Students in Washington, D.C., will return to classrooms this month to begin a new school year. But at least five percent of their teachers will not return with them. Last month, the District of Columbia public schools told two hundred six teachers that they are not good enough to stay.
The school system dismissed seventy-five teachers last year. It was the first year of a new teacher rating system. Experts say such large numbers of dismissals are rare in American schools. But in Washington the rating system is not governed by the labor contract (劳务合同) with teachers union. So school officials have more freedom. The system is called IMPACT. Teachers are observed in the classrooms five times a year for at least thirty minutes each time. They are also judged by student test scores.
Emily Cohen, a policy director, says the National Council supports the IMPACT system She says, “This is an evaluation method that is finally able to find who is highly effective and who is ineffective.” Michelle Rhee created the IMPACT system. She gained national attention for her aggressive reform efforts when she led the troubled school system in the nation’s capital.
Some Washington teachers say their rating depend too heavily on test scores. For some teachers, half of their rating is based on how well their students do. But Emily Cohen says test scores are important. “Testing is probably one of the-it’s the most objective data that we have on teacher performance. So it’s not just looking at student test performance, it is using other sources of data.”
Almost sixty percent of the teachers who were rated “minimally effective” last year stayed in the school system and improved. School officials say these teachers received help to become better.
1. We can infer from paragraph l and 2 that________.| A．there are more than 3000 teachers in Washington, D.C |
| B．this is the first year that teachers are fired |
| C．such a large number of dismissals is very common in American schools |
| D．schools officials in Washington, D.C have more rights to dismiss teachers |
| A．the test scores the students get |
| B．their relationship with school officials |
| C．test scores and other sources of data |
| D．how well their students perform in the class |
| A．objective | B．positive | C．negative | D．questioning |
| A．New School Year | B．The IMPACT System |
| C．Teachers Are Dismissed | D．Students’ Test Scores |
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【推荐1】In tough economic times, school counselors (顾问) don’t just wait for students to come to their offices in search of college brochures, health pamphlets or other help. These days, they are looking for at-risk kids to prevent personal or academic troubles before they arise. Nowadays, students and families need the guidance more than ever.
Counselors play a steadying role in schools as the economy weighs on families, college admission becomes even more competitive, immigration continues to reshape the population and state-testing pressures many students. They use computers to search through attendance data, grades and standardized test scores for kids who might need extra help.
Schlatter, director of guidance and counseling at Prince William County’s Woodbridge Senior High School, has checked attendance records against grades and test results to start peer groups (同年龄群体) for students who are failing classes but not skipping them. She said group counseling is another way to reach more students though it can be difficult. “Kids really do start helping and sharing with each other.”
At Fairfax High School, counselors found through surveys that students who transferred (转学) to the school after ninth grade enjoyed school significantly less than those who had been there all four years. The counseling staff set up a special program and group for new arrivals in response, said Marcy Miller, the school’s director of student services. Counseling staff members also have started small study groups for students to prepare for state Standards of Learning exams, which Miller said have helped raise test scores. She said that some of the newest counselors have had some of the freshest ideas.
1. We can learn from the passage that __________.| A．counselors don’t wait for kids to come to ask for help now |
| B．counselors are trying to help people with economic problems |
| C．counselors have made college admission less competitive |
| D．counselors are trying to reach more kids in need of help |
| A．counseling work is obviously effective | B．many students transfer there for help |
| C．new arrivals will no longer skip classes | D．counseling means little to new arrivals |
| A．What assistance they can offer. |
| B．The significance of their counseling job. |
| C．Other approaches to counseling at-risk kids. |
| D．The barriers of counseling the students with troubles. |
| A．Guiding Hands Find New Ways | B．Small Study Groups Raise Test Scores |
| C．Transferred Students Need More Help | D．Tough Times See More At-risk Kids |
【推荐2】Amy Maplethorpe, a first-year speech-language teacher at Raymond Ellis Primary School, used tennis balls, a hot glue gun, Mod Podge and a bit of paint to create two chairs that help students with sensory (感官的) problems.
According to the school’s Facebook page, which became very popular, the chairs provide a “different texture (质地) to improve sensory regulation (调控).”
Maplethorpe told ABC News that the chairs will service about 15 to 20 students. Children with sensory problems often have a hard time “dealing with sensory information”. Things, such as coats, blankets and Maplethorpe’s chairs, often comfort a student.
Maplethorpe was excited to create the chair after seeing something similar on a website, and she made some changes to the idea.
“I wanted to continue to help students with sensory problems at Ellis and provide a different kind of seat for the students,” she continued. “I was excited that this chair could help my students.’’
The two chairs are now in the school’s sensory room, which was created recently, according to headmaster, Beth Kiewicz.
“When a child’s sensory needs are met, we then can move on to their needs in study,” Kiewicz, who has led the school for six years, told ABC News.
Maplethorpe said the chairs have already made a difference for some of her students.
“Students have become more patient, and have followed directions, while waiting for activities,” she said.
1. What gave Maplethorpe the idea to create the tennis ball chair?| A．Service in the sensory room. |
| B．Chairs in the teachers’ office. |
| C．Something similar on a website. |
| D．Encouragement from the headmaster. |
| A．It helps students with sensory regulation. |
| B．It causes students to be more restless. |
| C．It improves students’ memory. |
| D．It makes students sleep well. |
| A．is not easy to make |
| B．has been proved helpful |
| C．can service more than 20 students |
| D．is the best way to treat sensory problems |
【推荐3】Research shows students learn better when they’re well nourished. Healthy eating has been linked to higher grades, better memory, faster information processing and improved health leading to better school attendance, according to registered dietitian Elisa Zied, author of Feed Your Family Right. On the contrary, unhealthy eating habits can negatively affect learning. Researchers have studied many areas related to eating and learning.
Skipping breakfast can have a negative impact on learning. A higher percentage of breakfast eaters passed a biology exam in one study of college students. It’s also important to eat a high-quality breakfast. In a study of students between the ages of twelve and thirteen, the average mark increased as breakfast quality improved.
Even with breakfast, the brain can run out of fuel before lunch. In one study of students between the ages of seven and nine, having a mid-morning snack improved memory. The children who ate a smaller breakfast and lunch but consumed a mid-morning snack experienced a smaller decline in immediate and delayed memory. Attention wasn’t affected, however. Zied recommends yogurt with blueberries; this fruit has been proven to be linked to better memory in studies. A hard-boiled egg is also a good snack choice.
Kids who eat healthily are more likely to attend school. Without proper nutrition and adequate calories, students often don’t have enough energy to power the brain, resulting in tiredness and learning problems. In fact, alertness(机敏) improved significantly in students eating breakfast in one study of high school students published in the journal Pediatrics.
A study of public school students published in the Journal of School Health linked high intake of sweetened drinks, such as sugary sodas, to lower scores in math tests. A diet high in junk food and sugary sodas is also linked to childhood obesity, which could result in lower cognitive(认知的) functioning, according to the Yale University research. On the other hand, students with healthy eating habits are less likely to be overweight and more likely to learn well.
1. What is an effective way for students to improve their memory?| A．Eating a big breakfast on a regular basis. |
| B．Staying away from junk food in daily life. |
| C．Eating something healthy at about 10:00 am |
| D．Adding yogurt with strawberries to their daily diet. |
| A．Students will have better attendance at school after eating healthily. |
| B．Students will have a good performance as long as they are well fed. |
| C．A high-quality breakfast will make a difference to students, learning. |
| D．Every student has a strong awareness of eating breakfast. |
| A．They would become less confident at school. |
| B．They would grow too overweight to work out. |
| C．They would become unwilling to attend school. |
| D．They would fall behind other students at school. |
| A．The impacts of eating habits on students’ learning |
| B．The advantages of healthy eating habits |
| C．Some suggestions on how to learn better |
| D．The link between diets and learning |
【推荐1】A primary school principal in north China has become the latest internet celebrity for busting some cool moves during a morning exercise routine with his students.
Every morning, 40-year-old principal Zhang Pengfei at the Xi Guan Primary School in Linyi county, Shanxi province would lead about 700 pupils on the playground in a synchronised “ghost shuffle” routine—a dance that incorporates contemporary jazz steps with heel, toe and arm movements. The bold headmaster thought the fun and energetic exercise routine would better encourage students to get active instead of “being glued to their mobile phones”.
The school’s new 30-minute dance routine has replaced the government-imposed broadcast callisthenics programme, a short workout that has been a requirement at every primary, middle and secondary school in China since 1951. “I thought we needed a change because the students have been losing interest in doing the broadcast callisthenics routine,” Zhang told Southern Metropolis News.
The dedicated principal said he came across a group of people doing the “ghost shuffle” routine at a public plaza last summer and decided to learn the dance himself. “I thought the dance would be great for kids,” he said. “The music is full of energy and it really gets the happy feeling of flowing.” In October. he introduced the choreographed (编舞) routine to all of his students and shortly after, even teachers and staff were joining in. “Now the students aren’t constantly on their phones. I sometimes catch them watching different dance routine videos and learning new moves!” the proud headmaster told reporters.
The video quickly went around on Chinese social media, with a Weibo topic page titled “principal leads students in ghost dance routine” gathering 250 million views. “This is perhaps the best adaption of sport and entertainment for children.” a comment on Weibo read.
1. what can we know from the passage?| A．Zhang Pengfei is a primary school principal in south China. |
| B．Xi Guan Primary school’s new 30-minute dance routine is both fun and energetic. |
| C．Doing the broadcast callisthenics routine is only required at primary schools in China. |
| D．Few people showed interest in Zhang Pengfei’s ghost dance routine video on Weibo. |
| A．Pepole hold a critical attitude towards the adaptation. |
| B．Pepole hold an indifferent attitude towards the adaptation. |
| C．Pepole hold a negative attitude towards the adaptation. |
| D．Pepole hold a supportive attitude towards the adaptation. |
| A．A famous primary school pr incipal: Zhang Pengfei |
| B．Traditional calisthenics programmes in China |
| C．A Chinese principal leads studEnts in ghost dance routine |
| D．An internet celebrity in China |
| A．Agriculture | B．Technology | C．Economy | D．Education |
【推荐2】Around the world COVID-19 has messed up children’s education. They began to be shut out of classrooms. Even in countries where schools have stayed open, lessons and tests have been interrupted. Some countries pressed ahead with national exams this year. A few others, including Britain, France and Ireland, cancelled them all. They came up with new ways of awarding grades instead. The fact that big exams have proved so vulnerable to interruption has led to new questions about their usefulness. Are there better ways of measuring what children have learned?
Exams have plenty of problems. They are often unreliable; a study in Israel found that test-takers’ performance can be affected by smog. Many children find them stressful. Plenty of places run them badly. Poorly written test papers in developing countries lead to wild swings in pass rates. Countries, including Algeria and Ethiopia, have shut down the Internet at exam time to prevent cheating.
Yet most of the world’s best-performing school systems keep some kind of important tests, and for good reason. Other kinds of assessments are rarely better and many are worse. For example, if teachers are responsible for assessing their pupils, they may strengthen their own biases. Studies have caught them giving lower grades to students from ethnic minority or those who are fat. Giving up exams does not always ease pupils’ anxiety. Some would rather be tested at the end of their course than have their work constantly assessed. Coursework can waste students’ efforts by encouraging them to make slight changes to a few projects endlessly. That leaves less time for other kinds of learning.
Governments may need to adjust next year’s tests. That could mean cutting the amount of material to be tested. Exam boards may also have to increase the grades of pupils who have spent the most time out of the classroom. Many pupils have studied harder throughout this difficult year. They should have the chance to sit exams to earn the grades they deserve.
1. What effect has COVID-19 had on exams?| A．People are questioning the existence of the exams. |
| B．Different approaches have been taken to the exams. |
| C．All kinds of exams have to be cancelled in European countries. |
| D．Children themselves have to decide whether to take exams or not. |
| A．They encourage cheating with the Internet. |
| B．They are always affected by weather conditions. |
| C．They may not show children’s real academic performance. |
| D．They can’t be passed because the written test papers are poorly made. |
| A．Self-assessment. | B．Group assessment. |
| C．Parents’ assessment. | D．Coursework assessment. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Cautious. |
【推荐3】In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth-grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport. Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications (申请). The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.
1. According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.| A．excited | B．nervous | C．lonely | D．disappointed |
| A．Before the eighth-grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．At the end of their eighth-grade year |
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school only welcome sports fans. |
| C．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
| D．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
| A．To tell the new students how to learn in high school |
| B．To introduce new schools. |
| C．To give the teachers some advice. |
| D．To give advice to new high school students. |
【推荐1】For every one article on some positive aspect, some positive element of life, wellbeing, satisfaction, joy, happiness, you get 21 articles on depression, anxiety and so on. Ratio of 21 to 1. Studies focus primarily on what doesn't work. And this is not a new phenomenon. The science of psychology（心理）has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It has revealed to us much more about man's shortcomings, his illnesses, but little about his potentialities, his virtues or his psychological height. We study a lot of depression and anxiety, misjudgments and errors, very much focusing on this aspect and very little on the positive. If you had a person who 21 hours in a day was depressed and one hour in a day felt good or one day feeling good and then 21 days feeling anxious and depressed, you would say that this person would need help. And I think psychology needs help.
Today depression is 10 times higher than it was in 1960. Now part of it is because there's more awareness, because we measure better. But that's not all. It's also simply because objectively there's more depression. The average age for depression today is less than 15. Kids at very young age are introduced to the "information highway". And very often, they are not prepared, not able to deal with it in an effective way. So when we look at this data, we say we do need more research to help people overcome depression or anxiety. And there seems nothing wrong about that.
According to the studies, 47% Harvard students over the past year have experienced depression to the point of not functioning. So they couldn't leave home. They were really struggling to just basically get through the day. Now this is not unique to United States. We have a global epidemic here. And once again going back: Is the 21:1 ratio good? How can we even think about studying happiness and well-being and love and joy?
What I'm going to argue for is that we do need to also focus on the positive. I am going to talk about three reasons why we should do that. The first reason is that it is important to focus or what works, because what works or what we focus on rather creates reality. If we focus on what is working, we'll have more working in our world, more working in ourselves, more working in our relationships. The second reason why positive psychology as an independent field of study is important is that being happy is not just the negative statement of depression. It doesn't mean just getting rid of depression or anxiety that I am experiencing so I spontaneously（自然而然）become happy. That's not the case. That's not how it works. And finally, prevention, which is the most effective way of preventing hardship, is actually realized by focusing on and cultivating the positive. So for these three reasons, we need positive psychology.
1. By using the ratio of 21 to 1, the author means in fact that__________.| A．on an average a person is depressed 21 hours a day and feels good one hour |
| B．most articles and studies focus primarily on what goes wrong |
| C．the science of psychology has revealed human's nature |
| D．nearly half of Harvard and nationwide students suffer from depression |
| A．Simply because people are more aware and we measure better |
| B．Mainly because teenagers are too weak to fight it. |
| C．Objectively because there's more depression in the present world. |
| D．Possibly because we lack effective way to deal with depression. |
| A．Preventing depression or anxiety by focusing on and cultivating the positive feelings. |
| B．Offering various ways of overcoming the negative feelings. |
| C．Focusing on what is working to have more working in our life. |
| D．Being happy is not equal to avoiding being unhappy. |
| A．It is essential for our research to focus more on the bright side |
| B．There is no need for the science of psychology to deal with the negative side. |
| C．The conflict between the negative psychology and positive one can't be avoided. |
| D．We have to remove depression completely in order to be happy. |
【推荐2】Since English biologist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, scientists have vastly improved their knowledge of natural history. However, a lot of information is still of the speculation, and scientists can still only make educated guesses at certain things.
One subject that they guess about is why some 400 million years ago, animals in the sea developed limbs that allowed them to move onto and live on land.
Recently, an idea that occurred to the US paleontologist (古生物学家) Alfred Romer a century ago became a hot topic once again.
Romer thought that tidal (潮汐的) pools might have led to fish gaining limbs. Sea animals would have been forced into these pools by strong tides. Then, they would have been made either to adapt to their new environment close to land or die. The fittest among them grew to accomplish the transition (过渡) from sea to land. Romer called these earliest four-footed animals "tetrapods". Science has always thought that this was a credible theory, but only recently has there been strong enough evidence to support it.
Hannah Byrne is an oceanographer (海洋学家) at Uppsala University in Sweden. She announced at the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Oregon, US, that by using computer software, her team had managed to link Romer's theory to places where fossil deposits (沉积物) of the earliest tetrapods were found.
According to the magazine Science, in 2014, Steven Balbus, a scientist at the University of Oxford in the UK, calculated that 400 million years ago, when the move from land to sea was achieved, tides were stronger than they are today. This is because the planet was 10 percent closer to the moon than it is now.
The creatures stranded in the pools would have been under the pressure of "survival of the fittest", explained Mattias Green, an ocean scientist at the UK's University of Bangor. As he told Science, "After a few days in these pools, you become food or you run out of food. The fish that had large limbs had an advantage because they could flip (翻转) themselves back in the water."
As is often the case, however, there are others who find the theory less convincing. Cambridge University's paleontologist Jennifer Clark, speaking to Nature magazine, seemed unconvinced. "It's only one of many ideas for the origin of land-based tetrapods, any or all of which may have been a part of the answer," she said.
1. Why were tides stronger 400 million years ago than they are today according to Steven Balbus?| A．Earth was closer to the moon. | B．Earth was under greater pressure. |
| C．There were larger oceans. | D．The moon gave off more energy. |
| A．Romer's theory about "tetrapods" is unconvinced. |
| B．The fittest sea animals accomplished the transition from sea to land. |
| C．Tides 400 million years ago were stronger than they are today. |
| D．The fish that had large limbs had an advantage. |
| A．lived | B．rescued | C．trapped | D．dropped |
| A．Some new arguments over a scientific theory. | B．A proposal of a new scientific theory. |
| C．Some new evidence to support a previous theory. | D．A new discovery that questions a previous theory. |
Amazingly, US crime figures have been falling for 20 years now. Of course, the big question is, why? And can any lessons be learnt?
One reason could be the fall in the demand for the drug crack. During the 1980s, drug-related crimes soared, mostly caused by desperate crack users. However, according to professor Blumstein, co-author of The Crime Drop in America, news of the dangers of crack use caused its decrease and led to a fall in the number of drug-related crimes.
Some say that the adoption of a zero-tolerance policy in many cities has helped lead to a fall in crime. In New York City, for example, mayor Rudy Giuliani imposed strict and automatic punishments for all crimes, including minor offences such as graffiti and littering. Many believe this has had a very strong deterrent (威慑的) effect.
Another reason could be smarter policing strategies. Anti-theft measures and educating the community about car theft has helped see a drop in crimes in many areas. Also, the use of crime mapping schemes that can discover identify crime peaks in different parts of the city has helped police target hotspots.
Another reason could be that more criminals are now behind bars. Sociologist John Conklin (from Tufts University) says a significant factor behind the fall in crime in the 1990s is the simple fact that many criminals are in jail. In his book Why Crime Rages Fell, he says sentencing was merciful in the 1960s and 1970s, when crime rose. But then more prisons were built and more offenders were imprisoned.
Some have linked the fall in violent crime to a decline in children’s exposure to lead in petrol. Jessica Wolpaw Reyes says, “Even low to moderate levels of exposure can lead to behavioral problems, reduced IQ, hyperactivity (多动症) and youth crimes. You can link the decline in lead between 1975 and 1985 to a decline in violent crime 20 years later.”
Others say that the drop in crime has something to do with birth rates. According to statistics, birth rates peaked between 1957 and 1961, and the proportion of men in the US in their late teens and early 20s (the so-called “criminal age”) was highest in the late 70s and early 80s. However, as time went on, the proportion of people in this age group decreased.
Others claim that videogames have helped.
A recent study has suggested that these games are keeping young people off the streets and therefore away from crime. Advocates of this argue that any effects the games may have in encouraging violent behavior is offset by the fact that the games keep potential criminals indoors and in front of the television.
Some argue that the widespread use of camera phones makes some criminals think twice before committing a crime and getting filmed doing it. Also, many believe that the mass use of CCTV has also had an effect.
Finally, some say that petty theft just isn’t worth it any more. The resale value of second-hand goods such as televisions, cameras or clothes is now so low (or even non-existent) that most people see no point in stealing.
So, what do you think?
1. By writing this article, the writer intends to tell us _____.| A．the amazing fact that US crime figures are going down |
| B．the recent statistics showing that crime rates are falling in the US |
| C．the answers to the question why US crime figures are falling |
| D．the special policies adopted by the US police that help a drop in crime |
| A．drug crack can be extremely dangerous |
| B．crime mapping schemes help the police discover criminals |
| C．criminals should be strictly sentenced |
| D．children shouldn’t be allowed to contact lead |
| A．children |
| B．young people |
| C．the poor |
| D．crime victims |
| A．reduced |
| B．caused |
| C．imposed |
| D．demanded |
