Question

Are “Basics”Enough for Students?

An American education expert says many schools are spending too much time teaching the ―basics‖ – reading, math and writing. That might be different from what educators have been saying in America. But U.S. Education Secretary John King says children really need a well-rounded（全面的）education that includes music and the arts.

King spoke about his own education when explaining why schools need to teach more than math, reading and writing. His parents died when he was young. He said things in his house were frightening. It was his teacher in Grades Four, Five and Six – Mr. Osterweil – who helped him escape from his difficult life at home. Each day in Mr. Osterweil’s class, students would read a newspaper. The teacher took him and his classmates to the theater, the zoos and famous museums.

“Those were powerful, life-changing experiences,‖ King says. After he graduated from Harvard University, he took charge of New York State public schools from 2011-2015. ―I’m alive today, I’m doing the work that I do today because I had Mr. Osterweil during that period of my life,‖ King says. ―Students need to connect their studies to things that matter to them, such as music, if they want to become a thinker.‖

A 2013 report by UNESCO（聯(lián)合國教科文組織）, says world needs people to be able to solve new and unusual problems now. It says arts can help students find those answers. In the report, UNESCO says teaching the arts in China, South Korea and Japan is different from that in many western countries. ―The educators in those three countries pay more attention on joyful experiences and children’s interests,‖ the report says. ―In the West, educators are more likely to connect the arts to reading, writing and math.”

Comparing countries is hard because they have different ways to define success. For example some people may think getting high marks in exams is success, while others may hold different views. A 2014 survey by the Program for International Student Assessment tried to compare how well countries teach children how to solve problems. It found Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and China with the highest scores. Singapore was the top one with a score of 562 out of 1,000. The average（平均的） score was 500. The United States had a score of 508, one point behind Germany.

So it may be worth rethinking what we should focus on in our class. The ―basics‖ is not the only part of education.

1. We can learn from the passage that __________.

A. King’s family life was warm and happy

B. King’s teacher focused on ―basics‖ more

C. educators in the West teach music for joy

D. arts can help students solvenew problems

2. The word “define” in Paragraph 6 probably means―_________”

A. get the pleasure of B. make full use of

C. give the meaning of D. take the place of

3. The writer probably agrees that______.

A. students need more than “basics”to learn

B. getting high marks in exams is success

C.education depends a lot on the hobbies

D. we need more time to learn “basics”

Answer 1