B
Schools are being urged to go back to ‘chalk and talk’ teaching that was once widespread in Britain – in order to reproduce the success the traditional methods now have in China.
Education Minister Nick Gibb said having a teacher speak to the class as a whole from the front was much more effective than children working on their own – the method which has become dominant in schools over the past 40 years.
Mr. Gibb’s intervention（干预）, which will infuriate many in the educational establishment, follows a Government scheme in which more than 70 maths teachers from British primaries went to Shanghai to study the teaching styles of their Chinese counterparts. Researchers have found that children in China achieve marks in maths up to 30 per cent higher than English pupils of the same age.
In ‘whole class’ teaching, which was common in this country until the 1950s, the teacher instructs all the pupils together by using a blackboard, or its equivalent, while testing the children with questions.
But progressive educationalists argued this was too authoritarian, and instead promoted the ‘child-centered’ approach that has been prevalent in primary schools since then. Under this system, pupils are encouraged to ‘discover’ knowledge by themselves, working at their own speed or in small groups, with the teacher offering them support.
Mr. Gibb told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I would like to see schools across the country adopt whole class teaching methods, particularly in maths and science. Research shows it is significantly more effective than other methods that concentrate more on personalized learning.’
He said Shanghai schools topped international league tables, with 15-year-olds there three years ahead of their English counterparts in maths.
Mr. Gibb added: ‘In Shanghai primary schools, whole class teaching with all pupils taking part in question and answer sessions is key to their success. All their pupils are taught the same curriculum and all are expected to reach the same high standard.’
Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said: ‘English education was overtaken with progressive ideas in recent decades, which held it was better for children to learn by themselves and at their own pace.
‘This was clearly madness, and it has taken 40 years to realize this.
‘The trouble with the trendy methods is that the children are left to their own devices, including chatting to their friends, while the teacher is elsewhere. It is a very inefficient use of time and resources.’
Mr. Gibb’s comments have been backed by recent research, which concluded that the success of pupils in the Far East is largely down to teaching methods. How does the passage mainly develop?
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By explaining things. | D．By giving numbers. |
What do we know about “whole class” teaching method?
| A．The teacher speaks to the class as a whole in the front. |
| B．The teacher provides help only when necessary. |
| C．The students discover knowledge all by themselves. |
| D．The students all study at their own pace. |
What is Alan Smithers’ attitude towards the “child-centered” teaching method？
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Unclear. |
This March is a busy month in Shanghai. There’s a lot to do. Here are the highlights.
Live Music—Late Night Jazz
Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. He’s coming with his new 7-piece band, Herbie’s Heroes. Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don’t expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie’s third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly.
Scottish Dancing
Take your partners and get ready to dance till you are tired. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn.
Instructors will demonstrate the dances. The live band, Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent.
Exhibitions—Shanghai Museum
There are 120,000 pieces on show here. Your can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof. It’s always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition. There are lots of mummies and more gold than you’ve ever seen before. Let us know if you see a mummy move!
Dining –Sushi chef in town
Sushi(寿司) is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it’s become an art form. The most famous Sushi ‘artist’ is Yuki Kamura. She’s also one of the few female chefs in Japan. She’ll be at Sushi Scene all of this month.
For a full listing of events, see our website.Suppose you are going to attend an activity at 8:00p.m. on Saturday, which one can you choose?
| A．Exhibitions –Shanghai Museum |
| B．Scottish dancing |
| C．Live Music—Late Night Jazz |
| D．Dining—Sushi chef in town |
Which of the following is true according to the advertisements?
| A．Scottish dancing is so interesting and easy that it never tires you out . |
| B．The performance given by the American jazz band won’t last long . |
| C．Sushi is not popular in Shanghai as it is a kind of Japanese traditional food. |
| D．It is more interesting to visit Shanghai Museum for the exhibits from Egypt. |
From the text we may learn that Kamura is _________.
| A．a cook | B．a waitress |
| C．an musician | D．an artist |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked
to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he
would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror
that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about_________.
| A．a strange man |
| B．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
| C．an unusual party |
| D．how roller skating began |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
| A．often gave others surprises | B．was full of imagination |
| C．was a gifted musician | D．invented the roller skates |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.
| A．arrive at the party sooner |
| B．impress the party guests |
| C．test his invention |
| D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| B．Merlin got himself into trouble. |
| C．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| D．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| A. |
You can know my personal meaning from my name--- Bachelor Button; If you are among those singles who can’t get away from self-pity, don’t worry. You can have me and thus be blessed with good fortune for your life--- I’m sure you’ll be envied by your married friends! |
 |
| B. |
Dear friend, maybe you’re troubled by endless everyday chores of all sorts --- the rent, bills of all kinds, a hateful boss, stupid gossip, quarrels with your beloved, a rebellious child… Don’t worry. Come to me, Bell of Ireland. Take me home and good fortune will be yours after you cast light over the darkness. |
 |
| C. |
I am Daisy, which means cooling you down. It’s not easy for you to be a match for me. I ’m a loner in this word which can be too sophisticated. I keep wondering why people, who are pure, clean and true when they are young, tend to become less and less lovely when they get older. Please remain pure and true. I’m always so. |
 |
| D. |
Flowers are usually related to gaiety, love admiration, adoration, friendship… those happy sorts of things, but not for me. I’m useful when you feel guilty and want to say sorry to your beloved. Have you made your girl feel annoyed? Take me to her and you’ll win her back. |
 |
| E. |
Born elegant and noble, we Tulips are believed to the symbol of trust, the declaration of love, and unchangeable faith. We’ve often seen young men send their girls roses. But if a young man wants to send his girl the tulip, he must make sure whether his love is elegant and noble and faithful enough. |
 |
| F. |
I’m Zinnia. I don’t belong to those rare species. Go to parks, suburbs and mountains and you’ll find me everywhere--- on the sides of paths and rivers, under trees in weeds… you can’t avoid seeing me. That’s right; this is my meaning: “ Think of me every day.” Don’t forget me! |
 |
以下是一些人的相关信息，请把他们情况与他们应该所购买的鲜花匹配起来。
Kenny has been both excited and unsettled for a couple of weeks. He believes that he has found his dream girl, whom he met at his company’s annual party at the end of last month. He fell in love with her at the first sight. He wants to express his love to her tomorrow.
Tom is thinking of celebrating Jane’s coming birthday, one of his best friends. As soon-to-be graduates from senior high school, they’re puzzled about their future stud
y and life. He finds his many classmates have become so complicated, thinking a lot about winning and losing in their future social lives. But Jane is different.
Mr. Zhou’s parents are worried about him. “He is 38 years old, but still single. What can we do?” They will be very happy if their son gets married. Next week, they will go to Guangzhou to see their son and they are looking forward to finding a gift for him to help them realize their dream.
Cindy seems to be in the worst period of her life. Last month, her boss told her that she was no longer included in the long-term program of the company, where she had worked for more than 10 years. It was clear that she’d better quit. But that was not the end. Two weeks ago she was turned down in a job interview. Life is hard. She needs to be blessed.
Last year, Bruce was extremely happy to get the news of being promoted to be the general manger of marketing. He has become a man “up in the air” since then, flying here and there on business. One day, he suddenly realized he almost completely ignored his family. Next time when he goes home, he wants to make an apology to his wife and kids.
Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results. However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem. Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it takes a great deal of hard work and compromise. There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team.
Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork. The team’s leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed. An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued.
Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team. Team members must be able to articulate their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other’s opinions.
Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together. The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts. Team members should be able to voice their con
cerns without fear of offending others. Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better. It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible.
The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork. In order to keep team members pos
itive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself / himself needs to show these qualities. The team turns to the leader for support and guidance. So any negative words or behaviors on the leader’s part can be disastrous.
Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team. Effective leadership is important partly because ___________________.
| A．it helps a leader to develop lots of skills |
| B．it makes a leader feel supported and valued |
| C．it creates a positive working environment |
| D．it depends on interpersonal relationship of a team |
The underlined word articulate probably means _________________.
| A．hide | B．feel |
| C．express | D．plan |
When conflicts arise among team members, the team leader should __________.
| A．worry about the team members |
| B．ignore the team members voices |
| C．try to avoid conflict issues |
| D．work out their differences |
To become a good team leader, you have to ____________________.
| A．be positive and committed |
| B．set up a good team |
| C．look for support from the team |
| D．avoid natural disasters |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Football And Teamwork |
| B．What Makes Effective Teamwork |
| C．Handle Conflict In A Team |
| D．Communication And Teamwork |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the Elevator Guy.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They [elevators] are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact, she said.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator |
| B．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette |
| C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator |
According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator? ________
The underlined phrase size up in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．judge | B．ignore |
| C．put up with | D．make the best of |
According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
| A．someones odd behaviors |
| B．the lack of space |
| C．their unfamiliarity with one another |
| D．their eye contact with one another |
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