8、Education is an expensive part of American life．Its size is matched by its variety．Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone．Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself．This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects．It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing , radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages．Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability．The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community.

Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and “Americanizing” the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins．Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns.

The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts．Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities．Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers．Americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives．Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation（積累）of facts．

This is America’s answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, “How can one prepare today’s child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?”

1．The underlined words “reason well” probably means__        .

       A．persuade firmly                                   B．list the reasons clearly 

       C．think logically                                    D．conclude immediately 

2．It is implied in the passage that__        .

       A．a(chǎn)ll high-school students take the same courses

       B．every student must take practical ability training courses

       C．every public school offers the same academic subjects

       D．the subjects every student takes may vary

3．American schools place great emphasis on the learners’__      __.

       A．knowledge                             B．a(chǎn)ccumulation of facts

       C．creativity                             D．a(chǎn)bility to work with hands

4．What makes American education different from others?

       A．The large number of schools．          B．The variety of the courses.

       C．Its consideration for immigrants．        D．The basic goal of the education.