Question

    You return from work on a hot August evening. Your unwashed teenage son is on the sofa scrolling through Instagram, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?

This is a more serious question than it sounds. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. One study from the American South found that this "summer learning loss" could be as high as a quarter of the year's education. Poor children tend to be the worst affected, since rich ones typically live in homes full of books and are packed off to summer camp to learn robotics, Latin or the flute.

Summer holidays vary greatly from country to country. South Korean children get only three weeks off. Children in Italy and Turkey get a whopping three months. So do those in America, where their parents, unless they are teachers have an average of only three weeks off a year, among the shortest holidays in the rich world. Companies should let them take a bit more, since burnt-out workers are less productive. But, for their children six weeks out of class is plenty.

Youngsters will hate the idea of a longer school year. Sceptics note that, although those barely rested South Korean pupils do superbly in exams, they are often miserable. It would be unwise to import South Korea's pressure-cooker approach, in which a single exam determines every child's future. But plenty of Western children could usefully spend a bit longer at their books.

More time in school need not mean repeating the same old lessons. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different wind of learning: critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms — schools should be free to experiment.

1.The author mentions the experience in the first paragraph to introduce teenagers'______.

A.long school summer holidays B.addiction to smartphones

C.unwillingness to learn D.unhealthy lifestyles

2.What do we know about "summer learning loss"?

A.It affects only children from poor families.

B.It results from children's poor memory.

C.It could be as high as half of the year's learning.

D.It can be reduced by spending more time learning.

3.In the author's opinion, how long is the summer holiday supposed to be?

A.Three weeks. B.Six weeks.

C.Two months. D.Three months.

4.What is the author's suggestion?

A.Schools should try new approaches to teaching.

B.Schools should provide more exams for students.

C.Schools should think about how to make the best use of the summer time.

D.Schools should offer more materials for students to do laboratory experiments.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章主要讲述了暑假假期太长会造成“夏季学习损失”，尤其是对家境不好的孩子。但是作者认为假期也是学习的好时机，故青少年应该充分利用暑期这个机会去学习其他方面的知识，比如实践技能，财务素养等。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段中You return from work on a hot August evening. Your unwashed teenage son is on the sofa scrolling through Instagram, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?可知，你在八月一个炎热的晚上下班回来。你那未洗的十几岁的儿子正躺在沙发上翻阅Instagram，就像他过去8个小时所做的那样。不是第一次，你问自己：为什么学校的暑假这么长？由此可知，作者想通过这个例子引出文章的主题：青少年暑期太长。结合选项，故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第二段中Poor children tend to be the worst affected, since rich ones typically live in homes full of books and are packed off to summer camp to learn robotics, Latin or the flute.可知，贫穷的孩子往往是受影响最严重的，因为富裕的孩子通常住在堆满书的家里，他们被送去夏令营学习机器人、拉丁语或长笛。由此可以推断出，富裕家庭里的孩子在暑期还是有时间和条件去学习的，故“夏季学习损失”对他们影响不大。故可通过花更多的时间学习来降低“夏季学习损失”。结合选项，故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据文章第三段中But, for their children six weeks out of class is plenty.可知，但对他们的孩子来说，六周不上课就足够了。由此可以推断出，作者建议的暑假应该是6周时间。结合选项，故选B。

4.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段More time in school need not mean repeating the same old lessons. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different wind of learning: critical thinking, practical skills, financial literacy, work placements with local firms — schools should be free to experiment.可知，更多的时间在学校并不意味着重复同样的课程。一些额外的钻研将是有益的，特别是对那些落后的学生。但夏季也可能学习不同知识的时间：批判性思维、实践技能、财务素养、在当地公司实习——学校应该可以自由地进行实验。由此可知，作者建议，学校应该想想怎么充分利用暑假的时间。结合选项，故选C。