Children’s Acquiring the Principles of Mathematics and Science
It has been pointed out that learning mathematics and science is not so much learning facts as learning ways of thinking. It has also been emphasized that in order to learn science, people often have to change the way they think in ordinary situations. These changes in ways of thinking are often referred to as “conceptual changes”. But how do “conceptual changes” happen? How do children change their ways of thinking as they learn in school?
The psychologist Piaget suggested an interesting hypothesis (假说) relating to the process of cognitive (认知的) change in children. Cognitive change was expected to result from the pupils’ own intellectual activity. When met with a result that challenges their thinking, that is when faced with conflict, pupils realize that they need to think again about their own ways of solving problems, regardless of whether the problem is one in mathematics or in science. He hypothesised that conflict brings about unbalance, and then triggers processes that ultimately produce cognitive changes. For this reason, pupils need to be actively engaged in solving problems that will challenge their current mode of reasoning. However, Piaget also pointed out that young children do not always abandon their ideas in the face of conflicting evidence. They may actually abandon the evidence and keep their theory.
Piaget’s hypothesis about how cognitive change occurs was later translated into an educational approach which is now termed “discovery learning”. Discovery learning initially took what is now considered the “lone learners” route. The role of the teacher was to select situations that challenged the pupils’ reasoning; and the pupils’ peers had no real role in this process. However, it was subsequently proposed that interpersonal conflict, especially with peers, might play an important role in promoting cognitive change. This hypothesis has been investigated in many recent studies of science teaching and learning.
Christine Howe and her colleagues, for example, have compared children’s progress in understanding several types of science concepts when they are given the opportunity to observe relevant events. In one study, Howe compared the progress of 8 to 12-year-old children in understanding what influences motion down a slope. In order to figure out the role of conflict in group work, they created two kinds of groups according to a pre-test: one in which the children had dissimilar views, and a second in which the children had similar views. They found support for the idea that children in the groups with dissimilar views progressed more after their training sessions than those who had been placed in groups with similar views. However, they found no evidence to support the idea that the children worked out their new conceptions during their group discussions, because progress was not actually observed in a post-test immediately after the sessions of group work, but rather in a second test given around four weeks after the group work.
1．Which of the following statements is in line with Piaget’s hypothesis?| A．Teachers play a big role in learning by explaining difficult concepts. |
| B．Teaching should be consistent in order to easily acquire knowledge. |
| C．Children can help each other make cognitive progress. |
| D．Cognitive progress mainly relies on children’s own intellectual activity. |
| A．was adopted during discovery learning early on |
| B．requires help from the pupils’ peers |
| C．relies on how the teacher guides the students heavily |
| D．played an important role in cognitive change |
| A．The most active children made the least progress according to a pre-test. |
| B．The children were evaluated on their abilities to understand a physics phenomenon. |
| C．The teacher aided the children to understand a scientific problem in group work. |
| D．All the children were working in mixed-ability groups to work out new conceptions. |
| A．that children acquire more when learning in groups |
| B．that children opposing each other would learn slower |
| C．that the children were given a total of three tests, at different times |
| D．that there can be a satisfying result thanks to the duration of test |
| A. dated B. unlikely C. set D. fossils E. estimate F. delicate G. takes H. finds I. exactly J. advocated K. tracked |
Haul of Fossil Fish Pushes Back the Origin of Teeth and Jaws
Our teeth and jaws are incredibly ancient. They’re older than dinosaurs, older than arms and legs, older than trees adaptations that paleontologists (古生物学家) have
Researchers have disagreed about
Zhu and coauthors note in their research, the fish they uncovered were small and had
I couldn’t bear it any longer! My best friend had gone for lunch with the most popular girl in class, leaving me to eat my tuna sandwich alone in the library. Worse still, during dance class, my partner, a boy, refused to hold my hand and bad mouthed me behind my back, further feeding my anger. It was, without a doubt, my worst day in school. I was hurt and mad, and looking for a target to release my anger.
When I got home from school , Mother had baked peanut butter cookies and piled them up on a plate. She even artfully decorated each one with royal icing and topped it with sugar. “Couldn’t you have made chocolate. chip?” I said moodily. “I could have,” she replied from the laundry room, “but I made peanut butter ones. Eat them while they’re still hot, sweetie.” Although I thought Mother was rather unthoughtful, I caved in and took a few bites unwillingly in the end. Later, when she pulled a grilled chicken from the oven and sang a merry tune, I somehow got annoyed again — Never mind that Mother had busied herself the whole afternoon with the cooking just to put this hot meal on the table. I wanted hamburgers.
“Nobody even likes that kind of food, Mum! Why didn’t you make hamburgers?” I complained. Mother took a deep breath, ran her fingers through her messy hair and looked into my eyes with a puzzled look. “Sweetheart, you’ve never complained about having it before. What’s up?” she said matter-of-factly.
It was from there that all went downhill. I screamed and complained nonstop until Mother hit her limit. Unable to contain her anger,” No dinner for you! Go to bed now !”she exploded. It was the first time that Mother had got mad at me. Nobody seemed to care about me, including my beloved mother! Ultimately, we had a shouting match in the hallway. I stormed to my bedroom, anger mounting up within me.
I screamed and wept bitterly in bed.
Then a thick, juicy smell of hamburgers greeted my nose.
Mark asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Mark’s father knew that few boys would want someone like Mark, mentally and physically disabled, on their team, but the father still approached to ask the boys if Mark could play. They exchanged glances with each other and said, “We’ll try to put him in to bat.”
Mark struggled over to the team’s bench and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted.
In the bottom of the final inning, Mark was scheduled to be at bat. Everyone knew that a hit was almost impossible. The first pitch (投) came and Mark missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to throw the ball softly towards Mark. As the pitch came in, Mark swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The pitcher could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman, but he just threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, beyond the reach of all teammates. The audience and the players from both teams started screaming, “Mark, run to first!” Never in his life had Mark ever run that far but made it to first base, wide-eyed and shocked.
By the time Mark rounded towards second base, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time, understood the pitcher’s intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.
All were screaming. “Mark, run to third.” As Mark rounded third, all were on their feet, crying, “Mark, run home!” Mark ran to home, stepped on the home base and was cheered as the hero who won the game for his team. Tears rolled down the father’s cheeks.
That day, the boys from both teams helped bring true love and humanity into this world.
1．Why did Mark’s father, not expecting much, still asked if Mark could join the team?| A．Because he noticed some of the boys on the field were friendly. |
| B．Because he knew some of the boys on the field knew Mark well. |
| C．Because he understood Mark did need a feeling of being accepted. |
| D．Because he guessed Mark’s disability would affect the boys’ decision. |
| A．The pitcher wanted to help Mark win the game. |
| B．The pitcher pretended to throw the ball high and far. |
| C．The pitcher looked forward to winning the game for his team. |
| D．The pitcher had intended to throw the ball to the first baseman. |
| A．Some of the opposing players ran to help him. |
| B．The pitcher did not throw the ball to the first baseman. |
| C．The opposing players failed to stop his running to home. |
| D．The audience and the players from both teams cheered for him. |
| A．True human nature could be realized in the way we treat each other. |
| B．Everyone can develop his team spirit in sports and please his parents. |
| C．The results of the game should not be the only concern of the players. |
| D．Everyone has his own strength even if mentally or physically disabled. |
When I was little, I lived in a house with a beautiful garden full of all kinds of Bowers. There was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting in the garden with my mother reading stories to me. When I was old enough to read, I enjoyed reading stories aloud to her.
I would never forget one day when I was in the third grade. I bad been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed (排练) my lines so hard with me. But however easily I acted at home, the moment I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside, explaining that she had written a narrator’s (解说员) part to the play, and asked me to change roles. Her word, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home after school that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to take a walk in the garden.
It was May and roses were blossoming and, under the trees, we could also see yellow dandelions (蒲公英) in the grass, as if a painter had painted our garden with red, yellow and green. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. ”I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling it up by its roots. ”From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden. ”
“But I like dandelions,” I protested, “All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions.” “Yes, every flower is beautiful in its own way, isn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. “Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.” Relieved that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled to me gently.
Para 1: “But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said.
Para 2: After the play, I took home the flower.
How are you doing in England?
How do you like my advice? Looking forward to your reply!
Yours,
Li Hua
It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different primary schools in and around the small town were warming up and walking the route through thick evergreen forest.
I looked around and finally spotted David, who was standing by himself off to the side by a fence. He was small for ten years old. His usual big toothy smile was absent today. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other children. He hesitated and then said he had decided not to run.
What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event!
I quickly searched the crowd for the school’s coach and asked him what had happened. “I was afraid that kids from other schools would laugh at him,” he explained uncomfortably. “I gave him the choice to run or not, and let him decide.”
I bit back my frustration (懊恼). I knew the coach meant well— he thought he was doing the right thing. After making sure that David could run if he wanted, I turned to find him coming towards me, his small body rocking from side to side as he swung his feet forward.
David had a brain disease which prevented him from walking or running like other children, but at school his classmates thought of him as a regular kid. He always participated to the best of his ability in whatever they were doing. That was why some of the children thought it unusual that David had decided to join the cross-country team. It just took him longer— that’s all. David had not missed a single practice, and although he always finished his run long after the other children, he did always finish. As a special education teacher at the school, I was familiar with the challenges David faced and was proud of his strong determination.
We sat down next to each other, but David wouldn’t look at me.
I was only four when my parents passed away and after that, I had to be sent to Gran Lola’s house. Grandmothers should know how to bake cookies and cook some delicious dishes. Grandmothers should have gentle and soft hearts. But Gran Lola was none of those things. Gran Lola cooked the most usual meals but fed me with love. Although she pretended to be this rough (粗野的), strict and fashion granny, she had a loving heart that knew how to love everyone around her. What a fool I was not to realize that at that time!
I was afraid of Gran Lola until I was ten years old. I spent six years with her. That’s how long it took me to be used to her cooking, laughs and bad jokes. But by then, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She protected me from all the bad like a mother protects her child. She saw the wrong things that were happening to me and she stood up for me. All in all, she would do anything for me that was good for me.
Gran Lola lived a simple life but had been always taking care of Mr Tammy, a lonely old neighbor, for free until he died. Later, Gran Lola became ill and was forced to stay in bed. I was 15 then and I could look after her.
“You are a loving boy, Morris!” Gran Lola said one day. “You see, honey, all of your love and care will come back to you one day. Kindness is priceless, and it can also bring unexpected rewards (回报).”
When Gran Lola died, I discovered that she had divided what she had equally among her grandchildren. But she had left me one more thing: her old piggy bank, which was placed on my bedroom shelf. One day, thirty-two years later, I was cleaning the shelf when I accidentally dropped it. As it broke into pieces, I was shocked. Along with the broken pieces on the floor lay stones, sparkling and shiny like diamonds (钻石)!
Seeing these, I recalled (回忆) that Gran Lola had been living a rather simple life.
I was cleaning up the confusing stones when I found Gran Lola’s note.
A recent issue of National Geographic magazine described one of the wonders of the earth, the tiny silver ants of the Sahara desert. These ants live in areas where temperatures reach up to 57℃, as the article described it, an environment “where shoes melt.”
These tiny ants are amazing. In the Sahara desert, where most creatures avoid going out in the middle of the day to avoid high temperatures,the Saharan silver ants have evolved(进化)a number of adaptations to do just that. Scientists have discovered that several unique features of the Saharan silver ants permit them to grow well in a scorching climate.
These ants have longer legs than other ants, which keep their bodies critically greater distance away from the hot desert sand. The ants run 108 times the length of their own bodies every second at a speed of just over 3kph. And they keep track of the position of the sun, so that they always know the most direct route back to the nest, thus lowering their time spent in extreme heat. Their bodies produce proteins that resist heat. Some other creatures produce such proteins after they come in contact with extreme heat. But since the silver ants only exit the nest for a few minutes at a time — not long enough for the protein to take effect — they produce the protein while still in the nest before they go out, or they would die before the protein could take effect.
Researchers also discovered that the ants are covered on their tops and sides with the uniquely triangular(三角的)shape of the silver hairs,which enable them to dissipate(消散)heat.The hairs help an ant's body exchange its heat to a cooler area, even under full sun conditions. This discovery inspired the scientists, for it could lead to new materials and paints that can be applied to rooftops or cars to keep them cool. And it is also expected to be applied in clinical care, wearable devices,protective clothing and other fields.
1．What does the underlined word “scorching”in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．extremely chilly | B．extremely cool |
| C．extremely mild | D．extremely hot |
| A．The Saharan silver ants' hairs act like a tiny air-heating system. |
| B．The Saharan silver ants are born with the ability to track the moon. |
| C．The Saharan silver ants' adaptations to the desert are to be discovered. |
| D．Inspiration from the Saharan silver ants will bring up more new inventions. |
| A．After coming in contact with extreme heat. |
| B．Before traveling in the sun. |
| C．While running under full sun condition. |
| D．After coming back to the nest from outside. |
| A．Small Ants Make a Big Difference |
| B．Small Ants Hunt for Food Easily |
| C．Small Ants Survive in the Saharan Desert |
| D．Small Ants Jump the Fastest in the World |
The icy wind howled across the empty street and it was an unusually quiet day in the emergency room on December 25th. Quiet, that is, except for the nurses who were standing around the nurses’ station complaining about having to work on Christmas Day, for people were supposed to be spending time with their families, exchanging gifts and wishes.
I was guiding nurse that day and had just done clean-up in the waiting room. Since there were no patients waiting to be seen at the time, I returned to the nurses’ station for a cup of hot coffee that someone had brought in for Christmas. Just then, a colleague came back and told me I had five patients waiting to be evaluated.
I was surprised, “Five, how did I get five; I was just out there and no one was in the waiting room.”
“Well, there are five signed in.”
So I went straight out and called the first name. Five bodies showed up at my guiding desk, a pale short woman and four small children in untidy clothing.
“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.
“Okay,” I replied, unconvinced, “Who’s first?” One by one they sat down, and I asked the usual beginning questions. When it came to the descriptions of their symptoms, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough, but seemed to work to produce it.
Something was wrong with the picture. Our hospital policy, however, was not to turn away any patient, so we would see them. When I explained to the mother that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her because there were several more critical patients. She responded, “Take your time; it’s warm in here and there is a Christmas tree.”
Then she turned and, with a smile, settled her kids in the waiting room.
My colleagues, complaining about working Christmas, turned to sympathy for the homeless family.
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