单选题
Parents now have a popular belief that schools are no
longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored
spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however,
greatly different ideas about how to teach it or how much priority (优先) it must
be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is
that how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in
writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling.
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher's interest,
clearly a bright child will be likely to "play safe". He will be prone to write
only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language.
That's why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay
attention to content rather than technical ability. I was once
shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal
experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and
your writing is illegible (难以辨认的). "It may have been a sharp criticism of the
pupil's technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the
teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which included some beautiful
expressions of the child's deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw
attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centred on the child's ideas,
an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the
pupil more motivation (动力) to seek improvement.
单选题
Teachers are different in their opinions about ______.
A. the difficulties in teaching spelling
B. the role of spelling in general language development
C. the complexities of the basic writing skills
D. the necessity of teaching spelling
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第一段第二行：There are however, greatly different ideas about how to teach it or how much priority it must be given over general language development and writing ability.
单选题
The expression "play safe" probably means ______.
A. to write carefully
B. to do as teachers say
C. to use dictionaries frequently
D. to avoid using words one is not sure of
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第二段第二行：He will be prone to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language.
单选题
Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that ______.
A. students will be able to express their ideas more freely
B. students will have more confidence in writing
C. teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes
D. students will learn to be independent of teachers