单选题 Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it in Spanish. But don't bother, here's the answer: Americans nowadays are not learning any of the things that we learned in our day, like reading and writing. Apparently these are considered fusty old subjects, invented by white males to oppress women and minorities.
What are they learning? In a Vermont college town I found the answer sitting in a toy store book rack, next to typical kids' books like "Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy is 'Dysfunctional'". It's a teacher's guide called "Happy To Be Me", subtitled "Building Soft-Esteem". Serf-esteem as it turns out, is a big subject in American classrooms. Many American schools see building it as important as teaching reading and writing. They call it "whole language" teaching, borrowing terminology from the granola people to compete in the education marketplace.
No one ever spent a moment building my self-esteem when I was in school. In fact, from the day I first stepped inside a classroom my self-esteem was one big demolition site. All that mattered was "the subject", be it geography, history, or mathematics. I was praised when I remembered that "near", "fit", "friendly", "pleasing", "like" and their opposites took the dative case in Latin. I was reviled when I forgot what a cosine was good for. Generally, I lived my school years beneath a torrent of castigation so consistent I eventually ceased to hear it, as people who live near the sea eventually stop hearing the waves.
Schools have changed. Reviling is out, for one thing. More important, subjects have changed. Whereas I learned English, modem kids learn something called "language skills". Whereas I learned writing, modem kids learn something called "communication". Communication, the book tells us, is seven per cent words, twenty three per cent facial expression, twenty per cent tone of voice, and fifty per cent body language. So this column, with its carefully chosen words, would earn at most a grade of seven per cent. That is, if the school even gave out something as oppressive and demanding as grades.
The result is that, in place of English classes, American children are getting a course in "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Consider the new attitude toward journal writing: I remember one high school English class when we were required to keep a journal. The idea was to emulate those great writers who confided in dimes, searching their soul and honing their critical thinking on paper.
"Happy To Be Me" states that journals are a great way for students to get in touch with their feelings. Tell students they can write one sentence or a whole page. Reassure them that no one, not even you, will read what they write. After the unit, hopefully all students will be feeling good about themselves and will want to share some of their entries with the class.
There was a time when no self-respecting book for English teachers would use "great" or "hopefully" that way. Moreover, back then the purpose of English courses (an antique term for "Unit") was not to help students "feel good about themselves". Which is good, because all that reviling didn't make me feel particularly good about anything.

单选题 In paragraph 2, "whole language" teaching is in inverted commas because ______.
A. the writer is using direct speech
B. the writer is questioning the education concept
C. the words quoted have been extracted from a translation
D. the writer is quoting from another source

单选题 In paragraph 3, the author is clearly expressing his idea about self-esteem. He believes that it is ______.
A. essential that self-esteem should be promoted in American schools because the author used to suffer from a lack of self-esteem as a child
B. equally important to equip children with the necessary skills and knowledge they will require in the future
C. important to remember how much school children used to suffer from a lack of self-esteem
D. reassuring to observe that children can benefit from the promotion of a positive image

单选题 Which of the following is the writer implying in paragraph 4?
A. Self-criticism has gone too far.
B. Evaluating criteria are inappropriate nowadays.
C. Communication is a more comprehensive category than language skills.
D. This column does not meet the demanding evaluating criteria of today.

单选题 We may infer from paragraph 4 that the writer generally disagrees with one of the following ideas ______.
A. the whole concept of communication is being perceived differently
B. the way American children communicate among themselves is more important than anything else
C. academic skills should be encouraged and promoted in the American education system
D. the progress that American children could be monitor with more traditional methods

单选题 In this passage, the writer is clearly stating the intention which is to get the reader to ______.
A. confirm current education trends and teaching methods
B. rethink and reorganize educational strategies
C. think about the various elements which constitute what we call "communication" nowadays
D. reassure the parents about the methodology currently being used in American schools

单选题 What's the best summary for this passage?
A. New educational theories will revolutionize the way our children learn.
B. The influence of new methodology will spread worldwide.
C. Personal values like self-esteem will become predominant for school children in the future.
D. Current education trends may jeopardize the prospects of future, generations.