Many Americans are turning to Japan, they think, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers．However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis (强调) is put on academic instruction. In one survey, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education．Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents （调查对象） listed “to give children a good start academically” as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools．In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese preschools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as determination, concentration, and the ability to work as a member of a group．The huge majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents．

Like in America, there is diversity (多样性) in Japanese early childhood education．Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential development．In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools．Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated（一流的）schools and universities．Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for stress and anxiety in some Japanese kindergartens.

60. We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe ____________.

       A. Japanese parents pay less attention to their children than American parents

       B. Japan’ s economic success is a result of its scientific achievements

       C. Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic instruction

       D. Japan’s higher education is superior to theirs

61. In Japan’s preschool education, the focus is on ____________.

       A. preparing children academically      B. developing children’s interest in art

       C. developing children’s study     D. shaping children’s character

62. Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens?

       A. They can do better in their future studies.

       B. They can make more group experience grow there.

       C. They can be self-centered when they grow up.

       D. They can have better chances of getting a first-rate education.

63. Free play has been introduced in some Japanese kindergartens in order to____________.

       A. broaden children’s knowledge        B. train children’s creativity

       C. make school life easy for children   D. enrich children’s experience

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