Students work on their laptops on the first day of school at the 'School of the Future' in Philadelphia, September 7, 2006. Philadelphia on Thursday opened a public high school where students work on wireless laptops, teachers eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their child's work on the Internet. Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, it is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovative teaching methods with the latest technology. The school, which cost the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams. The 170 students in the inaugural ninth-grade class were selected by lottery from 1,500 applicants. Three-quarters of the students come from the surrounding West Philadelphia neighborhood; 95 percent of the students are black, and about 85 percent come from low-income households , the school district said. Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be scrutinized by other schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be ... watching you." Student still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet. 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 Traditional education is obsolete and fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century,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. 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 get this kind of education." (Agencies)

上周四，美国费城一所新型公立中学正式开学。在这里，学生们使用无线笔记本电脑学习，老师们的授课内容不再是传统课程，而是现实世界中的话题，家长可以通过互联网随时了解孩子的学习情况。 这所名叫“未来中学”的学校由软件巨头“微软公司”协助建成，是全球第一所将新兴教学方法与先进科技相结合的学校。 费城学区为该校的建设共投入6300万美元，学校免收学费，而且没有入学考试。目前该学校九年级（最低年级）招收的170名学生都是从1500名候选人中随机挑选出来的。 据费城学区介绍，有四分之三的学生家住费城西区附近；95％的学生是黑人，85％的学生来自低收入家庭。 费城学区区长保尔·瓦拉斯告诉未来中学的学生，他们的表现将受到世界上其他学校的关注。 瓦拉斯说：“现在你们都是榜样，人们将会很关注你们的学习情况。” 在未来中学，虽然学生们还是坐在教室里学习，但是上课的内容主要来源于网上信息。学生们可以自行掌握学习进度。他们在电脑上完成家庭作业，然后发给老师批改评分，家长们可以进入学校网络查看老师的评语。 校长舍莉·格罗弗在一次采访中说，如今传统教育已经过时了，无法提高学生解决问题、辨证思考和有效沟通的能力，而这些能力正是21世纪所需要的。 14岁的大卫·特里说，他希望自己能在这所学校“翻开新的一页”，他在过去那所学校因为学科问题，学习成绩被评定为“很差”。 他说：“这所学校对于我来说是个很好的机会。在其它学校，我无法受到这种类型的教育。” (英语点津姗姗编辑)