12.A dog,it is said,is a man's best friend.Put a dog,a kid and a book together,and you have a struggling reader's best friend.
The therapy dogs of R.E.A.D.-Reading Education Assistance Dogs-have been helping children improve their reading skills since 1999,when Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) began the program in Salt Lake City,Utah.
Today,tens of thousands of R.E.A.D.teams-dogs and their owners-volunteer to spend time with youngsters in schools and libraries across the United States and around the world.The idea is that sharing a book with a nonjudgmental (不带评论的) partner encourages students'confidence and helps develop a love of reading.
Izzy,a Havanese therapy dog,is a regular visitor to Public School 57in East Harlem,New York.Students meet him in the library,pick out a book and sit down on the carpet.Izzy snuggles (依偎) up to them and gets ready to hear a story.
"I love reading to Izzy because he listens to me,and he doesn't make fun of me when I make a mistake,"says third-grader Aelane Vasquez.The 9-year-old,whose parents are from Mexico,is one of 15Latin-American students at the school who were selected for the program.
"All the students that we work with in the R.E.A.D.program were behind reading levels at the beginning of the year,"Bridget McElroy,who teaches English as a Second Language,explained."Now most of them have reached the average level,if not above it."That's important,because achieving proficiency (熟练) in reading is vital for kids to succeed.Studies have shown that students who can't read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate high school by the age of 19.
The R.E.A.D.teams from New York Therapy Animals work with 175kids at Public School 57and nine other schools.
McElroy said she sees a marked difference in Aelane and her classmates,and not just in study."Not only do the kids have time to practice reading,what we are really seeing is that they are excited to read and practice even when Izzy is not here,"she said.
25.According to this passage,dogs are the best friend of kids becauseC.
A.they keep kids company through therapy
B.they can protect kids from danger
C.they are helpful to encourage kids to read
D.they are struggling and work hard
26.What does the example of Aelane Vasquez show?D
A.Kids from Mexico love reading to Izzy.
B.Only Latin-American students can be chosen for the program.
C.The R.E.A.D.teams are responsible for the selection.
D.Listening without judgment is inspiring for the kids.
27.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?B
A.The students in the R.E.A.D.program improve a lot only in study.
B.Without proficiency in reading,it's difficult for kids to succeed.
C.All the students in the R.E.A.D.program can be above the reading level.
D.When not accompanied by the dog,kids will stop practicing reading consequently.
分析 这是一篇介绍说明类文章.研究证明,在孩子阅读的时候,有小狗相伴有助于提高孩子的阅读水平.小狗是忠实的听众,但不会对孩子的阅读发表任何评论,这有助于鼓舞孩子的自信心,提高他们对阅读的热爱.
解答 25.C.细节理解题.由第一段的"Put a dog,a kid and a book together,and you have a struggling reader's best friend."和第二段中的"The therapy dogs of R.E.A.D.-Reading Education Assistance Dogs-have been helping children improve their reading skills since 1999"可知,狗有助于提高孩子的阅读技能,所以,当孩子阅读时,旁边有狗相伴,对孩子来说,狗无疑是最好的朋友.故选C.
26.D.推理判断题.由第五段中Aelane Vasquez 所说的话"I love reading to Izzy because he listens to me,and he doesn't make fun of me when I make a mistake"可知,Aelane Vasquez认为在他阅读的时候,小狗会倾听他阅读,在他犯错误的时候,小狗也不会嘲笑他.由此例证明了第三段中"The idea is that sharing a book with a nonjudgmental (不带评论的) partner encourages students'confidence and helps develop a love of reading".像小狗这种只会倾听而不做任何评论的听众可以鼓舞孩子们的自信心,帮助培养他们对阅读的热爱.故选D.
27.B.推理判断题.由倒数第三段中的"achieving proficiency (熟练) in reading is vital for kids to succeed"可知,在阅读中,达到熟练程度对孩子们成功来说是至关重要的.由此可知,如果阅读达不到熟练水平,一个孩子想成功是很困难的.故选B.
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力,做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句,和题干进行比较,再做出正确的选择.在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实,要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断.