The question of what children learn, and how they should learn, is continually being debated and redebated. Nobody dares any longer to defend the old system, the learning of lessons parrot-fashion, the grammar-with-a-whip system, which was good enough for our grandparents. The theories of modem psychology have stepped in to argue that we must understand the need of children. Children are not just small adults; they are children who must be respected as much.
Well, you may say, this is as it should be, a good idea. But think further. What happens? "Education" becomes the responsibility not of teachers, but of psychologists (心里学家). What happens then? Teachers worry too much about the psychological implications (暗示) of their lessons, and forget about the subjects themselves. If a child dislikes a lesson, the teacher feels that it is his fault, not the child’s. So teachers worry whether history is "relevant" to modern young children. And do they dare to recount stories about violence? Or will this make the children themselves violent? Can they tell their classes about children of different races, or will this encourage racial hatred? Why teach children to write grammatical sentences? Verbal expression is better. Sums? Arithmetic? No: Real-life mathematical situations are more understandable.
You see, you can go too far. Influenced by educational theorists, who have nothing better to do than to write books about their ideas, teachers leave their teacher-training colleges filled with grand, psychological ideas about children and their needs. They make elaborate, sophisticated (精致的，复杂的) preparations and try out their "modem methods" on the long-suffering children. Since one "modem method" rapidly replaces another the poor kids will have had a good bellyful by the time they leave school. Frequently the modem methods are so sophisticated that they fail to be understood by the teachers, let alone the children; even more often, the relaxed discipline so essential for the " informal" feelings the class must have, prevents all but a handful of children from learning anything.

1. 1.

   People do not dare defend the old system mainly because under the old system________.

   1. A.
      too much grammar was taught to children
   2. B.
      children were spoiled (宠坏)
   3. C.
      children were treated as grown-ups
   4. D.
      children were made to learn passively(被动的)
2. 2.

   What view do the modem psychologists hold?

   1. A.
      Children must be understood and respected.
   2. B.
      Children are small adults and know what they need.
   3. C.
      Children are better off without learning lessons.
   4. D.
      Education of children is the responsibility of psychologists.
3. 3.

   What happens when teachers pay too much attention to the psychology of their lessons?

   1. A.
      They find that the children dislike the lessons.
   2. B.
      They tend to blame students for their failure.
   3. C.
      They do not pay enough attention to the actual lessons.
   4. D.
      They no longer want to teach children history.
4. 4.

   Grammatical sentences are regarded as unimportant because ________.

   1. A.
      it is better to use verbs only
   2. B.
      words are said out of natural feelings only
   3. C.
      talking freely and naturally without sentences is a better form of expression
   4. D.
      it is felt that formal grammar rules might cause unnatural expressions
5. 5.

   according to the passage, the modern methods are understood by ________.

   1. A.
      neither teachers nor pupils
   2. B.
      only a handful of teachers and pupils
   3. C.
      the more sophisticated teachers
   4. D.
      everyone who enjoys the relaxed discipline of the informal classes

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Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks!
Jeff Bezos Founder & CEO
【小题1】This passage most probably is a(n)________.

阅读下面短文，根据以下要求：1）汉语提示, 2）首字母提示, 3）语境提示, 在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上，所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

Hello, everyone. My name is water. I’m one of the most important     1.    (自然) resources in the world. I’m very       proud of     2.      because almost no everyday tasks can beperformed w   3.      me. My nickname is liquid gold because I’m precious. People in some areas are always _____4.___(埋怨) about not having enough of me. W   5.      still, only 5 per cent of the fresh water is _______6.____(可用的) in rivers and lakes. So protect me and save as    7.     of me as possible!. Remember: don’t leave the tap r   8.    when you brush your teeth. Don’t throw rubbish into rivers,      9.    . Nor pour me into them when I’m dirty.Never waste even a drop, o   10.    you’ll run out of me in the near future. 

When I was 12，all I wanted was a signet(图章) ring.They were the “in” thing and it seemed every girl except me had one.On my 13th birthday，my Mum gave me a signet ring with my initials(姓名首字母) carved into it.I was in heaven.

What made it even more special was that it was about the only thing that wasn’t being “replaced”．We’d been burnt out in fires that swept through our area earlier that year and had lost everything—so most of the “new” stuff(东西) we got was really just to replace what we’d lost.But not my ring.My ring was new.

Then，only one month later，I lost it.I took it off before bed and it was missing in the morning.I was sad and searched everywhere for it.But it seemed to have disappeared.Eventually，I gave up and stopped looking for it.And two years later，we sold the house and moved away.

Years passed，and a couple of moves later，I was visiting my parents’ when Mum told me that she had something for me.It wasn’t my birthday，nor was it Easter or Christmas or any other gift?giving occasion.Mum noticed my questioning look.“You’ll recognize this one，” she said，smiling.

Then she handed me a small ring box.I took it from her and opened it to find my beautiful signet ring inside.

The family who had bought our house 13 years earlier had recently decided to do some redecorations，which included replacing the carpets.When they pulled the carpet up in my old bedroom，they found the ring.As it had my initials carved into it，they realized who owned the ring.They’d had it professionally cleaned up by a jeweler before sending it to my mother.

And it still fits me.(2013·福建，A)

1.The underlined word “in” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．

A．fashionable? B．available

C．practical? D．renewable

2. When she got the ring back，the writer was about ________.

A．13 years old? B．15 years old

C．26 years old? D．28 years old

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The writer’s family moved several times.

B．The writer never stopped looking for her ring.

C．The writer’s ring was cleaned up by the new house owner.

D．The writer lost her ring in the morning when she took it off.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My New Ring? B．Lost and Found

C．Lost and Replaced? D．An Expensive Ring