随堂训练
1
A public primary school in New York City has stopped giving its students homework.
P. S. 116 Principal Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents last month explaining that after more than a year of analyzing studies, the school had concluded that students’ after-school time would be better spent on activities like reading at their own pace and playing rather than working on homework.
Hsu’s letter says that many studies indicate that there is no connection between homework and academic success. Indeed, there are some studies that show that the link between homework and success is doubtful at the primary school level.
An important 1989 study on homework by Professor Cooper found that doing homework led students to perform better in school as they grew older. In later grades, students who did homework performed increasingly better than students who did not. In 2006, Cooper published a study that analyzed 15 years’ worth of data on the effectiveness of homework. He found that homework had a more positive impact on students as they aged, and identified stronger relations between homework and achievement for students in grades seven through twelve than for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
A 2017 study from the Indiana University School of Education on 10th-graders found little relation between time spent on homework and better course grades, although it did find a positive relation between homework time and standardized test performance.
Some parents of P. S. 116 students are not happy with the decision to eliminate homework.
“I think they should have homework—some of it is about discipline. I want(my daughter)to have fun, but I also want her to be working towards a goal, ”Daniel Tasman, the father of a second-grader at the school.
“They have to do homework in order to gain; they have to do homework because they may not be able to comprehend everything in school, ”Sharon Blake, a grandmother of a P. S. 116 student.
【文章大意】本文报道了纽约的一所公办小学宣布取消学生作业的事情。
1. Principal Jane Hsu wrote the letter to the parents to______.
A. analyze the test results of the students
B. suggest students’ reading at their own pace and playing
C. tell them about the conclusion of the research
D. give them the reason for the decision of the school
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据文章一、二两段内容可知, 校长写信的目的在于让家长弄清楚学校取消学生作业的原因。
2. The decision to stop giving students homework depends upon______.
A. studies on the link between homework and academic success
B. students’ wish to spend their time on activities or playing
C. Professor Cooper’s research on the effectiveness of homework
D. the ideas of both school authorities and parents
【解析】选A。细节理解题。学校做出如此重大决定, 是基于大量的研究, 不仅仅是根据学校内部进行的一年多的分析研究(第二段), 还包括许多别的研究成果(第三段), 证明小学的作业与学业成绩关系不大。
3. Cooper found in his research that______.
A. kindergarten students spent too much time doing activities
B. doing homework made the kindergarten students cleverer
C. only elderly students should be given homework
D. students benefit more from doing homework as they grow older
【解析】选D。细节理解题。Cooper教授的研究成果是学校做出决定的依据之一, 即学生年龄越大, 作业对他的(学业成绩)作用就越大。反之越小。
4. What does the underlined word “eliminate” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. Refuse. B. Cancel. C. Increase. D. Reduce.
【解析】选B。词义猜测题。eliminate对应的应该是第一段提到的has stopped giving, 因此应该是cancel(取消)。
2
Your smartphone may seem like the center of your entertainment, but a new study of Kent State University shows that too much phone use is taking the fun right out of our spare time.
Researchers watched a group of nearly 500 students and measured their daily smartphone use. The study team then separated these students into three groups. Those who were considered in the “high-use” group experienced more stress and anxiety during their spare time than the other groups. A recent study found we’re spending almost three hours a day checking our phones. This is not good news.
So what can we do in order to really make good use of our spare time? We’ve collected several activities below that also take a few hours to complete, but best part of all, you’ll improve your health in the process.
Explore new places. Whether you’re at home or on vacation, it’s important to disconnect from the Wi-Fi and connect with your surroundings every once in a while. Walking in nature can do good to your health and improve your feeling. As a professional traveler Samantha Brown put it in a recent passage, “I put the map in my back pocket, put down the phones and take a good, long walk. Just wander. ”
Go to bed earlier. What can help improve your feeling? More sleep, naturally. Getting the right amount of sleep is very important to our health and studies show that we don’t get enough of it. Instead of wishing you just had one more hour of rest, get a head start with the extra time you have now.
Spend some good time with your loved ones. Or at the very least, call your mom. Spending time with loved ones can reduce stress in the body. Want even more added benefits? Make your spare time part of a shared meal. Research suggests eating together can make you feel good.
Putting pen to paper is a good exercise. Try writing down what you think about. Writing has a lot of health benefits, from increasing your sense of gratitude to helping with the healing process. Besides, writing down your thoughts may even help clear your mind.
Read a book. Turn off your phones for a paper and let yourself get lost in a good story. Research shows that reading can reduce stress, keeps your brain sharp and can even help you sleep better.
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文, 肯特州立大学的研究表明我们手机使用越多, 乐趣失去的就越多。为了真正把我们的闲暇时间利用起来, 作者向我们提供了一些有意义的活动。
1. What’s the result of the research about smartphone use?
A. The smartphone is the center of entertainment.
B. The more you use your phone, the less fun you’ll have.
C. Nearly 500 students use their smartphones too much.
D. Those who are in the “high-use” group feel much happier.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第一段可知, 肯特州立大学的研究表明过度使用手机带走的正是我们闲暇时间中的乐趣, 也就是说我们用手机越多, 越不快乐。
2. The writer offers us some activities in order to______.
A. make good use of our spare time
B. use our phones more effectively
C. find more fun in our phones
D. get a lot closer to nature
【解析】选A。目的意图题。根据第三段可知, 为的是真正把我们的闲暇时间利用起来。
3. If you want to improve your mood, you had better______.
A. put the map in your back pocket
B. get the right amount of sleep
C. clear your mind by writing
D. get lost in a good story
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据第五段可知, 多一些睡眠能帮助你改善你的情绪。
4. Spending time with loved ones can______.
A. improve your sleep level
B. keep your brain sharp
C. disconnect from the Wi-Fi
D. make you feel happy
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据倒数第三段可知, 和喜爱的人在一起可以使你压力减少, 感到快乐。
5. What does the underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph mean?
A. Mood.
B. Health.
C. Study.
D. Sleep.
【解析】选D。词义猜测题。合适的睡眠量对我们的健康很重要, 但研究表明我们的睡眠量不够, 故选D。