Section A Exploratory Reading
Read the passage and try to find the answers to the following questions by making conclusions.
However important we may regard school life to be， there is no gainsaying （否认） the fact that children spend more time at home than in the classroom. Therefore， the great influence of parents cannot be ignored or discounted by the teacher. They can become strong helpers of the school or they can consciously or unconsciously hinder and oppose curricular objectives.
Administrators have been aware of the need to keep parents informed of the newer methods used in schools. Many principals have conducted workshops explaining such matters as the reading readiness program， manuscript writing and developmental mathematics.
Moreover， the classroom teacher， with the permission of the supervisors， can also play an important role in enlightening parents. The informal tea and the many interviews carried on during the year， as well as new ways of reporting pupils' progress， can significantly aid in achieving a harmonious interplay between school and home.
To illustrate， suppose that a father has been drilling Junior in arithmetic processes night after night. In a friendly interview， the teacher can help the parent convert his natural paternal（父亲的） interest into productive channels. He might be persuaded to let Junior participate in discussing the family budget， buying the food， using a yardstick or measuring cup at home，setting the clock， calculating mileage on a trip and engaging in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.
If the father follows the advice， it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize his son is making satisfactory progress in mathematics， and at the same time， enjoying the work.
Too often，however，teachers' conferences with parents are devoted to petty accounts of children's unlawful acts， complaints about laziness and poor work habits， and suggestion for punishment and rewards at home.
What is needed is a more creative approach in which the teacher， as a professional adviser， plants ideas in parents' minds for the best utilization of the many hours that the child spends out of the classroom.
In this way， the school and the home join forces in fostering the fullest development of youngsters' capacities.
Choose the best answer.
1. It can logically be inferred that the author________.
A. feels that parent⁃teacher interviews can be more constructive
B.feels that the traditional program in mathematics is better than the developmental program
C. is satisfied with present relationships between home and school
D. is of the opinion that teachers of his generation are inferior to those of the last generation
2. In the passage， the author suggests that________.
A. teachers should occasionally make home visits to parents
B. too many children are lazy and have poor work habits
C. school principals do more than their share in interpreting the curriculum to the parents
D. participation in interesting activities relating to a subject improves one's achievement
3. The writer of the passage does not favor________.
A. a father's helping his son with the latter's studies
B. having the parent observe lessons which the children are being taught
C. teacher⁃parent conferences about children's shortcomings
D. teacher's written communications to the parent
Explanations
1. The key is A. According to the last three paragraphs， we can infer choice A is the right answer.
2. The key is D. We can find the answer in Para. 4.
3. The key is C. In the Para. 6， the author uses “however” to express objection to the methods used in the school.
Reading Skill： Drawing Conclusion
Drawing conclusions is a reading strategy that is done after reading. To draw conclusions means the student uses written or visual clues to figure out something that is not directly stated in the reading. Teachers can facilitate this reading strategy by creating leading questions that relate to a reading. Students then respond with their own opinions， thoughts， or ideas that are based on information from their reading material.
Steps to Follow：
1）Read the paragraph and underline the topic and main idea.
2）Interpret—explain and understand—and evaluate the important ideas presented in the passage.
3）Draw conclusions based on the facts or evidence shown in the passage.