On the whole, it’s not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it. Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.
“It’s expensive, but worth it,” says Ashan Sabri, whose daughter Zarreen, is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. “My husband and I tried to tutor her at home, but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen. We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting in a room for different kinds of exams. On the whole, we think one-to-one tuition works best.”
The real reason is: does tutoring do any good?
“It’s not the magic bullet,” says Professor Judith Ireson, author of a 2005 Institute of Education report on the subject. “It’s still up to the child to do the learning. If he or she isn’t interested, sending them to a private tutor won’t do any good. However, we did find that students who had private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSE achieved on average just under half a grade higher than students who did not have a tutor.”
In which case, surely it’s time to break open the champagne? Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell, head of The Rowans School, Wimbledon, a preparation school which regularly gets children into the best private schools.
“While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn’t English, we don’t encourage it for the others. With the level of education they get here, children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. And our worry is that they might just get used to getting help from last-minute tutoring, but, once they actually get to that school, they won’t be able to cope.”
But Mylene Curtis, owner of Fleet Tutors, one of the biggest tutoring agencies in the country, holds a different view.
“In some respects, the hurdles children have to leap in order to get into these schools are set at a higher level than the reality,” says Curtis. “We often find that, once a child has got into a school, the standard of work isn’t as high as was feared. The trick is to do well enough in the exam to win a place.”
1.What does Ashan Sabri think of the group revision course?
A. It’s expensive but worthwhile because it works the best.
B. It confuses students because the knowledge taught in it is out of date.
C. It isn’t effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.
D. It is effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.
2.What do the underlined words “magic bullet” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Something that cannot help to solve problems at all.
B. Something that solves a difficult problem in an easy way.
C. Something that seems useful but has no use at all.
D. Something that encourages interest in study.
3.According to Elaine Tyrrell, private tutoring is _______.
A. effective in language learning but not for exams
B. effective for foreign students but not for local students
C. unnecessary in most cases and may harm the further study of students
D. unnecessary in secondary school but helpful to further study
4.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A. Fleet Tutors and the Rowans School are competitors.
B. Entrance exams to schools are too difficult for most students.
C. Further study isn’t as difficult as was first thought.
D. Private tuition is worth the financial investment.
5.What attitude does the author hold towards home tutoring?
A. Critical B. Objective C. Supportive D. Uninterested
When many of us take a vacation, more than anything, we seek to relax. We spend long, lazy days on a beach chair or in a hammock(吊床). But too often, we return home, tired.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
In fact active vacations are often the most relaxing of all. We don’t expect you to take up jogging(慢跑), or climbing. Rather, we ask the sedentary(久坐的) vacations among you to spend two to four hours a day doing things, such as walking in the city street, going to a zoo or biking along the ocean.
These kinds of activities aren’t just good for your physical health. They improve your mental health, even your spiritual health. Here are some fresh ideas to make your vacations as pleasurable as they are active and healthy.
A walk at dawn or dusk helps keep you young. Try to make this a daily habit of life when you’re away from home, and you will guarantee yourself both physical and spiritual refreshment.
Don’t allow yourself to spend all your time sitting in front of water. Whether it is the ocean, a swimming pool, or a tree-lined lake, make sure you get into the water for swimming or games, or even walking. Merely standing in waist-high water is a good workout, thanks to the action of the water. And you’ll feel so much more active!
Many of us spend a large chunk of our vacation on the road, either getting to and from our destinations, or using the car for sightseeing. But no matter how beautiful the scenery is, great, memorable vacations don’t happen in a car seat. Frequently get out and stretch, walk, picnic, shop, visit, and have fun. It’s important for your health and energy, and it makes traveling a lot more active and interesting
1.The idea in the text is mainly to _______.
A. suggest ways to make vacations relaxing
B. suggest places for relaxing vacations
C. explain the reasons for having vacations
D. explain the relationship between vacations and health
2.Which of the following can be considered as a form of exercise?
A. Sitting by a lake. B. Standing in water.
C. Staying in a car. D. Enjoying beautiful scenery.
3.In the last paragraph, the author seems to advise us to _______.
A. have vacations frequently B. get out of the car frequently
C. go on vacations on foot D. stay in a car seat
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1.If Mr Black has a desire to be a sports teacher, he should contact _______.
A. Airport Terminal Services B. www. Workatats. com
C. 865-524-9881 D. tlgknoxvilletn@thelittlegym. com.
2.As a driver in Local Delivery, John has to _______.
A. work hard to earn money B. have printing skills
C. have interest in the position D. be offered paid training
3.Mr Smith can find a job as a mechanic at _______.
A. Washington DC Location. B. Baltimore Location
C. a fast paced company D. Dillard
4.What is a must when one hopes to be a member of Dillard’s team?
A. He must be able to work in the evening and on weekends.
B. He must have experience.
C. He must have a good knowledge of shoe fashion and sales.
D. He must like top brands of shoes.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、 B、 C 和 D ）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played on the playground. She seemed so small as she pushed her way 1the crowd of boys on the playground. She 2from them all. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing 3. She would practice dribbling（运球）and shooting over and over again, sometimes until 4. One day I asked her 5she practiced so much. She looked 6in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “ I want to go to college. The only way I can 7is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My daddy told me if the dream is 8enough, the facts don’t count.”
Well, I had to give in to her—she was 9. One day, I saw her sitting in the grass, head 10in her arms. I walked toward her and 11asked what was the matter. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “ I am just too short.” The coach told her that at her height she would probably 12get to play for a top ranked team, 13offered a scholarship. So she 14stop dreaming about college.
She was 15and I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not 16the power of the dream. He told her 17she really wanted to pay for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, 18could stop her except one thing---her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”
The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was 19by a college recruiter(招聘人员). She was indeed offered a scholarship. She was going to get the college education that she had 20and worked for all those years.
1.A. through B. across C. over D. into
2.A. brought out B. showed out C. stood out D. worked out
3.A. friendly B. lonely C. simply D. alone
4.A. dark B. dawn C. midnight D. daybreak
5.A. how B. when C. why D. what
6.A. worriedly B. shyly C. quietly D. directly
7.A. go B. get C. enter D. attend
8.A. small B. big C. real D. false
9.A. determined B. encouraged C. fascinated D. struck
10.A. covered B. enclosed C. dropped D. buried
11.A. quietly B. excitedly C. angrily D. hurriedly
12.A. ever B. even C. once D. never
13.A. far more B. much less C. much fewer D. many more
14.A. should B. must C. can D. may
15.A. overjoyed B. satisfied C. embarrassed D. heartbroken
16.A. understand B. experience C. learn D. lose
17.A. even if B. as if C. that if D. only if
18.A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything
19.A. seen B. refused C. treated D. annoyed
20.A. dreamed of B. accepted C. thought of D. appreciated
We are invited to a party _________ in our club next Friday.
A. to be held B. held C. being held D. holding
So tired __________ after walking such a long way that I ___________ stand.
A. was I; could hardly B. did I ; could hardly
C. was I; couldn’t hardly D. I was; could hardly
