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Are You Smarter than a Child?
The majority of parents would struggle to help the seven-year-old with their homework, a study has found. Helping a child with their homework is part and parcel of (是…的必然部分) being a parent or guardian (监护人).
However, only a third of parents feel confident providing guidance to their children when tasked with helping with their school assignments, according to a survey conducted by Oxford Home Schooling, a home education course company.
For the study, 1,000 parents were given three typical Year 3 homework questions, written in collaboration with primary school teacher Victoria Humphreys. Only one in 16 of the participants were able to answer all three of the questions correctly, which were taken from Key Stage Two syllabuses for English, Maths and Science.
Of those who took part in the study, nearly a quarter said they feel “ pressurised ” when asked by their child to help with homework, while more than three quarters admit they often use the internet to help them answer any questions they're struggling with.
More than one in 10 also stated that they use virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri, to provide them with homework answers. Only 38 per cent of the parents managed to correctly answer the mathematical question “What is 23/6 as a mixed number?”.
Furthermore, only 22 per cent correctly identified “and” as a subordinate conjunction in the English question of the test, and only 40 per cent were aware that a “key feature” of an amphibian (两栖动物)'s life cycle is when the “tadpoles (蝌蚪) hatch”.
The study also found that men are more likely than women to feel confident helping their children with homework, with 39 per cent of the fathers tested feeling confident, in comparison to 28 per cent of the mothers.
“The results of the survey are quite surprising, but they will probably resonate (引起共鸣) with many parents across the country,” said Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling. “For some, a large amount of time will have passed since they themselves were in the education system and so they will be unfamiliar with the current curriculum. Our research has found that over a third of primary school parents think their children are stressed because of work, so it is important that they strive to help out where they can, using assistants, like Google, if needed.”
1. What conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?
A. A study found that most parents would help their children finish their homework.
B. Parents would like to accompany their children to do homework.
C. Not every child can finish his/her homework alone.
D. Children dislike doing homework.
2. Which of the following is true about the study?
A. One in 16 of the participants were able to answer all three of the questions correctly.
B. 28 per cent of the parents managed to correctly answer the mathematical question.
C. Only two thirds of the parents feel confident providing guidance to their children.
D. More than one in 9 of the parents stated that they use virtual assistants.
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to this article?
A. The results of the survey are quite surprising.
B. 39% of the fathers tested feel confident helping their children with homework.
C. Mothers tested feel more confident, in comparison to the fathers.
D. More than 10% stated that they use virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri.
4. Which of the following means “pressurised”?
A. Resistant.
B. Stressful.
C. Joyous.
D. Relaxed.
5. How does Dr Nick Smith feel about the results of the survey?
A. Astonished.
B. Excited.
C. Undisputed.
D. Neutral.
答案：AACBA
confident
adj. 自信的；确信的；肯定的；有把握的
英 feeling sure about your own ability to do things and be successful
记 词根记忆：con(表加强)+fid(相信)+ent(…的)→自信的
搭 be confident in/about 对…自信
typical
adj. 典型的；平常的；特有的
记 联想记忆：typ(看作type，类型)+ical(…的)→典型的
primary
adj. 初级的；首要的，主要的
英 main; most important; basic
记 词根记忆：prim(第一，首要)+ary(…的)→首要的
state
vt. 陈述；说明 n. 状态；状况
搭 be in a good/bad state of repair 状况很好/很糟
furthermore
adv. 此外；而且
英 in addition to what has just been stated
记 组合词：further(进一步)+more(更加)→此外
feature
n. 特点，特征，特色；专题节目；[pl.]面貌(特征) v. 以…为特色，是…的特征；起重要作用
英 sth important, interesting or typical of a place or thing
搭 common features 共同特征
hatch
v. 策划，(尤指)密谋；孵化，孵出
记 联想记忆：赢得比赛(match)需要准备和策划(hatch)
搭 hatch out (小鸡等)孵出
probably
adv. 很可能，大概
英 used to say that sth is likely to happen or to be true
current
n. (水或气)流；电流；潮流 adj. 当前的，现在的
搭 ocean current 洋流
guidance
n. 指引，指导；导航
记 词根记忆：guid(e)(指引，指导)+ance(表名词)→指引，指导
搭 guidance system 导航系统
assignment
n. (分派的)任务；作业
英 a task or piece of work that sb is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies
collaboration
n. 合作，协作；勾结，通敌
英 the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce sth
记 词根记忆：col(共同)+labor(工作)+ation(表名词)→合作
搭 in collaboration with 与…合作；与…勾结
participant
n. 参与者；参加者
英 a person who is taking part in an activity or event
syllabus
n. 教学大纲；课程提纲
英 a list of the topics, books, etc that students should study in a particular subject at school or college
identify
v. 认出，识别；发现；确定
英 to recognise sb/sth and be able to say who or what they are
搭 identify ...with... 把…与…视为同一事物
subordinate
n. 下属 adj. 下级的；次要的；从属的 vt. 使处于次要地位；使从属于
记 词根记忆：sub(下级)+ordin(顺序)+ate(…的)→顺序在下级的→次要的
conjunction
n. 连接词，连词；同时发生
英 a word that joins words, phrases or sentences
记 词根记忆：con(表加强)+junct(连接)+ion(表名词)→连接
搭 in conjunction with 与…共同，连同…
principal
adj. 主要的 n. 校长；本金；主角
记 词根记忆：prin(第一)+cip(拿)+al(…的)→最先拿的→主要的
curriculum
n. (学校等的)全部课程
英 the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc
搭 school curriculum 学校课程 curriculum planning 课程规划
strive
vi. 奋斗，努力；力求
搭 strive for/after... 为…而努力