Question

    Encouraging pupils to keep noise to a minimum should be a valuable component of all children’s education, according to new research.

Dr. Helen Lees, from Stirling University’s school of education, says that “enforced silence” is seen as a punishment and often acts to suppress children’s natural ability. But she says that teaching children about the benefits of “enforced silence”—deliberate stillness that gives them the opportunity to focus and reflect in a stress-free environment—can have a significant effect on pupils’ concentration and behavior.

It is the latest in a string of researches to establish a link between the classroom environment and pupils’ academic ability.

A study almost a decade ago in London found that children’s exam results were cut by as much as a third if they were taught in noisy classrooms. Teaching unions have also called for a limit of 26℃ to be put on classroom temperatures because teachers and pupils struggle to work in hot conditions, and some educationalists claim that too much clutter on classroom walls can prevent children from concentrating.

Dr. Lees said, “When we take some research on school settings and put it all together, what we see is that education without silence does not make much sense. In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.”

Dozens of schools across Britain have already introduced periods of “reflective silence” into the timetable.

Kevin Hogston, head of Sheringdale Primary, south London, has just introduced a minute’s silence at the start of twice-weekly meetings in which children are taught breathing techniques and encouraged to reflect. The school plans to introduce it into classrooms every day.

1.According to Dr. Helen Lees, “enforced silence” ＿＿

A.is an effective way of punishment B.does not make much sense in class

C.can improve pupils’ confidence D.makes pupils more creative

2.The underlined word “suppress” in the second paragraph probably means “_________”.

A.prevent B.improve

C.apply D.reveal

3.What can be inferred from the research on school settings?

A.Students are more active if taught in noisy classrooms.

B.Silence makes a great difference to pupils.

C.Clutter on the walls can help students concentrate.

D.Most schools are not satisfactory in terms of classroom temperatures.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Arranging classroom settings benefits studies

B.Achieving silence is beneficial for people

C.Using enforced silence is effective punishment

D.Keeping quiet in class improves academic performance

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章说明了一项最新研究表明，鼓励学生把噪音降到最低应该是所有儿童教育的重要组成部分。研究指出教育孩子们“强制安静”可以对学生的注意力和行为产生重大影响。文章还介绍了Helen Lees博士针对强制性沉默对学生的影响的程度进行的实验，分析以及总结。指出保持课堂的安静对于提高学生的学习习惯和行为的好处。

1.

细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.可知在更好的学习效果、更好的自信和幸福感方面，在一个人的生活和个人的教育中强迫沉默在相关的研究中被证明是有益的。由此可推知，Helen Lees博士认为“强制沉默”可以提高学生的自信心。故选C。

2.

词义猜测题。结合上文Dr. Helen Lees, from Stirling University’s school of education, says that “enforced silence” is seen as a punishment and often acts to可斯特灵大学教育学院的Helen Lees博士说，“强制沉默”被视为一种惩罚，通常会阻止孩子天生的能力。知由此可知，划线单词意思为“阻止”。A. prevent阻止；B. improve改善；C. apply申请；D. reveal揭露。故选A。

3.

推理判断题。根据第二段中But she says that teaching children about the benefits of “enforced silence”—deliberate stillness that gives them the opportunity to focus and reflect in a stress-free environment—can have a significant effect on pupils’ concentration and behavior.可知但她说，教育孩子们“强制安静”的好处——有意识的安静，让他们有机会在一个没有压力的环境中集中注意力和反思——可以对学生的注意力和行为产生重大影响。以及倒数第三段中In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.可知在更好的学习效果、更好的自信和幸福感方面，在一个人的生活和个人的教育中强迫沉默在相关的研究中被证明是有益的。由此可推知，保持沉默对学生有很大影响。故选B。

4.

主旨大意题。根据第一段Encouraging pupils to keep noise to a minimum should be a valuable component of all children’s education, according to new research.可知一项最新研究表明，鼓励学生把噪音降到最低应该是所有儿童教育的重要组成部分。结合文章还提到了研究指出教育孩子们“强制安静”可以对学生的注意力和行为产生重大影响。文章还介绍了Helen Lees博士针对强制性沉默对学生的影响的程度进行的实验，分析以及总结。指出保持课堂的安静对于提高学生的学习习惯和行为的好处。由此可知，D选项“在课堂上保持安静可以提高学习成绩”最符合文章标题，故选D。