Question 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling?
注:1.第一段中间出现 however, 末句为主题句
2.popular belief 普遍观点,负态度
3.ignor 忽略 = neglect = overlook, 区别是:ignor (故意) overlook ( 忽略)
4.give A priority over B 给A优先权
5.confidently 自信的
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher's interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to "play safe". He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That's why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
注:1.focal 关注的,名词为 focus 焦点
2.adventurous 冒险的
3.content 内容,contend 包含
4.technical ability 指的是 spelling
22. The expression "play safe" probably means ________
A) to write carefully
B) to do as teachers say
C) to use dictionaries frequently
D) to avoid using words one is not sure of
注:文章第二段,该词出现在第一句,解释答案在第二句。考得是两句关系
23. Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that _________
A) students will be able to express their ideas more freely
B) teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes
C) students will have more confidence in writing
D) students will learn to be independent of teachers
注:文章第二段,B,D 选项文章未提到,可排除。定位此段末句,选择A项
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible (难以辨认的)." It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil's technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child's deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the child's ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation (动力) to seek improvement.
注:1.shock 震惊
2.omit 省略
3.作者对作文评语的负评价,but 及虚拟语气可以表明作者的态度。
24. The writer seems to think that the teacher's judgement on that sensitive piece of writing is ____________.
A) reasonable B) unfair
C) foolish D) careless
注:作者持负态度,所以选择B
21. Teachers are different in their opinions about _______
A) the difficulties in teaching spelling
B) the role of spelling in general language development
C) the complexities of the basic writing skills
D) the necessity of teaching spelling
注:文章第一段,role 对应文章中的 priority
There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling?
25. The major point discussed in the passage is ________
A) the importance of developing writing skills
B) the complexities of spelling
C) the correct way of marking compositions
D) the relationship between spelling and the content of a composition
注:主题题,D 选项是对主题句的同义改写