单选题
Early childhood education

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 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 schools 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) 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______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】从第一段的前三句话中我们可以很容易地看出“美NJL童学业成绩较低的情况,许多美国人试着把孩子送到日本读书,那里经济发达而且儿童学业成绩不错。然而,日本学前教育的情况并不像美国家长所期待的那样。在大多数的日本学前班里,知识的教授仅占很小的比重。”故C正确。
单选题 Most Americans surveyed believe that preschools should also attach importance to______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这道题从第二段的第二句可以直接选出答案B。
单选题 In Japan's preschool education, the focus is on______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】A选项与全文的中心思想不符;B、C选项是片面的概括;D选项把文中提到的persistence,concentration,and the ability to function as a member of a group很好的概括为shaping children's character,故D为正确的选项。
单选题 Free play has been introduced in some Japanese kindergartens in order to______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】此题可以从全文的最后一句话得出答案。其他三个选项“扩大孩子的视野”、“培养孩子的创造力”和“丰富孩子的知识”文中无明确的说明。
单选题 Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university based kindergartens?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】此题可以从全文的最后一段的第四句话得出答案。其中top-rated与first-rate意思相同。