Question

Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting. But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One of this year’s studies found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 to 15 minutes a day, and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60 to 70 minutes a day — which really for handwriting is pretty much.

Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again. Today’s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts(专家) also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.

Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency(流畅) — writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high school.

But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.

But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is seldom done in primary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board(大学委员会). More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay(article) on the test rather than write in cursive.

1.From Paragraph 1 we can learn           .

A. teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in the teaching job

B. most teachers prefer to teach handwriting

C. teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting

D. a keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting

2.Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?

A. Handwriting includes two skills.

B. To write in cursive is taught first.

C. The letters are repeated many times.

D. The students are taught by practicing a long period.

3.The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means           .

A. easy to read       B. easy to write

C. unexpected        D. unreadable

4.The best title for the passage is           .

A. How to Improve Handwriting in School

B. Right or Wrong: the Death of Handwriting

C. Handwriting Involves Two Skills

D. Handwriting Lessons Are on the Way Out

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：文章讲述的是在键盘时代，书法课即将过时，90%的教师说他们被要求教书法，而今年的研究表明四分之三的老师说他们不准备教书法。书法涉及两个技能，一个是易读，另一个是流畅。但不是每个人都能掌握这些技能。美国孩子习惯先学习打字，再学手写。超过75%的学生选择在考试中打印他们的文章而不是手写。

1.A细节理解题。根据“90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting.”可知，书法教学是教学工作的基本要求。故选A。

2.B细节理解题。根据最后一段中“American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. ”可知，美国孩子习惯先学习打字，再学手写。故B选项错误，选B。

3.A词义理解题。根据“One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. ”中后半句对这个单词的解释，可知单词的意思是“形成字母可以被读”即易读，故选A。

4.B主旨大意题。文章主要讲述的是：在键盘时代，对书法课消失现状的分析。故选B。

考点：社会类短文阅读。