Last year my sixth-grader daughter, Elizabeth, was forced to put up with science.Her education week after week, contained mindless memorization of big words like “batholith” and “saprophyte”.She learned by heart the achievements of famous scientists who did things like “improved nuclear fusion(核聚变)”-never mind that she hasn't the least idea of what nuclear fusion means.Elizabeth did very well(she's good at memorizing things).And now she hates science.My eighth-grader son, Ben, also suffered from science education.Week after week he had to perform lab experiments with answers already known.Ben figured out how to guess the right answers, so he got good grades.Now he hates science, too.
Science can provide an exciting way to develop children's curiosity.Science education should teach ways to ask questions and seek answers.But my children got the mistaken idea in school that science is difficult, dull and has no relation to their everyday interests.
As a physicist, I am saddened and angered to see “the great science turnoff”.I know that science is important in our lives.Yet studies prove that our schools are turning out millions of graduates who know almost nothing about and have almost no interest in science.What's gone wrong? Who is to blame?
(1)
We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
[ ]
A.
the writer was angry with Elizabeth and Ben
B.
both Elizabeth and Ben could become teachers
C.
Elizabeth had to learn much about great scientists
D.
Ben was good at trying new ideas in lab experiments
(2)
The writer thinks that in science education we should first ________.
[ ]
A.
get students interested in the subject
B.
answer students’ questions in delightful ways.
C.
smooth out difficulties in lab experiments
D.
explain the special terms clearly
(3)
By writing the text, the author questions ________.