17．Forty years ago，Finland was a small，country with mediocre public schools．Today，Finland is still small but no one calls Finland's public schools mediocre any more．
In 2000，the Finns surprised the world when their 15-year-olds scored at the top of a closely watched international exam called the PISA．Finland has stayed near the top ever since，while the U．S．scores around the middle．
Pasi Sahlberg，an official with Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture，is in Seattle this week to share the story of Finland's success，and what states like Washington can learn from it．
Sahlberg's message，although he is too polite to put it so bluntly：Stop testing so much，trust teachers more； give less homework； shorten the school day．
On Tuesday，in a room filled with teachers，principals，professors，school-board members and policy makers，Sahlberg joked about the Finns'reputation for being a quiet，humble people．"When Finland hit the top of the PISA，"he said，"the biggest disbelievers were Finns．"
More seriously，Finland never set out to create the world's top school system．Instead，he said，the country decided in the 1970s that it wanted to ensure that a student's success didn't depend on family background．
"Finland relied on cooperation among teachers and schools，rather than on competition．Rather than judging teachers and schools based on test scores，"he said，"Finland puts trust in its teachers and principals．Teachers develop the curriculum in Finland，and design their own tests．There are no national tests，except one at the end of high school．"
That's just the start．Along with a shorter school day，Finnish students don't even start school until they are 7years old．Many primary schools have a policy against giving homework．
"But Finland，"he said，"succeeded in part by adopting ideas from the U．S．and other countries．And those countries，he said，can learn from Finland，too．"
24．What might be the author's purpose of writing the passage？C
A．To introduce a Finnish official．
B．To compare the education systems of Finland and the US．
C．To share the story of Finland's success in education．
D．To ask the US to improve its education．
25．People first learned Finland's success in education fromA．
A．its students'performance in an international exam．
B．its international exchange prorrams．
C．lectures given by Pasi Sahlberg．
D．its small-sized public schools．
26．Which of the following can contribute to Finland's success in education？C
a．Giving students fewer tests．
b．Giving teachers more trust．
c．Evaluating students'family backgrounds．
d．Creating the world's top school system．
e．Starting school late．
A．a，b，c B．c，d，e C．a，b，e D．b，c，d
27．What Pasi Sahlerg said in Paragraph 7suggested thatB．
A．children should start school as early as possible．
B．competition among teachers might be harmful to education．
C．the US education system is still the most advanced．
D．it's necessary to set up a national curriculum．
分析 文章大意：本文讲的是40年前，芬兰是一个很小的国家，拥有平庸的公立学校，而40年以后，芬兰依然是一个小国家，但是其公立教育不再平庸，是什么让芬兰发生了这么大的变化？文章介绍了其成功的三个要素．
解答 24．C 写作意图题．根据文章第一段中的 Today，Finland is still small but no one calls Finland's public schools mediocre any more并结合全文可知，作者主要讲述芬兰教育的成功做法，旨在和大家分享，因此答案选C．
25．A 推理判断题．根据文章第二段第一句话In 2000，the Finns surprised the world when their 15-year-olds scored at the top of a closely watched international exam called the PISA可知芬兰的学生在国家比赛中的表现让人们首次见识到了芬兰教育的成功，因此答案选A．
26．C 细节理解题．根据文章第四段中的Stop testing so much，trust teachers more可知与a、b对应；根据第六段可知c和d不正确；第八段的Finnish students don't even start school until they are 7years old与e对应，c和d不是芬兰教育成功的要素，因此答案选C．
27．B 推理判断题．根据文章第七段的第一句话"Finland relied on cooperation among teachers and schools，rather than on competition．Rather than judging teachers and schools based on test scores，"可知教师间的竞争可能会对教育有害，因此芬兰的教育依靠的是教师与学校之间的合作，因此答案选B．
点评 本文是人文地理类阅读理解．这类题材是高考常考内容，它注重考查考生对整体内容的把握，做题时要求考生结合题目及文章上下文做出正确的选择．
