Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are
the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional
work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary
reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don"t know
where they should go next.
The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market
have limited the opportunities of teenagers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved
in climbing Japans rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5
percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67.2 percent of students in
the United States. In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than their
counterparts did in the ten other countries surveyed.
While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test
taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression." Those things that do not show up in the
test scores, personality, ability, courage or humanity are completely ignored," says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman
of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party"s education committee." Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids
to drop out and run wild." Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929
assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis
on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he
argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡ had
weakened the"Japanese morality of respect for parents."
But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles." In Japan," says educator Yoko Muro,"it"s never
a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure." With economic
growth becoming centralization, fully 76 percent of Japans, 119 million citizens live in cities where community
and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese
have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old
group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce
rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have
increased by nearly one-quarter.
| A. Solving Problems Scientifically B. Making a Hypothesis C. Recognizing the Problem D. Organizing the Information E. The Experiment F. Collecting Information |
| 阅读理解。 |
| Providing small classes for at least several grades starting in early primary school gives students the best chance to succeed in late grades, according to groundbreaking new research from a Michigan State University scholar. The research by Spyros Konstantopoulos, a professor of education, is the first to examine the effects of class size over a period and for all levels of students. The study appears in the American Journal of Education. He is also a member of a group for the Department of Education"s Institute of Education Sciences that will give official advice on class size to the states. He said the advice will mirror his research: the best plan is to provide continuous small classes(13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first grade. "For a long time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the benefits," He said."I don"t believe that. I think you need at least a few years in a row where all students, and especially low-achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later." His research used data (数据)from the Project Star study in Tennessee that analyzed the effects of class size on more than 11,000 students in primary and middle school. He found that students who had been in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had actually higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who been in larger classes early on. Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found."But low-achievers benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap (差距) with high -achievers in science, reading and math," he said. Although the study didn"t consider classroom practices, he said the reason for the narrowing gap is likely due to low-achieving students receiving more attention from teachers. "This is especially important in poorer schools because teacher effectiveness matters more in schools with more disadvantaged and low-performing students," he said. |
| 1. The professor argues about _____. |
| A. the size of the class B. the period of the class C. the attention from teachers D. the achievements of students |
| 2. The result of the research shows that _____. |
| A. small classes for one year in early grade are enough B. continuous small classes help students achieve more C. it"s best to attend small classes in kindergarten D. small classes do equal good to students of all levels |
| 3. What can we infer from the passage? |
| A. High achievers will not benefit from small classes. B. Continuous small classes have not been widely accepted. C. Low-achievers should be separated from high-achievers. D. Teachers" attention matters less than classroom practices. |
| 4. The underlined word "This" in the last paragraph refers to _____. |
| A. the gap between low and high achievers B. continuous small classes C. classroom practices in later grades D. the Project Star Sturdy |
| 选做题：阅读下面短文，并根据短文后的要求答题请注意问题后的词数要求。 |
| Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently- opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their children‘s work on the Internet. The school, which costs the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams. The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants. Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be watching you." Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on the computer and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access to the school‘s network to read the teacher’s feedback on their children’s progress. Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview. "It‘s not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式) and then presenting them in 8 test," Grover said. "It’s about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality of water problem or how it might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu." David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to "turn over a new leaf" after discipline problems in his previous school left him with an "average to really bad" academic record. "This is a great opportunity for me," he said. "In other schools, I would not _____." |
| 1. What‘s the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Although the students have their lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese. ______________________________________________________________________________________ |