Question

【題目】根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，填寫表格。

A great many parents send their children to pre-schools - educational programs for children under the age of five. It has been said that this is the time period when the brain does over fifty percent of its growing. This could mean that the learning process should be introduced during these years.

However, the views that different societies hold regarding the purpose of early childhood education are not same. Whereas Chinese parents tend to see preschools primarily as a way of giving children a good start academically, parents in the United States regard the primary purpose of preschools as making children more independent and self-reliant.

Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning. Play-based programs are guided by the central belief that children learn best through play. Play is thought to build children’s interest and love of learning. Academic programs emphasize reading, math and science, and use structured, teacher-directed activities to promote foundational skills in these areas. In the United States, the best-known program designed to promote future academic success is Head Start. The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, including children’s physical health, self-confidence, social responsibility, and social and emotional development.

A recent evaluation suggests that preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future. Furthermore, graduates of Head Start programs show higher academic performance at the end of high school, although the gains are modest. In addition, results from other types of preschool readiness programs indicate that for every dollar spent on the program, taxpayers saved seven dollars by the time the graduates reached the age of 27.

Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing. In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age. Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about. Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive development. In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.

Early Childhood Education
Reasons for attending preschools	The 【1】 of the brain matures under the age of five. Parents’ expectations of preschools 【2】 greatly.
【3】 of preschools	Some programs 【4】 on play activities while others on academic activities. Parents are 【5】 in some preschool programs.
Benefits of attending preschools	Graduates are better 【6】 for future schooling. Graduates may achieve higher grades at high school. It can be 【7】 for households in the long term.
【8】 about preschools	Children feel pressured at a young age. Factors determining academic success are 【9】 parents’ control. Early childhood education must be 【10】 with children’s development and characteristics.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】majority

【2】differ/vary

【3】Mechanisms/Functions/Operation

【4】focus/concentrate

【5】involved

【6】prepared

【7】economical/cheap

【8】Doubt(s)

【9】beyond

【10】consistent

【解析】

本文為議論文。文章主要對學前教育是否有好處進行了論述。

【1】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。第一段“A great many parents send their children to pre-schools - educational programs for children under the age of five. It has been said that this is the time period when the brain does over fifty percent of its growing.”可知，許多父母在孩子5歲以前送孩子送到學前教育機構(gòu)，據(jù)說這段時間是大腦的50%以上的發(fā)育是在5歲以前。由此可推斷出大部分的大腦是在五歲以前形成的。因此文中的over fifty percent of its growing即大腦開發(fā)的大部分，也就是“the majority of the brain”，故填majority。

【2】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。第二段第一句“However, the views that different societies hold regarding the purpose of early childhood education are not same. Whereas Chinese parents tend to see preschools primarily as a way of giving children a good start academically, parents in the United States regard the primary purpose of preschools as making children more independent and self-reliant.”可知，不同社會對幼兒教育目的的看法不盡相同，中國的父母傾向于學前教育是學習的良好開端，而美國父母認為上幼兒園的主要目的是讓孩子更獨立、更自立。由此可推斷出父母對學前教育的期望不同。本句“Parents’ expectations of preschools ___2___ greatly”中缺少動詞。即填differ/vary。

【3】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。本空格是對第三段的一個總結(jié)。主旨句是第一句“Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning.” 可知，學齡前兒童可以在游戲或?qū)W術(shù)學習的指導思想下運作。由此可推斷出本段敘述的是學前教育是如何動作的。故可填Mechanisms /Functions /Operation。

【4】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。根據(jù)第三段中的“Play-based programs are guided by the central belief that children learn best through play. Play is thought to build children’s interest and love of learning. Academic programs emphasize reading, math and science, and use structured, teacher-directed activities to promote foundational skills in these areas..”以游戲為基礎(chǔ)的課程的主導思想是認為讓孩子通過游戲?qū)W得最好。游戲玩耍被認為能培養(yǎng)孩子的學習興趣和愛好。學術(shù)課程強調(diào)閱讀、數(shù)學和科學，并使用結(jié)構(gòu)化的系統(tǒng)的、教師指導的活動提高孩子們在這些領(lǐng)域的基本技能。由此可知，一些課程以游戲玩耍為基礎(chǔ)而另一些則側(cè)重于學習。句子some programs ___4___ on play activities while others on academic 中的some programs ___4___ on是對“play-based programs”的轉(zhuǎn)化，因為空格處缺少動詞，“focus/concentrate on...”意為“注重......”。本句的主語是復數(shù)，故填focus/concentrate。

【5】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。第三段中的“The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, ...” 該學前課程強調(diào)父母的參與，旨在為“整個兒童”服務(wù)，...。由此可推斷出父母是參與到這種學前教育課程�！�be involved in...”為固定描述，意為“參與到......”，因此句子Parents are ___5___ in some preschool programs.中的空格處填involved 。

【6】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。第四段中的“ preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future” 參加學前教育的學齡前兒童很少復讀，將來更有可能完成學業(yè)。由此可推斷出，學前教育畢業(yè)的孩子為未來上學做好了充分的準備。這句對應(yīng)了Graduates are better ___6___ for future schooling， “be prepared for...”意為“為......做好了準備”。故本空格填prepared。

【7】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。第七小題對應(yīng)第四段最后“results from other types of preschool readiness programs indicate that for every dollar spent on the program, taxpayers saved seven dollars by the time the graduates reached the age of 27.”其他類型的學前教育項目的結(jié)果表明，在該項目上每花費1美元，納稅人在畢業(yè)生27歲時就節(jié)省了7美元。由此可推斷在學前教育方面每多花1美元，在27歲時會節(jié)省7美元。即學前教育對家庭來說，更便宜，更省錢。句子It can be ___7___ for households in the long term中缺少了一個形容詞，通過對比可知，此處應(yīng)填“便宜的（cheap）”，或填“economical（節(jié)約的，省錢的）”。故填 economical/cheap 。

【8】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。本小題是對最后一段或是說對第6和第7小題的總結(jié)。尤其是最后一段的第一句“Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing.”可知，本段主要敘述了不贊成學前教育的人對學前教育（好處）的懷疑。本空填一個名詞，名詞“doubt”是“懷疑”的意思。故本小題填寫 Doubt(s) 。

【9】考查推理判斷能力及轉(zhuǎn)化能力。最后一段“academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about”學業(yè)上的成功在很大程度上取決于遺傳和孩子的成熟速度等因素，而父母對此無能為力。由此可推斷出，決定學業(yè)成功的因素是父母無法控制的。 “beyond one’s control”意為“無法控制”，是對原文中“parents can do nothing about”的轉(zhuǎn)述，故本空格填beyond。

【10】考查歸納理解，提取信息的能力。最后一段最后一句“children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.”兒童的教育發(fā)展要恰當，教育要以獨立典型的發(fā)展和兒童的個性的獨特性為基礎(chǔ)。由此可推斷出兒童教育要符合兒童的發(fā)展和特點。“be consistent with...”為固定搭配，意為“......與......是一致的/相符的”。故填consistent。