathavecausedsurgesinsomeillnesses.Anincreaseinsomecancersandbronchitismayreflectchangingsmokinghabitsandpoorerairquality,saytheresearchers."Thesemaybesubtleinfluences",saysManton,"butoursubjectshavebeenexposedtoworseandworsepollutionforover60years.It'snotsurprisingweseesomeeffect".F)OneinterestingcorrelationMantonuncoveredisthatbetter-educatedpeoplearelikelytolivelonger.Forexample,65-year-oldwomenwithfewerthaneightyearsofschoolingareexpected,onaverage,toliveto82.Thosewhocontinuedtheireducationliveanextrasevenyears.Althoughsomeofthiscanbeattributedtoahigherincome,Mantonbelievesitismainlybecauseeducatedpeopleseekmoremedicalattention.G)Thesurveyalsoassessedhowindependentpeopleover65were,andagainfoundastrikingtrend.Almost80%ofthoseinthe1994surveycouldcompleteeverydayactivitiesrangingfromeatinganddressingunaidedtocomplextaskssuchascookingandmanagingtheirfinances.H)Thatrepresentsasignificantdropinthenumberofdisabledoldpeopleinthepopulation.IfthetrendsapparentintheUnitedStates14yearsagohadcontinued,researcherscalculatetherewouldbeanadditionalonemilliondisabledelderlypeopleintoday'spopulation.AccordingtoManton,slowingthetrendhassavedtheUnitedStatesgovernment'sMedicaresystemmorethan$200billion,suggestingthatthegreyingofAmerica'spopulationmayprovelessofafinancialburdenthanexpected.I)Theincreasingself-relianceofmanyelderlypeopleisprobablylinkedtoamassiveincreaseintheuseofsimplehomemedicalaids.Forinstance,theuseofraisedtoiletseatshasmorethandoubledsincethestartofthestudy,andtheuseofbathseatshasgrownbymorethan50%.J)Thesedevelopmentsalsobringsomehealthbenefits,accordingtoareportfromtheMacArthurFoundation'sresearchgrouponsuccessfulageing.Thegroupfoundthatthoseelderlypeoplewhowereabletoretainasenseofindependenceweremorelikelytostayhealthyinoldage.K)Maintainingalevelofdailyphysicalactivitymayhelpmentalfunctioning,saysCarlCotman,aneuroscientistattheUniversityofCaliforniaatIrvine.Hefoundthatratsthatexerciseonatreadmillhaveraisedlevelsofbrain-derivedneurotrophicfactorcoursingthroughtheirbrains.Cotmanbelievesthishormone,whichkeepsneuronsfunctioning,maypreventthebrainsofactivehumansfromdeteriorating.L)Aspartofthesamestudy,TeresaSeeman,asocialepidemiologistattheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniainLosAngeles,foundaconnectionbetweenself-esteemandstressinpeopleover70.Inlaboratorysimulationsofchallengingactivitiessuchasdriving,thosewhofeltincontroloftheirlivespumpedoutlowerlevelsofstresshormonessuchascortical.Chronicallyhighlevelsofthesehormoneshavebeenlinkedtoheartdisease.M)Butindependencecanhavedrawbacks.Seemanfoundthatelderlypeoplewhofeltemotionallyisolatedmaintainedhigherlevelsofstresshormonesevenwhenasleep.Theresearchsuggeststhatolderpeoplefarebestwhentheyfeelindependentbutknowtheycangethelpwhentheyneedit.N)"Likemuchresearchintoageing,theseresultssupportcommonsense",saysSeeman.Theyalsoshowthatwemaybeunderestimatingtheimpactofthesesimplefactors."Thesortofthingthatyourgrandmotheralwaystoldyouturnsouttoberightontarget",shesays.11、Therehasbeenaconsiderablereductioninthenumberofelderlypeoplewhoaredisabled.标准答案：H知识点解析：题干意为，残疾老人的数量有大幅下降。H段第一句，“Thatrepresentsasignificantdropinthenumberofdisabledoldpeopleinthepopulation．”题干“aconsiderablereduction”对应“asignificantdrop”，两者都表示大幅下降。所以，应选择H段。12、Ademographerclaimsthatmanydiseasesareaffectingpeoplelaterinlifethantheydidinthepast.标准答案：C知识点解析：根据题干关键词“demographer”(人口统计学家)定位于原文C段。第二句“Hesaystheproblemsdoctorsacceptedasnormalina65-year-oldin1982areoftennotappearinguntilpeopleare70or75．”原文意为他认为。1982年医生们认为是65岁老人常见疾病的症状现在推迟到70或75岁才出现。题干“inthepast”指代65岁，“laterinlife”指代70岁或75岁。所以，正确答案是C。13、Astudylastingfourteenyearsshowsthatfewerelderlypeoplearesufferingfromdiseases.标准答案：A知识点解析：根据关键词“fourteenyears”定位于A段第二句，“Theresultsofa14-yearstudytobeannouncedlaterthismonthrevealthatthediseasesassociatedwitholdageareafflictingfewerandfewerpeople…”意思是，本月即将公布的一项长达14年的研究显示，受老年疾病折磨的人越来越少。题干大意与原句相符，故选A。14、Thereasonswhyeducatedpeoplearemorelikelytolivelongerarethattheyearnmoremoneyandfocusonmedicalcare.标准答案：F知识点解析：根据关键词“educatedpeople”定位于F段，最后一句“Althoughsomeofthiscanbeattributedtoahigherincome，Mantonbelievesitismainlybecauseeducatedpeopleseekmoremedicalattention．”尽管高收入是部分因素，但他认为主要还是因为受教育的人更关注医疗保健。即题干之意，受教育高的人寿命长是因为收入高和关注医疗保健。题于是原句的改写，因此选F。15、Thoseelderlypeoplewhomaintainasenseofself-relianceareabletokeephealthy.标准答案：J知识点解析：题干意为，那些有独立感的老人们能够保持健康。原文J段最后一句，“Thegroupfoundthatthoseelderlypeoplewhowereabletoretainasenseofindependenceweremorelikelytostayhealthyinoldage．”题干“self-reliance”与原句“independence”为同义替换，意为独立。所以，正确答案是J。16、Diseasesrelatedwitholdagesuchasarthritis,highbloodpressureandcirculationproblemsarefacingadecliningtrend.标准答案：B知识点解析：根据关键词“arthritis，highbloodpressureandcirculationproblems”即“关节炎、高血压与循环系统疾病”定位于B段第二句．“…aretroublingasmallerproportioneveryyear．”逐年下降，即题干大意，面临下滑趋势。所以，正确答案是B。17、Increasesinsomeotherillnessesmaybeduetochangesinpersonalhabitsandtoenvironmentpollution.标准答案：E知识点解析：题干意为，其他疾病的增长可能因为个人习惯和环境污染。原文E段第二句，“Anincreaseinsomecancersandbronchitismavreflectchangingsmokinghabitsandpoorerairquality．”题干“personalhabits”对应“smokinghabits”．“environmentpollution”对应“poorerairquality”，所以，应选E。18、Regularamountsofexercisemayhelppreventmentaldecline.标准答案：K知识点解析：题干意为，定期的训练有助于防止大脑退化。原文K段第一句，“Maintainingalevelofdailyphysicalactivitymayhelpmentalfunctioning．”题干“regularamountofexercise”对应“maintainingalevelofdailyphysicalactivity”(保持一定量的日常体育运动)，“helppreventmentaldecline”是“helpmentalfunctioning”的同义改写。所以，正确选项是K。19、Developmentinmedicineisattributabletothedeclineofcertaindiseases.标准答案：D知识点解析：题干意为，医学的发展帮助减少一些疾病的发生。原文D段第一句．“Clearly，certaindiseasesarebeatingaretreatinthefaceofmedicaladvances．”意思是显然，一些疾病在医学进步面前被击退。“beataretreat”意为击退。“medicaladvances”与题干“developmentinmedicine”为近义表达。故选D。20、Feelingsofcontroloverlifecanreducestressindifficultsituations.标准答案：L知识点解析：根据关键词“controloverlife”定位于L段第二句。“…thosewhofeltincontroloftheirlivespumpedoutlowerlevelsofstresshormones…”意思是，感觉对生活有掌控力的人所释放的压力应激素较低。题干意为，感觉对生活有掌控力的人在艰难处境下压力会降低。题干为原文的改写，所以选择L。大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷第2套一、词汇理解(本题共10题，每题1.0分，共10分。)Aristotledefinedafriendas"asinglesouldwellingintwobodies".MembersofFacebookwhose"friends"reachtriplefiguresmayhavealooserdefinition,buthowmanyfriendswehave,andhoweasilywemake,【C1】________andlosethem,hasasignificantimpactonour【C2】________well-being.It'snosurprise,then,thatfriendscanimprovejustabouteveryaspectofourlife.Arecentstudysaysthattherecoveryfromasurgeryincluded,【C3】________,areductioninthelevelofpainfeltbypatientswiththemostfriends,likewise,friendscanprotectusfromtheaftershocksofbereavement(丧失亲人)or【C4】________.Theydon'tevenhavetobegreatfriends—someofthe【C5】________effectissimplydowntothecompany:haveapintwithamateandyou'rebydefinitionnotsocially【C6】________.Wefirstrecognisetheimportanceoffriendsinchildhood,whenwe'renotreallysurehowtomakethem.Whilesomeofusmay【C7】________afewchildhoodfriends,thebiggestopportunityforfriendshipcomesinhighereducation.Astudyoflong-termfriendshipsfoundthatfriendshipsformedduringcollegeyearsstayedclose20yearslater,iftheyscoredhighlyinclosenessaswellascommunicationtobeginwith.Thesefriendships【C8】________greatdistancesandanaverageofsixhousemoves."Atcollegeyoucancultivateclosefriendshipsbecauseyou'reinsuchclose【C9】________forsustainedperiods,"saysGlennSparks,Purdue'sprofessorofcommunication."Theserelationshipsare【C10】________andhardtoreplicate;they'reveryunusualoutsidefamilyrelationships.Evenwhendistance,jobs,familytendedtopullthemapart,thesefriendswouldsaythatoncetheyre-establishedcontact,theydidn'tmissabeat."A)ambiguityE)isolatedI)rareM)submittedB)divorceF)maintainJ)retainN)survivedC)emotionalG)positiveK)reunionO)suspiciouslyD)incrediblyH)proximityL)sensitive1、【C1】标准答案：F知识点解析：此处需填入动词原形与make，lose并列作主语从句的谓语。结交朋友（make）、失去朋友（lose）的中间阶段是拥有，词库中maintain“维持”符合此处语义。2、【C2】标准答案：C知识点解析：此处需填入修饰well-being的词。友情应是在精神层面对我们的幸福感起影响，故选emotional“感情上的”。3、【C3】标准答案：D知识点解析：空格将动词included及其宾语areduction分隔开，且前后都有逗号，应填入副词。此句意为有了朋友的陪伴，病人从外科手术中恢复的过程要减少很多痛苦。incredibly“难以置信地”说明朋友的神奇作用，呼应本段首句所说的朋友能够改善我们生活的各个方面。4、【C4】标准答案：B知识点解析：填入空格的词与bereavement并列，应为名词且包含清极的词义色彩，divorce“离婚”符合此处语义。5、【C5】标准答案：G知识点解析：此处需填入修饰effect的词，可为名词、形容词或分词。承接上一句，本句讲的是即便只是普通朋友也能对我们有所帮助，故填入的词应表积极意义，positive“积极的；正面的”符合语义。6、【C6】标准答案：E知识点解析：副词socially提示此处需填入分词或形容词。前面指出，朋友的作用可能只是陪伴。冒号后的内容进行解释，有人陪着一起喝酒自然不会觉得……。isolated“孤独的”符合句意。7、【C7】标准答案：J知识点解析：may表明此处需填入动词原形，作谓语。根据句意：虽然我们会……一些儿时的伙伴，但建立友谊最佳的时期是在上大学时。动词库中retain“保持；保留”符合句意。8、【C8】标准答案：N知识点解析：此处需填入动词过去式，作谓语。thesefriendships指代大学期间建立的友谊，它可以在20年后依然很亲密，可见即使受外在不利因素影响（距离遥远、平均搬6次家），这种友谊仍能“幸存下来”，survived符合上下文语义。9、【C9】标准答案：H知识点解析：空格前的such表明此处需填入名词。在大学能够培养亲密的友谊是因为有很长一段时间可以相处，proximity“接近；亲近”符合语义，与上文的closeness呼应。10、【C10】标准答案：I知识点解析：空格作句子的表语，可为名词、形容词或分词。根据空格后的“难以复制”可知，这些关系很珍贵，rare“罕见的；珍奇的"符合语义。二、长篇阅读(本题共10题，每题1.0分，共10分。)CanMixofTeachers,ComputersLeadtoPupilSuccess?[A]WhenvisitorstotheCarpeDiemcharterschoolsee175studentswearingheadphonesandstaringintocomputerscreensfromsmallcubicles,principalMarkFornerisreadyforaskepticalreaction."Ourcriticssayitlookslikeatelemarketingcallcenter,"hesaid,pre-emptively(先发制人地)."Itellpeopleitremindsmeofauniversitylibrary."[B]Thetightlyarrangedcubedseatinginalarge,openroomisn'ttheonlywayCarpeDiemdoesn'tlooklikeatraditionalschool.There'salsothisfact—thereareonlyfiveteachersfor175students.That'sa35-1student-to-teacherratio,alittleoutoflineforwhatmanymiddleandhighschoolsoffer.Eventually,thefiveteachers—withtheassistanceofaides—willbeexpectedtoeducate300studentsastheschoolgrows,creatinga60-1ratiomorecommoninThirdWorldcountries.[C]That'sbecauseCarpeDiemoffersa"blendedlearning"curriculum.It'sacutting-edgeandcontroversialconceptthatdeliversabigchunkofinstructiontostudentsviacomputeratschoolandoccasionallyathomeandmixesitwithperiodicsmallgroupdiscussionsandone-on-oneinstruction.[D]CarpeDiem,whichservesgrades6to12witha13-memberstaff,broughtblendedlearningtoIndianapolisforthefirsttimelastyear.ThreemoreblendedlearningcharterschoolsrecentlyopenedinIndianapolis—PhalenLeadershipAcademy,NexusAcademyandEnlaceAcademy—buttheconceptisonlystartingtorampup.Morethanadozenblendedlearningschoolsareplannedtoopenhereoverthenextfiveyears.[E]"Ourintuitionisthatitdoeswork,"saidEarlMartinPhalen,founderofthePhalenAcademycharterschool."Ifyouwatchatwo-year-oldgrabaniPadandflipthroughit,youseeourkidsareprettyadeptwithtechnology.Wecertainlyunderstanditcanbealearningtool."[F]Electronicinstructionishardlynew—online-onlyschoolshavebeenaroundformorethanadecade.Butblendedschoolsclaimtohavedevelopedahybridtheysayismoreeffectiveformanykids.Itallowsstudentstoworkattheirownpacetoconquerconceptstheycanhandleandconsultateacherortheirpeerswhentheyneedextrahelp.Learningmodelorprofitmachine?[G]Criticsofblendedlearning,however,lumpthisconceptinwithotheronlineschoolsandsaytheyhaveconcernsaboutthequalityofthelearningexperienceandthetruemotivationsofthepurveyors(承办商)ofelectronicinstruction.Somewonderiftheycaremoreaboutlearningorprofits.Afterall,itcanbefarcheapertoteachastudentwithacomputerinacubiclethanwithanactualpersonstandinginfrontoftheclassroom.That,inturn,canfreeupdollarsthatcanbepaidoutinprofitthatcangotoschooloperatorsandthetestingcompaniesthatmakeseveralofthehot-sellingsoftwareprogramstheybuy.[H]Lastyear,theconsultingfirmTheParthenonGroupdidastudythataimedtoestimatethecostofblendedlearninginstructioncomparedwithatraditionalclassroommodel.Itfoundthedifferencecouldbeasmuchas$2,400perstudentbelowwhattraditionalpublicschoolsspendoninstruction.That'salmost25%lessthanwhatthetypicaltraditionalpublicschoolspends,thestudysaid.[I]Phalen,whosecharterschoolopenedinIndianapolisthisyear,acknowledgedthattherearethosewhouseonlinetoolstocutcosts.Buthesaidhisschoolsandotherslikethemaretryingtodowhateverybusinessaimstodo—findwaystodeliverservicesthatarecheaperandbetteratthesametime.PhalenAcademyisnotentirelyablendedlearningschoolbutusessomeblendedlearningtechniquesinitsclasses.[J]RickOgston,whofoundedCarpeDieminArizona,saidcost-cuttingwasthelastthingonhismindwhenhebeganexperimentingwithblendedlearningathisfirstschool.Hismotivation,hesaid,wastofindawaytotailorinstructiontothepointwhereitwaspersonalizedtoeachstudent.Personalizedinstruction[K]CarpeDiem'sIndianapolisprincipal,MarkForner,isaformerinsuranceagentwhochangedcareerstobecomeateacherbyjoiningTeachforAmerica,aprogramthatplacesnewteachersinneedyschoolsnationwide.Forner,47,saidhestudiedblendedlearningingraduateschool."Thegreatthingaboutblendedlearningisnotwokidsmoveatthesamepace,"hesaid."Intraditionalschoolifyouareakidwhogetsit,youhavetowaituntilthenextyeartomoveuptothegrade.Hereyoudon'thavetowaitforthecohort(大部队)."[L]That'swhatbroughtstudentSydneyPedigotoCarpeDiemfromWesternBooneHighSchoollastyearasa10th-grader.Amathgenius,shesaidshewasoftenboredinmathclass.Evenwhenteachersgavehermoreadvancedworktodoonherownshewouldoftenzipthroughitandbestuckwaitingfortherestoftheclass.[M]CarpeDiem'sapproachissometimescalledthe"flipped"classroom.Lecturesthatusedtotakeplaceinclassareinsteadroutinelywatchedonlineonvideo.Studentsthenworktheirwaythroughexercisesbasedonthelecturecontentandtakeashortquiz.Alessontypicallytakesabout40minutestocomplete.Then,whenstudentsgotoclass,theirworkisfocusedondiscussion,groupworkandindividualhelp,saidLizRetana,theschool'sEnglishteacher.Sofar,theresultsareimpressive.[N]Mostnewcharterschoolsstartwithlowstudentscores,andthegoodonesraisethemovertime.Initsfirstyear,CarpeDiemsaw73%ofitsstudentspassEnglishandmathonIndianaStatewideTestingforEducationalProgress,justahalf-pointbelowthestateaverage.Bycomparison,IndianapolisPublicSchool27,whichtwoyearsagoconvertedtothehighlyregardedCenterforInquirycurriculum,sawjust54.7%pass.Thetwoschoolshaveverysimilardemographics.CarpeDiemhasslightlymorepoorandminoritystudentsandslightlyfewerstudentslearningEnglishasasecondlanguageorinspecialeducation.Movingtooquickly?[O]ButlerUniversityeducationprofessorsShellyFurunessandKelliEsteves,whohaveexperimentedwithblendedlearningintheircollegeclassesandsupporttheidea,nonethelessworryabouttheworkloadforteacherssuchasRetana.[P]FurunessandEsteveshaveusedblendedlearningforcorefoundationcoursesinlearningtheories,educationconceptsandeducationalhistoryatButler.Theirdecisiontotryblendedlearningwasals