专题限时训练(三十二) [文化教育型阅读理解(二)]
(限时：25分钟)
(一)
In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism—the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize all possible basic knowledge. Instead, they work individually and find answers by themselves. There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.
In most Asia societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the orient reflects society's belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems of education. For example, one advantage of the system in Japan is that students there learn much more about maths, physics, biology and chemistry than American students by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and selfcontrol. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.
The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from school, they haven't memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.
1．The writer's purpose of writing this passage is________.
A．to share his idea with others in a new way
B．to introduce two different systems of education through contrast
C．to criticize the society that values memorization
D．to prepare students for society
2．Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The system of education in the West is more creative than that in the East.
B．Japanese students learn much more about science than American students.
C．Canadian students are more individual than Korean students.
D．Students in North America are not so friendly as those in Asia.
3．From the facts, we can infer that________.
A．Asian students are more likely to do better in teamwork than American students
B．Chinese students are more hardworking in their studies than Mexican students
C．the Western educational system is much better than the Eastern educational system
D．the Eastern educational system is as difficult as the Western educational system
4．What is the best title of the passage?
A．Advantages and disadvantages of educational system
B．The value of individualism
C．Educational system—an obvious difference between the East and the West
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D．Memorization—an important learning method
(二)
Is the “Go to College” message overdone?
Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn't the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.
“We've been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there's a lot of truth to that，”Ms Sawhill said.“On average it does pay off…But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don't graduate, that is a very bad situation.”
One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April's national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labour Department. The unemployment rate for high school graduates over 25 years old who hadn't attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor's degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16～24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists cautions that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.
Ms Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one's major: students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.
She suggested two avenues for improving the situation: increasing vocational(职业的) technical training programmes and taking_a_page_from Europe's focus on early education rather than post secondary learning.“The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades，” she said.“Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you're more likely to be highly subsidized(资助)．”
She is also a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.
5．People usually think that ________.
A．the cost of technical schooling is a problem
B．one will not succeed without a college degree
C．technical skills are most important for landing a job
D．there is an increased competition in getting into a college
6．What does the underlined part “taking_a_page_from” mean?
A．Hearing from. B．Changing from.
C．Differing from. D．Learning from.
7．What can we infer from the passage?
A．Public institutions charge more for education.
B．European universities are stricter with students.
C．Students with certain skills are in great demand.
D．Canadian students prefer to major in engineering.
8．Ms Sawhill may probably agree that ________.
A．too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees
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B．technical training is more important than college education
C．a college degree will ensure promising employment
D．it's easier for art students to find favourite jobs
(三)
The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive letters(草写字母). The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive letters.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity(真实性) can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive(认知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.
It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a programme called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological(神经系统的) writing, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.
9．What is the author concerned about after 2012 SAT exams?
A．Keyboarding. B．Shorthand.
C．Handwriting. D．Block letters.
10．A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ________.
A．prove how valuable handwriting is
B．explain what a famous poet he is
C．show how unique his poem is
D．stress how fascinating the documents are
11．The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that ________.
A．the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting
B．the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed
C．it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills
D．the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one
12．According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?
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A．Kindergarten. B．Primary school.
C．High school. D．College.
13．What is the author's attitude towards this debate?
A．Devoted. B．Supportive.
C．Critical. D．Objective.
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专题限时训练(三十二)【文化型阅读理解(二)】
(一)
【文章大意】 本文讨论的是东西方教育系统的不同之处。在西方，人们强调高度尊重个人和人与人之间的差异，教师极其重视每个学生的不同特性。而在东方，由于相同的语言、历史和文化，其教育系统强调集体主义和团结协作精神，上课时教师讲，学生听，讨论并不多。文章最后谈到了两种教育体系的优缺点。
1．B 主旨大意题。阅读全文可知本文讨论的是东西方教育系统的不同之处，以及各自的优势和劣势。故选B项。
2．D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas.”可知，西方教学体系更注重培养学生的创造力，因此A项正确；根据倒数第二段中“For example，one advantage of the system in Japan is that students there learn much more about maths，physics，biology and chemistry than American students by the end of high school.”可知，日本学生在高中后一时期比美国学生学习更多的自然科学，因此B正确；同A项一样，加拿大属于西方教学体制，西方教学体系更强调个人，因此比韩国学生更有个性，故C正确；D项中是否友好在文中并未体现，因此D错误。综上可知答案为D项。
3．A 推理判断题。阅读前两段可知，在西方教育体制下的孩子更倾向于自己独立思考，遵循自己的意见，而在东方教育体制之下，上课时教师讲，学生听，讨论并不多，孩子们更倾向于团队合作。故选A项。
4．C 主旨大意题。阅读全文可知本文讨论的是东西方教育系统的不同之处，故选C项。
(二)
【文章大意】 文章介绍我们过分强调大学学位的更要性，实际上大学学位并不能保证就业和光明的未来，反而现在技术工人的需求量很大，我们可以增加技术院校的比例或向欧洲国家学习，重视初期的教育，保证大学的质量。
5．B 细节理解题。根据第二段的句子“We've been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there's a lot of truth to that…”可知，人们通常认为没有上大学就不会成功，故选B项。
6．D 词义猜测题。根据后面的句子“‘The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades，’ she said.‘Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college，you're more likely to be highly subsidized(资助)．’”可知，欧洲更重视早期的教育，这种做法是很好的，所以应该向他们学习，故选D项。
7．C 细节理解题。根据最后一段的句子“She is also a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers，welders and computer programmers—because ‘employers are desperate’ for workers with these skills.”可知，拥有技术的毕业生现在需求量很大，故选C项。
8．A 细节理解题。根据第二段的句子“We've been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy…”可知，Ms Sawhill认为我们过分强调大学学位的价值，故选A项。
(三)
【文章大意】 文章介绍因为使用电脑键盘，现在很多学生不会书写，所以书写应该引起关注，学生学习书写是可以带来很多好处的，最后提出有的学生因为种种原因不能写字而可以使用键盘。
9．C 推理判断题。根据第一段中“When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012，just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive letters(草写字母)．The rest? Block letters.”可知，在150万学生中只有15%的学生是手写的，这引起作者对手写的担心，故C项正确。
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10．A 细节理解题。根据第五段中“Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers，historians say，because their authenticity(真实性) can be confirmed.”可知，作者想借Robert的诗来证明手写的文稿更加珍贵，故A项正确。
11．C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills.”可知，作者认为教学生书写不需要花费多少精力，后面用Handwriting Without Tears举例，故C项正确。
12．B 推理判断题。根据倒数第三段中“Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.”可知，作者认为学生应该从小就学习书写，会让他们终身受益，故B项正确。
13．D 推理判断题。作者先是提出问题，即书写应该引起关注，后面说为什么学生应该学习书写，最后提出有的学生因为种种原因不能写字而可以使用键盘，所以他是客观地陈述事实，故D项正确。
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