1、标题：voa慢速英语讲解附字幕:网络虚拟学校到底好不好?对应音频：0429a.mp3听力内容：Online Learning Grows,but Research Finds Mixed ResultsThis is the VOA Special English Education Report.Forty-two of the fifty American states offered some kind of public online learning this past school year. One state, Michigan, now requires all studen
2、ts to have an online learning experience before they finish high school.Even the idea of a school has changed since the rise of the Internet in the nineteen nineties.A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University says eighteen states have full-time virtual sch
3、ools. There are no buildings. All classes are online.Online learners might work at different times. But there might be set times for class discussions - by text, voice or video - and virtual office hours for teachers.Florida started the first statewide public virtual school in the United States in n
4、ineteen ninety-seven.Today, the Florida Virtual School offers more than ninety courses. Fifty-six thousand students were enrolled as of December. Almost sixty percent were female. The schools Web site says each student was enrolled in an average of two classes.Two-thirds were also enrolled in public
5、 or charter schools. Charter schools are privately operated with public money. Other students are home-schooled or in private school.Florida Virtual School has now opened the Florida Virtual Global School. Students in other countries pay for classes. Janet Heiking teaches an English class. She lives
6、 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her students live as far away as Africa and Japan.She says they are taking her Advanced Placement class to prepare for attending an American college. They can earn college credits by passing the A.P. test.So how good are virtual schools? Studies have shown mixed results, a
7、s that new report from Indiana University notes.For example, students at Florida Virtual School earned higher grades than those taking the same courses the traditional way. And they scored higher on a statewide test.But virtual school students in Kansas and Colorado had lower test scores or performe
8、d at a lower level than traditional learners.Studies also find that virtual schools may not save much in operating costs.Education experts say the mixed results suggest the need for more research to find the best ways to teach in virtual schools. Also, they say schools of education need to train mor
9、e teachers to work in both physical and virtual classrooms.这里是VOA特别英语教育报道。过去的一个学年，美国50个州中有42个州提供了某种形式的公共网上学习。现在，密歇根州要求所有学生在高中毕业之前都有网络学习经历。自90年代互联网兴起以来，甚至学校的概念都已经发生了变化。印第安纳大学评估和教育政策中心一份新的报告称，18个州拥有全日制虚拟学校，没有建筑，所有的课程都是在网络上学习。网络学员可以在不同的时间学习，但是课堂讨论必须在既定的时间进行——通过短信，音频或视频——对于教师来说也有
10、固定的虚拟工作时间。1997年，佛罗里达开设了美国首个全州范围的公立虚拟学校。今天，佛罗里达虚拟学校提供了90多门课程。截止到12月份，已有5.6万名学生入学，其中接近60%的学生是女性。该学校网站称，每个学生都参加平均两个班级。三分之二的学生同时还在公立学校或政府特许学校就读。政府特许学校由私人运营，但是由公众提供资金。其他学生则在家接受教育或在私立学校就读。佛罗里达虚拟学校现在开设了佛罗里达虚拟全球学校。其他国家的学生缴纳费用来学习。Janet Heiking是一个英语班的教师。她住在印第安纳州的印第安纳波利斯。她的学生则远在非洲甚至日本。她说，这些学生参加了她的跳级班，为就读美国大学做准
11、备。他们可以通过参加AP考试获得就读大学资格。那么，虚拟学校到底怎么样呢？印第安纳大学这份报告指出，研究表明，虚拟学校表现不一。例如，佛罗里达虚拟学校的学生比按照传统方法学习同样课程的学生取得的分数更高。在全州的考试中，他们的分数也更高。但是，堪萨斯和科罗拉多虚拟学校的学生则比传统的学生得分更低，表现更差。研究还发现，虚拟学校在成本方面也不会节约很多。教育专家表示，这些表现不一的结果表明，需要进行更多的研究来发现最佳的虚拟学校教学方法。同时，他们说，教育类学校需要培养更多教师，能够同时在实体和虚拟教师授课。1.set v.设置,树立,确立,确定,固定set经常组成的短语：set out动身,
12、出发例句：A visitor arrived just as we were setting out for the airport.我们正要前往机场时来了一位客人。着手, 开始例句：The government has set out to make many needed reforms.政府开始进行许多必要的改革。2.enroll vt.登记,使加入,注册例句：The school will enroll new students in August.这所学校将于八月份招收新生。3.mixed adj.福祸参半的事物；利弊并存的事物例句：Living in such a beautifu
13、l old castle is something of a mixed blessing. Just think of the heating bills, for example.居住在这座美丽的古城堡中既有利，也有弊。比如，想想它昂贵的取暖费用吧。4.physical adj.有形的；确确实实的5.perform vi.运行；表现例句：Our team performed very well in the yesterdays games.在昨天的运动会上我们队表现出色。1.Even the idea of a school has changed since the rise of t
14、he Internet in the nineteen nineties.rise兴起; 发展例句：The rise of computer technology has transformed industry.计算机技术的兴起已经使工业为之改观。rise经常用做动词的意思，注意和其他几个词的区别：arise arouse rise raisearise: 产生，出现，发生。强调事物产生的结果，主要用于问题、困难等不好的事情的产生、发生、出现，不及物动词。arouse: 唤醒，引起，激起，指激起唤起某人的情感，常接anger, curiosity, fear, interest, sympa
15、thy, suspicion等体现感情、情绪、心理、态度之类的词。rise: 升起，上升，上涨，不及物动词。raise: 举起，提高，及物动词。2.Fifty-six thousand students were enrolled as of December.as of在…时,到…时为止,从…时起例句：As of tomorrow, I am responsible for this group. 从明天开始，我将对这个团体负责。3.Almost sixty percent were female. The schools Web site says
16、 each student was enrolled in an average of two classes.an average of平均有(跟数词)例句：An average of ten students are absent each day. 每天平均有10个学生缺课。4.They can earn college credits by passing the A.P. test.AP，全称Advanced Placement，中文名称为美国大学预修课程，适用于全球计划前往美国读本科的高中生。由美国大学理事会（The College Board）主持，AP成绩不但可以抵扣成功申请美国大学的同学入学后相应课程的学分，而且AP成绩也成为美国各大学录取学生的重要依据。
