单选题
It might seem odd to think of pre-kindergarten toddlers as students in need of teachers, but the latest research suggests that some form of instruction may help children to better prepare for school. Nina Chien, a post doctoral researcher in pediatrics at the University of California San Diego found that children who were left to engage in free play in pre-kindergarten centers showed the least improvement in reading and math skills after one year compared with the children who benefited from some form of teacher instruction. The free play groups were provided with educational toys designed to stimulate their creative and cognitive processes, but they still learned up to two fewer alphabet letters and three fewer numbers than those who worked with teachers. Overall, when the children reached kindergarten, their teachers rated them up to 96% lower on language and literacy skills compared to their classmates. Chien based her study on 701 state-funded pre-kindergarten programs in 11 states, was surprised by the findings since more than 50% of children were enrolled in free-play based centers, an indication of their popularity. "It's very popular to give kids rich educational materials, let them chose which ones they want to play with, and let them play, "she says. "It was surprising that this very popular model turned out not to be that beneficial. " The children who showed the most gains over the year in terms of learning the alphabet and numbers, as well as achieving basic reading and math skills, were those who had more individual interaction with teachers. Some teacher-based programs emphasized group instruction, while others involved more one-on-one guidance, in which teachers would encourage students to think more broadly or creatively. If a child drew a sun, for example, an instructor might ask how he could depict the brightness of sun, and guide the child to coming up with a way to draw the sun's rays. Such encouragement, known as scaffolding, resulted in the most academic gains among the children. Based on her findings, Chien believes that there is still a role for free play, as the children in these programs exhibited greater creativity over the year. She also notes that the study involved public programs in which many of the students came from lower income households. Previous studies have shown that such children benefit more from individualized ins/ruction since they may not be receiving much guidance or support at home. But overall, she says, greater teacher interaction, combined with free play, might enhance children's learning ability and better prepare them for school. Given the dwindling resources in public education, however, that may be harder and harder to achieve.
单选题
It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that ______. A. free play in pre-kindergarten centers is essential to kids' growth B. the introduction of teachers' instruction seemed inconvincible C. free-play based centers are the main training form in pre-kindergartens D. teachers' assistance could enhance kids' study abilities
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] A项：学前班的自由玩耍对孩子的成长是非常有必要的，文章前两段并没有提到；C项：自由玩耍是学前班的主要教育形式，文章前两段没有提到；文章前两段只是说得到过老师教育指导的孩子在阅读和数学方面取得的进步大一些，但并没有说他们的学习能力强，故排除D项。B项对应文章首句“It might seem odd…in need of teachers”，故B项正确。
单选题
What Chien's study have suggested recently shows that ______. A. free-play was proved not as effective as we imagined previously B. free-play was very popular in children's early education C. the role of educational materials in kids' growth was beneficial D. the teachers should instruct children how to choose and play with educational materials
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 第三段中提到自由玩耍的普遍模式并没有取得预期的效果，但它仍然发挥着一定的作用，这一点在文章最后一段首句中有所体现，故排除A项；由第三段首句“…more than 50% of children were enrolled in free-play based centers, an indication of their popularity.”可知B项正确；第三段第二句提到了“It's very popular to give kids rich educational materials…，”但其下句就进行了反驳：这种普遍的模式并没有取得预期的效果，故排除C项；文章并未指出老师应该教导孩子如何选择和玩耍益智玩具，故排除选项D。
单选题
The example of drawing a sun by a child is used to show ______. A. the importance of children's creativity B. the significance of teachers' instruction C. the potential of pre-kindergarten kids D. the interactions between teachers and children
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 由“drawing a sun by a child”可知，本题需定位在第四段。例子未强调孩子的潜力，而非老师和学生之间的相互作用、相互影响，故C项、D项错误。文中未阐述创造力的重要意义，故排除A项；由文章第四段后三句可知，举例的意义是为了强调老师的指导作用，故B项正确。
单选题
In the author's opinion, free play is ______. A. useless B. positive C. harmful D. outdated