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It is curious that Stephen Koziatek feels almost as though he has to justify his efforts to give his students a better future.
Mr. Koziatek is part of something pioneering. He is a teacher at a New Hampshire high school where learning is not something of books and tests and rote memorization, but practical, reports staff writer Stacy Teicher Khadaroo in this week’s cover story. When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly bamboozled by a busted bike chain?
As Koziatek knows, there is learning in just about everything. Nothing is necessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graffitied desk stuck with generations of discarded chewing gum. They can also learn geometry by assembling a bicycle.
But he’s also found a kind of insidious prejudice. Working with your hands is seen as almost a mark of inferiority. Schools in the family of vocational education ―have that stereotype ... that it’s for kids who can’t make it academically,‖ he says.
On one hand, that viewpoint is a logical product of America’s evolution. Manufacturing is not the economic engine that it once was. The job security that the US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated. More education is the new mantra. We want more for our kids, and rightfully so.
But the headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all – and the subtle devaluing of anything less – misses an important point: That’s not the only thing the American economy needs. Yes, abachelor's degree opens moredoors. But even now, 54 percent of the jobs in the country aremiddle-skill job, such as construction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers are adequately trained.
In other words, at a time when the working class has turned the country on its political head, frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America is vanishing, one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap in working-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren't equipped to do them Koziatek's Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.
Koziatek's school is wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all, it risks overlooking a nation's diversity of gifts.
21. A broken bike chain is mentioned to show student's lack of. A. academic training B. practical ability C. pioneering spirit
D. mechanical memorizetion
22. There exists the prejudice that vocational education is for kids who. A. have a stereotyped mind B. have no career motivation C. are financially disadvantaged D. are not academically successful
23. We can infer from Paragraph 5 that high school graduates. A. used to have more job opportunities B. used to have big financial concerns
C. are entitled to more educational privileges D. are reluctant to work in manufacturing
24. The headlong push into bachelors degrees for all. A. helps create a lot of middle-class jobs B. may narrow the gap in working-class jobs C. indicates the overvaluing of higher education D. is expected to yield a better-trained wirkforce
25. The author’s attitude toward Koziatek’s school can be described as. A. tolerant B. cautious C. supportive D. disappointed
21、【答案】[A] practical ability
【解析】根据题干可知这是一道典型的例证题。根据题干关键词―a broken bike chain‖定位到第二段第二句，向前找其论点句 ―He is a teacher at a New Hampshire high school where
learning is not something of books and tests and mechanical memorization, but practical. 由该句可知，在他（Mr. Koziaek）任教的这个学校里，学习不是书本、测试和机械记忆这些事情，而是实践。所以举―a broken bike chain‖的例子是说明学生们缺乏实践能力，选A选项 practical ability。
22、【答案】[C] are not academically successful
11. 【解析】根据题干可以定位到第四段，相关语句为―that it’s for kids who can’t make it academically,‖ he says. 其中，―can’t make it academically‖就是对应答案C中的―are not academically successful‖, 因此，正确答案为C 选项are not academically successful。 23、【答案】[B] used to have more job opportunities
【解析】根据题干要求定位到第五段，解决本题的关键是对第三句话―The job security that the US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated.‖的理解，尤其需要注意本句的时态，定语从句―that the US economy once offered to high school graduates‖是过去时态，表明―美国经济曾经为高中毕业生提供了工作保障‖，而主句―The job security has largely evaporated‖却是现在完成时，意为―这种工作保障在很大程度上已经蒸发了‖，说明曾经的工作机会现在已经不再拥有了，故而[B]选项是正确选项。 24、【答案】[D] indicates the overvaluing of higher education
【解析】根据题干关键词―headlong push‖以及―bachelor’s degree‖直接定位到文章第六段第一句话。根据第一句话―But the headlong push into bachelor’s degree for all—and the subtle devaluing of anything less—misses an important point: That’s not the only thing the American economy needs‖（大力推动学士学位—以及低估其他任何方面—使得人们忽略了非常重要的一点：这并不是美国经济所唯一需要的），可初步确定正确选项为D―indicates the overvaluing of higher education‖（高估了高等教育）。另外，第二句先是认可了这种做法的好处：―Yes, a bachelor degree opens more doors‖（学士学位为本科生打开了更多扇门）。但是，第三行最后出现转折词But，说明后面内容一定是负面情感取向，是―bachelor degree‖没能解决的问题，因此，D选项为正确答案。 25、【答案】[A] supportive
【解析】本题考查作者的态度。一般最后一段凸显作者的态度， 第一句话―Koziatek’s school is a wake-up call.‖说明―Koziatek学校为我们敲响了警钟‖。第二句话―When education becomes one-size-fits-all, it risks overlooking a nation’s diversity of gifts‖表明―当教育适合所有人的时候，它同样也造成一种危险，即容易忽视国家的人才多元化。‖同时我们也注意到第七段最后一句话说―… is to fill the gap.‖（Koziatek学校正试图填补这一空白）， 说明作者的态度是支持性的，即supportive。因此，A选项是正确答案。