Question

Pushy parents and teachers who "hothouse" the under-5s risk causing damage to the children's long-term development,a leading education expert said.

Lilian Katz,Professor of Education at the University of Illinois,told that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those,engaged in imaginative learning.They scored higher in tests at the age of 5,but children whose first year at school was stimulating（使人兴奋的）outstripped them years later.

The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early-years learning could be storing up problems for children.They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.

In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills.Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States,France and Germany,and at 7 Finland and Sweden.

Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were “boring children to tears”.Much academic teaching required I children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context,she said.Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.

"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic instruction for four and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early,but considerably less so in the long term.When these children arc followed over a period of three or more years,those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers,who had received early academic instruction."She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play,in mixed-aged classes.This can include puppet shows,drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.

1.According to the passage,those who "hothouse" the under-5s would probably______.

A. prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching

B. teach in a lively way to motivate kids' interest

C. push the kids to memorize pieces of information

D. care about the kids' physical development

2.What does the underlined word "outstripped" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. did better than

B. looked down upon

C. caught up with

D. performed worse than

3.The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching______.

A. can start at different times in different countries

B. should not be started too early

C. is best carried out in Finland and Sweden

D. should include teaching children social and manual skills

4.Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?

A. Children should be taught through first-hand experience.

B. Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children.

C. Running a shop can help children get good marks.

D. Puppet shows and drawing are useful ways in teaching children.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】这篇文章主要讲了研究表明正式教育不要开始的太早，否则会对孩子的长期发展造成损害，小孩子应该从玩儿中学习。

1.细节理解题。由Pushy parents and teachers who "hothouse" the under-5s risk causing damage to the children's long-term development,a leading education expert said. Lilian Katz,Professor of Education at the University of Illinois,told that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those,engaged in imaginative learning.可知把五岁的孩子关到家里的那些人可能在强迫孩子记忆一些知识，选C。

2.词义猜测题。由They scored higher in tests at the age of 5,but children whose first year at school was stimulating（使人兴奋的）outstripped them years later.可猜出"outstripped"的意思是超过、超出，故选A。

3.推理判断题。由Pushy parents and teachers who "hothouse" the under-5s risk causing damage to the children's long-term development,a leading education expert said.可推断出正式教育不要开始的太早，选B。

4.细节理解题。由She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play,in mixed-aged classes.This can include puppet shows,drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.可知Lilian Katz并没有提到经营一家商店能够帮助孩子们取得好的分数，故选C。