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D.R.Gaul Middle School in Union, Maine, a blue-berry farming town where the summer fair finds kids competing in pig scrambles and pie-eating contests.
Gaul, with about 170 seventh-and eighth-graders, has its own history of lower level academic achievement. One likely reason: education beyond the basic requirements hasn't always been a top priority for families who've worked the same land for generations. Here, few adults have college degrees, and outsiders(teachers included) are often kept at a respectful distance.
Since 2002, Gaul's students have been divided into four classes, each of them was taught almost every subject by two teachers. The goal: to find common threads across disciplines to help students create a big picture that gives fresh meaning and context to their classwork and sparks motivation for leaning.
Working within state guidelines, each team makes its individual schedules and lesson plans, incorporating non-textbook literature, hands-on lab work and fields trips. If students are covering the Civil War in social studies, they're reading The Read Badge of Courage or some other period literature in English class. In science, they study the viruses and bacteria that caused many deaths in the war.
Team teaching isn't unusual. About 77 percent middle schools now employ some form of it, says John Lounsbury, consulting editor for the National Middle School Association. But most schools use four-or five-person teams, which Gaul tried before considering two-person teams more effective. Gual supports the team concept by "looping" classes (跟班）so that the same two teachers stick with the same teens through seventh and eighth grades. Combining teams and looping creates an extremely strong bond between teacher and student. It also, says teacher Beth Ahlholm, "allows us to build an excellent relationship with parents."
Ahlholm and teammate Madelon Kelly are fully aware how many glazed looks they see in the classroom, but they know 72 percent of their eighth-graders met Maine's reading standard last year--double the statewide average. Only 31 percent met the Maths standard, still better than the state average(21 percent). Their students also beat the state average in writing and science. And in 2006, Gual was one of 47 schools in the state to see testing gains of at least 20 percent in four of the previous five years, coinciding roughly with team teaching’ arrival.
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A Classroom with Context |
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Problems of the school |
Being a farming town, it (1.)______ little in education before. |
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(2.)_____ education is considered less important. |
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The community is relatively (3.)_____ rather than open to the outsiders. |
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Ways of solving the problems |
The division of the classes is made and students are well (4.)_____. |
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Individual schedules and lesson plans are (5.)_____ by each team. |
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A strong (6.)_____ between teacher and student is established through combining teams and looping. |
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Signs of (7.)_____ |
72 percent of the eighth-graders (8.)_____ Maine's reading standard |
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(9.)_____percent higher than the state average in Maths |
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The school beating the state average in writing and science |
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Four of the previous five years (10.)_____ at least 20 percent test gains |
People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are known ahead of time because a few have come true; they neglect or fail to notice the many that have not.
Consider also the belief that "the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. "If it does ring while you do it , the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that thing probably won't even be remembered.
People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. Consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths "happen in threes." Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. If three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their "happening together” is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end points reinforce such beliefs.
We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use criteria that work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, “Everybody ranks himself high in qualities he values: careful drivers give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy," This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.
Perhaps the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious in drawing conclusions. The "evidence" of everyday life is sometimes misleading.
1.In the first paragraph the author states that______.
A. dreams cannot be said to be prophetic even though a few have come true.
B. dreams are prophetic did come true.
C. dreams may come true if clearly remembered.
D. dreams and reality are closely related.
2.By" things like...""happen in threes"(Para.3,Line 2),the author indicates that people believe_____.
A. personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.
B. personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths usually happen together.
C. misfortunes tend to occur according to certain patterns.
D. misfortunes will never occur more than three times to a person in his lifetime.
3.The word "courtesy" (Para.4,Line 6)probably means_____.
A. good manners B. appropriate speech
C. friendly relations. D. satisfactory service.
4.What can be inferred from the passage_____.
A. Happenings that go unnoticed deserve more attention.
B. In a series of misfortunes the third one is usually the most serious.
C. People tend to make use of evidence that supports their own beliefs.
D. Believers of misfortunes happening in threes are cautious in interpreting events.
5.It can be concluded from the passage that_____.
A. there is some truth even in the wildest dreams.
B. one should take notice of other people's merits.
C. there is no order or pattern in world events.
D. we should not base our conclusions on accidental evidence.
During the Christmas shopping rush in London, the intriguing story was reported of a tramp(流浪汉) who, apparently through no fault of his own, found himself locked in a well-known chain store late on Christmas Eve. No doubt the store was crowded with last minute Christmas shoppers and the staff were dead beat and longing to get home. Presumably all the proper Security checks were made before the store was locked and they left to enjoy the three-day holiday untroubled by customers desperate to get last minute Christmas presents
However that may be, our tramp found himself alone in the store and decided to make the best of it. There was food, drink, bedding and camping equipment, of which he made good use. There must also have been television sets and radios Though it was not reported if he took advantage of these facilities, when the shop re-opened, he was discovered in bed with a large number of empty bottles beside him. He seems to have been a man of good humour and philosophic temperament---as indeed vagrants(流浪汉) very commonly arc. Everyone also was enjoying Christmas, so he saw no good reason why he should not do the same. He submitted, cheerfully enough, to being taken way by the police. Perhaps he had bad a better Christmas than usual. He was sent to prison for Seven days. The judge awarded no compensation to the chain store for the food and drink our tramp had consumed. They had, in his opinion, already received valuable free publicity from the coverage the story received in the newspapers and on television. Perhaps the judge had had a good Christmas too.
1.The tramp was locked in the store____
A. for his mistakes. B. due to a misunderstanding
C. by accident. D. through an error of judgment.
2.The staff were 'dead beat' means they were _____
A. half asleep B. exhausted. C. annoyed. D. forgetful.
3.What action did the tramp take? He_____
A. looted the store. B. made himself at home.
C. went to sleep for 2 days. D. had a Christmas party.
4.When the tramp was arrested, he _____
A. laughed at the police. B. looked forward to going to pr)son.
C. rook his bottles with him. D. didn't make any fuss
5.Why didn't the judge award compensation to the chain store?
A. The tramp had stolen nothing of value B. The store had profited by the incident.
C. The tramp deserved a happy Christmas D. The store was responsible for what happened.
One day Mr. Kerry was walking along the Strand in London, killing time, when his eye was caught by an enormous picture displayed upon the wall of a house. It represented a human figure covered with long, dark hair, with huge nails upon his hands and a most fearful expression. On coming nearer, he heard a man call out 'Walk in, ladies and gentlemen, the most wonderful curiosity ever exhibited-only five pence-the wild man from Africa-he eats raw food, and many other pleasing and surprising performances. Mr. Kerry paid his money and was admitted. At first the crowd prevented his seeing anything, for the place was full of suffocation(窒息), and the noise was awful. At last, Mr. Kerry obtained, by dint of squeezing and pushing, a place in the front, when to his horror, he saw a figure that was far worse than the portrait outside.
It was a man, nearly naked, covered with long, shaggy hair, that grew even over his nose and cheekbones. He sprang about, sometimes his feet, sometimes on all-fours, but always uttering the most fearful yells, and glaring upon the crowd in a manner that was really dangerous. Mr. Kerry did not feel exactly happy at the whole proceeding, and began heartily to wish himself outside. Suddenly, thc savage gave a more frantic scream than before and seized a morsel(小块) of raw beef which a keeper extended to him on a long fork. This he tore to pieces eagerly, and devoured in the most voracious(贪婪的) manner, amid great clapping of hands and other evidence of satisfaction from the audience: 'I'll go now', thought Mr. Kerry, 'for who knows whether, in his hungry moods, he might not fancy finishing his dinner with me.' Just at this instant, some sounds struck his ear that surprised him. He listened more attentively and, to his amazement, found that amid the most fearful cries and wild yells, the savage was talking Irish. Now, Mr. Kerry had never heard of an African Irishman so he listened very closely, and, by degrees, not only thc words were known to him, but the very voice was familiar, so turning to the savage he addressed him in Irish, at the same time fixing him with a severe look.
'Who are you?' said Mr. Kerry.
'Billy McCabe, sir.'
'And what do you mean by playing your tricks here, instead of earning your living like an honest man?'
'Well,' said Billy, 'I'm earning the rent to pay you. One must do many strange things to pay the kind of rent you charge.'
1.Mr. Kerry was walking along the Strand because _____
A .he had nothing else to do.
B. he was late for an appointment.
C. he was looking for something to do.
D. he was reluctant to go home.
2.Inside the house, at first, Mr. Kerry____
A. was nearly suffocated.
B. could see nothing.
C. was pushed about.
D .couldn't hear anything
3.The wild man gave the impression of being dangerous by_______
A. the way he moved B. the way he dressed
C. the looks he gave D. the cries he made
4.Mr Kerry decided to leave the house because _______
A. he felt extremely frightened B. he was worried what might happen
C. he didn’t wish to eat with the savage D. he feared he might have a heart attack
5.The wild man surprised Mr Kerry by speaking Irish since____
A. he was on show in London B. he was a primitive savage.
C. he previously spoke nonsense D. he was thought to be African.
Why is there no risk to the customer when a bank prints the customer’s name to his cheques?
When anyone opens a current account at a bank, he is lending the bank money, repayment of which he may demand at any time, either in cash or by drawing a check in favor of another person. Primarily, the bank-customer’s account is in credit or overdrawn. But, in addition to that basically simple concept, the bank and its customer owe a large number of obligations(义务) to one another. Many of these obligations can give rise to problems but a bank customer, unlike, say, a buyer of goods, cannot complain that the law is loaded against him.
The bank must obey its customer’s instructions, and not those of anyone else. When, for example, a customer first opens an account, he instructs the bank to debit（把......记入借方） his account only in respect of checks drawn by himself. He gives the bank specimens(标本) of his signature, and there is a very firm rule that the bank has no right to pay out a customer’s money on a check on which its customer’s signature has been forged(伪造). It makes no difference that the forgery may have been a very skillful one: the bank must recognize its customer’s signature. For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice, adopted by banks, of printing the customer’s name on his checks. If this helps forgery, it is the bank which will lose, not the customer.
1.When you have a bank account, you ___
A. must always be in credit
B. can’t draw any money if you’re overdrawn
C. can draw money without notice
D. can’t pay money to anyone else
2.One of the obligations a bank has to a customer_____
A. is that it can’t take instructions from other people
B. is that it can avoid complications and problems
C. it must pay money to the customer even if he is seriously overdrawn
D. it must print the customer’s signature
3.The underlined part “the law is loaded against him” in the second paragraph is most likely to mean_____
A. the law is not of his interest
B. the law is unfavorable to him
C. the law is not in favor of him
D. the law is not in his honor
4.If someone forged your signature and drew money from your account___
A. the bank would always pay money to the forger
B. the bank wouldn’t lose any money
C. you wouldn’t lose any money
D. you wouldn’t lose your money
I'm usually fairly doubtful about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America's kids so stressed? According to the report there are two main causes: increasing loneliness ─ brought on by high divorce rates and little communication with society, among other things ─ and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation handle such difficulties. At the top of the list is giving children a better appreciation of the limits of individualism (个人主义). No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
1.The author thinks that the conclusions of any research comparing people's state of mind today with people’s state of mind in the past are______.
A. surprising B. confusing C. interesting D. questionable
2.What does the author mean when he says, “we can't turn the clock back” (Paragraph 3)?
A. It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D. It's impossible to forget the past.
3.According to the analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
A. had little communication with friends
B. were probably less self-centered
C. probably suffered less from anxiety
D. were considered less individualistic
4.The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
A. to provide the children with a safer environment
B. to lower their expectations for the children
C. to get the children more active socially
D. to set an example for the children to follow
5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A. Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be dealt with.
B. Children's anxiety has been taken too seriously.
C. Children's anxiety can disappear with more parental care.
D. Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
