I am an elementary school teacher. I think homework should be done by the child and it should take only about a half an hour. Parents should write a note if they had to help a lot, this tells the teacher that the day’s lesson needs more review. Some things are more easily learned if they are practiced at home. Students should develop independence and organization. I send home fairly simple homework because I do not wish to see how creative mom, dad, the neighbors and grandma are with large projects... what is this teaching the child? Independence? Creativity?

　 Many readers are noticing the alarming trend to test, test, test. These new tests are not like the ones we remember. They are really difficult and abstract. Besides the usual math problems, third and fourth grade tests now ask about probability, tessellations and flips, slides, turns. Some teachers have had to increase the pace of their instruction to cover all the topics that will appear on the tests, thus, they send home homework that kids may not fully understand or send more homework home so they can, they hope, cover more content faster. It’s not a good idea, but the trend of testing has driven teachers to push, push, push. Parents should be concerned about the testing that is such an important issue. I would advice parents to talk to the teacher if they find the homework too hard. Is the child not getting work done at school, or is it simply too much? Some teachers will change the amount of work. And yes, I have been on the other side of the blackboard and had to make my son and daughter do their homework. I was a stickler for not doing it for them.

1. The passage might be an opinion posted on the internet under the title _________.

　 A. How Should Homework Done Independently by Students

　 B. Should Parents Contribute to Kids’ Homework

　 C. Should You Say No to Homework

　 D. How Should Test Papers Be Written

2. According to the writer, __________.

　 A. reasonable amount of easy homework is necessary

　 B. neighbors are not creative and independent enough

　 C. homework is good to children and teachers

　 D. parents are placed too much burden by teachers

3. The tests referred to by the author ________.

　 A. are questioned about the possibilities to solve the math problems

　 B. catch up with the increasing number of topics

　 C. are the result of teachers’ pushing

　 D. include much more demanding problems

4. Which of the following would the author most likely agree?

　 A. It is advisable for parents to pay enough attention to their kids’ lessons.

　 B. It is a good idea for teachers to send some difficult assignments home.

C. It is encouraging for parents to help with their children’s homework.

D. It’s practical for parents to leave their children’s homework with the teachers

Scientists need to do a lot of ______and experiments before they can understand and find a cure for things.
A. search      B. resources   C. research    D. experience