单选题
In a time of low academic achievement by children in the
United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic
achievement and economic success, for possible answers. However, the answers
provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In
most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic
instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool
teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various
aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents
(答问卷者) listed "to give children a good start academically" as one of their top
three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the
American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To
prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese
preschools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills
such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a
group. The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home
by their parents. In the recent comparison of Japanese and
American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing
children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society
to have preschools. Sixty-two percent of the more individually oriented
(强调个性发展的) Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices.
An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood
education continues into elementary school education. Like in
America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese
kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential
development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities
that have elementary and secondary schools. Some Japanese parents believe that
if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the
children's chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and
universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a
way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.
单选题
We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe ______.
A. Japanese parents are more involved in preschool education than American
parents
B. Japan's economic success is a result of its scientific achievements
C. Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic instruction
单选题
Sixty-two percent of Americans surveyed believe that preschools should
also attach importance to ______.
A. problem solving
B. group experience
C. parental guidance
D. individually-oriented development
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“62%的美国人认为，学前教育也应该注重”。A项意为“问题解决能力”；B项意为“团队体验”；C项意为“父母的引导”；D项意为“强调个性的发展”。根据题干线索词sixty-two percent of Americans定位至第二段第二句，句中提到，62%的强调个性发展的美国人也选择团队体验作为设置学前教育目的的前三位之一。由此推断，B为正确答案。
单选题
Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based
kindergartens?
A. They can do better in their future studies.
B. They can accumulate more group experience there.
C. They can be individually oriented when they grow up.
D. They can have better chances of getting a first-rate education.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为：“许多日本父母为什么将孩子送至大学附属幼儿园上学?”A项意为“他们在将来能取得更好的学习成绩”；B项意为“他们在那儿能积累更多的团队经验”；C项意为“他们长大后个性能得到充分发展”；D项意为“他们进入一流大学的机会会更多”。根据题干线索词some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens定位至最后一段倒数第二句，其中提到，许多日本父母相信如果能上大学附属学校，他们的孩子被录取进入一流大学的机会就会增加。由此推断，D为正确答案。
单选题
Free play has been introduced in some Japanese kindergartens in order
to ______.