Question

New Jersey Middle School Makes Students Go Phone-Free

A middle school in Union County, New Jersey, is forcing its students to stay disconnected in class, by prohibiting cellphones. Maxson Middle School Principal Kevin Stansbury put forward the phone ban last week after he noticed some major issues in the school. “Our test scores were down, discipline was up,” he says. According to him, students were too focused on their phones to pay attention to their lessons. So, he purchased Yondr pouches for the school.

Yondr pouch

When students come into class each morning, they place their phones in the pouch, which is then locked up tight. It can only be opened using a special device at the end of the day. The ban on mobile devices applies not just during class time but during breaks, with the only exceptions being in times of emergency or in cases of students who need such devices to help with disabilities.

Eighth-graders who spoke with News 12 New Jersey say that they noticed a change in a matter of hours. “It’s just better for everyone because you’ll understand how it feels to get more work done instead of paying attention to the phone,” says student Charlene V. “I’m usually listening to music, but today I got to communicate with all my friends,” says student Desiree Duncan.

The program was originally met with resistance from students and parents, so the process was not that smooth. But teachers and administrators say that the program will have a major impact. “Students were talking and laughing and there were no cellphones other than being carried in the pouches,” Stansbury says.

Teacher Nia Cummings says she even noticed students bouncing ideas off each other in class. She says students used to give up quickly and just look for answers on their phones. She says they now try to figure it out themselves. “Everyone is socializing and eating lunch together. That’s what I wasn’t seeing enough of when phone usage was at its worst,” she adds.

Maxson Middle School is currently the only one in the district to use these pouches. Kevin Stansbury also called on all the schools in the community that it’s worth paying close attention to cellphone issues at secondary schools and taking actions when necessary.

1.Maxson Middle School put forward the phone ban because students _____.

A.weren’t focused on school work B.were always listening to music

C.used phones to cheat on exams D.stopped talking with others

2.What did the two eighth-graders tell the newspaper?

A.Opposition from students. B.Teamwork with friends.

C.Daily routine at school. D.Effect of the program.

3.According to Nia Cummings, what change has the phone ban brought?

A.Students discuss more in class. B.Students finish their work on time.

C.Students guess the answers themselves. D.Students check messages during the break.

4.It can be inferred from the passage that the phone ban _____.

A.has brought little change to teaching and learning

B.has gained support from every student and parent

C.might be carried out in other schools in the community

D.might have good influence on students'health conditions

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。全文主要讲述了新泽西高中实行“手机禁止”措施，以保证学生们正常的课业学习效率。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中“According to him, students were too focused on their phones to pay attention to their lessons.”可知学生们太过于关注手机了以至于上课时无法专注，因此Maxson中学推行手机禁止计划是因为学生们无法专注学业。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中“Eighth-graders who spoke with News 12 New Jersey say that they noticed a change in a matter of hours.”可知两位八年级的同学告诉报社说，实施一段时间后他们注意到发生了改变，意在表明两位同学对报社表达了这个项目所带来的影响。故选D项。

3.细节理解题。根据第五段中“Teacher Nia Cummings says she even noticed students bouncing ideas off each other in class.”可知，Nia Cummings老师甚至留意到了学生们在课堂上互相探讨想法，因此根据Nia Cummings说的，禁止手使用机带来的好处是同学们在课堂上讨论的更多了。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Kevin Stansbury also called on all the schools in the community that it’s worth paying close attention to cellphone issues at secondary schools and taking actions when necessary.”可知，Kevin Stansbury号召本社区内的其他学校，手机使用的问题是值得关注的，有必要的时候可以采取措施。意在表明在社区内的其他学校也可能实施手机禁止的办法。故选C项。