Speaking in his first National Day Rally speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien said Singapore’s education system was set for more reforms in the years ahead, particularly for the primary and secondary education．Read the summary of his thoughts on education below．
For a start, the Government is prepared to send and additional 3,000 teachers to Singapore schools, cut the courses of study even further and change the way the mother tongue, especially Chinese, is taught．But, for the changes to be successful, parents need to help．
Singapore has a devoted group of teachers and principals and quite a few of them are outstanding, but the Republic’s schools can be even better．To help the schools make a jump in quality, the Government plans that within the next 6 years, it will send 1,000 more teachers to primary schools, 1,400 to secondary schools and 550 more to junior colleges．Each school would decide how to use its extra teachers．Some may want to make classes smaller so students get more individual attentions while others may have new teachers assist more senior teachers, but the overall goal is to give teachers the time and space to come up with ways to bring out the best in their students．
More teachers must not mean more homework, however．In fact, the Prime Minister wants to see the courses cut down so that there is less pressure on the students．Good grades are important but they should not be the only goal students have．PM Lee is convinced that “we must teach less so that our children can learn more．”
Another change will be in the teaching of the mother tongue so that students can become more fluent．The key is to teach Chinese as a living language not just an academic subject like Latin．Therefore, the focus should be on speaking and reading the language．To do this, there must be an environment outside the classroom that is contributing to strengthening the Chinese lessons．
1.The text is mainly about in Singapore．
A．the education reform B．adding more teachers
C．the mother tongue D．ways of teaching
2.The general goal of using extra teachers is to ．
A．make classes smaller B．assist more senior teachers
C．teach more D．help teachers improve teaching quality
3.PM Lee holds that the students should ．
A．do more homework B．give up higher grades
C．study more courses D．be given more time to learn more
4.The key to teaching Chinese well is to ．
A．make it academic B．have a creative environment
C．give more Chinese lessons D．encourage speaking and reading a lot
I will never forget the year I was about twelve years old．My mother told us that we would not be 26 Christmas gifts because there was not enough money．I felt sad and thought, "What would I say when the other kids asked what I'd 27 ?" Just when I started to 28 that there would not be a Christmas that year, three women 29 at our house with gifts for all of us．For me they brought a doll．I felt such a sense of 30 that I would no longer have to be embarrassed when I returned to school．I wasn't 31 ．Somebody had thought 32 of me to bring me a gift．
Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my 33 Christmas there special and memorable, I 34 remembered the women's visit．I decided that I wanted to create that same feeling of 35 for as many children as I could possibly reach．
So I 36 a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help．We gathered about 125 orphans （孤儿） at the Christmas party．For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, 37 with a child's name．We wanted all of them to know they were 38 ．Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I 39 them that they couldn't open their presents 40 every child had come forward．Finally the 41 they had been waiting for came as I called out, "One, two, three．Open your presents!" As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles 42 up the room．The 43 in the room was obvious, and 44 wasn't just about toys．It was a feeling — the feeling I knew 45 that Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit．I wasn't forgotten．Somebody thought of me．I matter．
1.A．sending B．receiving C．making D．exchanging
2.A．found B．prepared C．got D．expected
3.A．doubt B．hope C．suggest D．accept
4.A．broke in B．settled down C．turned up D．showed off
5.A．relief B．loss C．achievement D．justice
6.A．blamed B．loved C．forgotten D．affected
7.A．highly B．little C．poorly D．enough
8.A．present B．first C．recent D．previous
9.A．hardly B．instantly C．regularly D．occasionally
10.A．strength B．independence C．importance D．safety
11.A．kept up with B．caught up with C．came up with D．put up with
12.A．none B．few C．some D．each
13.A．fine B．special C．helpful D．normal
14.A．reminded B．guaranteed C．convinced D．promised
15.A．after B．until C．when D．since
16.A．chance B．gift C．moment D．reward
17.A．lit B．took C．burned D．cheered
18.A．atmosphere B．sympathy C．calmness D．joy
19.A．it B．such C．something D．everybody
20.A．by B．till C．for D．from
Some of you may have finished unit one．________, you can go on to unit two．
A．If you may B．If you do C If not D．If so
Not until he left his home __________ to know how important the family was for him．
A．did he begin B．had he begun C．he began D．he had begun
The reason __________ he explained is not __________ I expected．
A．why; that B．why; what C．that ;what D．that; that
--- Do you enjoy your present job?
--- _________．I just do it for a living．
A．Of course． B．Not really C．Not likely D．Not a little
