The Ministry of Education in Singapore is releasing a new book this month that summarizes the thinking behind the model method for teaching math.The approach has drawn interest from many comers of the world thanks to the country's top performance on international exams.Last night, education officials and researchers from the US and Singapore highlighted some key differences between the two systems. Singapore's method is highly visual and explores fewer topics, but in greater depth.While Singapore's text books have an average of 34 lessons with 15 pages of explanation for each, much bulkier texts in the US include an average of 157 lessons, with about four pages of explanation per lesson.There arc some more surprising differences. Professional development is intensive for all teachers in Singapore, but strangely about half of the elementary teachers do not have university degrees.That is certain to change, though, as education standards for entering teachers are increasing, said Madame Low, the director of curriculum, planning and development with Singapore's Ministry of Education." Starting salaries for math teachers match public sector accountants or engineers.Teachers are treated as professionals," added Madame Low. Mentoring programs for new teachers in Singapore last five years! Teacher evaluations there are extremely comprehensive, and teachers who succeed receive bonuses worth one to three months of salary.Grades one and two have smaller class sizes--only 30 students.Students are taught in English, not their native tongue.Many are bilingual or trilingual. People often ask, how applicable is a successful model in Singapore to the more diverse and much larger US? I'm also interested in the practical challenges.Given that books in the US are written with state standards and assessments in mind, matching them up with another country's approach might be tough. What do you think? How applicable is a successful model in Singapore to the US? The book released by the Ministry of Education in Singapore is about _ . A) teaching methods B) mathematic philosophy C) model math teachers D) solutions to mathematic models
A
Thanksgiving Day is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is the most traditional American holiday. The first Thanksgiving Day was held in Massachusetts in 1621. After a year of great hardship, the colonist wanted to give thanks to God for their first harvest. They invited their Indian thanks. But it wasn't a regular national holiday until President Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November would be there after Thanksgiving Day in 1863. It is a day of family reunion and it is customary to invite friends to share the meal. In some large cities, there are important football games that are played on Thanksgiving Day. For Americans, Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days of the year when the entire family gets together. Everyone is glad to see everyone else and there is a very busy exchange of greetings. The women soon disappear into the kitchen to help prepare the dinner. The men, meanwhile, settle down to watch a football game on television, or to discuss business or polities. If weather permits, some of the more athletic men go outside to play ball games with the children. Then everyone will sit down to dinner, in which traditional Thanksgiving foods such as stuffed turkey, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and pumpkin pies are served. After dinner, people will sit around and talk. President Lincoln is mentioned because_. A) it is President Lincoln who made Thanksgiving Day a regular national holiday B) President Lincoln once took part in the celebration of Thanksgiving Day C) President Lincoln introduced the Indian holiday day to the American D) President Lincoln is the first US President.
A
Q: What is America's number one sport? Can I still say baseball? You could make that statement 30 years ago,but things have changed.Baseball of course has the richest history of all sports.But with the popularity of basketball and American football,there can now be an argument on which sport is American's number one sport. Basketball really took a turn in the1980's as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took the NBA to another level.Of course,basketball was already popular and had seen such stars as Jerry West and Dr.J,but the real breakthrough came in the 1980's and from there it really took off with Michael Jordan into the 90's.Basketball has even become very global now as many NBA stars competed in the Olympics and faced no competition.Today,they had better be ready because there are so many talents in other countries and the competition will be stiff. Like basketball,American football has always been a favorite of many sports fans and its popularity has grown widely.The ratings that Super Bowl Sunday brings are amazing.They have even talked about making Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday. In the year 2050,basketball and American football will have history like baseball's rich history and maybe American national sport.They have been trying for years,but it is not going to happen. So what is American's number one sport? To me baseball will always be Americans' hobby--rich in history and many memories for people of all ages.If you have any comments on this subject,do give your opinions. The author wrote the passage to_. A) persuade people to support baseball as America's number one sport B) introduce the history of different sports in America C) compare different kinds of sports that are popular among American people D) express his idea that baseball is America's number one sport
A: D
*Question*
If you talk about a dog's life, go to Beijing to see the pampered dogs. Dogs clipped, dressed up, washed and dried. Here, it's the owners who go to obedience school, and these people pay almost a thousand US dollars a month to learn how to properly care for their pets. Dogs are hot in Beijing, a symbol of a new middle-class family. Dogs or pets can take the place of children, even husbands. Qin Lu, 23-year-old dog owner, certainly thinks her dog makes some more loyal partner. She's spending 1,300 yuan, that's almost 200 US dollars a month, sending her dog to the training school. Think about it, almost half her monthly salary as a secretary. Personally, if I have a dog, I want to give it the very best of everything. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a dog. Before we get too sentimental, though, other dogs in China have a far more grisly fate, many still destined for the dinner table, dog meat, a popular delicacy . But appetites are changing. What was once for the eating is now for the treating. Beijing alone is home to more than a million dogs. Owners spend an average 25 dollars a month on pets. Do the math. Dogs are big business. Ning Wei who runs this obedience school on the outskirts of Beijing said. "It has been open for almost three years. There are many dogs. And now we are opening another branch." As their owners embrace everything western, so too, are the dogs. Ning Wei's specializing in producing a new breed of bilingual puppies. Yes, dogs that understand Chinese and now English. "I'm going to do a test now to see if it understands both English and Chinese effectively, if its Chinese is better than my English, and if its English is better than my Chinese." What can we know about Ning Wei from the passage? A) He is an English teacher in an obedience school. B) He is a businessman who runs a school. C) He is a dog-keeper who is learning how to properly care for his dog. D) He is a researcher who is crazy for the bilingual puppies.
**Answer**
B