permanent education is crazy. I know some people go back to school
when they're older, go to language classes at the local 'tech' and
all that, but I can't understand people who want to spend all their
lives in school.
The educational
psychologist:
The idea of permanent education is
practical because we're never really too old to go on learning. Of
course, there are certain limits, but they aren't age limits. For
example, let's say a man past sixty tries to learn how to play
football. It's foolish for him to do that, but only because his
body is too old, not his mind!
Task 2
【答案】
A.
Age
|
Schooling
|
Four
|
Nursery School
|
Five
|
The Infants’ School
|
Seven
|
The Junior School
|
B.
1) He stayed there for a year.
2) He has faint, but very pleasant memories of it. He had fun and
played games---including story-telling, drawing, singing and
dancing.
3) He began t have more formal lessons and even worry about
exams.
4) The exam was called the “Eleven Plus”. Students took the exam to
see what kind of secondary school they would get into.
【原文】
John is talking to Martin about his primary schooling.
Martin: Did you go to a state primary school?
John: Yes, I did. I went to a nursery school first, at the
age of four, but this was purely voluntary.
There was a good
kindergarten in our neighbourhood so my parents decided to send me
there for a year.
Martin: Can you still remember it?
John: Yes, I have faint, but very pleasant memories of it.
It was a delightful place, full of fun and games. As in most
nursery schools, work — if you can call it that — consisted of
storytelling, drawing, singing and dancing.
Martin: You probably don't remember but you must have missed it
when you left — you know, when you went to the Infants' School at
the age of five.
John: I suppose I must have, but you know, right up to the
age of seven, school life was very pleasant. It was only later in
the Junior School that we began to have more formal lessons and
even worry about exams.
Martin: Really? Did you have to do exams at that age?
John: Yes, we used to then. We had to take an exam at the
age of eleven called the 'Eleven Plus' to see what kind of
Secondary school we would get into. But this exam has disappeared
nowadays.
Task 3
【答案】
A.
1) compulsory; the ages of 5 and 16; state-funded;
independent
2) available; at a nursery school; in the nursery class at a
primary school
3) preparatory; primary; aged 5 to 13
4) enter the state education system; at the age of 5; secondary
school
5) 7, 11, 13 or 16; gain admission at 11 or 13; the Common Entrance
Examination
6) one further year; Advanced Supplementary Examinations; Advanced
Level Examinations
7) classroom; laboratory; work independently; undertake research
for projects
8) vocational; conventional
9) secondary education; with A-levels; further; higher
B.
1) GCSE stand for the General Certificate of Secondary Education.
It is normally take at the age of sixteen.
2) Students usually study form 8 to 12 subjects over two
years.
3) Some subjects take account of the work students do throughout
the year, while others are assessed entirely by examination.
【原文】
Education in the United Kingdom is compulsory for everyone between
the ages of five and sixteen, and is provided by two kinds of
schools: state-funded schools and independent (fee-charging)
schools.
Children education
Pre-school or pre-preparatory education: pre-school education is
available in both the independent and the state systems. Many
children start their education at the age of three or four at a
nursery school or in the nursery class at a primary school.
Preparatory education: in the independent system, preparatory (or
primary) education is available for children aged 5 to 13.
Primary education: most children in the United Kingdom enter the
state education system when they go to primary school at the age of
five and generally move to secondary school or college at the age
of 11.
Secondary
education (including the General Certificate of Secondary
Education and equivalents)
Most pupils enter independent boarding schools at the age of 7, 11,
13 or 16. To gain admission at 11 or 13, some pupils sit an exam
called the Common Entrance Examination. At 16, they enter the
school to study in its sixth form (for A-levels and equivalent
qualifications).
All UK secondary schools, both state and
independent, teach pupils at least until the age of sixteen and
prepare them for the General Certificate of Secondary Education
(GCSE) or equivalent qualifications. Significant numbers of
international students enter the UK secondary education
system when they are either eleven or thirteen. Many attend
independent boarding schools.
GCSEs in vocational subjects are normally taken at the age of 16.
Following these, students can do one further year of academic study
before taking Advanced Supplementary examinations
(AS-levels).
Alternatively, there are career-based qualifications, such as
General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) or vocational
A-levels, which can be taken after one or two years of study. All
these courses give access to university or further study.
Students usually study from 8 to 12 GCSE
subjects over two years. Most students study a core of statutory
subjects and choose additional subjects from a list.
On any GCSE course, you receive formal
tuition in the classroom and laboratory but are also encouraged to
work independently and undertake research for projects, often
outside school hours. Educational visits, either on your own or as
part of a small group, are often part of the timetable. Some
subjects take account of the work you do throughout the year, while
others are assessed entirely by examination. Examinations are
independently marked and graded. GCSE grades range from A (the
highest) to G.
New GCSEs in vocational subjects are a
career-based version of the GCSE. Eight subjects are available: Art
and Design, Business, Engineering, Health and Social Care,
Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Leisure and
Tourism, Manufacturing, and Science. One vocational GCSE is
equivalent to two conventional GCSEs. As with other GCSEs, grades
range from A (the highest) to G.
Sixth-formers usually finish their secondary education at the age
of eighteen with A-levels or equivalent qualifications, then go on
to study at either further or higher education level.
Task 4
【答案】
A.
Topic of This
Discussion: Corporal Punishment
|
Interviewees
|
Position on This Topic
For/Against
|
Arguments/Reasons
|
Kate
|
For
|
It’s difficult to teach children these
days, when many of them know they won’t get jobs. It’s hard to
control the class if you can’t punish them. Some children need
discipline.
|
Rolf
|
Against
|
It always has been difficult to be a
teacher. But you don’t have to use violence. It’s impossible to
teach students about nonviolence and being good citizens when you
are violent yourself.
|
Jane
|
Against
|
|
Raoul
|
For
|
Its’ impossible to teach the rest of
the class of you have one student who constantly misbehaves. It’s
bad for the others.
|
B.
1) F
2) F
【原文】
Kate: Yes, it's difficult to teach children these days, when many
of them know they won't get jobs. It's hard to control the class if
you can't punish them. I often hit them with a ruler. Of course, in
my part of Scotland we're allowed to hit them, and I think it's
necessary — some children need discipline.
Interviewer: What do you think, Rolf? I know you feel very strongly
about corporal punishment.
Rolf: I don't agree with Kate. I
know it's difficult to be a teacher, but I think it always has
been. But you don't have to use violence. It's impossible to teach
students about non-violence and being good citizens when you are
violent yourself.
Interviewer: What do the Welsh think, Jane? Rolf thinks corporal
punishment is wrong.
Jane: Yes, I think so too.
Interviewer: And Raoul?
Raoul: Well, I think it's sometimes
necessary. When one child constantly disobeys, you have to beat
him, or else send him away — maybe to a special school. It's
impossible to teach the rest of the class if you have one student
who constantly misbehaves. It's bad for the others.
Interviewer: Did anyone beat you when you were at school?
Raoul: Well...
Task 5
【答案】
A.
1) Because the television program by that name can now be seen in
many parts of the world.
2) This program is very popular among children. Some educators
object to certain elements in the program. Parents praise it
highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some
teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have
learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children
who have not watched the program.
3) In order to increase the number of children who can watch it
regularly.
4)
1. The reasons may include the educational theories of its
creators, the support by both government and private businesses,
and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks
2. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch
“Sesame Street” along with their children. This is partly because
famous adult stars often appear on “Sesame Street”.
3. The best reason for the success of the program may be that it
makes every child watching it feel able to learn. The child finds
himself learning, and he wants to learn more.
B.
1) six million; regularly; half; economic; racial;
geographical
2) fifty; Spanish; Portuguese; German; one hundred thousand;
English; every two weeks
3) songs; stories; jokes; pictures; numbers; letters; human
relationships
【原文】
Sesame Street' has been called 'the longest street in the world.
That is because the television program by that name can now be seen
in so many parts of the world. That program became one of America’s
exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the
program regularly. The viewers include more than half the nation’s
pre-school children, from every kind of economic, racial, and
geographical group.
Although some educators object to certain elements in the program,
parents praise it highly. Many teachers consider it a great help,
though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders
who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with
children who have not watched the program.
Tests have shown that children from all
racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited from
watching 'Sesame Street'. Those who watch it five times a week
learn more than the occasional viewers. In the United States the
program is shown at different hours during the week in order to
increase the number of children who can watch it regularly.
In its American form 'Sesame Street' is
shown in nearly fifty countries. Three foreign shows based on
'Sesame Street' have also appeared in Spanish, Portuguese, and
German. Viewers of the show in Japan buy one hundred thousand
booklets with translations of the English sound track every two
weeks.
The program uses songs, stories, jokes and
pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters
and human relations. But there are some differences. For example,
the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to
teaching whole words than to teaching separate letters.
Why has 'Sesame Street' been so much more
successful than other children's shows? Many reasons have been
suggested. People mention the educational theories of its creators,
the support by the government and private businesses, and the
skillful use of a variety of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally
important reason is that mothers watch 'Sesame Street' along with
their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often
appear on 'Sesame Street'. But the best reason for the success of
the program may be that it makes every child watching it feel able
to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn
more.
Task 6
【答案】
A.
1) It is to have all public schools connected to the Internet
computer system and have computers available for all
students.
2) Its web site provides information about the school, the teacher
and their mail addresses. It also lists student events and
organizations.
3) They learn numbers and letters. They also learn how to use the
computers they will need later in their education.
B.
1) 1994; 35%; Last year; 89%
2) universities; colleges; urge; require
【原文】
One of the goals of American education officials is to have all
public schools connected to the Internet computer system and have
computers for all students. Government studies show that in 1994
only 35 percent of American public schools were connected to the
Internet. Last year, that number reached 89 percent.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University is a large university in the southern state of
Virginia. Officials at Virginia Tech say computers are very
important to a student's education. All students at Virginia Tech
have been required to have a computer since 1998.
Each student's living area at
Virginia Tech has the necessary wires to link a computer to the
Internet. The students can send and receive electronic mail, use
the World Wide Web part of the Internet and link with other
universities, all without leaving their rooms. They can also use
their computers to send electronic copies of their school work to
their teachers. And they can search for books in the school's huge
library.
Most major American universities and
colleges strongly urge or require new students to have a computer.
Most colleges and universities also have large rooms where students
can use computers for classwork.
American high schools also have computers.
Many have their own areas on the World Wide Web. If you have a
computer you can learn about Fremont Union High School in
Sunnyvale, California, for example. Its web site provides
information about the school, the teachers and their electronic
mail addresses. It also lists student events and
organizations.
Young children also use computers
in school. Smoketree Elementary School, in Lake Havasu, Arizona is
a good example. The school also has a World Wide Web site. It tells
about the school and the teachers and has an area for young
children. These young children use computers in school to learn
numbers and letters. They also learn how to use the computers they
will need later in their education.
Task 7
【答案】
A.
I. spoken; written
A. saying poetry aloud; giving speeches
B. advanced degrees; field of study; custom; candidates; doctor’s
degree
II. written
A. nineteenth
B. the great increase in population; the development of modern
industry
C.
1. objective; personal opinions; memory of facts and details; range
of knowledge; a fairer chance; easier; quicker; learning
2. essay; ling answers; broad general questions; the element of
luck; put facts together into a meaningful whole; really knowing
much about the subject; have trouble expressing their ideas in
essay form; examiner’s feelings at the time of reading the
answer.
III.
unsatisfactory; along with
B.
b
【原文】
In ancient time the most important examinations were spoken, not
written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome , testing
usually consisted of saying poetry aloud or giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who
were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their
field of study with people who had made a special study of the
subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing
candidates for the doctor's degree.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written
examination, where all students are tested on the same question,
was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it
came into existence with the great increase in population and the
development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a
state examination, timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully
watched over by managers, resembles a group of workers at an
automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and
students are expected to act like machines. There is nothing very
human about the examination process.
Two types of tests are commonly used in modern schools. The first
type sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal
with facts., not personal opinions. To make up an objective test
the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only
one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the
correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to
students who have not learned the material properly.
For testing a student's memory of facts and details, the
objective test has advantages. It can be scored very quickly by the
teacher or even by a machine. In a short time the teacher can find
out a great deal about the student's range of knowledge.
For testing some kinds of learning, however, such a test is not
very satisfactory. A lucky student may guess the correct answer
without really knowing the material. For a clearer picture of what
the students knows, most teachers use another kind of examination
in addition to objective tests. They use “essay” tests, which
require students to write long answer to broad general
questions.
One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of
luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky
guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more about
the student’s ability to put facts together into a meaningful
whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject.
Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some
students are able to write rather good answers without really
knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually
know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in the essay
form.
Besides, on an essay test the student's score may depend upon the
examiner's feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is
feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than
he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a
much higher mark. From this standpoint the objective test gives
each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and
quicker to score.
Most teachers and students would probably agree that examinations
are unsatisfactory. Whether an objective test or an essay test is
used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along
with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the
student's knowledge can usually be obtained.
Task 8
Americans know that higher education is the key to the growth they
need to lift their country, and today that is more true than ever.
Just listen to these facts. Over half the new jobs created in the
last three years have been managerial and professional jobs. The
new jobs require a higher level of skills.
Fifteen years ago the typical worker with a college degree made 38
percent more than a worker with a high school diploma. Today that
figure is 73 percent more. Two years of college means a 20 percent
increase annual earnings. People who finish two years of college
earn a quarter of a million dollars more tan their high school
counterparts over a lifetime.
