A team of researchers in the UK has shown that children who were taken to the library more often and owned more books at two years old achieved higher scores in school tests when they began primary school. The research also showed that although social background has a noticeable effect on a child’s readiness for school, attending pre-school and having their parents teach them a wide range of activities have a positive effect---while extended exposure to television lowers their scores.
“One message coming through loud and clear is that how a child learns in his very early years is critical (至关重要的) for a smooth transition into the educational system,” said Professor James Law. “This is a very positive message, as it gets us away from the belief that a child’s educational future is pre-determined by standard measures of socio-economic disadvantage, such as income, housing, or the mother’s education.”
Data from the study shows that children from a positive communication environment had a better expressive vocabulary by their second birthday. These children went on to achieve higher scores in language, reading and maths tests when they entered school. In the early years, the communication environment was a better predictor of children’s success with language than their general social background.
Most children develop speech and language effortlessly, but some are slow to acquire these skills and go on to struggle with literacy (读写能力) and academic skills throughout their schooling. This project set out to uncover what factors contributed to these problems.
Professor Sue Roulstone said, “These findings are an encouragement to all parents to provide a positive communication environment for their children from the very start of their lives. The project did identify particular aspects of the communication environment, such as having children’s books around and not having the television on too much. But the main message is that, as parents, we can have an impact on how our children learn to talk by providing a range of communication experiences. And the better our children are at talking by the age of two years, the better they will do when they start school.”
【小题1】According to the passage, what is the most important factor contributing to children’s success at school? _____.
| A．Their general social background. |
| B．Being taken to a library as early as possible. |
| C．Being involved in various activities. |
| D．Their communication environment. |
【小题2】From the research, Professor James Law concluded that _____.
| A．children could naturally have a smooth transition into the educational system |
| B．the very early years had a big effect on children’s school performance |
| C．communication with children after they were over two years old was more effective |
| D．children’s educational future was pre-determined by their parents’ social position |
【小题3】The study shows that two-year-old children who have a positive communication environment do better in _____.
| A．maths | B．reading |
| C．writing | D．speaking |
【小题4】What is implied in the passage? _____.
| A．The research could help children who suffer from learning difficulties. |
| B．Parents should take their children to school as early as possible. |
| C．Teachers should teach children how to communicate with their parents. |
| D．Children who have good language abilities will not have difficulties in class. |
【小题5】 People can most probably find this passage in the _____section of a website.
| A．environment | B．education |
| C．lifestyle | D．Science |
