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  3. It is generally acknowledged that young people from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds tend to do less well in our education syste

It is generally acknowledged that young people from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds tend to do less well in our education syste

admin2014-12-26  49
问题     It is generally acknowledged that young people from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds tend to do less well in our education system. That is observed not just in New Zealand, but also in Australia, Britain and America. In an attempt to overcome that educational underachievement, a nationwide program called "Headstart" was launched in the United States in 1965. A lot of money was poured into it. It took children into preschool institutions at the age of three and was supposed to help the children of poorer families succeed in school.
    Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing. It is thought that there are two explanations for this. First, the program began too late. Many children who entered it at the age of three were already behind their peers in language and measurable intelligence. Second, the parents were not involved. At the end of each day, "Headstart" children returned to the same disadvantaged home environment.
    As a result of the growing research evidence of the importance of the first three years of a child’s life and the disappointing results from "Headstart", a pilot program was launched in Missouri in the US that focused on parents as the child’ s first teachers. The "Missouri" program was predicated on research showing that working with the family, rather than bypassing the parents, is the most effective way of helping children get off to the best possible start in life. The four years pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross section of socioeconomic status, age and family configurations(结构). They included single parent and two parent families, families in which both parents worked, and families with either the mother or father at home.
    The program involved trained parent educators visiting the parents’ home and working with the parent, or parents, and the child. Information on child development, and guidance on things to look for and expect as the child grows were provided, plus guidance in fostering the child’s intellectual, language, social and motor skill development. Periodic checkups of the child’s educational and sensory development(hearing and vision)were made to detect possible handicaps that interfere with growth and development. Medical problems were referred to professionals.
    At the age of three, the children who had been involved in the "Missouri" program were evaluated alongside a cross section of children selected from the same range of socioeconomic backgrounds and family situations, and also a random sample of children that age. The results were phenomenal. By the age of three, the children in the program were significantly more advanced in language development than their peers, had made greater strides in problem solving and other intellectual skills, and were further along in social development. In fact, the average child on the program was performing at the level of the top 15 to 20 percent of their peers in such things as auditory comprehension, verbal ability and language ability.
The word "phenomenal"(Line 4, Para.5)is closest in meaning to______.
选项 A、disappointing
B、unsettled
C、remarkable
D、doubtful
答案C
解析 语义题。此题需要联系上下文。此句后例子包括，“significantly moreadvanced in language development”(儿童在语言发展方面有明显进步)；“madegreater strides in problem solving”(儿童在解决问题方面跨出一大步)。由此例子可知．结果肯定是好的，应选褒义词，选项C“显著的”，符合题意。
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