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America's top education official says many schools are spending too much time teaching the “basics”—reading, math and writing. It might seem opposite to what educators have been promoting. But U.S. Education Secretary John King says children really deserve access to a well-rounded education that includes music and arts because it will help them go into being well-rounded, well-educated persons．
King spoke about his own education when explaining why schools need to teach more than math， reading and writing．
King grew up in New York. Both his parents died when he was quite young. In his house, things were often crazy and frightening. It was his teacher, Mr. Osterwei, who helped him escape his difficult life. Quite often, the teacher took him and his classmates to the theater, the zoo, the ballet and famous Museum of Natural History. “Those were powerful, life-changing experiences, ”King says. King graduated from Harvard University. He received his law degree from Yale University. He took charge of New York State public schools from 2011-2015. The U.S. Senate approved him as Education secretary last month．
Many schools spend almost all funding on the “basics” because they lack money for other subjects, King says. Or they want students to do better on tests used to compare student performance．
Students need to connect their studies and things that matter to them personally, such as music if they are to become “sophisticated(水平高的) thinkers”. A 2013 report by UNESCO says today's world needs people able to solve new and unusual problems. It says arts can help students find those answers. In the report, UNESCO said teaching the arts in China, South Korea and Japan is different．
From that in many Western countries, the emphasis(重点) in those three countries is “on joyful experiences and children's interests. ” In the West, educators are more likely to connect the arts to reading, writing and math. A 2014 report tried to compare how well countries teach children how to solve problems. It found Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Australia and Finland with the highest scores for 15-year-olds. Singapore led the way with a score of 562 out of a possible 1，000. The average score was 500. The United States had a score of 508．
1.According to paragraph 1, what have educators been encouraging?
A. Teaching arts should never be put second to teaching the “basic”．
B. More money and time ought to be set aside for teaching arts．
C. Research should be done to ensure a well-rounded education．
D. Enough time is supposed to be spent in teaching the “basics”．
2.King spoke about his own education experience to ________.
A. share with us his extraordinary education background
B. tell us his teacher attached great importance to teaching
C. confirm access to arts contributes to good academic performances
D. call on schools to give arts lessons as much attention as the "basics" ones
3.The author convinces us of the importance of teaching arts by different means except ________.
A. by giving examples B. by making comparisons
C. by analyzing figures D. by performing experiments
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Schools are supposed to be far-sighted
B. Kids should be well-rounded persons
C. Kids need more than “the basics” to learn
D. Teachers must have advanced teaching methods
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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请默写Rural Education的第一段所给两个句子之间的空白部分：
Now in the rural areas, there are many children out of school.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
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The third reason is that some children are not interested in their lessons, and would not like to go to school.
高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
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It’s very________ that, in many schools, the students are going to spend less time in doing homework than they used to .
A．possibly
B．probably
C．lovely
D．likely
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper:
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
You may never have another chance.
1.According to the passage, we know that _______.
A. Jim was always ashamed of himself
B. Jim did very well in his studies
C. Jim’s parents were patient with him
D. Jim failed to finish his high school
2.The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 most probably means _______.
A. annoying B. aggressive
C. impatient D. thrilling
3.By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to _______.
A. mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident
B. remind people to be cautious of motorcycles
C. tell parents to take better care of their children
D. suggest people taking the chance to express their love in time
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Love your Family. B. Do it Today.
C. Walk with Pride. D. Appreciate Smiles.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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_______ in a top-level university abroad is what many students wish for.
A.Educated B. Being educated
C.To educate D. Educating
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Education officials and industry experts are debating the future of online learning. The discussion is important because hundreds of universities in the United States have recently moved classes online because of the spread of the novel coronavirus（冠状病毒）.
For Asha Choksi, the rise of Internet-based or online study programs has led to major improvements in higher education. “It’s actually given a lot more power to students in terms of how, when and where they learn,” the head of research for Pearson Education said.
Classes meet online through video conferencing. In this way, students are able to communicate with each other and their professors even when they are far away from school. However, recent research suggests the majority of college students and professors prefer in-person instruction, because they are concerned that companies supervising（监管）online learning programs are not clear about the policies the schools have.
“Students see in-class lectures as opportunities to engage with instructors, peers, and content.” the researchers wrote. In-person learning is especially important in fields like healthcare and teaching. Online education can never really take its place, said Stephanie Hall, a fellow with the independent policy research group The Century Foundation. “Students need to experience...what they’re learning about, reading about or hearing about in the classroom. And I don’t know yet the degree to which technology can facilitate that.”
“When schools make agreements with online program managers to run their online programs, they often do not make important information available to students,” Hall said. This includes how much control the company has over the design of the program or whether the teacher leading the classes was involved in their design. In addition, many colleges and universities advertise online programs as a low cost opportunity for students. But in some cases, students attending in-person classes get financial aid and online students do not.
1.What does Choksi think of the online study programs?
A.They offer students more choices in study.
B.They reform the country’s education system.
C.They provide advanced scientific knowledge.
D.They promote the development of technology.
2.According to most college students and professors, what’s the advantage of in-person learning?
A.It is convenient.
B.It costs less to study.
C.It can better meet school policies.
D.It can improve students’ communication skills.
3.What does the underlined word “facilitate” probably mean in paragraph 4?
A.change B.apply
C.achieve D.control
4.What is Hall’s attitude towards online education?
A.Hopeful. B.Critical.
C.Uncaring. D.Neutral.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is longtypically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All_this_hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming (填鸭式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm.Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.
1.The students spend the least time in school in ________.
A. the UK B. Finland
C. the USA D. Korea
2.The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.
A. private evening tutoring
B. selfstudy at home
C. longhour study
D. school study
3.From Paragraph 3, we can know that ________.
A. Finnish students are less stressed in study
B. there're also many cramming schools in Britain
C. students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia
D. British schools are less competitive than universities
4.According to the author, the key to improving education is ________.
A. the attitude
B. the schooling time
C. star pupils
D. new teaching approach
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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One of India’s top engineering schools has restricted Internet access in its boarding houses, saying addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting students’ performance, making them lonely and even suicidal.
Authorities at the best Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socializing and many were late for morning classes or slept through them. “Now, a student doesn’t even know who lives two doors away from him because he is so busy on the Internet,” said Prakash Gopalan, dean of Student Affairs. “The old dormitory culture of companionship and socializing among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion.”
IITMumbai, with about 5,000 students, is one of the seven IITs across India which are considered to be among the finest engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool for global technology giants. But their hard courses, tough competition and lonely campus lifestyle have taken an effect on students. Depressive and dysfunctional lifestyles are known to be common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed suicide in the past five years. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their boarding houses to help them in their studies, but many also use it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for gaming.
“Starting Monday, Internet access will be banned between 11 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at IITMumbai’s 13 boarding buildings to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their shells.” Gopalan said. But the move has not gone down well with students who say they hate their lives being regulated. “Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby (摇篮曲) to go to sleep.” said Rajiv, an electronics student.
1.According to the text, the students addicted to the Internet in IIT-Mumbai are likely to ______.
A. perform well in studies
B. participate in social activities
C. know their classmates better
D. feel lonely and even suicidal
2.The underlined word “dysfunctional” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “______”.
A. unpopular B. meaningful C. abnormal D. exciting
3.What measures have been taken in IITMumbai?
A. Students must go to bed before 11 p.m.
B. Students are forbidden to surf the Internet on campus.
C. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their dormitories.
D. Internet access is unavailable in deep night in boarding buildings.
4.We may infer from the last paragraph that ______.
A. all electronics students hate the banning order
B. some students complain about the banning order
C. there is no Internet access on the IIT campus ever since
D. more students prefer listening to music to surfing the Internet
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. However, scientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important. New evidence suggests that the link between handwriting and educational development is deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they are also better able to create ideas and remember information. In other words, it’s not only what we write that matters—but how.
A study led by Karin James, a psychologist （心理学家）at Indiana University, gave support to that view. A group of children, who had not learned to read and write, were offered a letter or a shape on a card and asked to copy it in one of three ways: draw the image on a page but with a dotted outline (虚线) , draw it on a piece of blank white paper, or type it on a computer. Then the researchers put the children in a brain scanner and showed them the image again.
It was found that when children had drawn a letter freehand without a dotted outline or a computer, the activity in three areas of the brain was increased. These three areas work actively in adults when they read and write. On the contrary, children who chose the other two ways showed no such effect. Dr. James attributes the differences to the process of free handwriting: Not only must we first plan and take action in a way but we are also likely to produce a result that is variable. Those are not necessary when we have an outline.
It’s time for educators to change their minds and pay more attention to children’s handwriting.
1.What do scientists mean by saying “it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important”?
A. Handwriting is not very important to children.
B. Handwriting has nothing to do with education.
C. Handwriting can not be learned in a short time.
D. Handwriting should not be ignored at present.
2.What does “that view” in Para. 3 refer to?
A. Children read quickly when they write by hand.
B. Children create ideas and remember information.
C. How we write is as important as what we write.
D. A group of students should know what to write.
3.Which is NOT the children’s task in the experiment?
A. Put a brain scanner and show the image again.
B. Draw the image on a piece of blank white paper.
C. Type the image directly on a computer.
D. Copy the image on a page but with a dotted outline.
4.According to the passage, the author obviously giving up handwriting.
A. is for B. is against
C. is responsible for D. doesn’t care about
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Dick worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Dick improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to Work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earlier age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.
1.What did the company where Dick once worked learn from its mistake?
A. They encouraged people to work a longer time.
B. They discouraged people to think freely.
C. They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas.
D. They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas.
2. Creativity is something __
A. that people are born with
B. that depends on intelligence
C. that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems
D. that is not important at all
3.Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?
A. They don’t understand the importance of education.
B. They don’t want their students to make mistakes.
C. They pay too much attention to exam marks, language and mathematical skills.
D. They think it more important to remember some information.
4. What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?
A. Try to help them as much as possible. B. Take no notice of whatever they do.
C. Leave them as they are. D. Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much..
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析