One morning，Emma discovered that her classroom had changed. She found that the desks were no longer in rows，but pushed together to make eight bigger desks. She was so excited about it for the first two days that she couldn't listen to the teachers carefully. But soon she and her classmates got used to this new classroom arrangement（安排）. “Now our class is quieter，” said Emma. “What's more，we can come up with our own ideas and learn more through discussion. It's a better way to study.”
David liked it，too. "Group members first discuss," he said，"and then show to the whole class. It encourages us greatly. "This was part of a reform（改革）at David's school. The school made this reform because they wanted to offer students easier ways to study and more chances to discuss. “Our school hopes to improve students' abilities to study by themselves and work in groups.” said Linda，an English teacher.
However，the reform has demanded（要求）more from teachers. Now they have only 15minutes to give a lesson that would have been taught in 40 minutes before. It is difficult to teach in such a short time. The teachers have to find better ways to teach more effectively（有效地）. “The reform demands more，but I'm sure it is helpful.” added Linda.
1. After the new classroom arrangement，Emma found .| A．their class was noisier all the time |
| B．they could learn more through discussion |
| C．they couldn't come up with their own ideas |
| D．it was a harder way to study |
| A．easier ways | B．better classrooms |
| C．more seats | D．larger space |
| A．The desks are no longer in rows now. |
| B．The reform has demanded more from teachers. |
| C．It's easy for teachers to give a lesson in 15 minutes now. |
| D．Emma and her classmates like the new classroom arrangement. |
| A．Discussion in Class | B．Teachers' Hope |
| C．Students' Friendship | D．New Look in Class |
相似题推荐
“Make-A-Wish” is one of the world’s most well-known charities（慈善机构）. It makes wishes come true for children who have serious illnesses, It gives them hope and joy.
It started in 1980 in Phoenix, America. Christopher was a 7-year-old boy who was very sick.
I wish to go. Children usually want to travel or go to a concert, a game or a park.
I wish to meet. Children sometimes want to meet their favorite actors, singers or players.
I wish to be. Some children wish to become actors, singers or police officers.
Let’s hope more wishes will come true in the future. People who work in the charity always try for the best.
| A．He always dreamed of becoming a police officer |
| B．There are four kinds of wishes children usually have. |
| C．He was very glad to wear the uniform. |
| D．It also helps them forget about their health problems and have fun. |
| E．I wish to have. |
| F．Almost 25,000 volunteers （志愿者） help, work or give money. |
【推荐2】Why open a school? If you ask Nadia Lopez this question, she would simply answer: to close a prison.
Lopez is the founder of a school in Brooklyn, one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York. It faced many challenges: a lack of money, teachers and parental education, as well as competition from neighborhood gangs(帮派). The greatest challenge is to get in touch with children without hope. If she asked a 13-year-old kid, “where do you see yourself in five years?” the answer would be, “I am not sure if I am going to live that long.” Or “I have a lifelong goal of working in a fast-food restaurants.”
Fortunately, Lopez and her coworkers didn’t give up, and have made every effort to keep the students active and full of hope. “We call our students ‘scholars’, because they are lifelong learners. I chose the royal colors of purple and black, because I want them to be reminded that they are children of great peoples, and that through education, they are future engineers, scientists and even leaders.” Lopez said.
A popular New York blogger heard about the school and wrote a post about it, then about 1.4 million dollars were raised for the students to study in the STEM program. “Today we have had three graduating classes, at a 98% graduation rate(毕业率). This is nearly 200 children.” said Lopez.
1. Why did Lopez want to open a school in the poorest community?| A．To make money. | B．To attract people. |
| C．To help children without hope. | D．To create chances. |
| A．Many children didn’t have enough money for their life. |
| B．There were terrible competitions from local gangs. |
| C．The students didn’t know how to live with parents. |
| D．It was difficult to communicate with the hopeless children. |
| A．They cheated the students that they were scholars. |
| B．They were dressed in purple and black at school. |
| C．They helped them to be engineers and scientists. |
| D．They encouraged them to study and be confident. |
| A．About 2. | B．About 10. | C．About 4. | D．About 50. |
| A．Every cloud has a silver lining. | B．Always give hope to the hopeless. |
| C．A popular blogger joined in the school. | D．Anyone can be great people in the future. |
【推荐3】On a school day, 60 students at Xishan Primary School in Shunde, Guangdong, are learning how to make corn soup (玉米汤) and fried pork (炸猪排) with cauliflower (菜花) in an after-school cooking class. Working in groups of four or five, the little chefs take their responsibilities very seriously. Soon, they are showing off their own delicious dishes.
Since last September, the school has set up after-school classes for students, with cooking classes being the most popular, said Xinhua. It comes after the “double reduction” policy (政策). The policy aims to ease the burdens (减轻负担) of too much homework and off-campus tutoring (课外辅导) for primary and junior high school students.
The policy lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and difficulty of homework assignments (家庭作业), as well as improving the quality (质量) of education and after-school services. For example, homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish. It allows students more free time to pursue (追求) their hobbies and interests. Also, off-campus tutoring has been further regulated (管理) to reduce the burden on students.
“Our homework is clearly less than before,” said 13-year-old Shen Yuzhe from Beijing. “We are not encouraged to buy workbooks anymore. The exercises are mainly from the textbook.” According to Shen, teachers have taught at a much slower pace (速度), which gives students enough time to process new information.
In December, the Ministry of Education reported on the progress made through the policy so far. Almost all primary and middle schools now offer two-hour after-school services on weekdays. More than 90 percent of students can finish their written homework in the set time. About 92.7 percent of schools have opened after-school arts and sports classes. More than 80 percent of academic tutoring institutions (学科类校外培训机构) have closed down or turned to other fields of business.
“With homework done at school, my child and I can read books and listen to music together in the evening, or we can go out to play badminton or skip rope,” said Lu Di, the parent of a fifth-grader in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang.
1. Xishan Primary School opened cooking classes to ________.| A．train professional cooks | B．enrich its after-school activities |
| C．earn money by tutoring students | D．teach students to save food |
| A．To ease students’ academic burdens. | B．To close down academic tutoring institutions. |
| C．To offer teachers more time to study. | D．To allow schools to keep children longer. |
a. students have more time to develop interests
b. students have less homework to do
c. the quality of school education is improving
d. academic tutoring institutions are more popular
| A．abc | B．abd | C．acd | D．bcd |
| A．who benefits from the policy | B．what problems the policy has caused |
| C．what has been achieved by the policy | D．what society thinks about the policy |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Unsure. | C．Doubtful. | D．Supportive. |
