题目内容
Last year, on report card day, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she's only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A.”
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes---no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic(施有机肥料的)carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns(橄榄球底线得分)? What about the orchestra(管弦乐队)? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.”
Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? “When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones (蛋卷),” said one third-grader.
【小题1】What's the best title for the passage?
A.Tips on Paying Kids for Good Grades |
B.New Trends in Paying Kids for Good Grades |
C.Good Grades Mean Good Rewards |
D.Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades |
A.Taking care of my children would influence my work. |
B.I would spend less money on my children's good grades. |
C.More rewards would be needed as my children grow up. |
D.Reducing my children's homework load would cost me a lot. |
A.if you buy children pizza as a reward, they will work harder |
B.if you pay kids for good grades, they will take it for granted |
C.children will not ask for rewards when they enter high school |
D.good grades won't help kids make great progress in the future |
A.pizza is the best way to motivate children |
B.it is necessary to reward children for their good grades. |
C.getting rewards for good grades is common nowadays |
D.rewards are not the only way to motivate children |
【小题1】D
【小题2】C
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
解析试题分析:本文讨论的是一种不合理的教育方式,孩子有一点点好的表现,就给孩子奖励,这让孩子感觉到自己就是为了得到父母的奖励而学习,对他们的成长有不好的影响。
【小题1】D 主旨大意题。本文讨论的正是孩子在学校里得到了高分或者有很好的表现,很多父母都给孩子奖励。这样的教育方法是不正确的,会带来很多不好的影响。故D项符合上下文。
【小题2】C 推理题。根据本句As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. 随着孩子的家庭作业变多了,那么我给孩子的奖励就会更多,那么我的收入就会变少。是指随着孩子的成长,需要给孩子更多的奖励。故C正确。
【小题3】B 推断题。如果孩子有一点点的进步,我们就给孩子奖励。这会让孩子认为我们应该给他们适当的奖励。认为他们的学习就是为了得到奖励而学习的。故B正确。
【小题4】D 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.作者以邻居为例就是为了告诉我们不给孩子奖励,孩子也可以表现得很好。故D正确。
考点:考查教育类短文阅读
点评:本文讨论的是一种不合理的教育方式,孩子有一点点好的表现,就给孩子奖励,这让孩子感觉到自己就是为了得到父母的奖励而学习,对他们的成长有不好的影响。测试考生在阅读基础上的逻辑推理能力,要求考生根据文章所述事件的逻辑关系,对未说明的趋势或结局作出合理的推断;或根据作者所阐述的观点理论,对文章未涉及的现象、事例给以解释。考生首先要仔细阅读短文,完整了解信息,准确把握作者观点。
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs (郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny (保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it has been worthy of. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”
Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”
【小题1】What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A.People seldom work long hours to make money. |
B.People hardly buy more things than necessary. |
C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place. |
D.People realize there is more to life than just making money. |
A.lived in central London | B.disliked his job |
C.missed his children | D.was well paid |
A.was easy to organize | B.has improved family life |
C.was extremely expensive | D.has been a total success |
A.Child-caring. | B.Liz’s advice. | C.Downshifting. | D.Liz’s job. |
Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995.
Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year.
People always ask her about her climbing. She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried.”
Catherine chooses new mountains from books—like buying from a shopping catalogue(目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. “It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help.”
【小题1】Catherine Destivelle is called ‘a star’ because ________.
A.she won a competition in 1995 | B.she loves rocks |
C.she’s a famous woman climber | D.she found a new route up to the Dru Mountain |
A.she lost her way | B.the climb took 11 days |
C.she needed help from an American climber | D.there was heavy snow |
A.independent | B.easy and happy | C.energetic and challenged | D.nervous |
A.Why do you like climbing? | B.Are you in love with an American climber? |
C.Do you enjoy reading books on mountains? | D.What do you do before you go climbing? |