Question

    Twenty-three elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, have been cutting back on recess（休息）, and even canceling it altogether to increase class time. In a recent Orange County School Board meeting, parents asked that recess time be carried out in all local schools for all students.

Angela Browning, a parent in the area, said that schools provided 0 to 30 minutes of recess per day.

“Five-year-olds not getting recess is nothing short of abuse ,” said

Browning , who added that her twins, who are in the second grade, had attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD 注意力缺陷多动障碍) and benefited from taking a break to use up some of their energy. “We will not accept a ‘recess for some, but not all’ approach.”

“They have become machines that produce data as opposed to children,”

Amy Narvaez, a mother of two children said.

At the center of issues in Florida are Common Core exams, mandatory(强制 的)standardized tests in math, language, arts and literacy(读写能力), where the students’ performance often decides teachers’ pay and sometimes their jobs. Many teachers are using that extra 20 minutes to teach the test.

“Because so much of the money is tied to the schools’ scores and their grades, everybody is pressured,” said Diana Moore, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association.

“We’ll come to a place in Florida and probably nationally where we have to admit that we really don’t have enough minutes in the day to get everything done for our children,” said Orange County Public Schools leader Barbara Jenkins.

The decision of whether recess takes place, and for how long, has thus far been up to each school’s principal.

“Florida law requires that districts provide 900 teaching hours during the school year,” Florida’s Department of Education press secretary Cheryl Etters said in a statement. "Whether recess is part of the school day is a decision made by the school board(学校董事会)”

Canceling recess also can taper off chances for children to learn social skills, according to many experts. Many children take advantage of their rest to learn skills, according to some experts. If recess is canceled, they have to give up.

“At the end of the day, who cares if you have straight A’s and you get a scholarship to Harvard if you act with no skill?” Heather Mellet, a mother of two children in the district said.

1.Which is the best title for the passage?

A.Which is more important: scores or ability?

B.Schools should take care of children with ADHD

C.Parents fight for their children’s right to recess

D.Elementary schools give children no recess time

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Students who get straight A’s can have much recess.

B.Angela Browning thinks recess is good for her children.

C.Heather Mellet thinks that rest is more important than scores for children.

D.Barbara Jenkins doesn’t agree that schools should have done everything well for students.

3.Why do some schools give students little or no time for rest?

A.Because they must give students’ parents a perfect explanation.

B.Because what students have to learn is too much.

C.Because there’s no law to request schools to do so.

D.Because they want students to gain good test scores.

4.About recess time for students in Florida we can learn ______ .

A.there is little possibility to happen

B.the local government has no request for it

C.all schools will have the same recess time

D.it is decided by students and their parents

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。本文讲述在美国的佛罗里达州，因为分数与老师的工资挂钩，导致在学校中休息时间减少，冢长极力反对这样做。

1.主旨大意题。由文中的“Five-year-olds not getting recess is nothing short of abuse（五岁的孩子不休息简直就是虐待）”及“At the end of the day, who cares if you have straight A’s and you get a scholarship to Harvard if you act with no skill?（最后，如果你没有技能，谁会在乎你的A等级，或者哈佛的奖学金）”可知，本文讲述因为分数与老师的工资挂钩，导致在学校中休息时间减少，家长极力反对这样做，故选C。

2.细节理解题。由文中的“Five-year-olds not getting recess is nothing short of abuse（五岁的孩子不休息简直就是虐待）”以及“her twins, who are in the second grade, had attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder and benefited from taking a break to use up some of their energy.（对于患有注意力缺陷多动障碍的她的双胞胎，休息能够用掉他们的一些能量，孩子会从中受益）”可知，Angela Browning认为休息对她的孩子是非常好的。故选B。

3.细节理解题。由第七段内容“在佛罗里达问题的中心是有很多核心的考试，强制性的数学、语言、艺术和读写能力的标准测验等，老师的工资以及有时的工作与这些方面学生的表现紧密相关。很多老师用那多余的20分钟教授这些考试”可知，老师不给学生休息的时间是想要学生获得好的测试成绩。故选D。

4.细节理解题。由第十三段内容“佛罗里达州的法律规定区域内的学校在一学年内要提供900小时的教学。上学期间是否要让学生休息是学校董事会要做的决定”可知，对于学生是否需要休息，当地政府部门没有规定。故选B。