Question

Now, there is a growing movement to pay the students in American schools---in some cases, even just for coming to class.

Students at one school in New Mexico can earn up to three hundred dollars a year for good attendance. In Baltimore, Maryland, high scores in state graduation tests can be worth more than one hundred dollars. And a New Jersey school system plans to pay students fifty dollars a week to attend after---school tutoring programs.

Schools that pay students can be found in more than one---fourth of the fifty states. Other schools pay students with food or other rewards.

Robert Schaefer is a public education director. He says paying students may improve performance in the short term, but students develop false expectations for the future. He sees a lack of long term planning in these programs because of the pressure on schools to raise test scores.

Public schools need to show improvement under the education reform law. Low---performing schools may lose their federal money; teachers and administrators(行政人员) may lose their jobs. Often these schools are in poor neighborhoods where getting students to go to school can be a continual problem.

Critics(评论家) say paying students sends a message that money is the only valuable reward. But some students say it makes school more exciting. And some teachers have reported getting more requests for extra help.

In two thousand four, the city schools in Coshocton, Ohio, launched a program. They wanted to see if paying elementary school students as much as one hundred dollars would help in passing the state exams.

Now, Eric Bettinger of Case Western Reserve University (EUCWRU) has reported mixed results. Math scores increased, but only white students were able to get paid. And there was no evidence of higher scores in reading, social studies and science. Official will decide later this year whether to continue the program.

1.Paying students who show improvement in tests __________.

A．has been done in most American schools

B．is becoming a growing practice in the USA

C．is not very popular with teachers

D．only aims at high scores at school

2.According to the text, Robert Schaefer _____________.

A．is a very excellent teacher

B．thinks highly of paying students

C．thinks students will show improvement in study in the future

D．thinks people should make a careful plan for the paying program

3.From the last paragraph we can see __________.

A．EBCWRU has got great success in its paying program

B．not all the students in EUCWRU have made progress in all subjects

C．only students who study math can get paid

D．EBCWRU will go on with the paying program

4.The text is mainly written to _____________.

A．persuade teachers to give students more prizes

B．tell people how to become an excellent student

C．introduce something about American paying students program

D．explain the advantages of American paying students program

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.C 

【解析】

试题分析：金钱奖励学生并不是什么新鲜事，美国四分之一的州都有这种现象。虽然这可能在短时间内能起到鼓励学生学习的作用，但从长远看来，学生可能会对未来有错误的期待。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段there is a growing movement to pay the students in American schools---in some cases, even just for coming to class.可知，美国学校奖励学生的这种现象呈增长趋势，因此选B。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第四段的最后一句He sees a lack of long term planning in these programs because of the pressure on schools to raise test scores.可知，这种做法对学校提高分数缺乏长期的计划性，因此D项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段“Math grades improved but only while students were able to get paid.”可知实施奖励学生计划后学生的数学分数提高了，但是没有证据能说明学生在阅读、社会、科学等能力方面有所提高，因此B项正确。

4.主旨大意题。文章主要是讲美国学校奖励学生计划的一些情况。选C 

考点：考查教育类短文