3.As reported by The Times on July 12,half of primary schools in the UK will soon adopt the traditional Chinese method of maths teaching in a Government drive to stop British children falling behind those in Asian.They will get rid of"child-centered"styles and instead return to repetition,drills and"chalk and talk"whole-class learning.Teachers will be offered training,textbooks and advice on how to adopt the Shanghai maths method.
Children in the UK are far behind those in China,Singapore and Japan in international league tables of numeracy(計(jì)算能力).Critics blame"progressive"teaching styles that focused on applying maths to real-life scenes in an effort to make the subject more interesting.They say this has led to confusion and stopped children learning the basics.
Under the Government's new plans,children as young as five will have drills to practise sums and exercises,and must master each concept through repetition before moving to the next.Nick Gibb,the schools minister,said that training would be provided for 8,000 primary schools-half the country's total-to switch to the Shanghai‘mastery'approach."We are seeing a renaissance(復(fù)興) in maths teaching in this country,with good ideas from around the world helping to make our classrooms more lively,"he said,"I am confident that the steps we are taking now will make sure young people are properly prepared for further study and the 21st-century workplace,and that the too often heard phrase‘can't do maths'is abandoned to the past."He has promised£41million to provide textbooks and training for two teachers from each participating school.
But some teaching leaders questioned whether the success of Asian countries was purely down to the style of lessons.James Bowen,director of NAHT Edge,a union for middle school leaders,said:"Part of the success of maths teaching in countries like China comes from the respect in which they hold teachers and the time they give them to plan and prepare.If the Government wanted to import these practices,too,we wouldn't object."
24.What is the passage mainly about?C
A.China has better approaches to teaching maths than Britain.
B.Practice and repetition play an important part in learning maths.
C.Chinese maths teaching methods will come into British primary classrooms.
D.The British government attaches great importance to education.
25.According to the Government's new plan,D.
A.8,000 British schools will have to teach maths in Chinese style.
B.individual-based maths teaching approaches will be adopted.
C.£41million will be provided for the necessary textbooks for teachers.
D.British pupils will be taught maths as a whole class.
26.What is the author's attitude toward the Government's new plans?C
A.Negative
B.Doubtful
C.Objective
D.Supportive
27.Why wasn't James Bowen in favor of the plan?A
A.British has different educational conditions from Asian countries.
B.He didn't have much confidence in British teachers and children.
C.He didn't believe in the Chinese maths teaching methods
D.The success of maths teaching in Asian countries is due to teachers.