Question

    I thought we all knew why independent school students do better than those in the state sector(公立学校). They have more money, more funding and better resources and they don’t have the more challenging students we get in the state sector.

That was before I became a teacher-researcher in a two-year project led by my college, aiming to find the best way to support high-ability students. With funding from the London Schools Excellence Fund, we teamed up with some of the country’s top private schools, like Eton and St Paul’s, as well as a number of state schools, to find out how to bring the knowledge-rich learning that characterizes independent schools into the state sector.

Before the project, I hadn’t had much contact with people who had been educated there. But the first thing I found when I visited was that teachers are the same. In the independent sector, they have challenges too—just different ones.

After two years, our research project has produced a huge set of findings.

One of the most useful findings was the importance of independent learning habits outside the classroom. I realized that although I was always telling students that they needed to do four to five hours of private study a week, they didn’t have a clear idea of what this could look like beyond making notes. So I set them different activities including reading articles, doing activities and completing examination questions.

I started to put much more emphasis on activities outside the classroom, like researching topics beyond the syllabus(教学大纲) or discussing things in the news. And I praised anyone who asked questions in class, so we created a culture where students were proud to ask a question rather than seeing it as a way of flagging up the fact that they hadn’t understood something.

My research is beginning to have a real influence. My students now come to class and tell me what they want to know about. But they no longer expect me to do the research—they want to find out for themselves. At the end of the year I gave students a questionnaire on independent learning. One wrote, “Independent learning would limit the help I got from other students. It helps you to think for yourself.”

1.What did the author say about independent school students before her research?

A. They were troublemakers.

B. They enjoyed excellent learning conditions.

C. They performed worse than state school students.

D. They faced the same challenges as state school students.

2.Why did the author join the project?

A. To introduce good learning methods to state schools.

B. To exchange teaching ideas with other teachers.

C. To partner with other schools in education.

D. To find enough funds for state schools.

3.What changes did the author make in her classes?

A. She focused on group learning. B. She worked out a different syllabus.

C. She encouraged independent learning. D. She carried out various activities in class.

4.How is the author’s research going?

A. It has made a big difference. B. It has failed to make progress.

C. It is questioned by her students. D. It involves many more students.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲了作者将自己在私立学校发现的学习方法用在公立学校中，刚开始学生们并不能适应，但是，最终这些学习方法得到了学生们的肯定。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的They have more money, more funding and better resources and they don’t have the more challenging students we get in the state sector. 可知，作者认为私立学校的学生拥有良好的学习条件，故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的to find out how to bring the knowledge-rich learning that characterizes independent schools into the state sector.可知，作者参加这个项目的目的是将私立学校好的学习方法引入公立学校，故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第五段中的One of the most useful findings was the importance of independent learning habits outside the classroom.（最有用的发现之一是课外自主学习习惯的重要性。）由此可知，作者在她的班上鼓励学生们开展独立学习，故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的My research is beginning to have a real influence.（我的研究开始产生真正的影响。）和It helps you to think for yourself. （它帮助你独立思考。）可知作者的研究对学生们产生了很大的影响，故选A。