Question

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.

Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.

But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don’t really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”

Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.

But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.

1. According to the first paragraph, the summer learning gap _____.

A. helps children to gain weight

B. leads children to work harder

C. improves children’s memories

D. affects children’s regular studies

2. Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones _____.

A. perform better and have more learning gains

B. have much less time for relaxation every year

C. have generally the same number of class days

D. hold more classes with more free weeks off

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation.

B. Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.

C. There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.

D. Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation.

4. Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?

A. Because they cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.

B. Because they are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.   

C. Because they want their children to be forced to make up the gap.

D. Because they couldn’t afford to the further study during the vacation.  

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.A

【解析】

1. D 细节理解题。由文章第一段…it means that the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget.可知，学生们暑假离开学校的时间越长忘记的知识就越多，从而影响正常的学习。

2.2】 C 细节理解题。由第三段第一句中…the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school.可知，year-round学校的学生与传统学校的学生的在校学习时间是一样的。故选C。

3.3】 A 细节理解题。由文章第四段第一句可知家境不好的学生在暑假之后会落后于其他学生。故选A。

4.4】 A 推理判断题。由最后一段第三句In American cultures, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood.可知，父母们之所以不喜欢summer school这个词的原因是因为他们珍惜孩子自由的权利。故选A。