1 . A survey of 2,000 parents of primary and secondary school children found 34 percent were out of their depth with primary school homework and unable to help their child.
Trigonometry (三角学) provided the biggest headache, with 52 percent of parents unable to help, followed by algebra (代数), which left 46 percent confused. 39 percent of parents could not calculate Pi (π) and 35 percent did not understand the periodic table. Foreign languages stumped many, with 31 percent unable to ask for directions in French. The English language also proved a struggle, with 21 percent no longer knowing the difference between a noun, verb and adjective.
As for history, 19 percent said they did not know the beginning and end dates of the world wars. On average, parents spent four hours a week attempting to tutor (辅导) their children, according to the survey by MyTutor, a company that links families with private tutors. About 73 percent ended up arguing with their children over homework and 87 percent believed schoolwork had become more challenging than the work they completed when they were at school.
Families turned to schools for extra help, with 19 percent of parents saying they had requested this from their child’s school. Thirty-nine percent said not enough support was provided. Florence Milner, a manager at MyTutor, said, “Even though most parents devote a significant amount of time weekly to helping their children with schoolwork, it’s not surprising that many find the task challenging.” Schools can use the National Tutoring Programme to support pupils they believe are most in need, but government funding has dropped this academic year from 60 to 50 percent of the cost.
Some studies have suggested that homework has little impact on a child’s progress at primary school, but helps at secondary school. The Education Endowment Foundation, which provides evidence to help improve teaching, said homework has a positive impact, particularly at secondary level, but warned that some pupils may not have a quiet space for home learning.
1. What does the underlined word “stumped” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Assisted. | B．Amused. | C．Inspired. | D．Confused. |
| A．They resist too much homework. |
| B．They doubt their children’s ability. |
| C．They may have an unpleasant experience when tutoring. |
| D．They did study hard when they were young. |
| A．Primary schools should assign more homework. |
| B．Middle school students should have proper homework. |
| C．Parents should provide more tutoring for their kids at home. |
| D．Pupils should improve academic performance by doing more homework. |
| A．quoting experts | B．making comparisons |
| C．listing figures | D．analyzing reason and effect |
2 . 阅读下面短文, 根据所给情节进行续写, 使之构成一个完整的故事。
A Christmas Visit
As 17-year-old Torriell Norwood drove through St. Petersburg, Florida, last February with her friends to pay a visit to the great park, she shared her dream of becoming a doctor. She had recently taken some first aid courses. The other girls shared stories of their experiences and adventures. But the laughter and chatter from the four teenage girls in the car quickly gave way to screams, As they passed a road junction(交叉路口), a car crashed into the side of their vehicle, sending their black car sailing into the yard of a nearby home. It only stopped when it crashed into a tree. All of the girls were in panic.
As smoke rose from the car, a bystander(旁观者)shouted, “It’s about to blow up . Get out. ”The impact had bent the driver’s door, meaning it wouldn’t open. The bystander seized the door handle of the car, using all his strength to pull it open, but failed. Shaken, but otherwise OK. Norwood crawled out through the window. She had a cut on the right side of her face. Her lovely face became very pale. Along with two of her friends, who’d also managed to free themselves, she ran for her life.
But halfway down the street, she realized that her best friend, Azarria Simmons, was not with them. Norwood ran back to the car and found Simmons lying in the back seat. “She isn’t moving,” Norwood shouted, with her heart beating hard. She threw open the back door and pulled her friend out, avoiding the broken glass as best she could. She dragged Simmons a few feet to safety and laid her on the ground. She checked per pulse. Nothing. She put her head against Simmons’s chest. No sign of life. That’s when she started CPR(心肺复苏术)
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
If the accident had happened a few weeks earlier, she might not have known what to do.
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After a while, the CPR worked and Simmons regained her consciousness.
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