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TPO 31-R-2
Q1 According to
paragraph 1, parents in Japan
tend to
think of preschool primarily as a place
where children can
A.
get a good
academic start
B.
expand their emotional development
C.
become more
independent
D.
experience being part of a
group
Paragraph 1 is marked
with an arrow >.
Q2
The
word
in
the
passage
is
closest in meaning to
A.
Although
B.
Because
C.
Moreover
D.
Already
Q3 The word
in
meaning to
A.
consider
B.
respect
C.
concentrate
D.
advise
Q4
It can be inferred from
paragraph 2 that
the Head Start program
was designed to serve
children who
A.
come from
families that do not have a lot
Early Childhood Education
>
Preschools--educational
programs for
children under the age of
five--differ
significantly from one
country to another
according to the
views that different
societies hold
regarding the purpose of
early
childhood education. For instance,
in a
cross-country comparison of
preschools
in China, Japan, and the
United States,
researchers found that
parents in the
three countries view the
purpose of
preschools very differently.
Whereas
parents in China tend to see
preschools
primarily as a way of giving
children a
good start academically,
Japanese
parents view them primarily as
a way of
giving children the opportunity
to be
members of a group
. In the United
States, in comparison, parents regard
the
primary purpose of preschools as
making
children more independent and
self-reliant, although obtaining a good
academic start and having group
experience are also important.
>
While many
programs designed for
preschoolers
focus primarily on social
and emotional
factors, some are geared
mainly toward
promoting cognitive gains
and preparing
preschoolers for the
formal instruction
they will experience
when they start
kindergarten. In the
United States, the
best-known program
designed to promote
future academic
success is
Head Start
. Established in
the
1960s when the United States
declared
of money
B.
are not doing
very well in kindergarten
C.
were born in the 1950s
D.
need
programs
that
focus
primarily
on
social and emotional
factors
Paragraph 2 is marked with an
arrow >.
Q5
According
to
paragraph
3,
the
Head
Start
program had NOT been successful at
which of
the following?
A.
Helping
children adjust to school
B.
Providing long-term increase in IQ
scores
C.
Improving school performance throughout
high school
D.
Preventing
children
from
being
placed
in
special-education classes
Paragraph 3 is marked with an arrow >.
Q6
In
paragraph
4,
the
author
mentions
the
from
other
types
of
readiness
programs
A.
provide
support
for
the
idea
that
preschool
readiness
programs
have
been
somewhat successful
B.
question the
idea that Head Start is more
effective
than
other
preschool
readiness
programs
C.
indicate
school
completion
is
usually
the
most
reliable
indicator
of
success
in
most
the War on
Poverty, the program has
served over 13
million children and their
families.
The program, which stresses
parental
involvement, was designed to
serve the
children's physical health,
self-confidence, social responsibility,
and
social and emotional development.
>
Whether Head
Start is seen as
successful or not
depends on the lens
through which one
is looking. If, for
instance, the
program is expected to
provide long-
term increases in IQ
(intelligence
quotient) scores, it is a
disappointment
.
Although graduates of
Head
Start programs tend to show
immediate
IQ gains,
these increases do
lot last
.
On the
other hand, it is clear that
Head Start
is meeting its goal of getting
preschoolers ready for school.
Preschoolers who participate in Head
Start are better prepared for future
schooling than those who do not.
Furthermore, graduates of Head Start
programs have better future school
grade. Finally, some research suggests
that ultimately Head Start graduates
show higher academic performance at
the end of high school, although the
gains are modest.
>
In addition, results from
other types of
preschool readiness
programs indicate
that those who
participate and graduate
are less like
to repeat grades, and they
are more
like to complete school than
readiness
program,
for every dollar spent
on the program, taxpayers saved seven
dollars by the time the graduates
reached the age of 27
.
readiness programs
D.
emphasize
that
participation
in
readiness
programs
can
be
increased
if
costs
are
reduced
Paragraph 4 is marked with an arrow
>.
Q7
According
to
paragraph
4,
a
cost-benefit
analysis
of
one
preschool
readiness
program
revealed that
A.
only
one
dollar's
worth
of
benefit
was
gained for every seven
dollars spent on the
program
B.
the
benefits
of
the
program
lasted
only
until the participants
reached age 27
C.
taxpayers
saved
seven
dollars
for
every
dollar spent on the
program
D.
to be
successful, the program would need
to
receive
about
seven
times
as
much
money as it currently
receives
Paragraph 4 is marked with an
arrow >.
Q8 The
word
is closest in meaning to
A.
easily
understood
B.
thorough
C.
respectable
D.
objective
Q9
Paragraph 5 mentions that participants in
early intervention programs have been
shown
to
do
all
of
the
following
better
than
nonparticipants EXCEPT
A.
Take care of
their health
B.
Support themselves financially
C.
Take care of
their own children
D.
Have increased emotional development
Paragraph 5 is marked with an arrow >.
Q10
According
to
paragraph
5,
which
of
the
following
is
true
about
the
benefits
of
early
intervention programs?
A.
These
programs
produce
good
short-term
benefits but few long-term benefits.
The most recent
comprehensive
evaluation of early
intervention
programs suggests that,
taken as a group,
preschool programs
can provide
significant benefits, and
that government
funds invested early in
life may ultimately
lead to a reduction
in future costs. For
instance, compared
with children who
did not participate
in early intervention
programs,
participants in various
programs showed
gains in emotional or
cognitive development
,
better
educational
outcomes
,
increased
economic self-sufficiency
,
reduced levels
of criminal
activity
, and
improved
health-related behavior
s. Of
course, not
every program produced all
these
benefits, and not every child
benefited to
the same extent,
Furthermore, some
researchers argue
that less-expensive
programs are just
as good as relatively
expensive ones,
such as Head Start. Still,
the results
of the evaluation were