2018年11月浙江卷

B

This month millions of American kids can forget about classroom bells and set off for grandparents' homes, sleep-away camps and lifeguard stands. But summer vacation hasn't always been a birthright of U.S. schoolchildren. Before the Civil War, schools operated on one of two calendars(日历), neither of which included a summer vacation. Rural(农村的)schooling was divided into summer and winter terms, leaving kids free to help with the farm work in the spring planting and fall harvest seasons. Urban students, meanwhile, regularly had as many as 48 weeks of study a year, with one break per quarter.

In the 1840s, however, educational reformers like Horace Mann moved to combine the two calendars out of concern that rural schooling was not enough and that overusing of young minds could lead to nervous disorders. Summer appeared as the obvious time for a break: it offered a rest for teachers, fit in the farming calendar and reduced doctors' concern that packing students into hot classrooms would promote the spread of disease.

But people's opinion about the modern U.S.school year, which averages 180 days,is still divided. Some experts say its pleasant but lazy summer break, which took hold in the early 20th century, is one of the reasons math skills and graduation rates of U.S. high schoolers ranked well below average in two international education reports published in 2007. Others insist that with children under increasing pressure to devote their downtime to internships(实习)or study, there's still room for an institution that protects the lazy days of childhood.

24.What did the rural school calendar before the Civil War allow children to do?

A.Enjoy a summer vacation.

B.Take a break each quarter.

C.Have 48 weeks of study a year.

D.Assist their parents with farm work.

25.What did the educational reformers do in the 1840s?

A.They introduced summer vacation.

B.They shortened rural school terms.

C.They promoted the study of farming.

D.They advocated higher pay for teachers.

26.Why are some people unhappy about the modem U.S.school year?

A.It pushes the teachers too hard. B.It reduces the quality of education.

C.It ignores science instruction. D.It includes no time for internships.

答案解析：

24. D 根据第一段中的描述，农村学校在Civil War之前采用的是夏季和冬季学期制，这让孩子们在春季种植和秋季收获季节有空闲帮助家里做农活。因此，农村学校日历允许孩子们帮助父母做农活。

25. A 根据第二段，19世纪40年代的教育改革者如Horace Mann出于对农村教育不足的担忧，决定合并两种日历，引入了暑假。因此，教育改革者在19世纪40年代引入了暑假。

26. B 根据最后一段，一些专家认为，20世纪初确立的愉快的但懒散的暑假是导致美国高中生的数学技能和毕业率在国际教育报告中排名低于平均水平的原因之一。这表明一些人不满现代美国学校年度的原因是它降低了教育的质量。