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As far as American school system is concerned, it is almost impossible to pick out one institution as typical or even representative. The primary reason for this bafflement is that there are too great a variety of schools at both primary and secondary level, and the differences between or among them are just too huge. However, while singling out typical schools is next to impossible, there are enough basic features among them to permit some generalizations.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government has no power to make laws in the field of education; instead, each state is fully responsible within its own territory. Accordingly, each state has an educational administration, not subject to federal control. The state authorities lay down general principles concerning the organization of schools and such matters as the ages of compulsory education. Schools are provided and managed by local community boards of education. A fairly large city has a board of its own; otherwise a board may cover the area of a county or of several local communities. All states have for some time had compulsory school attendance up to the age of sixteen, and some beyond that, but the laws are not everywhere enforced with the same vigor. With so much local control, the standards of education provided in different parts of the United States are by no means uniform.
. Elementary education begins at the age of six. There are almost always required subjects at each level, and pupils who do not do well often have to repeat courses. Many schools also support summer classes, where students can make up for failed courses or even take extra courses. At this stage, fourfifths of all the teachers are women, mostly married. The atmosphere is usually very friendly, and the teachers have for a long time now accepted the idea that the important thing is to make the children happy and interested. The old rigid and authoritarian methods of education were discredited in America rather a long time ago — so much that many people now think that education has gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and interested rather than giving them actual instruction.
Education in nearly all parts of the United States is comprehensive in that there is no selection of children who attend fullscale secondary education. Distinctions within the educational system are based in part on the use of private instructions by the few who can pay for them and think it worthwhile to do so, and more importantly, on the different social characteristics of the areas in which schools are placed. Racial factors may be involved, although segregation has been formally abandoned. However, whether they are public or private, schools in the United States have always stressed character training or social skills training through extracurricular activities, including organized sports and performing arts. As most schools start at around 8 oclock every morning and classes often do not finish until 3 or 4 oclock in the afternoon, such activities mean that many students do not return home until the early evening. Students, on the whole, seem to take as much interest in extracurricular activities as they do in school curriculum itself, if not more. Consequently, American schools usually provide a very broad range of extracurricular activities, such as cycling, mountain climbing, horse rising, and chess playing. Quite many schools publish their newspapers, and some have their own radio stations. Almost all have student orchestras, bands, choirs, and theater and drama societies. As part of extracurricular activities, students are also encouraged to work as volunteers in hospitals and homes for the aged and do other publicservice work. At any rate, extracurricular activities for American students come in every shape and style.
1. What does the first sentence of the passage mean?
A. None of American schools have distinctive features.
B. There are enough basic features among American schools.
C. American schools are different from each other.
D. There are many different kinds of schools in America.
2. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Each state is fully responsible within its own territory in making laws in the field of education.
B. Schools are managed by state authorities.
C. Standards of education varies in different parts of the United States.
D. The laws of compulsory school attendance are enforced by different degrees in different areas.
3. Which of the following is NOT related to the distinctions within the educational system?
A. the use of private institution by the few who can pay for them
B. Different social characteristics of the areas in which schools are placed.
C. racial factors
D. academic achievement of students
4. Which of the following extracurricular activities is NOT mentioned in this passage?
A. cycling B. dramaperforming
C. musicentertaining D. painting
5. The passage is mainly about
A. variety of American school.B. extra curricular activities in America.
C. primary and secondary schools in America.D. American education.
答案：
1. 【D】本文第一句话的意思是在美国找不出具有代表性的学校，换言之，就是美国的学校种类太多，很难将它们归为哪一类。因此，就不能找到它们的典型特点,A, B 两项与原文意思相反，C 项说得太绝对。
2. 【B】从文中第二段话中的“Schools are provided and managed by local community boards of education”.可知B项说法错误。
3. 【D】从文中最后一段的第一句话可知美国学校并不会通过学业成绩的好坏来选拔学生进入好的中学学习，而主要是靠其他一些因素的制约。
4. 【D】本文并没有提到画画这种课外活动。
5. 【C】本文主要介绍了美国一些小学和初中的情况。所以D项最佳，A、D太笼统，B项片面。
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