Question

【题目】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

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(认知的) 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 more 【6】to go to school. 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 beyond parents’ 【9】. Early childhood education must be 【10】 with children’s development and characteristics.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】majority

【2】differ/vary

【3】Functions/Mechanisms

【4】focus/concentrate

【5】involved

【6】willing

【7】economical/cheap

【8】Doubt(s)

【9】control

【10】consistent

【解析】

本文为议论文。不同人针对对学前教育提出了不同的观点。

【1】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第一段“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，许多父母在孩子5岁以前送孩子到学前教育机构，据说大脑的超过50%以上的发育是在5岁以前。因此文中的over fifty percent of its growing即大脑开发的50%以上即大脑的大部分，也就是“the majority of the brain”，故填majority。

【2】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第二段第一句“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，不同社会对幼儿教育目的的看法不尽相同，中国的父母倾向于认为学前教育是学习的良好开端，而美国父母认为上幼儿园的主要目的是让孩子更独立、更自立。由此可推断出父母对学前教育的期望不同。本句“Parents’ expectations of preschools ___2___ greatly”中缺少动词。故填differ/vary。

【3】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据文中 “Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning.” 可知，学前教育可以在游戏或学术学习的指导思想下运作。接着介绍了两种学前教育即Play-based programs和The program, which stresses parental involvement, ...两种方式的运作或原理。可知，故填Functions/Mechanisms。

【4】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第二段中的“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.”以游戏为基础的课程的主导思想是认为让孩子通过游戏学得最好。游戏玩耍被认为能培养孩子的学习兴趣和爱好。学习课程强调阅读、数学和科学，并运用系统的、由教师指导的活动提高孩子们在这些领域的基本技能。由此可知，一些课程以游戏玩耍为基础而另一些则侧重于学习。句中的some programs ___4___ on是对“play-based programs”的转化，因为空格处缺少动词，“focus/concentrate on...”意为“注重......”。本句的主语是复数，故填 focus/concentrate。

【5】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第二段中的“The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, 该学前课程强调父母的参与，旨在为“整个儿童”服务，...。由此可推断出父母参与到这种学前教育课程中。“be involved in...”为固定搭配，意为“参与到......”，因此句子Parents are ___5___ in some preschool programs.中的空格处填involved。故填involved。

【6】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第三段第一句“preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future” 参加学前教育的学龄前儿童很少复读，将来更有可能完成学业。由此可推断出，学前教育毕业的孩子愿意上学，成绩好，很少复读，将来更有可能完成学业。这句对应了Graduates are more ___6___to go to school. “be willing to do...”意为“愿意做某事”。故填willing。

【7】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据第七小题对应第三段的最后“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.”其他类型的学前教育课程的结果表明，在该项目上每花费1美元，纳税人在毕业生27岁时节省了7美元。由此可推断在学前教育方面每多花1美元，在27岁时会节省7美元。即学前教育对家庭来说，更便宜，更省钱。句子It can be ___7___ for households in the long term中缺少了一个形容词，通过对比可知，此处应填“便宜的（cheap）”，或填“economical（节约的，省钱的）”。故填 economical/cheap 。

【8】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据本小题是对最后一段或者说对第6和第7小题的总结。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，本段主要叙述了不赞成学前教育的人对学前教育（好处）的怀疑。分析“___8__ about preschools”可知，空格处填名词 “怀疑”的名词“doubt”，本空位于句首，第一个字母大写。故填 Doubt(s) 。

【9】考查推理判断能力及转化能力。根据最后一段“...academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about”学业上的成功在很大程度上取决于遗传和孩子的成熟速度等因素，而父母对此无能为力。由此可推断出，决定学业成功的因素是父母无法控制的。 “beyond one’s control”意为“无法控制”，是对原文中“parents can do nothing about”的转述，故填 control。

【10】考查归纳理解，提取信息的能力。根据最后一段最后一句“children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.”儿童的教育发展要恰当，教育要以儿童的典型性发展和特定儿童的独特性为基础。由此可推断出儿童教育要符合儿童的发展和特点。“be consistent with...”为固定搭配，意为“......与......是一致的/相符的”。故填consistent。