I was in my third year of teaching writing at Ralph High School in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence (缺席) from class the day before:"Dear Mr. McCort, Mikey’s grandmother, who is eighty years of age, fell down the stairs from too much coffee and I kept Mikey at home to take care of her and his baby sister so I could go to my job. Please excuse Mikey and he’ll do his best in the future. P.S. His grandmother is OK. "I had seen Mikey writing the note at his desk. I said nothing. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I’d be busy 24 hours a day. The writers of those notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull : "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off. "The students always said it was bard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they produced excuse notes, they were excellent. So I decided to type out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, "They’re supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey" The students looked at me nervously."Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note -the first class, ever, to practice writing them. " Everyone smiled as I went on, "Today I’d like you to write An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ’ An Excuse Note from Eve to God’. " Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so immersed (专心的) in their writing, they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. But suddenly I saw the headmaster at the door. He entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, "I’d like you to see me in my office. " My heart sank.When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you. \ How did the author know that most parental-excuse notes were written by students themselves ?()
A. The excuse notes were written in dull words.
B. The notes were more like stories than facts.
C. He called their parents and found out the truth.
D. The handwriting obviously looked like children’s.
Looking to improve your language skills, but you don’t have the time to go abroad to attend school More and more universities around the world are offering opportunities for students to get degrees online ( distance education) from the comfort of their own homes, and many of these colleges and universities are accredited (官方认可的), meaning that they have met certain standards of excellence.If you decide to take language courses online (or any subject for that matter), be sure there are advantages in studying online. Its costs are usually lower, and you can study at your own pace (节奏) and you can easily get the materials 24 hours a day from almost any computer in the world. However, you won’t get the human interaction (互动) of meeting people face to face, as you would if you were attending a school abroad in person.On the other band, the advantages of going abroad may include day-to-day chances to learn a new culture, to meet new friends with whom you can use and practice the language, and to see different parts of the world. However, there may be a number of disadvantages for some students, including high costs, time away from one’s school, family, or work life, and difficulty in getting used to anew culture and way of life.Whatever you do, consider a distance education program that meets your educational needs, is what you can afford, and equally important, provides you with chances to grow beyond the classroom through cultural and educational activities. What is the disadvantage of studying a language online ?()
A. You may not be able to keep up with the program.
B. You may not meet your teachers in person.
C. The computer may break down any time.
D. The courses may last much longer.