单选题 Facing mounting pressure to raise students" scores on standardized tests, schools are provoking kids to work harder by offering them clear-cut incentives. With the help of businesses, schools are also giving away cars, iPods, coveted (梦寐以求的) seats to basketball games, and—in a growing number of cases—cold, hard cash. The appeal of such programs is obvious, but the consequences of tying grades to goods are still uncertain. It"s been a common tradition in middle-class families to reward top grades with cash as a way to teach that success in school leads to success in life. But for many disadvantaged minority children, the long-term benefits of getting an education are not so clear, according to experts.
No one knows for sure how well cash and other big-ticket rewards work in education in the long run. But there are plenty of critics who say that "bribing" kids could have negative effects. It"s worth experimenting with cash incentives but that tying them to perfect attendance or success on a test is not a worthwhile goal, says Virginia Shiller, a clinical psychologist. "I"d rather see rewards based on effort and responsibility -- things that will lead to success in life," she says.
Even if rewards don"t lead to individual achievement on a test, they could have a meaningful effect in the school. Charles McVean, a businessman and philanthropist (慈善家), started a tutoring program which pays higher-achieving students 10 an hour to tutor struggling classmates and divides them into teams. During the course of the year, students bond and compete. The team posting the highest scores wins the top cash prize of 100. McVean calls the combination of peer tutoring, competition, and cash incentives a recipe for "nothing less than magic."
For its part, the Seminole County Public Schools system in Florida plans to continue its report card incentive program through the rest of the school year. The local McDonald"s restaurants help the cash-strapped district by paying the 1,600 cost of printing the report card. "There are many ways we try to spur students to do well, and sometimes it"s through the stomach, and sometimes it"s the probability of students winning a car. One size doesn"t fit all." says Regina Klaers, the district spokeswoman.
单选题 Why do schools offer students material rewards?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第1段第1句指出，面对日益增加的提高学生标准化测试成绩的压力，学校正采用明确的奖励来促使孩子更努力地学习。、由此可知，学校提供物质奖励是为了让学生更努力学习，故答案为B。
单选题 What"s the common tradition in middle-class families according to the passage?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 第1段第4句提到，中产阶级家庭有一个共同的传统，那就是奖给成绩好的孩子现金，故答案为A。
单选题 What kind of students does Virginia Shiller think will most probably succeed in their life?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第2段最后一句弗吉尼亚·席勒指出，奖励应该基于努力和责任，这两种因素会带来成功的人生。由此可推断，席勒认为那些有责任感并且愿意付出努力的人最有可能成功，故答案为D。
单选题 What do we learn about the tutoring program run by Charles McVean?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第3段提到，查尔斯·麦克韦恩的这个项目会支付那些成绩较好的学生每小时10美元的报酬，来辅导那些学习吃力的同班同学，这些学生被分成小组。在这一年里，他们密切联系又相互竞争。取得最高分数的小组将会赢得100美元的奖励、麦克韦恩把这种同龄辅导、竞争和现金激励结合的方式称作是一种“有魔力的”方法。由此推断，查尔斯·麦克韦恩创办的辅导项目刺激了学生学习的积极性，故答案为B。文中并未提到优秀教师，故排除A。文中提到取得最高分数的小组将获得100美元，而非单个学生，故排除C。文中说的是辅导、竞争和现金激励相结合，而非辅导、竞争和昂贵奖品相结合，故排除D。
单选题 What can we infer from the last paragraph about the Seminole County?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 最后一段提到，佛罗里达州塞米诺尔郡的发言人说道，“我们拥有不少可以鞭策学生学得更好的方法……一种方法不会适合所有人。”由此可知，有很多激励学生努力学习的方法，故答案为C。文中提到当地的麦当劳快餐店为贫穷地区支付打印成绩单的费用，而不是为贫困学生提供奖励，A不符合文意。文中提到该地区继续推行成绩单激励计划，而非开始推行，故排除B。文中提到并没有适合所有人的方法，故D错误。