Question

Frederick M. Hess is the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, which is a nonprofit organization that conducts research on many public issues. He says that a long summer vacation doesn’t make sense in today’s world.

Can American students afford to take a summer vacation? In a summer vacation, millions of kids spend valuable time sending messages, watching TV, playing video games and doing shopping in the mall. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.

Summer vacation once made sense in the past when you didn’t need an education to get a good job. But now things have changed. For today’s students, academic skills are important to students’future success, but such skills are affected in the summertime. Many nations don’t give kids an American-style summer vacation. They offer no more than seven consecutive（連續(xù)的） weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to thirteen weeks. To compete in the global marketplace, Americans must be prepared to go up against international competitors.

Summer vacation also causes challenges for today’s families. In the 1960s, more than 60% of families had a stay-at-home Mom. Now two-thirds of American children live in households where every adult works. For these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.

But the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. Researchers have found that disadvantaged students lose significant ground in the summertime.

A longer school year does not have to be an invitation to hard boring work. Rather, it should allow time-pressed teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons. Schools would have more time to devote to athletics, languages, music and the arts. Summer vacation can be a grand thing. But in the 21st century, it may also be outdated.

Title: Summer Vacation

Theme	A long summer vacation isn’t 1. in today’s world.
Basic Information	2. length	13 weeks in most American schools
Students’ 3.	·Sending messages and watching TV ·Playing video games ·Doing shopping
Disadvantages	· 4. student’s academic skills and putting academic futures at risk. ·Being a 5. to families for they have to watch kids. ·Hurting students’ academic achievement and resulting in 6. significant ground.
Suggestion	A longer school year does not have to 7. to hard boring work. Richer and more imaginative lessons should be 8. , such as athletics, languages, music and the arts.
9.	Though being a ground thing, summer vacation might be out of 10. in the 21st century.

Answer 1

1.meaningful

2.Vacation

3.activities

4.Affecting

5.burden

6.losing

7.lead/contribute

8.conducted

9.Conclusion

10.date

【解析】

試題分析：這是一篇議論文，論證了在當(dāng)今美國社會(huì)，漫長的暑假假期是沒有必要的。

1.meaningful。從第一段中的He says that a long summer vacation doesn’t make sense in today’s world.句意為他說漫長的暑假假期在當(dāng)今是沒有意義的可以推斷出，故為meaningful。

2.Vacation。從第三段They offer no more than seven consecutive（連續(xù)的） weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to thirteen weeks句意為他們只有連續(xù)不超過七周的假期，大部分美國學(xué)校有13周的假期中可以推斷出，故為Vacation。

3.activities。由該題后面框中的信息可以推斷出，故為activities。

4. will also be putting their academic futures at risk.句意為他們使他們的學(xué)術(shù)未來陷入冒險(xiǎn)的境地可以推斷出，故為Affecting。

5. these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.句意為對(duì)于這些家庭，暑假比休息更有壓力，因此有些人必須照看孩子可以推斷出，故為burden。

6. the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. 句意為但是最大的問題也許是暑假如何破壞學(xué)術(shù)成果可以推斷出，故為losing。

7.lead/contribute。由最后一段中A longer school year does not have to be an invitation to hard boring work.句意為一個(gè)長學(xué)年不會(huì)導(dǎo)致枯燥的學(xué)習(xí)可以推斷出，故為lead/contribute。

8.conducted。由最后一段中it should allow time-pressed teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons.句意為它應(yīng)該使時(shí)間緊迫的老師進(jìn)行多樣的且更富有想象力的課程成為可能可以推斷出，故為conducted。

9.Conclusion。由該題后面框中的信息可以推斷出，故為Conclusion。

10.it may also be outdated.句意為它也許會(huì)過時(shí)的可以推斷出，故為date。

考點(diǎn)：考查單詞和閱讀。