Early Childhood Education
" G$ P2 {! a! {: X+ |2 I, r3 B‘Education To Be More\' was published last August. It was the report of the New Zealand Government\'s Early Childhood Care and Education Working Group. The report argued for enhanced equity (公平) of access and better funding for childcare and early childhood education institutions. Unquestionably, that\'s a real need; but since parents don\'t normally send children to pre-schools until the age of three, are we missing out on the most important years of all?
0 I' p! n( O! p* N* @4 h8 h/ C& \# WA 13-year study of early childhood development at Harvard University has shown that, by the age of three, most children have the potential to understand about 1000 words - most of the language they will use in ordinary conversation for the rest of their lives.
1 }8 a8 y5 @3 a. VFurthermore, research has shown that while every child is born with a natural curiosity, it can be suppressed dramatically during the second and third years of life. Researchers claim that the human personality is formed during the first two years of life, and during the first three years children learn the basic skills they will use in all their later learning both at home and at school. Once over the age of three, children continue to expand on existing knowledge of the world. 7 t3 G7 u, g1 Z) m6 @& a- T
It is generally acknowledged that young people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds tend to do less well in our education system. That\'s observed not just in New Zealand, but also in Australia, Britain and America. In an attempt to overcome that educational under-achievement, a nationwide program called ‘Headstart\' was launched in the United States in 1965. A lot of money was poured into it. It took children into pre-school institutions at the age of three and was supposed to help the children of poorer families succeed in school.
# _# J. C- d/ b0 i7 e3 }Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing. It is thought that there are two explanations for this. First, the program began too late. Many children who entered it at the age of three were already behind their peers in language and measurable intelligence. Second, the parents were not involved. At the end of each day, ‘Headstart\' children returned to the same disadvantaged home environment.
| D% R; I9 r ~/ @- jAs a result of the growing research evidence of the importance of the first three years of a child\'s life and the disappointing results from ‘Headstart\', a pilot program was launched in Missouri in the US that focused on parents as the child\'s first teachers. The ‘Missouri\' program was predicated on research showing that working with the family, rather than bypassing the parents, is the most effective way of helping children get off to the best possible start in life. The four-year pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross-section of socio-economic status, age and family configurations (结构). They included single-parent and two-parent families, families in which both parents worked, and families with either the mother or father at home.
6 A7 t6 g) s' |& G# dThe program involved trained parent educators visiting the parents\' home and working with the parent, or parents, and the child. Information on child development, and guidance on things to look for and expect as the child grows were provided, plus guidance in fostering the child\'s intellectual, language, social and motor-skill development. Periodic check-ups of the child\'s educational and sensory development (hearing and vision) were made to detect possible handicaps that interfere with growth and development. Medical problems were referred to professionals. ( T/ @; d0 ?3 ]- j8 k. M G
Parent-educators made personal visits to homes and monthly group meetings were held with other new parents to share experience and discuss topics of interest. Parent resource centers, located in school buildings, offered learning materials for families and facilities for child. ' u1 g: Z$ ~0 S9 d( A
At the age of three, the children who had been involved in the ‘Missouri\' program were evaluated alongside a cross-section of children selected from the same range of socio-economic backgrounds and family situations, and also a random sample of children that age. The results were phenomenal. By the age of three, the children in the program were significantly more advanced in language development than their peers, had made greater strides in problem solving and other intellectual skills, and were further along in social development. In fact, the average child on the program was performing at the level of the top 15 to 20 per cent of their peers in such things as auditory comprehension, verbal ability and language ability. 0 w% F4 H+ n3 m' F
Most important of all, the traditional measures of ‘risk\', such as parents\' age and education, or whether they were a single parent, bore little or no relationship to the measures of achievement and language development. Children in the program performed equally well regardless of socio-economic disadvantages. Child abuse was virtually eliminated. The one factor that was found to affect the child\'s development was family stress leading to a poor quality of parent-child interaction. That interaction was not necessarily bad in poorer families. % Y" h, Q5 Y1 i6 h7 z8 T
These research findings are exciting. There is growing evidence in New Zealand that children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds are arriving at school less well developed and that our school system tends to perpetuate (使永存) that disadvantage. The initiative outlined above could break that cycle of disadvantage. The concept of working with parents in their homes, or at their place of work, contrasts quite markedly with the report of the Early Childhood Care and Education Working Group. Their focus is on getting children and mothers access to childcare and institutionalized early childhood education. Education from the age of three to five is undoubtedly vital, but without a similar focus on parent education and on the vital importance of the first three years, some evidence indicates that it will not be enough to overcome educational inequity.
0 W% j4 f+ q7 f4 A7 o1. The skills learned by children at age of three will be used in all their later learning in life.
Y2 ^5 m- P- T* m. [8 Y+ W5 y X2. The ‘Headstart\' program finally succeeded in its aim. : I% Y. d- w( L3 o* M1 y
3. The ‘Missour\' program supplied many forms of support and training to parents. ! V- \9 ~2 x! j' Z$ N0 K1 p+ J1 t( {
4. Most ‘Missouri\' program three-year-olds scored highly in areas such as listening, speaking, reasoning and interacting with others.
" |- p7 [7 T! m, W, A5. ‘Missouri\' program children of young, uneducated, single parents scored less highly on the tests.
0 z. c# ~/ M! I3 W9 N6. The richer families in the ‘Missouri\' program had higher stress levels.
8 h1 ^& g! `3 ^7. Educational inequity cannot be overcome for children from different family backgrounds.
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6 X" \5 P0 |/ Y# B- o8 e6 g% l: [& `8. The aim of ‘Headstart\' program is to help children from poor families overcome ____________________.! V: A& q' _5 d' B
9. The most effective way of helping children get off to the best possible start in life is ____________________.
3 B2 l( n: z( i' v) j; T6 L7 y9 e9 ^10. The concept of working with parents in their homes contrasts quite markedly with the report of the Early Childhood Core and ____________________. * D' n9 ?% B2 |* `! }' R T+ o% I! }# y
1 o5 U# W9 Z$ _+ t, T: r( @Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) . w4 ?1 q# t& }
Section A - a& M# Q0 _4 D# [- M2 r7 x
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each section there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. ) f' T- o9 c5 q/ Z/ Q3 m; C) f
11. A) To order some medicine for Aunt Margaret.
3 _1 W( D" p; CB) To get some exercise.
: g! t4 S3 z4 p! OC) To buy some items.% x7 u7 d: @# h) |6 v- H0 x% p2 `5 D
D) To see their aunt. ( Q5 A! v) L1 n7 q b
12. A) Anyone can do it.
! i, J. ~7 t' `# wB) No one can do it.! A! m2 ?! r! H8 B
C) Alex can probably do it.
9 R5 c4 f1 X, J' [; YD) Alex probably shouldn\'t do it.
) I- I; l# F+ z9 i! \' t13. A) Tea is better than coffee.
: g& e! G# L# yB) The man should switch to tea.
8 Q% m9 ?/ h+ V8 b! pC) There are two reasons not to drink coffee.. q2 x& |- {# t1 E
D) The man shouldn\'t drink either. p( y) n, i$ q0 m. Y9 `
14. A) At a hairdresser\'s.
2 w$ O% \7 i' L! V) u2 dB) At a tailor\'s.
5 c2 b+ P% S& x$ V2 XC) At a butcher\'s.
- r J& L$ Y0 J- CD) At a photographer\'s. : E* p9 B7 s- M& P/ J8 K( q# n6 U
15. A) Angry. B) Tired. C) Hungry. D) Disappointed.
q f w8 c* t K+ K, z% Z16. A) She would like some soup.
x" q$ f) ^ p6 q! vB) She\'s inviting the man to lunch.
& e$ |& |+ R, a, TC) She wants to know if the man likes chicken.# \8 _# _) e8 I, R5 o4 @
D) She ate lunch earlier.
0 L( c& K" `! [1 `( S17. A) Very few people come to it.9 q/ I1 T% T0 J
B) A good name hasn\'t been found for it.
/ S( Z2 \8 B0 U8 F' tC) People don\'t like climbing the stairs to get there.
2 D( \3 M) O* u/ A5 s3 nD) She has decided to phone the ticket office. ( O; e/ B% B3 `/ \/ E
18. A) It was designed by modern artists.
! G8 `( z7 l0 C7 AB) It will color black and white prints.) {6 j# z: r5 b6 i8 ], z) q$ m# I
C) Its merchandise must be carefully sorted through.! k- r8 e. f6 B' H# t0 Y1 h
D) Its best selection is of modern art prints. 4 f" O4 |* g: z9 p
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard. & M/ z" _" Q8 f" h! e p9 ]
19. A) A class presentation they\'re preparing.+ C) A- J' `. K
B) A television program the man is watching.3 h! V. E5 }9 v$ {: ~2 [% {4 b0 d, @
C) Visiting a close fiend of theirs.
+ p. i& G/ x$ B" U Q3 DD) Studying for a test.
8 p0 u* Q3 A J20. A) He\'s taking a break from studying.0 {, P2 G/ N! Q1 j" y2 D* D
B) He has already finished studying.0 L: l+ u% w1 z. @4 A' \1 C
C) He was assigned to watch a program by his professor.
$ Z8 h7 M3 w7 L+ c& t WD) He\'s finding out some information for a friend.
# e7 f4 m0 U d8 c* Z7 a/ e21. A) He didn\'t know that she was enrolled in a mathematic course.
& B- R" p. ]7 S% t- D3 H B) He thought she preferred to study alone.; }0 m3 t K+ {: O) F/ \" H
C) He thought she had made arrangements to study with
6 ~4 N8 ? y4 C6 ` D) He had told her that he had done poorly on a recent test.
5 ]0 \. R& W) {5 k2 g6 ?22. A) He and Elizabeth argued recently.7 b+ N& `- J0 W) f
B) He heard Elizabeth did poorly on the last test.
# E2 R& P" ]) r/ D! K1 L C) He doesn\'t want to bother Elizabeth so late in the evening.
9 D' R4 G0 ^' ~ D) He\'d rather study in his own dormitory. |