VOA慢速英语206--孩子们需要学的不只是”基础“

Kids Need More Than ‘The Basics’ to Learn 孩子们需要学的不只是”基础“

America’s top education official says many schools are spending too much time teaching¹ the “basics” – reading, math and writing.

That might seem opposite to what educators have been saying in America. But U.S. Education Secretary John King says children really need a well-rounded education that includes music and the arts.

“The simple fact is every child in this country needs and deserves³ access to the subjects that go into being a well-rounded, well-educated person,” King says.

He says that should include music, art, world languages, science and geography.

Laura Bay⁴ is president of the National Parent Teacher Association⁵, which represents⁶ parents and teachers. She agrees with King that a well-rounded education helps children learn.

Bay says students are more likely to “reach their full potential” – meaning do their best -- if they have time during the school day for the arts, physical education and other subjects.

King spoke⁷ about his own education when explaining why schools need to teach more than math, reading and writing.

King grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His mother died when he was eight. His father died four years later.

In his house, he said, things were often crazy and frightening.

It was his teacher in grades four, five and six -- Mr. Osterweil -- who helped him escape his difficult life at home, King says.

Each day in Mr. Osterweil’s class, students would read a newspaper. The teacher took him and his classmates to the theater, to the zoo, the ballet⁸ and famous Museum of Natural History.

“Those were powerful⁹, life-changing experiences,” King says.

King went on to graduate from Harvard University. He received his law degree from Yale University. He took charge of New York State public schools from 2011-2015.

The U.S. Senate¹⁰ approved him as Education secretary last month. He was chosen for the job by President Barack Obama.

“I’m alive today, I’m doing the work that I do today because I had Mr. Osterweil during that critical¹¹ period of my life,” King says.

Many schools spend almost all funding on math, reading and writing because they lack money for other subjects, King says. Or they want students to do better on tests used to compare student performance. Those tests are mostly in math, reading and writing.

Students need to connect their studies and things that matter to them personally, such as music, if they are to become “sophisticated¹² thinkers,” King says.

A 2013 report by the United¹³ Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, says today’s world needs people able to solve new and unusual problems. It says arts can help students find those answers.

In the report, UNESCO said teaching the arts in China, South Korea¹⁴ and Japan is different than in many Western countries.

The emphasis¹⁵ in those three countries “is on joyful¹⁶ experiences and children’s interests,” the report says. In the West, educators are more likely to connect the arts to reading, writing and math.

Comparing countries is hard because they have different ways of defining¹⁷ success.

A 2014 report by the Program for International Student Assessment¹⁸ tried to compare how well countries teach children how to solve problems. It found Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Australia and Finland with the highest scores for 15-year-olds.

Singapore led the way with a score of 562 out of a possible 1,000. The average score was 500. The United States had a score of 508, one point behind Germany and the same score as Belgium.

Words in This Story

basics – n. just the regular, nothing special or different

deserve² – v. used to say that someone should have or be given something

access – n. a way of being able to use or get something

potential – n. ability that someone has that can be developed to help that person become successful

crazy – adj. wild and uncontrolled

sophisticated – adj. having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art and literature

joyful – adj. full of happiness

score – n. the number of points that someone gets for correct answers on a test

1 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

2 deserve   

vt.应受，值得；vi. 应受报答，值得受赏

参考例句：

• You really deserve a good beating,you naughty boy.你这个调皮孩子真该打。
• I do not deserve all the praises bestowed upon me.我不配得到这些赞扬。

3 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 bay   

n.海湾，狗吠声，月桂；vt.吠，使走投无路；vi.吠

参考例句：

• I enjoy the view of the bay in the starlight.我喜欢星光下的海湾风景。
• Dogs sometimes bay at the moon.狗有时会朝着月亮吠叫。

5 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

6 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 ballet   

n.芭蕾舞

参考例句：

• Angela studied ballet for six years.安吉拉学了六年芭蕾舞。
• She is a celebrated star of ballet.她是一个芭蕾舞明星。

9 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

10 senate   

n.参议院，上院

参考例句：

• They feel deeply the honour of belonging to the Senate.他们为作为参议院的成员而深感荣幸。
• His unsuccessful senate run was his last hurrah.这次失败的参议员竞选是他最后的尝试。

11 critical   

adj.批评的，评论的；危急的，紧要的；临界的

参考例句：

• We are at a critical time in history.我们正处在历史的危急时刻。
• Now that the situation becomes critical,one must keep calm.事到临头，要沉住气。

12 sophisticated   

adj.老练的，精密的，尖端的，高雅的

参考例句：

• She has become very sophisticated since she went to live in London.移居伦敦后她变得世故多了。
• This is a very sophisticated machine.这是一台非常精密的机器。

13 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

14 Korea   

n.朝鲜(亚洲)

参考例句：

• Korea lies to the east of China.韩国位于中国东面。
• Korea and China are separated by only the Yalu River.朝鲜和中国只隔一条鸭绿江。

15 emphasis   

n.强调，重点，重要性

参考例句：

• The emphasis has shifted markedly in recent years.最近几年重点已经明显改变了。
• Particular emphasis will be placed on oral language training.将会特别强调口语训练。

16 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

17 defining   

规定( define的现在分词 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。
• This point can be put another way in defining poverty. 这一点还能从另一方面来加以说明以佐证贫困的涵义。 来自英汉非文学 - 新闻报道

18 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？