Most middle school students in the U.S. go to school for at least 990 hours a year. Beginning this fall, some schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee will add 300 hours to the school year.
Supporters of a longer school year say that kids who spend more time in class get better grades. They worry that kids in countries who spend more time at school or studying are better prepared to start college or find jobs after graduation.
“Schools need more teaching time if they are going to prepare students to be more successful in the 21st century.” says Luis Ubinas of the Ford foundation, which supports a longer year.
Jennifer Davis, president of the National Center on Time & Learning, says that many schools use the added time to provide extra help, like computer science and music.
However, some people don’t think adding time to the school year means that students will learn more or get better grades. A recent study by the Center for Public Education found that kids in some countries, including Finland and Japan, do better than U.S. students on standardized tests even though they spend less time in the classroom.
Other people argue that adding time to the school year is too expensive. With towns across the country facing budget cuts(预算削减), many schools simply can’t afford to pay teachers to work the extra hours.
Tina Bruno, the director of the Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar, says that kids need time to play sports, take part in after-school activities, and learn new things on their own.
“Before lengthening(延长) class time and taking away outside learning chances,” Bruno says , “let’s make the most of every minute in their present school day.”
32. This fall, students in Colorada, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee will _______.
A. get better grades
B. have more class time
C. have a chance to find jobs
D. meet friends from Finland and Japan
33. What is Lui Ubinas’ attitude towards adding time to the school year?
A. He doubts it.
B. He agree with it.
C. He is worried about it.
D. He doesn’t care about it.
34. According to the text, Tina Bruno thinks it is most important to _______.
A. pay the teachers much money to work the extra hours
B. add class time to help students to get better grades
C. allow students to go outside to learn new things
D. make full use of students’ current school time
35. What does this text mainly discuss?
A. More time in school? B. Better grades in school?
C. Start school or find jobs? D. Learn more outside class?
BBDA
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025