Question

    This is what's known as a 'Buddy' or Friendship Bench'. They're needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes. And these benches can help pupils feeling lonely to find a friend. Benches like this have been around for a while now in some schools. But in Ireland, they are trying to do something a bit different with them.

This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 47th to get one from a social enterprise called Buddy Bench Ireland that doesn't just provide schools with benches, it also runs special workshops with trained child psychiatrists. They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being. They talk about the importance of being aware of your feelings and those of others. The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolizes— friendship, listening to each other and the most important thing is to express feelings.

But do children actually use the bench? It's something an independent academic study has been looking at. We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench. So, certainly there doesn't appear to be any issues around whether they are properly used. Children's mental health at school is increasingly a concern in many countries. Buddy Bench Ireland is hoping these benches will not only handle issues like social isolation and bullying but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings. Therefore, they are attempting to make the bench gain high popularity in Ireland schools in a larger scale.

1.Why the school in Cork in the south of Ireland uses the bench?

A.To help children with psychological problems fully recover.

B.To replace the old benches in school.

C.To cut the cost of school's facility.

D.To start conversations about mental well-being.

2.What makes the bench work in Ireland schools?

A.Teachers and parents encourage children to try it.

B.All the children understand what the bench is about.

C.Most children are willing to express feelings.

D.The bench helps children get rid of loneliness.

3.What will Buddy Bench Ireland expect of the bench?

A.It will deal with social isolation and bullying completely.

B.It will motivate a future generation to bravely convey their feelings.

C.It will make children prefer the bench to old one.

D.It will appeal to more students to sit on it.

4.In your opinion, what content will be covered in the following paragraph ?

A.The reasons for the popularity of the bench.

B.The importance of being aware of students’ mental well-being.

C.The concrete approaches to promoting the use of the bench in more schools.

D.The ways to make the bench function effectively.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。主要讲述爱尔兰学校在操场上使用一种长凳，以此来帮助感到孤独的学生找到一个朋友。希望能通过长凳激励孩子们勇敢地传达情感。这种长凳来自名为Buddy Bench Ireland的社会企业，文章还说明了长凳的使用情况，以及Buddy Bench Ireland对长凳的期望。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段中They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being.可知他们利用长凳作为开始谈论心理健康的机会。由此可知，爱尔兰南部科克的学校使用这种长凳是为了开始谈论心理健康。故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据第二段中The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolizes— friendship, listening to each other and the most important thing is to express feelings.可知孩子们需要理解长凳是什么，它象征着什么——友谊，倾听彼此，最重要的是表达感情。由此可推知，爱尔兰学校的长凳作用是为了让大多数孩子愿意表达感情。故选C。

3.

细节理解题。根据第三段中Buddy Bench Ireland is hoping these benches will not only handle issues like social isolation and bullying but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings.可知Buddy Bench Ireland希望这些板凳不仅能处理像社会孤立和欺凌这样的问题，还能给下一代敞开心扉表达情感的信心。由此可知，Buddy Bench Ireland希望长凳可以激励下一代勇敢地表达他们的感情。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段中Therefore, they are attempting to make the bench gain high popularity in Ireland schools in a larger scale.可知因此，他们试图在更大的范围内使板凳在爱尔兰的学校中得到高度的普及。由此可推知，接下来的段落会包括促进更多学校使用教学椅的具体方法。故选C。