1 . While human achievements in mathematics continue to reach new levels of complexity, many of us who aren’t mathematicians at heart or engineers by trade, may struggle to remember the last time we used calculus (微积分). It’s a fact not lost on American educators, who faced with rising math failure rates are debating how math can better meet the real-life needs of students. Should we change the way math is taught in schools, or climinate some courses entirely?
Andrew Hacker, Queens College political science professor, thinks that advanced algebra and other higher-level math should be cut from curricula in favor of courses with more routine usefulness, like statistics.
“We hear on all sides that we’re not teaching enough mathematics, and the Chinese are running rings around us,” Hacker says. “I’m suggesting we’re teaching too much mathematics to too many people. . . not everybody has to know calculus. If you’re going to become an aeronautical engineer, fine. But most of us aren’t.”
Instead, Hacker is pushing for more courses like the one he teaches at Queens College: Numeracy 101. There, his students of “citizen statistics” learn to analyze public information like the government budget and corporate reports. Such courses, Hacker argues, are a remedy for the numerical illiteracy of adults who have completed high-level math like algebra but are unable to calculate the price of, say, a carpet by area.
Hacker’s argument has met with opposition from other math educators who say what’s needed is to help students develop a better relationship with math earlier, rather than teaching them less math altogether.
Maria Droujkova is a founder of Natural Math, and has taught basic calculus concepts to 5-year-olds. For Droujkova, high-level math is important, and what it could use in American classrooms is an injection of childlike wonder. “Make mathematics more available,” Droujkova says. “Redesign it so it’s more accessible to more kinds of people: young children, adults who worry about it, adults who may have had bad experiences.”
Pamela Harris, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, has a similar perspective. Harris says that American education is suffering from a widespread phenomenon called“fake math”-an emphasis on the rote memorization of formulas and steps, rather than an understanding of how math can influence the ways we see the world.
Andrew Hacker, for the record, still has his doubts. “I’m going to leave it to those who are in mathematics to work out the ways to make their subject interesting and exciting so students want to take it,” Hacker says. “All that I ask is that alternatives be offered instead of putting all of us on the road to calculus.”
1. What does the author say about Americans educators?| A．They are to blame for Americans’ rising math failure rates. |
| B．They are making math too complex to be taught to ordinary Americans. |
| C．They find high-level math fail to meet students’ practical needs. |
| D．They are struggling to remember how to use calculus. |
| A．Expose students to high-level math earlier in their school years. |
| B．Enable students to make use of basic math in real-life situations. |
| C．Lay a solid foundation for statistics to compensate for numerical illiteracy. |
| D．Help students to develop their analytical skills by calculating the price of a carpet by area. |
| A．options to learn high-level math should be left open |
| B．learning math is interesting and accessible to everyone |
| C．those with trouble learning math should try a new approach |
| D．the earlier you start to learn math, the better. |
| A．Numeracy 101: A Cure for Mathematical Illiteracy |
| B．No More Fake Math: How to Teach Math to Kids |
| C．Be Practical: Stop Requiring Advanced Math in Schools |
| D．To Remove or To Keep: A Debate Over High-level Math Education |
2 . Mind the gap year
Young people in Finland enjoy one of the world's best school systems. By the age of 15 they perform above average in international tests of science, reading and math. That makes it annoying that once they leave school, their progress often comes to a stop. In America 90% of those who begin bachelor's degree do so in the same year they finish school. In Finland only 20% do.
The result is that Finland's smartest cookies end up taking at least one and sometimes several unplanned gap years. Many find that a pain.
The government is trying to shake things up. Changes that came into full force last year require universities to accept at least half of applicants solely on the basis of their scores in school.
Making admissions more efficient will help the government benefit more from the cash it is spending in expanding the number of spots on offer. The share of young Finns with a degree has not changed much for a decade.
| A．It is also bad for the economy. |
| B．At 42% it is below the rich-country average. |
| C．Highly selective admissions are one explanation. |
| D．The corona virus has sped up a trend already under way. |
| E．Many candidates still sit entrance tests, but the idea is that universities should no longer require them to do much of work in advance. |
| F．Colleges have experienced a rise in demand since test-optional policies went into effect. |
3 . AGCCI builds digital skills and momentum (动力) towards a better future
In the rural Rwandan village where Chantal grew up, access to digital technology was basically non-existent. But when she was selected to attend one of the country’s top high schools, Chantal took to computer science right away. After doing well in her exams, she told her mother she wanted to pursue a career in programming. Her mother’s response, she says, did not surprise her: “She laughed and said ‘Do you know where you are from? That’s for students from the cities, rich families or boys,’” Chantal recalls.
Though the details vary, versions of Chantal’s story are shared by girls across Africa and around the world.
Launched in 2018 by UN Women and the African Union Commission (AUC), AGCCI working to empower girls across Africa by helping them build digital literacy (数字素养) a computer skills and placing them on the path to tech careers.
AGCCI’s coding camp was a turning point for Chantal, too. She credits the initiative was pushing her to pursue Information Technology at the university level — despite the pressure she was receiving against it.
| A．The absence of workable woman role models further drives their under-representation. |
| B．The camp inspired me in the world of technology and made me develop an interest in it. |
| C．AGCCI works both to train and empower girls and to increase their inclusion in the tech sector more generally. |
| D．Everything changed for Sizolwethu when she attended a coding camp run by the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) |
| E．Now she is using the skills she learned to develop applications that help her community, such as a bus booking system and more. |
| F．A lack of exposure to tech coupled with strong gendered norms (性别标准) continue to keep girls out of the field from an early age. |
4 . There are some things money can’t buy. Education, however, does not appear to be among them—at least as measured by performance on international exams. A new study by Harvard University offers strong evidence that the wealth of a country affects exam results just as much as the wealth of a pupil’s household does. On average, pupils in wealthy countries obtain vastly higher test scores than those in developing ones.
Evaluating test scores around the world is harder than it sounds. Although pupils in the rich world mostly take one of a few big international exams, many developing countries rely on regional tests, making apples-to-apples comparisons impossible.
Researchers organized an exam in 2016 for 2,314 children in India, which included both questions from the leading tests and ones taken from smaller exams. Using answers from the same pupils on the same day to questions from different tests, they built a statistical model they called a “Rosetta Stone”. It can translate scores from a range of exams—such as one used only in west Africa—into an equal mark on other common international tests.
They then used these equations（等式）to estimate how pupils in 80 different countries would fare on the benchmark（基准）Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Their data show that the wealth of a student’s country and family have similar impacts on test scores—meaning that big gaps in GDP per person matter more than small ones in household income do. For example, pupils from families that are very poor by rich-world standards—those earning $5,000 a year—are expected to score around 500 out of 1,000 on the TIMSS in America, and 560 in Japan. In contrast, those whose parents make $10,000 a year in an upper-middle income country can only get the equivalent（等价物）of a 475.
The influence of parental earnings is not constant. Rich people tend to educate their children privately in places where wealth is concentrated, such as Brazil. However, in countries with relatively flat income distributions, like Croatia, pupils from different social classes are more likely to attend the same schools. This could reduce the impact of family wealth on test scores.
1. Why is it hard to evaluate the exam scores on a global level?| A．Because the types of exams vary with countries. |
| B．Because many rich countries refuse regional tests. |
| C．Because the wealth of a country affects exam results. |
| D．Because no international exam is available to poor areas. |
| A．To integrate different exams into a common one. |
| B．To evaluate different exams with distinct approaches. |
| C．To fix the standard of the exams in different countries. |
| D．To turn scores of different exams into an equivalent mark. |
| A．Poor students tend to be academically superior to rich ones. |
| B．Students from rich families will definitely get higher grades. |
| C．The influence of family income on students is related to circumstances. |
| D．People with high social status are more likely to educate their children privately. |
| A．Education is something money can’t buy. |
| B．The wealth of a country matters for education. |
| C．Family income plays an important role in education. |
| D．A statistical model helps to evaluate the exam scores. |
5 . Cleaning up the table, I caught sight of small round plastic pieces. I discovered they were the tops or covers of color markers I had kept on the table. The only difference was that someone got those covers and chewed them into shapelessness. On another part of the table, I saw the color markers dried up without covers. I was almost sure I knew who had done it and I could not understand the motivation behind his actions.
As I considered my discovery, my frustration and disappointment gradually went away when I remembered that as a child, I did several weird(奇怪的)things that must have bothered my mother. I cut our shoes, I chewed pens and pencils, and I wrote and drew pictures on walls and destroyed many items at home. The mind of a child is curious and explorative, seeking to understand and test the limits of many things. Of course, it can be costly, but what is growing up if no mistakes are made?
We call it paying the school fees of life. If a child plays with a hot iron and it burns them, it is a given that they will not go near the iron again. Sometimes I watch the children in my neighborhood playing dangerous games. Occasionally, I have got myself involved and spoken up, but sometimes I let it pass. Until someone has fallen off his bike, they may not want to be told to stop riding with reckless abandon(毫无顾忌). Until a child has fallen down, they will not listen when asked to get down from the tree. However, wisdom shows that if the behavior is deadly, you should get involved in time.
Creativity is a valuable quality. And this is why we should encourage children to remain innovative rather than be simple recipients of everything they have known and seen. Allow children to make mistakes, but this must be followed with supervision(监督), monitoring, and correction.
1. What happened to the author’s color markers?| A．They were stolen. |
| B．They were destroyed. |
| C．They were thrown away. |
| D．They were cleaned by mistake. |
| A．Mistakes are unavoidable for children. |
| B．Some lessons of life are too painful to bear. |
| C．Children often put themselves in danger. |
| D．Children can learn from their mistakes. |
| A．What is growing up without making mistakes? |
| B．How to help children grow up quickly? |
| C．How to deal with children’s mistakes? |
| D．What really matters in growing up? |
6 . Papa’s jaw dropped when Mama told him that Sister had cheated on her final exams—not to succeed but to fail. “It’s unbelievable!” he said. “Sister has always been so proud of her good grades!”
“Yes, she has,” said Mama. “But it’s not unbelievable. It just shows how badly she wanted off the swimming team”.
“Wanted off the swimming team?”said Papa. “She never said anything about that to me.”
“Of course she didn’t.” said Mama. “She was afraid you’d blow your top.You already had her getting a swimming scholarship(奖学金) to college and winning gold medals at the Olympics. Can you imagine how much pressure she must have felt ? For her, being on the team couldn’t have been much fun.”
“Oh, my Gosh!” Papa said, clapping a hand to his forehand. “I’ve been so stupid! I just thought she’d want to be a champion swimmer because she’s so good at it.”
“It’s like anything else, dear,” said Mama, “No matter how good at it you are, if it stops being fun, you won’t want to do it anymore.”
Papa put his head in his hands.
“She must be really mad at me,”he mumbled.“Maybe I should say sorry to her.”
Sister’s footsteps could be heard on the stairs. She came into the kitchen and looked hopefully up at her parents with a smile.
“Honey,”said Mama with a smile. “Your Papa and I have decided that there’s no reason for you to be on the swimming team if you don’t want to.”
Sister’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yippee!” she cried.
“And,”added Papa, “there’s no need for any more drills. I’m sure you’ll bring your grades back up all by yourself.”
Sister ran to Papa and jumped into his arms. She gave him a big hug. “I’m going to play cards with Lizzy!“ she said.”See you later!”
From the kitchen window, Mama and Papa watched their daughter run down the sunny road toward Lizzy’s house.
“It’s good to see her happy again,” said Mama,
“It sure is,“Papa agreed.“As for the swimming team, there’s always next year.”
“If?” Mama prompted him.
“Oh, right,” said Papa.“If she wants to.” Mama smiled. “At least you’re learning, dear.” she said. She kissed him.
“Well, you know what they say,” Papa said. “Better late than never”.
1. Why did Sister cheat in her final exams?| A．To improve her grades in her final exams. |
| B．To show she wanted to leave the swimming team. |
| C．To let others know how badly she did in her study. |
| D．To prove she was not as good at swimming as before. |
| A．Get very angry. | B．Become quite excited. |
| C．Change your idea. | D．Reach your goal. |
| A．He taught her how to win gold medals. |
| B．He offered her a swimming scholarship. |
| C．He put much pressure on her to do the best. |
| D．He brought her much fun with his company. |
| A．Sister was going to be punished by her cheating. |
| B．Mama successfully persuaded Papa to change his mind. |
| C．Sister was requned to finish more exercises to improve her grades. |
| D．Papa was disappointed with his daughter’s performance. |
7 . According to A Guide for Families by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children, preteens, and teens can lie for varying reasons.
What should a parent or caregiver do? Try to keep in mind that kids can be quite self-absorbed and they often don’t understand how hurtful lies can be. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help promote truthfulness in your child at any age.
Keep in mind that addressing lying behaviours is a process not a quick fix.
While in the short term you may just get a shrug, keeping yourself calm to create a sense of emotional safety will help your voice of truth and reason be heard throughout their lives.
| A．Get them to know that you understand them or their situations. |
| B．Try to seek some help from experts who understand them well. |
| C．Some kids may take a while before they feel safe to level with you. |
| D．When I coach parents, I help them learn not to take lies from their kids personally. |
| E．They try to avoid getting into trouble or lie because they are too upset to talk about painful experiences. |
| F．Lying is not only harmful to kids then selves, but also it hurts people around them. |
| G．The best you can do as a parent is to keep yourself from overreacting to your child’s lies. |
1．比赛特点；
2．听后感受；
3．意见建议。
注意：
1．写作词数应为80左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The English speech competition is amazingly fantastic.
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9 . It’s an unconventional setting. Children of varying ages are reading actively. Seated next to them are teenagers, many of them girls, staring at the Hindi alphabet(字母表)on the blackboard. In charge of this class are three young girls, not much older than their students. But when Tabassum, Tarannum and Rubina, no more than 22, start speaking, you know the difference. Their confidence takes you by surprise.
A little over 10 kilometres from Varanasi lies the village of Sajoi where illiteracy(文 盲)was quite common. It had blocked out modernity until recently, especially when it came to its women. Educating girls was considered pointless, and the possibility of women stepping out of their homes, unthinkable.
Things began to change in 2010 when Human Welfare Association (HWA), identified Sajoi for a planned intervention. HWA set up a centre in Sajoi to offer free education but the villagers needed to be convinced to join in. The organization needed volunteers who valued education. Tabassum, Tarannum and Rubina embraced the opportunity.
After completing their high school education, the girls set out on another important mission-persuading the locals to send their children to schools. “We went knocking at every door, talking to elders, “recalls Rubina. Some villagers asked them to mind their own business. “We didn’t let all this distract our attention from the main goal, ” Rubina says.
The girls honed their approach. They didn’t ask people to stop their children from working, but urged them to send them to schools for an hour or two. Slowly, children started trickling(缓 慢增加)in. Motivational Learning Centre, as the girls call it, is no replacement for school. It is there, in fact, that they create the hunger for knowledge. It also helps school-going children so they don’t lose interest and drop out.
Those who doubted the girls’ intentions now recommend the centre to others. The number of admissions to schools has steadily increased and the dropout rate in Sajoi has fallen.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a typical scene. |
| B．By comparing different views. |
| C．By analyzing certain reasons. |
| D．By providing background information. |
| A．Most families had a tight budget. |
| B．They were engaged in working. |
| C．The locals didn’t value education much. |
| D．The educational resources were insufficient. |
| A．Abandoned. |
| B．Explained. |
| C．Adopted. |
| D．Improved. |
| A．To explain the consequences of poor knowledge. |
| B．To show efforts to fight against illiteracy in India. |
| C．To reflect on the current educational situation in India. |
| D．To inform us of the urgent need for the youth to get educated. |
10 . Recently, many arguments between anxious parents and children on the use of mobile phones have hit the headlines. According to a survey, children’s addiction to online games is closely related to parent-child relations:
First, parents should not be overly upset or annoyed when their kids play video games.
Last but not least, parents should spend time with their children.
In a word, developing good parent-kid relations is an effective way to keep or draw kids away from smartphones.
| A．There are some other problems that deserve parents’ attention. |
| B．They are one of the most popular entertainments for students. |
| C．What’s more, it is advisable to adopt a friendly way of parenting. |
| D．Besides, some of the problems should be left for time to solve. |
| E．The better the relationship is, the less likely a kid is to be addicted to online games. |
| F．Actually, the most valuable gift for their kids is time, not money or expensive presents. |
| G．Family members can also smooth out their differences and reach consensuses (一致同意)together. |
