Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested in the memoir (回忆录) of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.
Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major from medicine to education.
Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.
Tyler became well-known nationality in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Hutchins.
Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an independent (独立的) spirit in their work.
Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers and management people on how to set objectives (目标) that develop the best teaching and learning within their schools. Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler's memoir?
A.Top managers. |
B.Language learners. |
C.Serious educators. |
D.Science organizations. |
The words "hooked oh teaching" underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean _____.
A.attracted to teaching |
B.tired of teaching |
C.satisfied with teaching |
D.unhappy about teaching |
Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?
A.The University of Chicago. |
B.Stanford University. |
C.Ohio State University. |
D.Nebraska University. |
Tyler is said to have never actually retired because_____.
A.he developed a new method of testing |
B.he called for free spirit in research |
C.he was still active in giving advice |
D.he still led the Eight-Year Study |
What cannot we learn about Ralph W.Tyler in this article?
A.When and where he was born |
B.Where he studied and worked |
C.His devotion to American education |
D.His life with his family |
Most schools ban chewing gum, but in a few years they might consider changing that rule. Why? Scientists are finding evidence that gum chewing may be good for your health. It may even help boost your test scores.
This exciting research is just beginning. And at the same time, companies are also experimenting with adding vitamins, minerals, medicines, and other substances that could give gum the power to cure headaches and fight everything from serious diseases to bad breath.
These gums are part of the growing number of foods and drinks that contain health-boosting ingredients. If you're already a gum fan, that's probably welcome news.
Americans chew about 1.8 pounds of gum per person each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By showing that gum chewing can be healthy, companies that make and sell gum hope that we'll chew even more.
Chewing gum might be good for your brain. One Japanese study of nine participants found that chewing gum boosted the flow of blood to participants' brains by up to 40 percent. Blood carries oxygen, which fuels brain cells.
Other small studies have found that people perform better on memory tests while chewing gum. And a study in the United Kingdom found that people who chewed gum while memorizing a list of words did about 25 percent better at recalling those words than people who didn't chew gum.
But additional studies are still needed to confirm that chewing gum has benefits. So far, results of studies about memory have been mixed. Not all tests have had similarly encouraging results. What's more, many of the studies that show gum's benefits are funded by gum companies.
So, for now, chew with caution. Too much chewing can damage the jaw joint. And chewing too much of a gum that contains vitamins, caffeine, or a medicine could lead to an overdose. What's more, no matter how healthy gum chewing proves to be, it will never be a match for a healthy lifestyle. Nothing like a gum or a vitamin is going to cure a bad eating habit or a bad exercise habit. It's not a magic bullet. Scientific studies about gum chewing show that ______.
A.it can help fight serious diseases |
B.it can help blood produce more oxygen |
C.it can help reduce headaches |
D.it can help improve students' memory |
Why are scientists trying to put different substances in gum?
A.To make it taste more delicious. |
B.To make it contain more ingredients. |
C.To help cure different illnesses. |
D.To help improve the sales of gum. |
What does the writer think of the results of the present studies about gum?
A.The writer has no doubt about them. |
B.The writer isn't quite sure about them. |
C.The writer doesn't believe them at all. |
D.The writer is very happy with them. |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?
A.Students should be careful with gum chewing. |
B.The more gums we chew, the more words we will remember. |
C.Gum chewing helps change a bad eating habit. |
D.The healthier gum chewing proves to be, the more we should chew. |
Many critics worry about violence on television, most out of fear that it stimulates viewers to violent or aggressive acts. Our research, however, indicates that the consequences of experiencing TV’s symbolic world of violence may be much more far-reaching.
We have found that people who watch a lot of TV see the real world as more dangerous and frightening than those who watch very little. Heavy viewers are less trustful of their fellow citizens, and more fearful of the real world. Since most TV “action-adventure” dramas occur in urban settings, the fear they inspire may contribute to the current flee of the middle class from our cities. The fear may also bring increasing demands for police protection, and election of law-and-order politicians.
While none of us is completely dependent upon television for our view of the world, neither have many of us had the opportunity to observe the reality of police stations, courtrooms, corporate board rooms, or hospital operating rooms. Although critics complain about the fixed characters and plots of TV dramas, many viewers look on them as representative of the real world. Anyone who questions that statement should read the 250,000 letters, most containing requests for medical advice, sent by viewers to “Marcus Welby, M.D.” —a popular TV drama series about a doctor— during the first five years of his practice on TV.
Violence on television leads viewers to regard the real world as more dangerous than it really is, which must also influence the way people behave. When asked, “Can most people be trusted?” the heavy viewers were 35 percent more likely to choose “Can’t be too careful.”
Victims, like criminals, must learn their proper roles, and televised violence may perform the teaching function all too well. Instead of worrying only about whether television violence causes individual displays of aggression in the real world, we should also be concerned about social reality. Passive acceptance of violence in the face of injustice may result from far greater social concern than occasional displays of individual aggression.
We have found that violence on prime-time(黄金时段)network TV cultivates overstated (夸大的)assumptions about the threat of danger in the real world. Fear is a universal emotion, and easy to exploit. The overstated sense of risk and insecurity may lead to increasing demands for protection and to increasing pressure for the use of force by established authority. Instead of threatening the social order, television may have become our chief instrument of social control. Which of the following is NOT among the consequences of watching TV too much?
A.Distrusting people around. |
B.Moving into rural areas. |
C.Turning to the police for protection. |
D.Holding more elections. |
According to the passage, why did “Marcus Welby, M.D.” receive so many letters?
A. Because viewers believed the doctor did exist in the real life.
B. Because certain TV programmes recommended him to viewers.
C. Because he was an experienced doctor and saved many lives.
D. Because the TV appealed to people to pay attention to health. According to the author, _________ is mainly to blame for people’s fear of the real world.
A.network TV |
B.social reality |
C.individual display of violence |
D.televised violence |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
A.people tend to be aggressive or violent after watching TV too much |
B.people can learn to protect themselves from dangers by watching TV |
C.the occasional displays of individual aggression may threaten the social order |
D.watching TV may cause the misuse of authority and disturb the social order |
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a "boy". Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males send them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere-on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression,his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture-he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker (鞭炮), but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime. Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper.
Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature-he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, "Hi, Dad!" The whole passage is in a tone (调子) of ______.
A.humor and affection |
B.respect and harmony |
C.ambition and expectation |
D.confidence and imagination |
Could you figure out the meaning of the underlined sentence?
A.He has altogether five fingers. |
B.He is slow, foolish and clumsy. |
C.He becomes clever and smart. |
D.He cuts his hand with a knife. |
According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except ______.
A.ice cream |
B.comic books |
C.Saturday mornings |
D.Sunday schools |
What does the writer feel about boys?
A.He feels curious about their noise. |
B.He is fed up with these creatures. |
C.He is amazed by their naughtiness. |
D.He feels unsafe staying with them. |
A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows that most students considered understanding spoken English to be their biggest problem on arrival. This was followed by speaking. Writing increased as a problem as students discovered difficultties in writing papers that they were now expected to hand in. Reading remained as a significant (显著的) problem.
Information gained helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course. Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation (动机), we considered it important to note what seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind of grammar-based English teaching in their own country. To use the same method would be self-defeating because it might reduce motivation, especially if it has failed in the past. Therefore a different method may help because it is different.
Variety of activity was also seen as a way of maintaining (保持) or increasing motivation. Several years ago we had one timetable that operated throughout, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers lost interest by about halfway through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, so finally we brought it into line with the expressed language needs of the students. What is the text mainly about?
A.Foreign students have more problems. |
B.There are many ways to improve English. |
C.Teaching should meet students' needs. |
D.English learning problems should be studied again. |
Writing became a bigger problem when foreign students _____.
A.had to write their papers |
B.became better at speaking |
C.became less interested in reading |
D.had fewer problems with listening |
We may infer from the last two paragraphs that _____.
A.different teaching methods should be used |
B.grammar-based teaching seems to be encouraging |
C.English courses are necessary for foreign students |
D.teaching content should be changed halfway |