Public education system in America needs help.One of the biggest problems is money.Education is expensive.In 2002, the average cost for public education per student per year was ＄7,500.Think about that.If there are 23 children in your classroom, it costs ＄ 172,500 per year to run your class ! This includes paying your teacher, buying books and supplies, and paying art，music, and gym teachers.It also includes helping to pay for the administration of your school - the principal, vice-principal, guidance counselors,secretaries, and nurses.Money is used to provide heat, water, electricity, and maintenance.Most of the money comes from taxes collected in cities and towns.What can schools do when they don t have enough money from local taxes ?They must turn to the state and federal government for help.
Beginning in 1965, the federal government stepped in to help.As part of his plan to help end poverty, President Lyndon Johnson initiated the first program to send funds to local schools.The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).Chapter 1 of this act was the beginning of the Title 1 Program to help poor and disadvantaged children receive a high quality education.
Then in 1980, the Department of Education was formed.Their mission is to promote excellence in public education across America.The department is responsible for overseeing the programs that provide money to schools.They promote awareness of education and provide equal access to all students.They research and collect in formation about the educational progress of students.
The next program, the Improving America s School Act,reinstituted (重新设立) ESEA.Its goals included teacher-training, safe and drug-free schools,lowering the dropout rate, improving curriculum, and getting parents more involved.Title 1 of this program ( formerly Chapter 1 of ESEA) provided grants to poor schools for hiring teachers, teacher-aides, and for school-wide programs to enhance education.
The newest program to come from Washington is the No Child Left Behind Act ( NCLB ).Signed into law by President Bush in 2002, it is a sweeping reform and reauthorization of ESEA.Under NCLB, Title 1 schools receive federal funds to enhance learning for economically disadvantaged students.The goal is for 100% of the students in these schools to become proficient in reading, math,and science by 2014.
1.Who is responsible for providing a free public education?A.The president.B.Parents.
C.States and local districts.D.The federal government.
2.What is the latest program to send federal assistance to schools in America?A.Improving America s Schools Act.
B.No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
C.Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
D.Title 1.
3.Which of the following statements would be made by a supporter of NCLB?A.Schools that choose to receive funds should have no regulations placed on them.
B.Schools that choose to receive funds should be accountable for how they use them.
C.Schools that choose to receive funds should be left alone.
D.None of the above.
4.This passage is an example of what kind of writing?A.Technical writing.B.Narrative writing.
C.Persuasive writing.D.Descriptive writing.
Do you like a good mystery ?On a tiny island in the South Pacific lies one of humankind s most bewildering puzzles.The island is Easter Island, named for the day on which it was discovered.
In this lonely place are hundreds of gigantic stone statues.The peculiar statues, which all face toward the ocean, are called moai.Each has the same long ears, squared chin,and rounded belly.Many are between twelve and fifteen feet tall and weigh twenty tons.The largest is thirty-two feet tall and weighs ninety tons, heavier than a passenger car on a train.
It s astonishing that these giants were carved, but the biggest mystery is how they were moved.There are many ideas about this.Evidence has been found of a system of cords, cables, and rollers that may have been used.
Unfortunately there is no one left to tell us and the statues only stare silently out to the sea.
An island on the other side of the world holds another strange puzzle.On a quiet plain in the south of England stands Stonehenge, a mysterious double ring of enormous gray stones.These stones were shaped and placed there almost 4,000 years ago.Many of the building stones, called bluestones, weigh four tons each and were brought from mountains in Wales 240 miles away.That would be like dragging a truck from New York City to Boston.
Exactly how and why Stonehenge was built we may never know.The position of the stones seems to have something to do with the movements of the sun, moon, and stars.Perhaps it was a temple, or an ancient observatory, or both.
1.“It s astonishing that these giants were carved, but the biggest mystery is how they were moved.” By the italicized statement,the author means that.
A.the transportation of the structures was a difficult feat, and we can not say with certainty how it was done.
B.it is strange and unexpected for primitive people to create large monuments from stone.
C.air transportation of very heavy objects is still thought to be impossible.
D.the moai might have moved on their own power long ago.
2.Which of the following is a fact presented by the author, not an opinion or guess?A.Stonehenge was an ancient stargazing tool.
B.An advance civilization created Stonehenge.
C.Stonehenge and the moai are on a“Mystery Tour”for travelers.
D.The bluestones used to make the Stonehenge pillars come from Wales.
3.Which sentence best summarizes this selection?A.No one can explain how and why rock structures came to be on Easter Island and in England.
B.Ancient people brought building materials from England to Easter Island.
C.People in ancient times built their important structures in secrecy.
D.Structures on Easter Island and in England are built from a mysterious substance.
4.The author s purpose is to.
A.persuade B.entertain. C.inform.D.explain.
