Sun Ruifeng, a mother in Beijing, changed some of her plans for her 8-year-old son’s summer vacation. She looked for an English tutoring (辅导) course, but in the end, she changed it to a swimming training class.
Sun’s choice is part of the result of the government’s growing efforts to reduce the academic pressure (学业压力) on young students.
On July 24, 2021, Chinese government introduced a guideline to reduce the academic pressure on primary and junior high school students. It lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and the difficulty of homework and improving the quality of education and after-class services provided by schools.
For example, homework for children below the third grade is not allowed, while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish.
According to the guideline, tutoring institutions (机构) cannot teach students content that students haven’t learnt at school. No tutoring courses can be taught on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.
The moves aim to guide the educational training industry to focus on improving students’ all-round quality, Chen Xianzhe, a professor at South China Normal University, told Xinhua.
According to Global Times, more than 75 percent of Chinese children who live in cities, from grade 1 to grade 12, take part in tutoring programs.
This has led to many social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, more mental health problems and huge family costs, said Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences.
Many parents showed their support for the new moves. However, there are also some worries. A parent from Shanxi said that although she agreed with the new moves, she worried about what her son would do after school if both parents have no time to be with him.
According to the guideline, primary and middle schools are asked to offer after-school services, including homework tutoring, sports, arts, reading and interest groups.
34. The change of Sun Ruifeng’s choice is a good example to show that ________.
A.the government’s guideline works well |
B.Swimming training classes are popular |
C.parents only care about children’s health |
D.Beijing has few English tutoring courses |
35. According to the government’s guideline, which of the following is allowed?
A.Grade 2 students can have half an hour of homework every day. |
B.Grade 9 students can have one hour of homework every day. |
C.Tutoring institutions can give lessons on National Day holiday. |
D.Schools can increase the amount and difficulty of homework. |
36. From the passage we can know that ________ thinks taking part in too many tutoring programs not only does harm to students’ health but also costs too much.
A.Chen Xianzhe | B.Chu Zhaohui |
C.Sun Ruifeng | D.a parent from Shanxi |
37. If both parents have no time to be with children, which may be a good way to solve the problem now?
A.One parent gives up the job to be with children. |
B.Children stay at home alone or with grandparents. |
C.Primary and middle schools offer after-school services. |
D.Children go to tutoring institutions to learn extra programs. |
38. What is the best title for the passage?
A.Taking the pressure off | B.Calling for less homework |
C.Health or success | D.A colorful life, a better future |