There’s no doubt that language in all its richness — written,spoken,sung or read aloud — plays a crucial role in our early development. It has become increasingly common to begin teaching children literacy(读写能力)skills at an early age. The thinking often goes that starting early gives children more time to learn and get ahead.
However,many studies show little benefit from an early overly-academic environment. Children who attend academically focused preschools do not have higher academic abilities in later grades than those who did not,several studies now show. Too much academic pressure may even cause problems in the long run. A study published in January 2022 suggested those who attended preschools with a strong academic emphasis,showed lower academic achievements a few years later,compared to those who didn’t.
Anna Cunningham,a senior lecturer in psychology at Nottingham Trent University who studies early literacy,argues that if a setting is too academically focused early on,it can cause the teachers to become stressed over tests and results,which can in turn affect the kids. “Academic requirements early on don’t end up being meaningful. Children end up memorizing rather than understanding context,”adds Anna.
In many countries,formal schooling starts at 4. But not everyone favors an early start. In Finland,often known as the country with one of the best education systems in the world,children begin school at seven. Despite a later start,Finnish students score higher in reading comprehension than students from the UK at age 15. Besides,the Finnish kindergarten years are filled with more play and no formal academic instruction.
Research also found that later readers catch up — even are slightly better than the early readers in comprehension abilities. Learning later allows children to more efficiently match their knowledge of the world to the words they learn. So our craze with early literacy appears to be somewhat unfounded.
1. What might supporters for an early start agree with?| A．Early start gives an advantage. |
| B．Early reading makes perfect kids. |
| C．Children are more sensitive to language. |
| D．Literacy skills are good for early development. |
| A．Memorizing textbooks. |
| B．Knowing more than the surface. |
| C．Focusing on test results. |
| D．Reading aloud in the morning. |
| A．To praise Finland’s education. |
| B．To criticize the UK’s education. |
| C．To show a way to improve reading. |
| D．To prove the benefit of a later start. |
| A．Later readers — Harder to catch up |
| B．Earlier readers — Not necessarily better |
| C．No rush — The later to begin,the better |
| D．Learning to read — The secret to getting ahead |
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【推荐1】Living in the USA today is to gain an appreciation for Dahrendorf’s words there are social changes everywhere. Technology, the application of knowledge for practical ends, is a major source of social change.
Yet we would do well to remind ourselves that technology is a human creation; it does not exist naturally. A spear(矛) or a robot is much a cultural as a physical object. Until humans use a spear to hunt game or a robot to produce machine parts, neither is much more than a solid mass of matter. For a bird looking for an object on which to rest, a spear or robot serves the purpose equally well. The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle and the Russian nuclear accident Chernobyl drive home the human quality of technology; they provide cases in which well-planned systems suddenly went wrong and there was no ready hand to set them right. Since technology is a human creation, we are responsible for what is done with it. Pessimists(悲观主义者) worry that we will use our technology eventually to blow our world and ourselves to pieces. But they have been saying this for decades, and so far we have managed to survive and even flourish. Whether we will continue to do so in the years ahead remains uncertain. Clearly, the impact of technology on our lives deserves a closer examination.
Few technological developments have had a greater impact on our lives than the computer revolution. Scientists and engineers have designed specialized machines that can do the tasks that once only people could do. There are those who say that the switch to an information-based economy is in the same camp as other great historical milestones, particularly the Industrial Revolution. Yet when we ask why the Industrial Revolution was a revolution, we find that it was not the machines. The primary reason why it was a revolution is that it led to great social change. It gave rise to mass production and, through mass production, to a society in which wealth was not confined to the few.
In somewhat similar fashion, computers promise to revolutionize the structure of American life, particularly as they free the human mind and open new possibilities in knowledge and communication. The Industrial Revolution supplemented and replaced the muscles of human and animals by mechanical methods. The computer extends this development to supplement and replace some aspects of the mind of human beings by electronic methods. It is the capacity of the computer for solving problems and making decisions that represents its greatest potential and that poses the greatest difficulties in predicting the impact on society.
1. A spear or a robot has the quality of technology only when it ________.| A．is served both as a cultural and a physical object |
| B．has a wide range of purposes |
| C．is useful to both man and animals |
| D．is made use of by human beings |
| A．technology can be used destroy our earth if it is not controlled by man |
| B．technology belongs to man, so we should be responsible for it |
| C．technology is likely to go wrong because it is a human creation |
| D．technology never goes wrong unless it is used by man |
| A．the computer has made the human mind smarter than before |
| B．the computer can finish the work that could only be done by people before |
| C．the computer has greatly affected society potentially |
| D．the computer has brought human beings an information technology |
| A．has affected the human life greatly |
| B．can replace some ways of human beings |
| C．has various qualities which human beings do not have |
| D．has some characteristics which human beings have |
【推荐2】Although we may not have the ability to paint the Mona Lisa or write novels like Hemingway, everyone is born with a special ability — creativity. Some people can find and learn to show it early, while others might discover it later in life. Creativity has different meanings for different people, but unluckily a lot of things may stifle the development of it.And the importance of creativity is not valued as much as it should be. However, it has a powerful effect on one’s overall ability to get much success in life.
No matter how busy one is, it is very important to leave some time to develop creativity. Trying out different hobbies is a great way to discover one’s creativity because it can be very enjoyable. Some people find one hobby and fall deeply in love with it. Some people prefer to try different hobbies for short time, or change them up each season to stay interested and keep trying different things.
One great thing about a hobby is that there are no set rules. Each person gets to decide how often they want to do it and whether they want to keep it for a long time or move on to something else after trying it for a few weeks or months.
Another cool thing about hobbies is that one can enjoy them quietly when spending some free time alone, or as a way to fit in a community. Book clubs, art or cooking classes,gardening clubs — nearly every type of hobby offers a chance to meet with other people with the same interest and build relationships. Hobbies can be a great way to create a community among co-workers.
Usually, the simple act of developing hobbies can provide a chance for a person to find and show his or her creativity, which will produce great active changes. When people experience something as simple and great as creating something beautiful through hobbies,they begin to look at the world — and daily environments — in a fresh way.
1. What does the underlined word “stifle” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Stop. | B．Mistake. | C．Lose. | D．Pretend. |
| A．There are no set rules to develop creativity. |
| B．Trying different hobbies has many disadvantages. |
| C．We can develop creativity by trying different hobbies. |
| D．It’s enjoyable to try different hobbies at the same time. |
| A．Creativity can help people to look at the world actively. |
| B．Enjoying a hobby alone can help fit in a community well. |
| C．It’s better to have a long-time hobby than find something else. |
| D．Taking up simple hobbies can provide people with better lives. |
| A．People are all born with creativity. |
| B．People value creativity very much. |
| C．Creativity comes from great success. |
| D．Creativity means the most important thing. |
【推荐3】Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published on Monday.
While the decline(下降) over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children’s lives,and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.
According to the report’s key findings, “the proportion(比例) who say they ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively(分别地) today.”
The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages 2-8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each passage has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per passage.
When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to suggest parents looking for data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.
The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home,more books purchased for them, parents who read more often,and parents who set aside time for them to read.
As the end of school approaches, and school vacation reading lists loom(逼近) ahead, parents might take this chance to step in and make their own summer reading lists and plan a family trip to the library or bookstore.
1. What’s the proportion of 17-year-olds who rarely read for fun today?| A．8%. | B．9%. | C．22%. | D．27%. |
| A．Buying e-books costs too much. | B．Children are addicted to e-books. |
| C．It is a waste of time to read e-books. | D．It may be harmful to children’s health. |
| A．Parents | B．teachers | C．interests | D．environment |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Science. | D．Entertainment. |
【推荐1】Do you have some habits like emotional (情绪的) eating or spending money to reduce stress?
We first take an example. When you are in a movie theater with hot dogs, the movie theater is the invitation, and hot dog’s buying and eating are the behaviors.
The habit-breaking choices are: One, tell yourself “no hot dog” each time; two, avoid going to the movies at all; or three, exchange the hot dog with a new movie snack that you can afford or achieve your nutritional goals. The key to this strategy is to make sure that the new habit is similarly attractive.
Not every habit-breaking strategy works for every habit. For example, maybe you want to eat a piece of oil cake in the break room when you arrive at school.
Finally, success isn’t perfection with habit breaking. Habit should be thought of as a continuum (连续体). Things become more or less habitual.
| A．Instead of erasing a habit, you need to reduce its impact. |
| B．Whichever strategy you choose, the key is to do it over and over. |
| C．A low-fat cookie or an after-work walk are more believable changes. |
| D．The way to break a habit depends on the behavior you want to prevent. |
| E．The behaviors are performed automatically in response to an invitation. |
| F．They can have negative effects in the long term and often need to be broken. |
| G．It won’t work to refuse the invitation, because you can’t stop going to class. |
【推荐2】When parents ask, “What grade did you get?” there is a common follow-up question: “So who got the highest grade?” The practice of making such social comparisons(比较) is popular in all corners of the world. Many teachers choose and publicly announce the “best student” in a class. Adults praise children for doing better than others. People cheer for the athletes who defeat others.
Social comparisons are well meaning: we want to make children feel proud and push them to achieve more. Yet social comparisons can backfire: children can learn to always compare themselves with others and become caught up in a harmful cycle(循环) of competition.
One well-known method to remove social comparisons is to provide participation prizes for children who take an active part in activities. Such prizes, however, may not end social comparisons: A high achiever who receives the same prize as a low achiever may feel unfairly treated. More generally, those who are highly praised unexpectedly may come to believe that they do better than others and thus have reason to be given a prize.
How, then, can we make children feel proud of themselves and encourage them without the unwanted side effects? We believe a better way is to use temporal comparisons—encouraging children to compare themselves with their past self rather than with others, such as by checking on their progress. Adults should teach children that doing better than oneself is more important than doing better than others and that even small achievements can be celebrated.
1. Why do parents compare their children with others?| A．To make the practice more popular. | B．To give children the desire to do better. |
| C．To give children courage to face defeats. | D．To prevent children from being too proud. |
| A．Make no difference. | B．Bring great benefits. |
| C．Have opposite effects. | D．Cause short-term changes. |
| A．It’s better than social comparisons. | B．It gives low achievers a wrong idea. |
| C．It weakens the confidence of high achievers. | D．It’s a reasonable suggestion for inspiring children. |
| A．You will be the best! | B．You are No. 1 again! |
| C．You are doing better than before! | D．You make greater progress than Li Hua! |
【推荐3】In America, parents tend to encourage their children to develop their potential (潜能) to the fullest extent. Fathers and mothers frequently teach their children both ambition and the confidence necessary to work toward their goals. American parents are always active in concentrating on what their kids can do, not what they can’t. As a result, millions of American boys and girls grow up hoping to become actors and athletes, diplomats and doctors. Many of them even want to become president.
American parents often encourage their children to become involved in extra activities of all types at school, such as student government, sports and music. They believe that only through taking part in these activities can their children become mature young adults.
As we all know, school work is important. But parents should realize that the social skills their children learn from natural conversations with each other are as important as schoolwork and the skills they will need in the future work. What’s more important in their work is that their children should have a sound knowledge of physics or the ability to communicate effectively.
As a rule, Chinese parents don’t educate their children about the same kind of ambition and confidence as Americans do, nor do they encourage the same level of participation in extra activities. Children are typically advised to study hard and pass exams. They have to spend a lot of time in doing much schoolwork every day. It is a great waste of time to do so.
Now more and more Chinese parents have recognized that they should pay attention to developing the potential of their children. I hope that leaders in Chinese educational circles should take some measures to develop the potential of their children. I am very confident about it.
1. From the passage, we know the American parents pay much more attention to .| A．the social skills than Chinese parents |
| B．their children’s studying hard and well |
| C．what their children want but they can’t |
| D．extra activities than schoolwork |
| A．know more than American parents to educate their children |
| B．owning ambition and confidence is necessary and important |
| C．pay much more attention to their children’s fine future |
| D．don’t encourage their children to participate in extra activities |
| A．American children are brave and adventurous |
| B．American children are more active in their studies |
| C．Chinese children have the ability to communicate effectively |
| D．something should be done to develop the potential of the children in China |
| A．Neutral. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
【推荐1】“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925 , we might not have the product that we now think of as great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their working time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can gain information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decisionmaking helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should try to let them decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.
1. We can know from the passage that creativity is ______.| A．something that most people are born with |
| B．something that has nothing to do with intelligence at all |
| C．a way of using what one has learned to work out new problems |
| D．something that is not important to the life in the future at all |
| A．They don't think creativity education is important. |
| B．They don't want their students to make mistakes. |
| C．They pay no attention to examination marks. |
| D．They think it impossible to develop creativity in class. |
| A．Allow them to have a try. |
| B．Try to help them as much as possible. |
| C．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| D．Order them to spend the least money. |
| A．It should encourage people to work a longer time. |
| B．People should be discouraged to think freely. |
| C．People will do better if they spend most of their working time developing new ideas. |
| D．It is necessary for people to spend some of their working time considering and developing new ideas. |
【推荐2】Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity (好奇). Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary (薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper (蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical (符合逻辑的), complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior (行为). But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target (目标) for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass (放大镜), and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water vaporates (蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
1. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is _______.| A．let them see the world around |
| B．share the children’s curiosity |
| C．explain difficult phrases about science |
| D．supply the children with lab equipment |
| A．any questions |
| B．any problems |
| C．questions from textbooks |
| D．any number of questions |
| A．ask them to answer quickly |
| B．wait for one or two seconds after a question |
| C．tell them to answer the next day |
| D．wait at least for three seconds after a question |
| A．The second and third. |
| B．The fourth and fifth. |
| C．The fifth. |
| D．The seventh. |
| A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts |
| B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves |
| C．be patient enough when their children answer questions |
| D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own |
【推荐3】Role of Mass Media in Education
In today’s advanced world, where everything is changing at lightning speed, mass media plays an important role.
Universal reach
Mass media has connected people like never before. Education is something which aims to have a universal reach. Mass media has helped to bridge that gap enormously.
Storage of information
Mass media allows storing information which can be accessed from anywhere at any time. It is literally accessible, at our fingertips, which saves a lot of time and energy.
No physical restrictions
Fruitful results
Another huge advantage of current technological innovations in mass media is the increased memory capability of students. Many scientific pieces of research have proven that delivering lectures via an audio-visual format (视听格式) is quite effective.
| A．This results in the reduction of false information. |
| B．That being said, education is also advancing day by day. |
| C．Therefore, it serves as a rather useful resource in the field of education. |
| D．One of the major disadvantages before mass media was a physical restriction. |
| E．Mass media consists of the tools used for communicating information and ideas. |
| F．In other words, it is now within everyone’s reach and making the world a better place. |
| G．It has a more positive impact on the memory power of the brain than an audio lecture. |
