1 . So few adults can remember the details of their own preschool or kindergarten years, it can be hard to appreciate just how much the early-education landscape has been transformed over the past two decades. The changes are not restricted to the physical environment of classrooms. Teaching methods and curricula have changed too. Much greater parts of the day are now spent on what’s called “seatwork”(a term that probably doesn’t need any explanation) and direct instruction, formerly used mainly in the older grades, in which a teacher carefully controls the content and pacing of what a child is supposed to learn.
One study, titled “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?” compared kindergarten teachers’ attitudes nationwide in 1998 and 2010 and found that the percentage of teachers expecting children to know how to read by the end of the year had risen from 30 to 80 percent. The researchers also reported more time spent with workbooks and worksheets, and less time devoted to music and art. Kindergarten is indeed the new first grade, the authors concluded. In turn, children who would once have used the kindergarten year as a gentle transition into school are in some cases being held back before they’ve had a chance to start.
Until recently, school-readiness skills weren’t high on anyone’s agenda, nor was the idea that the youngest learners might be disqualified from moving on to the next stage. But now that kindergarten serves as a gatekeeper, not a welcome mat, to elementary school, concerns about school preparedness kick in earlier and earlier. A child who’s supposed to read by the end of kindergarten had better be getting ready in preschool. As a result, expectations that may arguably have been reasonable for 5- and 6-year-olds, such as being able to sit at a desk and complete a task using pencil and paper, are now directed at even younger children, who Jack the motor skills and attention span to be successful.
Preschool classrooms have become increasingly difficult spaces, with teachers asking pre-schoolers to finish their “work” before they can go play. And yet, even as pre-schoolers are learning more pre-academic skills at earlier ages, I’ve heard many teachers say that they seem somehow less curious and less engaged than the kids of earlier generations. More children today seem to lack the language skills needed to retell a simple story or to use basic connecting words and prepositions. They can’t make a conceptual analogy between, say, the veins(纹理) on a leaf and the veins in their own hands.
That’s right. The same educational policies that are publishing academic goals down to ever earlier levels seem to be contributing to the fact that young children are gaining fewer skills, not more.
1. What can be inferred from the sentence “Kindergarten is indeed the new first grade”?| A．Kindergarten is going to replace the first grade in the future. |
| B．Kindergarten kids are asked to learn what first-graders learn. |
| C．Today’s kindergarten kids are smarter than first graders in the past. |
| D．Some kids choose to skip kindergarten to go to the first grade directly. |
| A．might not be able to go to the kindergarten |
| B．are worried about their school-readiness skills |
| C．are not allowed to move on to elementary school |
| D．think of the kindergarten year as a gentle transition |
| A．Pre-schoolers need to be academically prepared. |
| B．Preschool teachers are not as kind as they used to be. |
| C．Today’s preschool education doesn’t prove successful. |
| D．Children pick up their first language later than before. |
| A．What Preschool Kids Should Be Taught |
| B．How the New Preschool Is Damaging Kids |
| C．Why We Should Take Preschoolers Seriously |
| D．Who Is to Blame for Preschoolers’ Lack of Skills |
1. 简述图画内容;
2. 介绍你对图画主题的理解;
3. 结合生活实际谈谈你的感想。
要求：1. 100字左右;
2. 可适当增加细节，使行文连贯。
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3 . Turning soil, pulling weeds, and harvesting cabbage sound like tough work for middle and high school kids. And at first it is, says Abby Jaramillo, who with another teacher started Urban Sprouts, a school garden program at four low-income schools. The program aims to help students develop science skills, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.
Jaramillo’s students live in neighborhoods where fresh food and green space are not easy to find and fast food restaurants outnumber grocery stores. “The kids literally come to school with bags of snacks and large bottles of soft drinks,” she says. “They come to us thinking vegetables are awful, dirt is awful, insects are awful.” Though some are initially scared of the insects and turned off by the dirt, most are eager to try something new.
Urban Sprouts’ classes, at two middle schools and two high schools, include hands-on experiments such as soil testing, flower-and-seed dissection, tastings of fresh or dried produce, and work in the garden. Several times a year, students cook the vegetables they grow, and they occasionally make salads for their entire schools.
Program evaluations show that kids eat more vegetables as a result of the classes. “We have students who say they went home and talked to their parents and now they’re eating differently,” Jaramillo says.
She adds that the program’s benefits go beyond nutrition. Some students get so interested in gardening that they bring home seeds to start their own vegetable gardens. Besides, working in the garden seems to have a calming effect on Jaramillo’s special education students, many of whom have emotional control issues. “They get outside,” she says, “and they feel successful.”
1. What do we know about Abby Jaramillo?| A．She used to be a health worker. | B．She grew up in a low-income family. |
| C．She owns a fast food restaurant. | D．She is an initiator of Urban Sprouts. |
| A．The kids’ parents distrusted her. | B．Students had little time for her classes. |
| C．Some kids disliked garden work. | D．There was no space for school gardens. |
| A．Far-reaching. | B．Predictable. |
| C．Short-lived. | D．Unidentifiable. |
| A．Rescuing School Gardens | B．Experiencing Country Life |
| C．Growing Vegetable Lovers | D．Changing Local Landscape |
4 . Traditional public schools assign a child to a given school based on his family’s place of residence. As Coleman pointed out, residential assignment promotes division between schools by family background. It creates motivation for families to move to the “good” school districts. Under this system, schools cannot serve as the equal-opportunity engines of our society.
The most promising social policy for fighting the effects of family background, then, could well be the expansion of programs — small schools of choice. These programs allow families to choose schools without regard to their neighborhood of residence. An analysis of more than 100 schools of choice in New York City between 2019 and 2020 might tell us something. It witnessed 9.5 percent increase in the graduation rate of a group of educationally and economically disadvantaged students, at no extra cost to the city.
Small schools of choice might also build the social relationship that Coleman considered crucial for student success. First, small schools are well positioned to build a strong school culture. Helping students to cultivate networks of social relationships better equips them to handle life’s challenges. While schools may not be able to compensate fully for the negative effects of an unstable family, a strong school culture can transform the “social ecology” of a disadvantaged child.
Small schools of choice also encourage a voluntary community that comes together over strong ties and shared values. Typically, schools of choice feature a clearly defined mission and set of core values, which may come from religious traditions and beliefs. The Notre Dame ACE Academy schools, for instance, strive for the twin goals of preparing students for college and for heaven. A focused mission also helps school administrators attract like-minded teachers. A warm teaching staff can be particularly beneficial for children from unstable homes. Exposure to well-functioning adult role models at school might promote well-being and positive emotional development.
1. What might be the effect of residential assignment?| A．The school system might become fair. |
| B．Families prefer good living environment. |
| C．Schools will be the equal-opportunity engines. |
| D．Houses in good school districts might be favored. |
| A．Students from an honored family. |
| B．Students with a strong sense of culture. |
| C．Students with economical disadvantage. |
| D．Students from a noble place of residence. |
| A．To prove effect of religious traditions. |
| B．To display the benefit of a warm staff. |
| C．To promote well-being of adults. |
| D．To attract like-minded teachers. |
| A．Small Schools of Choice | B．Schools over Shared Values |
| C．Effects of Family Background | D．Ways to Improve Education |
5 . The research by OECD that was analyzing the homework of 15-year-old school kids has shown that Italian children are busy with homework as they have to spend over 9 hours on it weekly. The other countries where children have to work over 6 hours on their tasks are Ireland, Poland, the USA and Australia.
Additional practice
It teaches students responsibility
When students only visit classes they have no idea how difficult it is for teachers to prepare for the lessons and may behave badly.
It teaches important life skills
When we say that students do their homework we add many meanings in this phrase. Pupils learn to manage time effectively, set priorities, and improve self-discipline.
If teenagers would have too much time for leisure activities, the possibility that they will be involved in some illegal or criminal issues rises greatly. Being busy with tasks they do not waste their time and spend it with the unmatched benefit.
| A．It keeps students busy. |
| B．It enriches students’ knowledge. |
| C．Therefore, it’s high time that homework should be banned. |
| D．Not all the information is grasped by students at the lessons. |
| E．That is a good preparation for future career and meeting deadlines set by bosses. |
| F．At the same time, each person realizes that homework is extremely important in studying. |
| G．When they are given assignments on a regular basis, they raise responsibility, punctuality (守时), and performing. |
6 . When Jason Arday was aged three he was diagnosed with
Arday has always wanted to help people. As a child he remembers
Supported by his college
When Arday told Sandri that he wanted to
Sandri was right, and now Arday is a
| A．symptom | B．phenomenon | C．autism | D．disease |
| A．affect | B．lead | C．reflect | D．change |
| A．paint | B．play | C．rest | D．read |
| A．oldest | B．smallest | C．youngest | D．biggest |
| A．linking | B．thinking | C．living | D．saying |
| A．then | B．soon | C．though | D．also |
| A．director | B．manager | C．president | D．tutor |
| A．master | B．degree | C．rank | D．position |
| A．worked | B．toured | C．visited | D．inspected |
| A．why | B．where | C．how | D．when |
| A．encouragement | B．movement | C．discouragement | D．engagement |
| A．abandon | B．interrupt | C．defend | D．continue |
| A．work on | B．depend on | C．take on | D．rely on |
| A．student | B．doctor | C．assistant | D．professor |
| A．taking | B．doing | C．giving | D．driving |
While engagement has never been more challenging for schools to achieve, it’s also
According to a survey, children’s addiction to online games is closely related to parent-child relations: the better the relationship is, the
First, parents should not be annoyed when their kids play video games. And it’s unfair for parents
Second, it is advisable to adopt a democratic way of parenting. In such an atmosphere, children may be open about their
Third, parents should spend time with their children. Actually, the most important and valuable gift that parents can give their kids is time,
9 . Leisa Duckwall has worked for four years as a food nutrition service worker at the school, serving students breakfast and lunch. But not once had she ever seen a student say “hello”, or “good morning”, or even “thank you”, Duckwall is deaf. But now, the entire school is learning sign language, the students specifically to better communicate with Duckwall. No more point-ing, now, there are words, including “hello”, “good morning”, and “thank you”. When asked how it’s made her feel, Duckwall got straight to the point. “Happy,” she said.
Before spreading to the entire school, it started in Kari Maskelony’s fourth-grade classroom. Maskelony grew up with hard-of-hearing family members. She knows sign language, but throughout her life, she has witnessed her loved ones’ frustrations when people are unable to understand them. “I noticed that all the kids realized that Ms Duckwall couldn’t hear them,” Maskelony said. So she asked her students, “Do you guys want to learn how to sign to Ms Duckwall what you want for lunch instead of pointing?” They said yes. The class started with the basics of what they would need to know for interactions with Duckwall. They started with the main dishes, learning the sign language words for chicken, fish and other typical school cafeteria cuisines.
Next, the students learned to sign letters. It didn’t take long before principal Janet Wright Davis heard about what was going on. “Is it just Ms Maskelony’s class who are doing it? Let’s teach the whole school,” Janet said. “Let’s teach the whole school sign language.”
“Not only is it great for the kids because they can learn a new skill that they can carry with them and actually use with other people that they meet, but I think it is great because equal inclusivity (包容性) and equal access is so important,” Janet said. “It’s just something that we don’t often see.”
The teachers claim their students love sign language. The adults claim the kids think it’s “fun”, and they agree. Every single fourth-grader in Maskelony’s class gave sign language a positive review. And they all liked their collective hard work, if for nothing else, to make Duckwall feel included.
1. What can we know about Leisa Duckwall?| A．She was often misunderstood. |
| B．She feels sad to be pointed at. |
| C．She serves students three meals a day. |
| D．She was unable to interact with students well before. |
| A．Her students’ requests. |
| B．The principal’s suggestion. |
| C．Her hard-of-hearing families. |
| D．Leisa Duckwall’s desire. |
| A．She gave a big prize to Maskelony. |
| B．She decided to promote the practice. |
| C．She began to learn sign language too. |
| D．She praised the fourth-grade students. |
| A．Sign language benefits students’ study. |
| B．It’s important for students to learn more skills. |
| C．Students should communicate more with others. |
| D．Learning sign language helps students have better values. |
10 . Psychological science is full of interesting topics, many of which tell a coherent (连贯的) picture of human nature, but some of which create seemingly contradictory stories. A case in point is the tricky, and misunderstood, overlap (重叠部分) between strength-based science and the research on narcissism (自恋).
There is now convincing evidence to show that narcissism is on the rise, especially in our youth. Some researchers say that about 25% of young people show symptoms of narcissism. The inflated ego of Generation Me is reflected in reality TV, celebrity worship, and out-of-control consumerism.
We are correct to be concerned about this phenomenon, but our fear that all kids are potential narcissists has caused an unhelpful counter-reaction to approaches that seek to make our children and teens feel good about themselves.
In my own research on strength-based parenting, it is common for people to wrongly think this approach to be the cause of narcissism. Their argument seems to be that a child who knows his strengths will automatically view himself as better than everyone else. It is argued that the self-assurance that comes with identifying and using their positive qualities will make a child selfish and uncaring. Genuine confidence about one’s strengths is categorized as over-confidence; desirable self-knowledge is branded as excessive (过分的) self-admiration.
Why does this occur? It’s partly because more is known about narcissism than strengths. While strengths psychology has largely stayed within the limit of academic journals, research on narcissism has made its way into the mass media and our daily life. A famous magazine noted that narcissism is a favored topic and that people everywhere are diagnosing others with it.
The fear that a strength-based approach will cause narcissism also occurs because of our binary (非此即彼) thinking. We mistakenly believe that one cannot be both confident and humble. We focus on Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian rather than Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Without confidence in their strengths, Gandhi and Mother Teresa couldn’t have achieved so much, and yet modesty and selflessness are their qualities.
When we assume that strength-focus is the same as a self-focus, we fail to make the idea clear that people who know their strengths are, actually, more likely to be pro-social and ready to help others.
It’s easy to conclude that every young person is at risk of becoming a narcissist but I’d like to stand up for the thousands of young kids I have worked with, who are caring, thoughtful and humble — even when they use their strengths.
1. Which of the following opinions may the writer agree with?| A．Strength-based parenting leads to narcissism. |
| B．It’s unhelpful for us to make our children feel good about themselves. |
| C．To say all kids are potential narcissists is overstating the case. |
| D．Children who know their strengths tend to be more selfish and uncaring. |
| A．Academic journals report more on narcissism. |
| B．There is a lack of narcissism in our common sense. |
| C．Many people are diagnosed with narcissism by doctors. |
| D．The general public has less access to strengths psychology. |
| A．Because they are as famous as Donald Trump. |
| B．Because they are both confident and modest. |
| C．Because confidence is quite important for celebrities. |
| D．Because a strength-based approach will cause narcissism. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Neutral. | C．Disapproving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Teens’ Psychology Research | B．Teens’ Narcissism Diagnosis |
| C．Teens’ Strength-based Approach | D．Teens’ Confidence Misunderstood |
