单选题 Recently I stood in front of my class, observing an all-too-familiar scene. Most of my students were secretly—or so they thought—looking at their smart phones under their desks.
As I called their attention, students" heads slowly lifted, their eyes reluctantly glancing forward. I then cheerfully explained that their next project would practice a skill they all desperately needed: holding a conversation. Several students looked confused. Others moved uneasily in their seats, waiting for me to stop watching the class so they could return to their phones.
Even with plenty of practice, most kids were unable to converse effectively. They looked down at their hands. Some even reached for their phone—the last thing they should be doing.
As I watched my class struggle, I came to realize that conversational competence might be the single-most overlooked skill we fail to teach students. Kids spend hours each day engaging with ideas and one another through screens--but rarely do they have an opportunity to truly practice their interpersonal communication skills. Admittedly, teenage awkwardness and nerves play a role in difficult conversations. But students, reliance on screens for communication is affecting their engagement in real-time talk.
It might sound like a funny question, but we need to ask ourselves: Is there any 21st century skill more important than being able to hold a confident, coherent (连贯的) conversation? When students apply for colleges and jobs, they won"t conduct interviews through their smart phones. When they negotiate pay raises and discuss projects with employers, they should demonstrate a thoughtful presence and the ability to think on their feet.
But in our rush to meet 21st—century demands，we aren’t asking students to think and communicate in real time. Online discussion boards and Twitter are useful tools for exchanging ideas. But they often encourage a "read, reflect, forget about it" response that doesn"t truly engage students in extended critical thinking or conversation.
As Sherry Turkle writes, "We are tempted to think that our little "sips" of online connection add up to a big gulp (大口) of real conversation. But they don"t."

单选题 How did the students react when the author announced the next project?

单选题 How did the conversation project go?

单选题 What does the author try to emphasize in Paragraph 5?

单选题 Sherry Turkle would agree that online connection ______.

单选题 What is the tone of the author in this passage?