The Internet has greatly changed the way people communicate. But some teachers think the changes are not all for the better. Eleanor Johnson, an English professor, thinks that text messaging has made students believe that it is far more acceptable than it actually is to just make terrible spelling and grammatical errors. And she says her students over the past several years have increasingly used less formal English in their writing. Words and phrases like "guy" and "you know" now appear in research papers. Professor Johnson supposes there is a strong relationship between the rise of informal online communication and an increase in writing mistakes. But she says there may not be much scientific information, at least not yet. David Crystal, a British linguist , says the actively changing nature of the Internet makes it difficult to keep up-to-date in studying its effects. But he believes its influence on language is small. The main effect of the Internet on language is the way it has added to the expressive richness of language, providing language with a new set of communicative tools that haven't existed in the past. Erin Jansen is founder of NetLingo.com, an online dictionary of the Internet and text messaging terms. She says the new technology has not changed existing language but has greatly added to its vocabulary. Basically it's freedom of expression. And what about those teachers who find these new kinds of mistakes in spelling and grammar in their students' work? What is her message to them? Erin Jansen said, "I am always on the students' side and won't get angry or upset about that. If it's helping the kids write more or communicate more, that's great. That's what teachers and educators want--to get kids communicating." But Erin Jansen and David Crystal agree with Eleanor Johnson on at least one thing. Teachers need to make sure students understand the uses and rules of language. The author wants to tell us that   _  . A) different opinions on informal expressions exist B) what language is now used on the Internet C) informal expressions are popular among teachers D) why the Internet is welcomed by all students
A

A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became  _ as they talked about Santa,the supply teacher said out suddenly,"It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day." The class of sevenyearolds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School,Royton,Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher,who only worked at the school for one day last week,has been disciplined . The school has now said it will not hire her again. One father said,"My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it's their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously,they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it." "My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class--especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He's only seven years old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him." "We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now." "The father described the incident as 'shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent .A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher,who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency,is still listed and will work with other schools,"the agency said. However,the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident. The sevenyearold children cried because of   _  . A) their teacher's leaving B) the letters by the school C) something about Santa Claus D) the presents left out by the parents
C

The Camp Invention Program will be held through July at the Hillcrest Intermediate School, North Huntingdon. It exposes children to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through hands-on activities.      The Camp Invention Program, created by Invent Now Kids, was founded in 1990. Now it has grown to include almost l,500 sites across the U. S., with thousands of children attending the program each year.      "Our main purpose is to help children develop a greater interest in the fields of STEM," said Lori Bryne, the Senior Regional Program Manager. Children in the camp will be given the opportunity to explore the unknown and put ideas into practice.      The program will challenge children to real world situations that will help them build a team spirit and life skills.      The program will include five modules this year.      One module will feature "Problem Solving on Planet ZAK". It will challenge children by creating a world of science fiction. Imitating a "crash" onto a planet, children will be asked to figure out ways to stay safe, find food and to "rebuild" their spacecraft, using a variety of common objects.      Another module will be "Saving Sludge City" which will have children find ways to create a cleaner and eco-friendly city.     "Imagination Point: Ride Physics" asks children to work as interns   in the world's newest and largest theme park called "Imagination Point". Children will learn the basic principles of motion through hands-on activities related directly to rides.      Another feature of the camp will be the "I Can Invent" which will focus on the real world of inventions by having children explore the process of invention.      The final module will be "Global Games" which will introduce games ranging from those played in ancient times to the present day to children.      "We want to encourage children to go into the fields of STEM," Bryne said. "This program is a fun way to do that." What can we learn about "Problem Solving on Planet ZAK"? A) It encourages children to write science fiction stories. B) It introduces many ancient games to children. C) It asks children to work together to deal with an air crash. D) It challenges children to build a spacecraft using common objects.

D