2014年托福考试精选练习及答案(第九套)_第3页

　　Now, let’s consider how taking children on vacation when school is in session impacts their education. I believe the impact on children and their teachers can be quite negative.

　　While students have been traveling, their fellow students have been working. What do you think happens when they return to school? Well, they have to spend a lot of time “playing catch-up,” you know, doing work that fellow students have already done. It’s one thing to miss a day or two of school, but many parents take their children on vacation for weeks on end, and it’s very difficult for any child to make up that much missed time. So, the missed learning has to be weighed against the benefits of traveling and learning about other cultures. On balance, what is lost is greater than what is gained.

　　When children come back to class after a long trip, they’re excited about their recent adventures. Sounds good, but this enthusiasm can have a downside. Their excitement can make it difficult for them to fit back into the routine of the school day. School seems a little boring to them, so they’re not attentive to their studies, and their restlessness can distract other students.

　　When a student is distracted or has to catch up on missed work, there’s a negative effect on the teacher too. Teachers have lesson plans that detail, day by day, what they are going to teach. When a student is absent from the classroom, this interferes with a teacher’s plan for that student. And if teachers spend time helping a few students catch up, they have less time for other students… so they suffer too.