Victoria Explore
U. S. Public Schools: What's Wrong with Them
Paragraph 1
There are many people in the U.S. today who are not satisfied with the education that their children are receiving in the public schools. They are very worried about a number of develop- ments that are taking place in the schools. However, not all of these people are worried about the same things. In fact, they often do not agree about the problem in public education.
Paragraph 2
One group of people is concerned about the quality of the education which young people are receiving. According to these parents, their children are not learning enough in school, and some researchers agree with them. For example, according to recent studies, the number of high school students who cannot read is increasing, not decreasing. Also the number of high school students who have difficulty with simple mathematics is increasing. Even students who graduate from high school and go to college show a depressing lack of knowledge. In a geography class at a large university, 40% of the students could not find London on a map and almost 9% could not find the city where they were attending college.
Paragraph 3
There are a number of possible reasons for the increase in the number of students who are not receiving a good basic education. First, classes are sometimes too large. In some city schools, for example, there are often between forty and fifty students in a class. Second, there are many teach- ers who do not know enough about the subjects that they are teaching. The college programmes which train future teachers are not always good and do not always attract the top students. But the problems are not always the fault of the teachers or the education system. Often students who do not want to learn behave badly and disturb classes. Finally, according to some people, television is also to blame for the lack of success of the public schools. Young people do not take time for their homework. They grow to depend on television for entertainment and information, and therefore, they cannot see any reason for reading in this modern world.
Paragraph 4
Clearly there are a number of different reasons for the poor quality of education that some students are receiving in U.S. public schools. Any solutions to this problem will have to answer at least four questions. How can we bring down the number of students in a class? How can we improve the quality of teachers and teacher training? How can we solve the problem of students who disturb classes? How can we fight against the negative influence of television? However, we do not have a great deal of time to find the answers to these questions. Already, as a result of their dissatisfaction with the schools, some conce.rned parents are taking their children out of public schools.
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Paragraph 5
A second group of people is dissatisfied with the public schools for very different reasons.
These people usually have very conservative beliefs about life. They do not like the changes which they see every day in American society, and they disagree with many of the ideas which their children hear and read about in school. For example, they object to the sex education classes that some schools give. For them, sex education is not a suitable subject for schools. They also object to schoolbooks that describe the lives of mothers who work outside the home or of parents who are divorced. They do not like history books which criticise the U.S. for mistakes which the U.S. made in the past.
Paragraph 6
These people have a solution to the problems of unsuitable books and classes. Their solution is not to take their children out of the public schools. They put pressure on the people on the local school boards. They also elect to the school boards people who share their ideas. Then the school boards will stop sex education and the use of schoolbooks that do not agree with their ideas about life.
Paragraph 7
There are, however, many other people who completely disagree with the actions of these conservatives. Thus, in the U.S. today there is a lot of discussion about very important questions in education. Who will decide school programmes and books? Does the government have the right to decide? Can teachers decide? Do only parents have the right to decide the things that their children learn in school? Watch the television and read news magazine; you will hear a lot of different answers to these questions.
Please decide which of the following choices is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the sentence and write down the corresponding letter.
1. For example, according to recent studies, the number of high school students who cannot read is increasing, not decreasing.
A. getting more in size or number B. becoming less in quantity C. getting worse in quality
2. Even students who graduate from high school and go to college show a depressing lack of knowledge.
A. exciting B. shocking C. discouraging
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Unit 14- Reading Practice
3. Often students who do not want to learn behave badly and disturb classes.
A. change the usual order of B. leave without permission C. argue with the teachers of
4. Finally, according to some people, television is also to blame for the lack of success of the public schools.
A. be avoided B. be careful about C. be held responsible
The reading passage U.S. Public Schools: What's Wrong with Them has 7 paragraphs (1-7).
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
There is one extra heading which you do not have to use.
5. Paragraph 1 9. Paragraph 5
6. Paragraph 2 10. Paragraph 6
7. Paragraph 3 11. Paragraph 7
8. Paragraph 4
There are four choices for each question. Refer to the passage U.S. Public Schools: What's Wrong with Them and choose the correct answer by writing down the corresponding letter.
12. According to the passage, the first group of critics is worried that A. high school students are not learning enough.
B. there are not enough high schools.
C. teachers do not give enough homework.
D. there are not enough teachers in schools.
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13. Recent studies show that
A. more students cannot read.
B. more students prefer math.
C. more students get worse scores. D. fewer students can read maps.
14. What doesn't the writer give as a reason why students in public schools do not learn enough?
A. Teachers C. Students
B. Books D. Television
15. What does the second group of people criticise about the public schools?
A. The textbooks are too difficult to understand.
B. The teachers are not strict enough with the students:
C. The children are reading about ideas which these people don't like.
D. There are not enough suitable subjects to learn in schools.
16. How does the second group of critics solve its dissatisfaction with the public schools?
A. Try to change the regulations of the school boards.
B. Take children out of the public schools.
C. Argue with people on the local school boards.
D. Appoint people they like to the school boards.
Refer to ·the reading passage again and choose the correct answer by writing dowri the corresponding letters.
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j17. Which FOUR of the following reasons can explain why students do not learn enough in public schools?
A. There are too many students in one class.
B. Public schools are too small.
C. Many teachers are not qualified.
D. There are not enough training programmes.
E. Some students are not well disciplined in class.
F. Students do not spend time on homework.
G. TV programmes are not good enough.
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behave /bi'heiv/ v. depress /di'pres/ v. !
:
blame /bleim/ v. disturb /di'st3:b/ v. ~
board /bo:d/ n. divorce /di'vo:s/ v. ~
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criticise /'kritisaiz/ v. object /ab'd3ekt/ v.t .. ~~~~~~~~ !~~~~:~!.-~·-~·· · ·· ·-· -- ·~ ... ... . . ... . .... ~···· ··"··· ·· .. ··· .. ~ ···· · ·· .. ··· · ··· .. -1
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Unit 15-Reading Practice