问题详情

A

Even though education is compulsory for children in the United States, it isnot compulsory for them to go to a conventional school to get that education. inevery one of the 50 states ,it is legal for parents to educate their children athome,or to" home school" their children. Although no state requires parents tohave special training to home school their children,the regulations parents mustfollow vary widely from state to state. New Jersey,for example ,imposesvirtually no requirements. In contrast,New York requires home schoolers tonotify their school districts, file instructional plans and frequent reports,and submit the results of tests or other forms of assessment for each child.

B

Increasing numbers of American families have been opting for home schooling.According to the National Center for Educational Statistics,about 1. 1 millionchildren were being home schooled in the spring of 2003. This represents anincrease from the 850,000 who were being home schooled in the spring of 1999. Inaddition, the home-schooling rate-the percentage of the school-age populationthat was being home schooled-increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.2 percentin 2003.

C

A survey conducted in 2003 asked parents to give their most important reasonsfor home schooling their children. Thirty-one percent cited concerns about theenvironment in conventional schools, including safety, drugs, or negative peerpressure. Thirty percent said that the most important reason was to providereligious or moral instruction. Sixteen percent said that the most importantreason was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventional schools.Parents gave other reasons, too; for instance, many said that they wanted tostrengthen family bonds or allow their children more freedom.

D

It is difficult to show whether conventional schooling or home schoolingworks better. Home-schooled children tend to score significantly higher than thenational average on college entrance tests. But educators say that it isn't easyto determine how meaningful the figures are,given the complexities of makingdirect comparisons. In the debate about home schooling, socialization is more ofan issue than achievement. Advocates of conventional education believe thathome-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on the kindsof social interaction and relationships with peers that are an essential part ofa total education. Advocates of home schooling say that home-schooled childrenare not socially isolated;they think that home-schooled children have a largersocial structure because they can be out in the world,in contact with people ofdifferent ages,and having experiences that they could never have in conventionalschools.

Questions 1-5 Choose the best statement (A. B, C or D) for each sentence.

1. The word conventional ,means____.()

A. relating to a meeting

B. following what is normal or usual

C. following a religion

D. educational

2. According to the passage,increasing numbers of American families arechoosing home schooling. What information does the author give to support thisstatement？()

A. In every one of the 50 states, it is legal for parents to educate theirchildren at home.

B. Thirty-one percent of parents say that the most important reason for homeschooling is concerns about the environment in conventional schools.

C. The number of children who were being home schooled increased from 850,000in 1999 to about 1.1 million in 2003.

D. A survey was conducted in 2003.

3. Scan the passage to find the answer to this question: How many of theparents surveyed in 2003 said that the most important reason for home schoolingtheir children was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventionalschools？()

A. 1.1 million

B. 30 percent

C. 16 percent

D. 2.2 percent

4. Three of the following statements give facts,and one gives an opinion.Based on the reading passage,which one is the opinion？()

A. Home-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on somekinds of social interaction and relationships.

B. Thirty percent of parents who home school their children said that themost important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction.

C. The home-schooling rate increased from 1. 7 percent in 1999 to 2. 2percent in 2003.

D. The regulations that parents of home schoolers must follow vary widelyfrom State to state.

5. Based on Paragraph D, we can conclude that advocates of conventionaleducation object to home schooling mainly because home-schooledchildren____.

A. cannot achieve academically

B. cannot be compared to conventionally educated children

C. are not well socialized

D. have too much freedom