Question

    I’m always surprised when I hear how little time kids spend outside. One study found that kids spend almost seven hours a day using electronic media.

A public school in Quechee, Vermont is taking it seriously and fighting against indoor-centric (中心的) childhoods. Eliza Minnucci’s kindergarten class there engages (参与) in Forest Mondays, during which the students spend the whole day in the woods. It’s modeled after the Forest Kindergarten in Switzerland, which is all outside all the time. The idea that’s shared across the school is to let kids learn lessons from the natural world.

So what have the results been? Mostly good.

I taught kids aged 4 through middle school. While I had some basic ideas to teach, it was mostly kids’ natural interest that drove much of what we did.

They wanted to know the names of birds and plants (biology). We created something with wood and stones (physics and teamwork). We even made up stories about ants and butterflies (language, organizing information and creativity). For the older kids, we had much clearer lesson plans, but we were still outside the whole time, and we would often suddenly start talking about a completely new subject if something interesting was happening. So the learning experience was always fresh.

On top of learning and moving around freely instead of sitting at desks, the kids were having fun while they learned, which made them excited for the next lesson. Shouldn’t that be the goal of all education?

Perhaps Vermont’s kindergarten program is an example of breaking away from the test-centric educational method. While some parents are taking their kids out hiking on the weekend or stopping their use of electronic media, teachers are bringing some of that same thinking to their classrooms.

Considering all the good evidence that being outside is great for mind and body ---as well as test scores---it seems like this kind of education is a natural next step for teachers.

1.What can we learn about the public school in Quechee?

A.It lies in the woods.

B.It is the first of its kind.

C.It teaches more than other schools.

D.It values outdoor activities very much.

2.What does the author mainly try to show through Paragraph 5?

A.Teaching outdoors brings her some thinking.

B.Learning outdoors can make kids learn more.

C.Playing outdoors brings kids many advantages.

D.Teaching outdoors proves to be more difficult.

3.What should be the goal of education according to the author?

A.To develop students’ life skills.

B.To encourage kids’ great creativity.

C.To make kids have fun while learning.

D.To teach students to think independently.

4.Why does the author write the text?

A.To encourage outdoor education.

B.To suggest spending more time in nature.

C.To give kids tips on spending time outside.

D.To ask kids to take part in after-class activities.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。作者以Quechee的一所公立学校以及自己的教学经历表明：户外教育对孩子们益处多多。作者鼓励开展户外教育。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“A public school in Quechee, Vermont is taking it seriously and fighting against indoor-centric (中心的) childhoods. Eliza Minnucci’s kindergarten class there engages (参与) in Forest Mondays, during which the students spend the whole day in the woods. It’s modeled after the Forest Kindergarten in Switzerland, which is all outside all the time. The idea that’s shared across the school is to let kids learn lessons from the natural world.”可知，佛蒙特州基奇市的一所公立学校正在认真对待这件事，并与以室内活动为中心的童年生活做斗争。那里的幼儿园开展“Forest Mondays”活动，在这期间，学生们一整天都在森林里度过。整个学校的想法是让孩子们从大自然中学习。由此推断出，这所学校非常重视户外活动。故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据第五段“They wanted to know the names of birds and plants (biology). We created something with wood and stones (physics and teamwork). We even made up stories about ants and butterflies (language, organizing information and creativity). For the older kids, we had much clearer lesson plans, but we were still outside the whole time, and we would often suddenly start talking about a completely new subject if something interesting was happening. So the learning experience was always fresh.”可知，孩子们通过户活动，了解到了更多关于生物学、物理知识。他们的团队合作、语言、组织信息和创造力都得到了锻炼。他们总是能够接触到新鲜的学习体验。由此推知，通过第五段可知，孩子们在户外学习，学习得更多。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第三段“On top of learning and moving around freely instead of sitting at desks, the kids were having fun while they learned, which made them excited for the next lesson. Shouldn’t that be the goal of all education?”除了自由学习和活动，其它时间不应该坐在课桌前，孩子们在学习的时候玩得很开心，这让他们对下一节课感到很有兴趣。这不应该是所有教育的目标吗? 最后一句的反问句可知，作者认为该段提到的“the kids were having fun while they learned, which made them excited for the next lesson.（孩子们在学习时很开心）”应该是教育的目标。故选C。

4.推理判断题。作者在第二段以Quechee的一所公立学校为例，证明了户外教育效果很好。第四至第六段作者以自己的教学经历同样也表明了户外教育的益处。最后一段“Considering all the good evidence that being outside is great for mind and body ---as well as test scores---it seems like this kind of education is a natural next step for teachers.”，作者提出：考虑到所有充分的证据表明户外活动对身心都有好处，对考试成绩也有好处，似乎这种教育对老师来说是很自然的下一步要做的工作。由此推知，作者写这篇文章就是鼓励开展户外教育。故选A。