Question

As summer comes near, many children are really happy to forget about school for a few months. However, studies have found that children typically forget between one and three months’ worth of school learning during the summer months. Spelling and math abilities suffer the most, while reading is not really influenced by the time off. The most probable reason for this is that most children read at least occasionally outside of the classroom, whether newspapers, magazines, books, or video game guides. However, their math and spelling skills only get exercised in the school setting.

The original purpose of summer vacations was to let farm children have time off to help work in the fields in the high growing season, but this reason is no longer valid since fewer kids actually work on farms today. Some cities in the United States, such as Los Angeles, have moved to a year-round school calendar, which may help reduce the academic decline that occurs during the long summer vacation. Most cities still use the normal nine and a half-month calendars. To improve skills and to maintain a good level of preparation, experts recommend trips to museums, summer camps, and visits to libraries to keep kids mentally active and interested throughout the summer.

There are other educational systems that provide vacations while still keeping students’ skills sharp(敏锐的). For example, in Japan students attend class for seven weeks continuously, followed by two weeks of vacation. This continues throughout the year. In Italy, students attend class six days per week, but finish at 1:30 PM each day, so that school does not dominate their life the way that it does in America.

Educational specialists fear that the three-month summer vacation stops the continuity of learning. Just as students become accustomed to new concepts in reading, writing, or critical thinking skills, they “shut down” for an extended period. When they go back to school after the long summer vacation, they take up to two months to return to their previous level of understanding. And so the debate continues: whether to continue the present vacations or to seek changes.

41. Spelling and math abilities suffer the most during the summer months because children _____.

A. take the summer vacation too seriously

B. do little work of math or spelling

C. don’t like spelling and math

D. have to help work in the fields

42. What can be learned from the passage?

A. Students read in summer vacations.

B. Nowadays no children work on farm in summer vacations.

C. The United States has cancelled summer vacations.

D. The nine and a half-month calendars help improve skills.

43. What is one of the advantages of Japan and Italy’s educational systems?

A. They provide students with shorter vacations every year.

B. The students have more free time of their own to play.

C. They offer vacations without affecting students’ skills.

D. The students attend classes for longer time every week.

44. What does the underlined phrase “shut down” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A. Stop learning.                  B. Get sick.

C. Go on vacation.        D. Concentrate on their studies.

45. What is the best title for the passage?

A. How to Spend Summer Vacations.

B. No More Summer Vacations.

C. Summer Vacations: Change or Not

D. New Educational Systems Needed

Answer 1

41. B      42. A      43. C      44. A      45. C