In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers．However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find．In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction．In one investigation(调查)，300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education．Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents(答问卷者)listed“to give children a good start academically”as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools．In contrast(对照), over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices．To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group．The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents．
In the recent comparison of Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools．Sixty－two percent of the more individually oriented(强调个性发展的)Americans listed group experience as one off their top three choices．An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education．
Like in America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education．Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential(潜能)development, In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools．
Some Japanese parents believer that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities．Several more progressive(先进的)programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens．
(1)
We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe
[ ]
A．
Japan’s higher education is better than theirs
B．
Japan’s economic success is a result of its scientific achievements
C．
Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic instruction
D．
Japanese parents are more involved in preschool education than American parents
(2)
Most Americans surveyed believe that preschools should also attach importance to ________．
[ ]
A．
guidance of parents
B．
problem solving
C．
group experience
D．
individually- oriented development
(3)
Free play has been introduced in some Japanese kindergartens in order to ________．
[ ]
A．
enrich children's knowledge
B．
develop children' s creativity
C．
broaden children's horizon
D．
lighten children's study load
(4)
Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens？
[ ]
A．
They can do better in their future studies．
B．
They can be individually oriented when they grow up．
C．
They can have better chances of getting a first-rate education．
Imagine that Mom and Dad have friends over, and you have to talk to adults all evening．Say the wrong thing and the parents may get mad．But, say 1 , and they'll think you weren't friendly．So, 2 can you talk with adults?
It's 3 ．Just ask them questions about themselves．"Many of them like to talk about what they do for a living," suggests psychologist Tim Ursiny, author of The Confidence Plan．
Kids can also talk to grown-ups about 4 ．Ask what the last good movie they saw was, because people at dinner parties " 5 " when the conversation turns to movies, Ursiny says．If a grown-up is 6 Harry Potter, it's ok to talk about your love for Harry．It's a safe topic, one that both grown-ups and kids can enjoy, so go ahead and talk about whether Dumbledore is really dead．
But 7 the topic of video games．"Adults don't want to hear about your video game 8 they play it," Ursiny explains．
Adults also don't want to hear slang．Don't use language they don't 9 ．Ursiny says kids should learn to speak to other people in their own language．
10 , most adults aren't into slang, they do remember what it was like to be a kid．Ursiny recommends asking adults what school was like when they were your age．"It might be a fun discussion if you 11 your 10th-grade experience with theirs．" 12 you chat with your parents beforehand to find out which topics are off-limits(禁区)．
Also, don't chat about things that make your parents feel guilty．Don't mention 13 stuff such as how Dad has been sleeping on the couch, Ursiny says．And don't complain that Mom has been late preparing breakfast．
Instead, Ursiny says, kids should try to put themselves in their parents' 14 ．Learning how to 15 that type of understanding might help you out in the future．"The most successful people, can develop a sympathetic feeling for others," he says．
