56. Britons are worried about the following EXCEPT that
A. children's learning is crammed with too much testing.
B. they are confronted with a lot of hardships in their life.
C. there is more and more school violence in Britain today.
D. young Britons today are sadder than previous generations.
57. The report published by the Children's Society
A. was criticized by right-wing commentators.
B. has aroused the attention of the general public.
C. concluded that most children in Britain are doing fine.
D. argued that single-parents should put children's needs first.
58. According to statistics, teenagers in Britain
A. have a higher pregnancy rate than those in America.
B. agree with adults that childhood in Briton is in crisis.
C. describe themselves, in great numbers, as neither happy nor unhappy.
D. suffer more serious drinking problems than those in Europe.
59. In "Reclaiming Childhood", the author argues that
A. mental problems among the young should be diagnosed carefully.
B. campaigns aimed at improving children's lives are very effective.
C. more bullying occurs because its definition has been extended.
D. parents should be taught how to fulfill their parental duties.
60. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
A. britons should revive the tradition of shared family meals.
B. teenage parents evade responsibility of raising their children.
C. drinking habits pass down from generation to generation.
D. there isrich variety of indoor activities for British children.
Text 3
Daffodils bloom and chocolate eggs melt as the long Easter weekend draws near. Alongside such pleasures is another, equally seasonal: the annual outpouring from the teaching unions' con- ferences, whose massed pedagogues can always be relied on to provide a few news stories to de- light the headline writers.
Guaranteed are lamentations about parents and pupils, both inferior to those of yesteryear in various, not always consistent, ways. Fairly standard attempts to blame the raw materials rather than inadequate workmen, but these moans are given a ready hearing because they confirm the fears of many readers ( and not a few editors) that the nation's moral fibre is in shreds.
Also lapped up are the crazy conference motions, such as the proposal in 2007 for a curricu- lum based on fancy "skills" rather than fusty "knowledge". Union activists in most walks of life are well to the left of those they represent, and teaching-union loyalists are no exception. But such stories resonate because they fit the widespread stereotype of teachers as sandal-wearing, Guardian- reading lefties. It is one that has little evidence to back it up. The Guardian is indeed the profession's favourite newspaper, but not by miles. And teachers, tendency to vote Labour is of recent origin, and may not last.
In the run-up to the 1979 election that brought Margaret Thatcher to victory, most teachers told pollsters they intended to vote Conservative. When in 1987 they defected, disillusioned by low spending on schools, they turned first to the Liberal-Social Democratic Party Alliance, the third party, before coming round to the charms of Tony Blair. In 1997, fifty-nine percent intended to vote Labour, nearly four times more than fancied the Tories. But fewer have voted Labour in each subsequent election. In 2008, the Times Education Supplement found overwhelming disapproval among teachers of Labour's school policies and a shift in voting intentions.
Teaching is in some ways a natural job for the conservatively inclined. Like the police, teach- ers see too much of human nature to remain starry-eyed. And even the dogged idealists privately admit that traditional fight-wing policies, such as physical punishment and academic selection, would make their jobs easier.
But teachers' politics are also shaped by those who train them and by the nature of the work. Both are changing. Who, ile teachers were voting Tory in 1979, education academics were intoxicated with child-centred education and discovery learning, and were turning out new teachers in that mould. The academics are still pretty left-leaning, but nearly a quarter of new teachers now train in schools rather than universities, up from a handful ten years ago. All are coming to grips with a very different profession: one shaped by a national curriculum with tests and targets.
61. The teaching unions' conferences hold the attention of the media because
A. they produce delightful news stories about teachers and students.
B. they coincide with the coming of the spring and Easter holiday.
C. teachers' quality has become a consistent public concern.
D. teachers' complaints are in agreement with the public fear of moral decline.
D. suffer more serious drinking problems than those in Europe.
59. In "Reclaiming Childhood", the author argues that
A. mental problems among the young should be diagnosed carefully.
B. campaigns aimed at improving children's lives are very effective.
C. more bullying occurs because its definition has been extended.
D. parents should be taught how to fulfill their parental duties.
60. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
A. britons should revive the tradition of shared family meals.
B. teenage parents evade responsibility of raising their children.
C. drinking habits pass down from generation to generation.
D. there isrich variety of indoor activities for British children.
61. The teaching unions' conferences hold the attention of the media because
A. they produce delightful news stories about teachers and students.
B. they coincide with the coming of the spring and Easter holiday.
C. teachers' quality has become a consistent public concern.
D. teachers' complaints are in agreement with the public fear of moral decline.
62. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Teaching-union activists are more left-leaning than teachers they represent.
B. Teaching-union activists disagree on what should be included in curriculum.
C. Teachers are perceived by the public as a conservative group.
D. Teachers view themselves as liberal and left-leaning Guardian readers.
63. It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that
A. Tony Blair's charms tipped the balance in Labour's favor.
B.Labour's policies are not favorable towards teachers.
C. teachers' voting intentions have been shifting to Labour.
D. the Tories have gained the favor of teachers because of their policies.
64. The word "starry-eyed" ( line 2, para. 5) probably means
A. liberal.
B. individualistic.
C. idealistic.
D. pragmatic.
65. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that
A. teachers' training has been improved in the past ten years.
B. teachers are politically inclined towards left-wing policies.
C. child-centered education and discovery learning tend to be out of date.
D. influence of academic training on new teachers has been lessened.