So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.
【小题1】The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that ________.

A．it is one of the most difficult school courses

B．students spend endless hours in reading

C．reading tasks are assigned with little guidance

D．too much time is spent in teaching about reading

【小题2】The teaching of reading will be successful if ________.

A．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students

B．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading

C．teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading

D．teachers can make their teaching activities observable

【小题3】The underlined word“ scrutiny” most probably means“________”.

A．inquiry

B．observation

C．control

D．suspicion

【小题4】According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when ________.

A．children become highly motivated

B．teacher and learner roles are interchangeable

C．teaching helps children in the search for knowledge

D．reading enriches children’s experience

【小题5】The main idea of the passage is that ________.

A．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read

B．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible

C．reading ability is something acquired rather than taught

D．reading is more complicated that generally believed

One Monday morning, Paul and his classmates were in science laboratory for their practical chemistry lesson. The students were going to work in pairs to do an experiment. Before they began, the teacher gave them this description of the different stages of the experiment.
Stage 1: Prepare the equipment: a test tube, a crucible, a Bunsen burner and tongs.
Stage 2: Weigh 5 grams of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and put it in a crucible.
Stage 3: Heat 10 ml of hydrochloric acid (盐酸) in a test tube.
Stage 4: Pour the warm acid onto the baking soda and continue to heat the mixture.
Result: The acid reacts with the bicarbonate（碳酸氢盐）to form water, carbon dioxide gas and salt. The hotter the mixture, the quicker the reaction. Continue to heat the mixture until the water evaporates, leaving the salt in the crucible.
Paul and his partner followed the instructions and set up their equipment. Paul went to the cupboard to get a bottle of hydrochloric acid. He found that there was only one bottle in the cupboard so he took that. There was no label on the bottle and Paul didn’t check with the teacher if it was the right solution.
He measured the liquid and poured it into a test tube. Using tongs to hold the test tube, he heated it over the Bunsen burner. That’s when things started to go wrong. The liquid in the test tube was not hydrochloric acid. When it was heated, it formed a thick cloud of white gas. Soon the room was full of this strong smelling white gas.
All the students started coughing and their eyes hurt. The teacher immediately opened the windows and ordered the students to leave the laboratory at once. She realized that the liquid was a crylamide (丙烯酰胺) and that it is poisonous.
Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident. However, it taught the students and the teacher a good lesson.
【小题1】What lesson did the incident teach the students and the teacher?

A．Never have a bottle without a label in the chemistry lab!

B．Obey your teacher’s instructions in the Chemistry lab.

C．A crylamide can’t take the place of hydrochloric acid.

D．Finding something unusual happened, you have to leave the laboratory at once.

【小题2】What substance were the students making in the experiment?

A．Water

B．Carbon dioxide gas

C．Salt

D．Poisonous gas

【小题3】Why did Paul make the mistake?

A．He went to the cupboard to get the bottle by himself.

B．He found that there was only one bottle in the cupboard so he took that.

C．There was no label on the bottle.

D．Paul didn’t check with the teacher that it was the right solution.

【小题4】Why did the teacher send the students out of the classroom?

A．Becausethe room was full of this strong smelling white gas.

B．Because all the students started coughing and their eyes hurt.

C．Becausethe liquid was a crylamide and that it is poisonous.

D．Because someone was injured in the incident.

Last year, over 206,000 students from the United States studied abroad. Does that number surprise you? These students already know the benefits of studying abroad. You may be wondering why you should study abroad. Here are some answers for you.
◆ Timing
The absolutely best time in your life to study abroad is when you are in college. If you miss this opportunity, it’s almost impossible for you to do it later in life.
◆ To gain cross-cultural experience
Life overseas makes you see your everyday world in a whole new light. You don’t even realize it, but our culture shapes the way we view the world and affects us every minute of the day. Differences in culture are more than just differences in language, food, clothing and art.
◆ To improve your communication skills and your self-confidence
People who study abroad tend to be willing to take risks, willing to put themselves in unusual situations, and able to solve problems.
◆ To become more fluent in a language or to learn a new language
The world market is becoming smaller, and many companies require a second language. Foreign languages are not only valuable in the job market but also valuable in the real world.
◆ For the adventure
Travel to other cities within your host country and around neighboring countries. As you get to know your new classmates, roommates, and host family, you will gain a unique view on the host culture. Discover the differences and, more importantly, the many similarities between your worlds. The friendships you make will last long after the program.
◆ To learn more about yourself
Find out who you really are. What are your limits? How do you overcome the difficulties you’ve never encountered before? How independent are you? These questions are hard to answer until you are removed from your usual surroundings. After solving difficult problems on your own overseas, you’ll find that almost nothing will confuse you at home. Students who study abroad commonly report that their study abroad experience actually changed their lives.
【小题1】The passage mainly talks about _______.

A．the benefits of studying abroad

B．the time for studying abroad

C．the difficulty you come across when you're abroad

D．some tips on how to get used to a new environment

【小题2】What is the best time in your life to study abroad according to the passage?

A．When you're at work.	B．When you are free.
C．At any time you like.	D．When you are in college.

【小题3】What does the underlined word“encountered” here mean?

A．Opposed.

B．Experienced.

C．Solved.

D．Explained.

【小题4】All of the following are mentioned in the passage as reasons for studying abroad EXCEPT _______.

A．getting cross-cultural experience

B．improving communication skills and self-confidence

C．improving your foreign language

D．learning how to get along with people

Sooner or later, most students are to take some form of English examinations. Often the more successful students are better prepared. However, sometimes students who do well have better test taking skills. These abilities really have nothing to do with understanding English better. They are skills that make taking the test easier, and therefore provide better results.
Here are some very important—and often ignored—guidelines to taking a test successfully.
Do not insist on completing each question before going to the next. This is extremely important. Remember one question may only be worth one point! You will become nervous when you fail to find out its answer, making you lose your concentration and leading to worse results. However, answering the questions you are sure you know results in your being more relaxed and feeling more confident.
Go through the test a second time working out the answers to more difficult questions. Sometimes questions asked are answered in later questions asking for different things.
Usually(but not always) a strong first impulse(冲动) means we know the answer and we don’t really have to think about it too much. Going back to think about it usually makes you unsure and often causes a mistake. This is very common, so be very careful!
If you don’t know the answer, write something. If you are answering a 4 possibility multiple choice question you will still have a 25% chance of being correct!
Taking a test is as much for you as is for your teacher, so never cheat. If you cheat, you don’t help yourself in the long run.
【小题1】In the first paragraph, the writer stresses the importance of ______.

A．better preparations for exams.

B．better understanding of English.

C．better skills at taking exams.

D．better results of taking exams.

【小题2】When taking an exam, you are advised ______.

A．to first answer the questions which are easier to you.

B．to depend on your first impulse to answer the questions.

C．to search the test paper for all the answers to the questions.

D．to give up the questions whose answers you don’t know.

【小题3】It is common that many students______.

A．pay much attention to their testing skills.

B．often give up a difficult test halfway.

C．often get higher results by cheating.

D．don’t believe in their first impulse.

【小题4】What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Effective Studying Methods.	B．Effective Test Taking Skills.
C．Getting Better Exam Results.	D．Being Successful Students.

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback（退步）. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “enrichment”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.
【小题1】According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap          .

A．helps children to gain weight

B．leads children to work harder

C．improves children’s memories

D．affects children’s regular studies

【小题2】Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones           .

A．perform better and have more learning gains

B．have much less time for relaxation every year

C．have generally the same number of class days

D．hold more classes with more free weeks off

【小题3】Which of the following statements is true?

A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.

B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.

C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.

D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vacation.

【小题4】Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?

A．They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.

B．They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.

C．They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.

D．They can’t afford the further study during vacation.

【小题5】What would be the best title of this passage?

A．Opening Summer Camps

B．Forbidding Summer Schools

C．Spreading Year-Round Education

D．Minding the Summer Learning Gap

I am a psychologist. I first met Timothy, a quiet, overweight eleven­year­old boy, when his mother brought him to me to discuss his declining grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his self-esteem (自尊) and general happiness were falling right along with them.
I asked about Timothy’s typical day. He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could reach his school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or a lesson with his math tutor. He finished dinner at 7 pm, and then he sat down to do homework for two to three hours. Quickly doing the math in my head, I found that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day at a writing desk.
What if Timothy spent thirteen hours a day at a sewing machine instead of a desk? We would immediately be shocked, because that would be called children being horribly mistreated. Timothy was far from being mistreated, but the mountain of homework he faced daily resulted in a similar consequence — he was being robbed of his childhood. In fact, Timothy had no time to do anything he truly enjoyed, such as playing video games, watching movies, or playing board games with his friends.
Play, however, is a crucial part of healthy child development. It affects children’s creativity, their social skills, and even their brain development. The absence of play, physical exercise, and free­from social interaction takes a serious toll on many children. It can also cause significant health problems like childhood obesity, sleep problems and depression.
Experts in the field recommend the minutes children spend on their homework should be no more than ten times the number of their grade level. As a fifth­grader, Timothy should have no more than fifty minutes a day of homework (instead of three times that amount). Having an extra two hours an evening to play, relax, or see a friend would soundly benefit any child’s life quality.
【小题1】What did the writer think of Timothy after learning about his typical day__________?

A．Timothy was very hard­working.

B．Timothy was being mistreated.

C．Timothy had a heavy burden.

D．Timothy was enjoying his childhood.

【小题2】Which of the following statements best describes the writer’s opinion________?

A．Children should be allowed enough time to play.

B．Playing board games works better than playing video games.

C．The more they play, the more creative children will become.

D．The depression caused by homework makes children unwilling to play.

【小题3】According to the passage, how long should a third­grader spend a day doing homework________?

A．About ten minutes.	B．No more than twenty minutes.
C．No more than thirty minutes.	D．About fifty minutes.

A few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. “I think half of them fell off their chairs,” Gerner says.
Gerner manages school facilities (设施)for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes (样品); they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.
Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation(朝向),” Mark. McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”
Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of re most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.
【小题1】How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?

A．They lost balance in excitement.	B．they showed strong disbelief.
C．they expressed little interest.	D．they burst into cheers.

【小题2】Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?

A．Assessment－Prototype－Design－Construction.

B．Assessment－Design－Prototype－Construction.

C．Design－Assessment－Prototype－Construction.

D．Design－Prototype－Assessment－Construction.

【小题3】What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?

A．The large size.	B．Limited facilities.
C．The desert climate.	D．Poor natural resources.

【小题4】What dose Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?

A．They are questionable.	B．They are out of date.
C．They are advanced.	D．They are practical.

In a world as fast-changing and full of information as our own, all of us need to know how to learn well. Yet evidence suggests that most of us don’t use the learning techniques that science has proved the most effective.
The scientific literature evaluating these techniques goes back to decades and across thousands of articles. It’s far too extensive and complex for the average parent, teacher or employer to look through. Fortunately, a team of five leading psychologists have done the job for us.
Professor John Dunlosky and other psychologists closely examined 10 learning strategies and rated each from high to low utility(实用) on the basis of the evidence they’ve gathered. Here’s part of their conclusions:
In contrast to familiar practices, the effective learning strategies with the most evidence to support them aren’t well known outside the lab. Take distributed practice, for example. This strategy involves spreading out your study time, rather than engaging in one marathon. Cramming (死记硬背）information at the last minute may allow you to get through that test or meeting, but the material will quickly disappear from your memory. It’s much more effective to look through the material at intervals over time.
And the longer you want to remember the information, whether it’s two weeks or two years, the longer the intervals should be.
The second learning strategy that is highly recommended by Dunlosky is practice testing. Yes, more tests---but there not for a grade. Research shows that the mere act of calling information to mind strengthens that knowledge and aids in future retrieval (检索). While practice testing is not a common strategy---despite the strong evidence supporting it ---there is one familiar approach that captures its benefits: using flash cards. And now flash cards can be presented in digital form. Both distributed practice and practice testing were rated as having “high utility” by Dunlosky.
【小题1】How did the psychologists study and rate the learning strategies?

A．By analyzing the materials gathered in the past years.

B．By asking some students questions about their study.

C．By doing some experiments on the objects in the lab.

D．By asking parents and teachers to look through the articles.

【小题2】The underlined word “extensive” in Para.2 means _____.

A．small in amount

B．easy or quick to do

C．more than is needed

D．dealing with a lot of information

【小题3】About distributed practice and practice testing, it’s true that _____.

A．many students have benefited a lot from them

B．they were first put forward by John Dunlosky

C．only a small number of experts know about them

D．psychologists are studying whether they are effective

【小题4】The strategy of distributed practice shows that ______.

A．we should not study for long hours every day

B．reviewing what we have studied is of little help

C．the shorter the interval is, the better we’ll study

D．doing repetition at intervals is the best way

【小题5】The evidence shows that the strategy of practice testing ______.

A．is a way to use flash cards to help study

B．is mainly used to help us remember well

C．helps know about students’ grades in time

D．is a way widely used to strengthen memory

Anyone who doubts if children are born with a healthy amount of ambition need spend only a few minutes with a baby eagerly learning to walk. No matter how many times the little ones stumble in their first efforts, most keep on trying, determined to master their amazing new skill. It is only several years later, many psychologists and teachers agree, that a good number of kids seem to lose their natural drive to succeed. For the parents of such kids, whose own ambition is often tied to their children's success, it can be a painful experience.
Figuring out why the fire went out is the first step. Assuming that a kid doesn't suffer from a learning disability, or isn't involved in some family crisis(危机) at home, many educators attribute a sudden lack of motivation to a fear of failure or classmate pressure.“Everything is within the kids' control；their intelligence is changeable,”says Lisa Blackwell, a research scientist at Columbia University. More than any teacher or workshop, Blackwell says,“Parents can play a key role in conveying this message to their children by praising their effort and progress rather than emphasizing their “smartness” or praising high performance alone. Most of all, parents should let their kids know that mistakes are a part of learning.”
Some experts say our education system, with its strong emphasis on testing and separation of students into different levels of ability, also bears blame for the disappearance of drive in some kids.“These programs shut down the motivation of all kids who aren't considered gifted and talented. They destroy their confidence,” says Jeff Howard, a social psychologist. Howard and other educators say it's important to expose kids to a world beyond homework and tests, through volunteer work, sports, hobbies and other extra­curricular activities.
“The problem of the issue is that many students experience education as irrelevant to their life goals and ambition,”says Michael Nakkual, a Harvard education professor. The key to getting kids to aim higher at school is to free them of the idea that class work is irrelevant, and to show them how doing well at school can actually help them fulfill their dreams beyond it. They need to understand that you have to learn to walk before you can run.
【小题1】According to the passage, the parents of kids with no ambition ________.

A．don't do a very good job on teaching them to walk

B．are to blame if the kids do poorly in school

C．feel pain because their own ambition is connected to their kids' success

D．should take part in extra­curricular activities with kids

【小题2】 The underlined part “the fire went out” probably means ________.

A．the motivation was suddenly lost

B．the fear of failure was suddenly gone

C．the learning disability was suddenly lost

D．the fire was suddenly gone

【小题3】All the following can contribute to a sudden lack of ambition EXCEPT ________.

A．learning disability	B．classmate pressure
C．emphasis on testing	D．extra­curricular activities

【小题4】What is the most important thing for parents in motivating their kids?

A．Punishing kids who don't display ambition.

B．Emphasizing smartness and high performance.

C．Telling kids that mistakes are a part of learning.

D．Praising the effort and progress they have made.

Anyone who doubts if children are born with a healthy amount of ambition need spend only a few minutes with a baby eagerly learning to walk. No matter how many times the little ones stumble in their first efforts, most keep on trying, determined to master their amazing new skill. It is only several years later, many psychologists and teachers agree, that a good number of kids seem to lose their natural drive to succeed. For the parents of such kids, whose own ambition is often tied to their children's success, it can be a painful experience.
Figuring out why the fire went out is the first step. Assuming that a kid doesn't suffer from a learning disability, or isn't involved in some family crisis(危机) at home, many educators attribute a sudden lack of motivation to a fear of failure or classmate pressure.“Everything is within the kids' control；their intelligence is changeable,”says Lisa Blackwell, a research scientist at Columbia University. More than any teacher or workshop, Blackwell says,“Parents can play a key role in conveying this message to their children by praising their effort and progress rather than emphasizing their “smartness” or praising high performance alone. Most of all, parents should let their kids know that mistakes are a part of learning.”
Some experts say our education system, with its strong emphasis on testing and separation of students into different levels of ability, also bears blame for the disappearance of drive in some kids.“These programs shut down the motivation of all kids who aren't considered gifted and talented. They destroy their confidence,” says Jeff Howard, a social psychologist. Howard and other educators say it's important to expose kids to a world beyond homework and tests, through volunteer work, sports, hobbies and other extra­curricular activities.
“The problem of the issue is that many students experience education as irrelevant to their life goals and ambition,”says Michael Nakkual, a Harvard education professor. The key to getting kids to aim higher at school is to free them of the idea that class work is irrelevant, and to show them how doing well at school can actually help them fulfill their dreams beyond it. They need to understand that you have to learn to walk before you can run.
【小题1】According to the passage, the parents of kids with no ambition ________.

A．don't do a very good job on teaching them to walk

B．are to blame if the kids do poorly in school

C．feel pain because their own ambition is connected to their kids' success

D．should take part in extra­curricular activities with kids

【小题2】 The underlined part “the fire went out” probably means ________.

A．the motivation was suddenly lost

B．the fear of failure was suddenly gone

C．the learning disability was suddenly lost

D．the fire was suddenly gone

【小题3】All the following can contribute to a sudden lack of ambition EXCEPT ________.

A．learning disability	B．classmate pressure
C．emphasis on testing	D．extra­curricular activities

【小题4】What is the most important thing for parents in motivating their kids?

A．Punishing kids who don't display ambition.

B．Emphasizing smartness and high performance.

C．Telling kids that mistakes are a part of learning.

D．Praising the effort and progress they have made.