1 . Since young children went back to school across Sweden recently, many of their teachers have been putting a new emphasis on printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice, and devoting less time to tablets, independent online research and keyboarding skills.
The return to more traditional ways of learning is a response to politicians and experts questioning whether Sweden’s hyper-digitalized approach to education, including the introduction of tablets in nursery schools, had led to a decline in basic skills.
Sweden’s minister for schools, Lotta Edholm was one of the biggest critics of the all-out embrace of technology. “Sweden’s students need more textbooks,” Edholm said in March. “Physical books are important for student learning.” The minister announced in August that the government wanted to change the decision by the national agency for education to make digital devices compulsory in preschools. It plans to go further and to completely end digital learning for children under age six, the ministry has told the Associated Press.
Although Sweden’s students score above the European average for reading ability, an international assessment of fourth-grade reading levels, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), highlighted a decline among Sweden’s children between 2016 and 2021.
In comparison, Singapore — which topped the rankings — improved its PIRLS reading scores from 576 to 587 during the same period, and England’s average reading achievement score fell only slightly, from 559 in 2016 to 558 in 2021. An overuse of screens during school lessons may cause youngsters to fall behind in core subjects, education experts say. “There’s clear scientific evidence that digital tools impair rather than enhance student learning,” Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, a highly respected medical school focused on research, said in a statement in August on the country’s national digitalization strategy in education.
“We believe the focus should return to acquiring knowledge through printed textbooks and teacher expertise, rather than acquiring knowledge primarily from freely available digital sources that have not been checked for accuracy.” the school added.
1. Why do Swedish schools return to paper books?| A．To cater to parents’ increasing needs. |
| B．To help with children’s independent learning. |
| C．To overcome children’s addiction to digital tools. |
| D．To avoid possible decline in children’s basic skills. |
| A．Total acceptance. | B．Creative use. |
| C．Rapid development. | D．Serious addiction. |
| A．Teachers should acquire more knowledge. |
| B．Knowledge from digital tools may not be reliable. |
| C．Digital tools smooth out learning barriers for children. |
| D．The accessibility to digital sources should be improved. |
| A．Swedish Children’s Return to Paper | B．Problems with Children’s Education |
| C．Popularity of Digitalization in Sweden | D．Enhancement of Teaching Strategies in Sweden |
2 . In this present age, we are heavily dependent on science and technology. Involving courses such as physics, chemistry and biology, a science-based education system can not only equip the young with knowledge of the rules of the world but also develop their scientific curiosity and problem-solving skills. With the benefits and objective attitude formed when learning, the young have more opportunities to be employed in cutting-edge research projects and big companies. So as for Arts or Science, they prefer the latter.
However, we still rely much on the Arts to understand the world. Literature courses can help students to learn about different cultures by exposing them to various aspects of life and excite their imagination required by out-of-box ideas. Studying politics increases the awareness of global world. History can enrich them intellectually and socially, providing a deeper understanding of the world and their place within it. Also, Arts can develop emotional skills and moral values.
A science-based education concentrating only on the latest scientific developments and breakthroughs, may overlook the study of moral values as well as significant historical affairs. For instance, countless possibilities can be realised through cloning, but science does not reveal the moral dilemmas (两难境地) of its indulgent development. It is essential for students to assess the far-reaching influence of science on the world and realise that it must ultimately be pursued reasonably and controllably.
In conclusion, a science-based education certainly has its limitations. Nevertheless, a science-based education combined with enough exposure to values and the humanities would provide students with a deeper insight into the world.
1. Why is a science-based education system popular among the young according to the text?| A．It has diverse courses. |
| B．It provides more challenges. |
| C．It favors their dreams of being a scientist. |
| D．It contributes to more career opportunities. |
| A．By collecting data. |
| B．By giving professional reports. |
| C．By sharing personal experiences. |
| D．By listing the values of different courses. |
| A．Uncontrolled. | B．Normal. | C．Difficult. | D．Sustainable. |
| A．To highlight the difficulty of science courses. |
| B．To offer guidance on how to learn all subjects well. |
| C．To recommend Science & Arts combined education. |
| D．To stress the importance of the science-based education. |
3 . An important lesson in the moral education of children could be as close as the book in their hands. Among all kinds of books, stories matter. They can play a role in building moral values in young audiences, according to the results of a new study.
Lindsay Hahn is the first author of the new study, which mainly explores how media content influences children. Many studies done before have focused on broad conceptualizations (概念化), like positive or negative effects of specific content, but Hahn’s study looks at how reading of content featuring specific moral values might influence the kids’ values. Do children reading particular moral, characteristics take in those qualities and build their own morality? The findings suggest so.
“Parents, caregivers, and teachers are often wondering how media can be used for good,” says Hahn. “How can it be used for good things? How can it discourage bad habits? How can it educate?” Answering those questions begins with a better understanding of how to use media. “When parents are considering what media they might want to select for their children, they can further deliberate what particular moral value is being stressed by the main character, and how the main character is treated because of those actions,” she says.
For the study, Hahn and her workmates took the main character from a young adult novel. They wrote the content to reflect the study’s focus on moral values. Those stories were shared with about 200 participants between the ages of 10 and 14. This is a favorable range for media research because it’s more difficult to introduce the understanding of stories to younger kids, while challenging to hold the attention of older teenagers, who become bored with basic storylines, according to Hahn.
1. What kind of book helps children develop their own moral values according to the new study?| A．A poetry collection. | B．A travel guide. |
| C．A storybook. | D．A reference book. |
| A．The response of the public to Hahn’s study. |
| B．The difference between Hahn’s study and previous studies. |
| C．The big contribution of Hahn’s study to children’s literature. |
| D．The negative effects of broad conceptualizations. |
| A．Describe. | B．Improve. | C．Title. | D．Consider. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A sports report. |
| C．An education magazine. | D．A medical report. |
4 . What’s your favorite book? Think of all the books you have ever read. Now imagine if you had not read any of them, how would your life be different?
Out of 7.8 billion people in the world today, 12% are illiterate (文盲的). This means that 1 in 5 adults are incapable of writing their own name, let alone reading a line out of a book. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights expressly states under its 26th article the right to a free education “at least in the elementary and fundamental stages”, marginalized (边缘化的) populations are often denied this basic right.
September 8 is International Literacy Day, established by UNESCO in 1966 to raise awareness on the issue by giving rise to support worldwide. In 1965, the World Conference of Ministers of Education (WCME) met in Tehran, Iran to discuss future plans which would involve the eradication (消除) of illiteracy. As a way to honor the opening of this meeting,the conference decided that September 8 would be announced as International Literacy Day.
This year’s theme for the day is “Literacy And Sustainable Societies”. But what exactly does that mean? Literacy has been associated with the reduction of poverty as it offers skills for gaining knowledge, values, and attitudes for expanding societies in a sustainable way. At the same time, the promotion of literacy boosts agriculture, health, and vocational skills, leading societies to become more efficient and environmentally literate.
So how can you raise awareness and promote literacy on this day? Host a reading competition at your school or simply exchange books with friends. You could create a book club or even start a writing competition. Be an active global citizen by commitment to raising awareness so that we can eradicate illiteracy.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．7.8 billion people in the world are illiterate. |
| B．One’s life would be different without reading. |
| C．1/5 adults are capable of writing their own name. |
| D．Marginalized populations can also receive free education. |
| A．To raise money for the WCME. |
| B．To offer free education to all people. |
| C．To make people recognize the illiteracy issue. |
| D．To discuss future plans involving the end of illiteracy. |
| A．Literacy can make for poverty increase. |
| B．Literacy will thoroughly eradicate poverty. |
| C．Literacy may directly lead to sustainable societies. |
| D．Literacy has close connection with sustainable societies. |
| A．Do your part to help the eradication of illiteracy. |
| B．It is everyone’s duty to be an active global citizen. |
| C．Hosting a reading competition is the only way to improve literacy. |
| D．Only depending on UNESCO can not eradicate illiteracy. |
5 . Schools need to give students all the tools they need when they graduate. Besides teaching the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, teaching about mindfulness, and mental health are important life skills for young people to have. The state of Florida agrees.
Now, public schools in Florida have been required to teach five or more hours about mental health for students in grades 6-12. This new idea was welcomed by the Florida Board of Education in July and is being carried out as a potential lifesaver.
The new curriculum (课程) requires students to learn about the symptoms (症状) of mental illness and where to find help if they are feeling sad or have other problems and even teaches the teenagers how to help their friends and classmates if they see them struggling.
“We know that 50 percent of all mental illness cases begin by age 14, so we are being active in our promise to provide our kids with the necessary tools to see them through their successes and challenges. Providing mental health instruction is another important step forward in supporting our families,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said.
Florida is the third state, following New York and Virginia in 2020, to pass laws that require mental health education in schools. According to CNN, the New York law updated the health curriculum to include mental health for elementary, middle and high school students. The Virginia law required that mental health education be provided for 9th and 10th graders.
These three states in the US are taking bold steps to help youth deal with the intricacy (错综复杂) of life as they grow from teenagers into adults. It is a confusing world they face and giving them the tools they need is essential. Mental health is something that should be taught in schools in all the US and across the globe.
1. What can the new curriculum bring students?| A．Basic professional skills. | B．The ability to use language. |
| C．Skills that cure physical diseases. | D．skills to deal with emotional problems . |
| A．The steps of mental health instruction. |
| B．The consequences of mental illness cases. |
| C．The importance of mental health education. |
| D．The content of the mental health curriculum. |
| A．pioneering | B．surprising | C．confusing | D．suffering |
| A．A technology report. | B．An educational website. |
| C．A government document. | D．A natural science magazine. |
6 . A long-term American study shows the effect of early education on future learning abilities. The study followed more than 1,300 children from birth through the ages of ten or eleven years. The study is known as the Human Development Study of Early Child Care. It is said to be the largest, longest lasting and most complete study of child care in the United States. The children included in the study were born around 1991 in ten areas of the country. Researchers examined the quality and amount of child care the children received until they were 54 months old. Child care included any care provided by people other than the child’s mother that lasted at least ten hours a week. This included any care given by fathers or other family members. The researchers then examined cach child’s performance in school and social development. They also measured other influences, such as the quality of classroom education and parenting (教养).
Recently, the researchers examined whether the developmental qualities that bad been observed in young children were still present a few years later. They found that the older children who had received higher quality child care continued to show better ability in measures of language skills. The children’s understanding was observed using a method which shows their ability to name objects shown in some pictures. The study confirmed a link between high quality child care and better test results continued as the children grew older. It also found that the children’s ability was not dependent on the amount of time they had spent in child care.
Interestingly, children who had been in child care before entering school were also more likely to have shown aggression (攻击性) or refusal to obey in their early school years. However, the researchers said the children’s behavior was considered normal.
1. The children in this study________.| A．are from big chios in America |
| B．are all at the same age |
| C．were taught how to care for themselves at school |
| D．were examined for influences caused by child care |
| A．the better the child care is, the better children can draw |
| B．some of children’s abilities develop well because of child care |
| C．higher quality child care can help children develop better creativity |
| D．child care has no influence on children’s language skills |
| A．deal with different things better |
| B．develop his ability as well as those spending more time |
| C．learn to use new methods more quickly |
| D．get no benefit from child care |
| A．The study is aimed at showing the effect of early education on future learning abilities. |
| B．Researchers examined the children’s abilities in many aspects. |
| C．Child care provided by fathers was not included in the study. |
| D．Each child was examined on the quality and amount of child care for 54 months. |
7 . Schools need to give students all the tools they need to navigate the world when they graduate. Besides teaching the basics of reading, writing, and arithmatic, teaching about mindfullness, and mental health are important life skills for young people to have. The state of Florida agrees.
Now, public schools in Florida have been required to teach five or more hours about mental health for students in grades 6-12. This new directive was approved by the Florida Board of Education in July and is being carried out as a potential lifesaver.
The new curriculum requires students to learn about the symptoms of mental illness and where to find help if they are feeling depressed or have other issues and even teaches the adolescents how to help their friends and classmates if they see them struggling.
“We know that 50 percent of all mental illness cases begin by age 14, so we are being active in our commitment to provide our kids with the necessary tools to see them through their successes and challenges. Providing mental health instruction is another important step forward in supporting our families,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said.
Florida is the third state, following New York and Virginia in 2020, to pass laws that require mental health education in schools. According to CNN, the New York law updated the health curriculum to include mental health for elementary, middle and high school students. The Virginia law required that mental health education be provided for 9th and 10th graders.
These three states in the US are taking bold steps to help youth deal with the intricacy of life as they grow from adolescents into adults. It is a confusing world they face and giving them the tools to navigate it safely is essential. Mental health is something that should be taught in schools in all the US and across the globe.
1. What can the new curriculum bring students?| A．Basic professional skills. | B．The ability to use language. |
| C．Emotional management skills. | D．Diagnosis of physical diseases. |
| A．The effect of mental illness cases. |
| B．The content of the health curriculum. |
| C．The step of mental health instruction. |
| D．The importance of mental health education. |
| A．Complexity. | B．Purpose. | C．Contribution. | D．Significance. |
| A．A technology report. | B．A natural science magazine. |
| C．An educational website. | D．A government document. |
8 . Nowadays, students are easier to learn in front of computers. With good reasons, many people question whether the state-of-the-art technology can finally change the way we learn. Others, however, make an argument that the traditional classroom-based learning has its own limitations. Considering both sides, my view is that the new programme can bring far more benefits than the traditional education.
First, it is obvious that, for any people, as long as they have access to Internet, can get the education resources easily. It is especially beneficial to people who live in a faraway area without schools or are short of money to pay for tuition. So, it is truly an easy way for people who are interested in learning.
Moreover, the distance rearning can help itself integrate (融入) its best knowledge materials and let go of them for sharing. For example, in the last 5 years, some famous universities, including Yale, Cambridge and Oxford University, have shared their most famous professors’ courses on the Internet, followed crazily by many students all over the world. If more and more universities take part in the programme, students will be facing a large wide and varied knowledge and the benefits for the whole human beings is huge.
That is not to say that traditional education should be forgotten. Teachers not only can teach knowledge, but also they can correct, encourage and communicate with students in person. But unfortunately it has weaknesses due to its inflexibility (不灵活) and lack of communications with teachers after class.
All in all, we should fully make good use of the modern technology to make the education opportunities available to people; meanwhile, we should not lose sight of the importance of traditional learning. Only by doing so can we bridge the gap between rich and poor, and thus make the whole society more impartial (公正的).
1. What can make getting education resources easily?| A．Schools. | B．Interest. | C．Courses. | D．Internet. |
| A．To call on more students to join in the programme. |
| B．To get more support to spread distance learning. |
| C．To show benefits of distance learning. |
| D．To introduce some world-famous universities. |
| A．Modern technology. | B．Society. |
| C．Knowledge. | D．Traditional education. |
| A．It makes the poor poorer. | B．It is the key to communication. |
| C．It will be useless soon. | D．It is still important today. |
9 . In a new study, researchers found a link between outdoor education and science grades. The findings indicate outdoor education could be a promising tool to help close gender (性别) gaps in science. “The outdoors is a space where teachers can find tangible ways to make science come alive,” says lead author Kathryn Stevenson, assistant professor of parks, recreation, and tourism management at North Carolina State University.
“The natural environment is also a place that everybody has in common. In a way, it’s also a great context for employing teaching practices like hands-on, inquiry-based learning or group work. These practices can be good for all students, but they may be particularly good for reaching students who aren’t as well-served in classroom settings,” Stevenson says.
The researchers studied the impact of an outdoor science education program called Muddy Sneakers on fifth graders’ science grades and knowledge of, and attitude about, science.
Fifth graders from western North Carolina attended between 6 and 10 days of Muddy Sneakers. They had science lessons in nearby natural areas, including state parks and school grounds, Outdoor lessons followed the standard course of study for science through hands-on activities, hikes, nature exploration, and reflections.
Researchers compared the performance of 237 students who learned about science in the classroom to 403 students who participated in the outdoor program. When researchers evaluated (评估) students’ science grades by gender, they saw that girls who participated in the outdoor science program maintained their science grades on average (平均), while girls’ average grades in the traditional science classes dropped. They also saw that participation in average grades in the traditional science classes dropped. They also saw that participation in the outdoor program helped girls learn more about how science works on average, but traditional classrooms did not.
Boys in the outdoor and traditional class settings had fairly stable science grades on average and saw similar gains in knowledge of how science works. “Outdoor education seems to be one of those contexts that helps everyone learn, but it may be really, really helpful for some students in particular,” Stevenson says.
1. What does the underlined word “tangible” in paragraph l mean?| A．Practical. | B．Ineffective. | C．Challenging. | D．Unfair. |
| A．To improve fifth graders’ science grades. |
| B．To provide part-time jobs for the students. |
| C．To learn the effect of outdoor education on students. |
| D．To earn some money from different kinds of courses. |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By interviewing students. |
| C．By explaining the causes. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. | C．Unclear. | D．Objective. |
10 . In a crowded migrant (移民) camp in Tijuana, Mexico, a three-year-old girl wandered
It was December 2018, a time when the US-Mexico border was seeing migrants from Central America
Back at home, Rebellón gathered a group of volunteer
Rebellón has received numerous
| A．leisurely | B．alone | C．freely | D．abroad |
| A．tended | B．recognized | C．invited | D．noticed |
| A．relief | B．health | C．business | D．education |
| A．fighting | B．preventing | C．escaping | D．worsening |
| A．side | B．place | C．hand | D．heart |
| A．determined | B．annoyed | C．disappointed | D．panicked |
| A．line up | B．make up | C．stand up | D．look up |
| A．soldiers | B．doctors | C．writers | D．teachers |
| A．expenses | B．savings | C．bills | D．charges |
| A．integrated | B．forced | C．transformed | D．translated |
| A．Limited | B．Funded | C．Motivated | D．Influenced |
| A．create | B．adjust | C．reject | D．follow |
| A．special | B．strange | C．common | D．major |
| A．opportunities | B．honours | C．blessings | D．messages |
| A．display | B．possess | C．maintain | D．expand |
