Passage 3

　　A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their own performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that.

　　If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that they can’t find the way to get the right answer.

　　Question 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　Q33 How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker?

　　答案：D. By comparing his performance with others.

　　Q34 What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker?

　　答案：C. Children cannot detect their own mistakes.

　　Q35 What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?

　　答案：A. It is unhelpful to students’ learning.

　　點評：

　　本篇文章主要論述要讓孩子們學著自己判斷事情。目前的教學方法對學生學習沒有什么幫助作用，老師認為學生不能發現他們自己身上的錯誤，孩子習得一件事情是通過把自己的行為和其他人的行為作對比而來的，而這就逐漸讓孩子們失去了自己，變成了其他人，從而慢慢產生依賴感。文章結尾暗示作者對這種教學方法是不贊成的，同時，提出老師的工作是應該幫助孩子們找到正確答案的方法，而不是什么都為他們做好安排好。

Section C

　　Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance. To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations. Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail.

　　It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time.

　　Americans’ language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be “on,” to be “kept,” “filled,” “saved,” “wasted,” “gained,” “planned,” “given,” “made the most of,” even “killed.”

　　The international visitor soon learns that it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.

　　Time is so valued in America, because by considering time to be important one can clearly achieve more than if one “wastes” time and doesn’t keep busy. This philosophy has proven its worth. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America. Many American proverbs stress the value of guarding time, using it wisely, and setting and working toward specific goals. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.

　　答案：

　　36. foreign

　　37. accomplished

　　38. interpersonal

　　39. detail.

　　40. controlled

　　41. abruptly

　　42. references

　　43. indication

　　44. it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.

　　45. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America.

　　46. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.

　　原文出處：http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/pages/faculty/alee/extra/American_values.html

　　【點評】本文討論的是美國人的時間觀念。開頭提出美國人非常看重時間規劃，以至于到了被認為“手表控制人”的地步，接下來從語言角度給出證明，最后又從原因角度解釋說明。

　　本文的難點在于，開頭有長難句，包含插入語、比較級等，容易造成困擾。而在語言角度探討時，有給出一系列動詞，容易出現漏聽及注意力分散。同時，utmost, abruptly, reference, philosophy, productivity等較難詞匯也會帶來一定困擾。

　　空格整體分布較為均勻，除第三段兩空間隔較近，第二個容易錯過外，其它空填寫時間均較為充足。所填詞語格式比較重要，如-ed，-s等均是不可漏過的細節。