Question

Are the school holidays too long? We asked children,parents and teachers whether the summer break should be shorter. 1       Ruby Mullin,nine This idea is mean. There's no other word for it. Children need to calm down and have a good holiday at the end of a busy school year. The long holidays give you time to do things you wouldn't otherwise get to do,like in my family we go to Ireland and see relatives and friends there. It might seem long to some people. 2       Anthony Seldon,head teacher of Wellington College in Berkshire If it hadn't been for the long summer holiday,I wouldn't have come into teaching. 3       Whether it's painting,hiking or,as in my case,writing books,it adds such a lot to what teachers have to give. And as for all these worries about pupils forgetting all they've learned,children have up to nine weeks in summer,and their exam results don't suffer. We all know that some of the most valuable learning experiences take place away from the classroom.

Nachelle Crowther,mother of three kids 4      The sixweek break seems designed for another age,when mothers didn't work and your mum lived round the corner to give you a hand. If I was able to take a sixweek holiday,great,I'd love it―but in the real world,that isn't possible. Instead,I end up spending a fortune―around £600―on childcare for each week when I'm working.

Sarah Radford,a primary school teacher at Botley school,Oxford

I've taught for more than 20 years,and summer is the only holiday when teachers can properly switch off from the intense work of planning and assessing (评估) .If it was shortened,the result would be an increase in teachers' stress levels and a harmful effect on our ability to teach. Children need that time for unstructured play,and to have time not being assessed,simply being themselves. 5      

   A. Should children have less time off school during the summer?

   B. However,time flies when you're having fun.

   C. It's important for teachers to do other things.

   D. A shorter summer holiday would be much better.

   F.   T have 9inreferenre for a lon^ cummer holiHav to have,fun

   F. A long summer holiday can also improve childrenparents relationship.

   G. And then school lessons will help their learning when they're back in school.

1.                  2.                  3.                  4.          5.       

Answer 1

暑假究竟是太长了还是太短了呢？本文介绍了老师、家长和学生的不同想法。

1. A该句是对首句"学校的假期太长了吗？"的重申。

2. B该段讲的是一位学生认为假期一点都不长，他提到了很多有趣的活动，只有放假才有时间做。上一句讲到对于有些人来说似乎这个时间有点长，B句的however起到了转折作用。"但是，当你玩得很开心的时候，时间如飞而逝。"

3. C考查递进关系。该段讲的是一位老师认为拥有长假期是他选择做老师的原因。下一句谈到很多活动，例如画画，徒步旅行，写书等等，所以该处选C"老师能做些其他的事请，这很重要"，"other things"对应下文的;(艮多活动。

4. D该段讲的是一位三个孩子的母亲认为长假期是为另一个世纪设计的，那个时候母亲不用上班，而且外婆还和你住得很近可以帮帮你。所以选D"—个短点的假期会更好"。

5. G考查递进关系。该段讲的是一个老师认为长假期可以给老师和学生减轻压力。上一句提到学生需要这个时间来玩而不被评估，只做他们自己。所以选G"在他们回到学校后，学校的课程可以帮助他们学习"