-
C1
Raise your hand
WHEN
the
teacher
asks
a
question
in
class,
Wang
Xiaobin
never
raises
his
hand.
The
15-year-old
Beijinger
always
waits
for
other
classmates
or
the
teacher
to
give
the
answer
. “What
if
my
answer
is
wrong
?” Wang
said.
Wang is
typical (
典型的
) among students
who don’t
put their hands up to answer
teachers’ questions. At
middle schools,
this situation is very common.
Wang told Teens that in his class of 53
students, only
six
or
seven
raise
their
hands
when
a
question
is
asked. “I think it’s a
problem that might affect
(
影响
)
our studies,
but I am afraid of making
mistakes in
front of my classmates,” he
said.
This
problem
has
attracted
(
吸
引
)
experts
and
teachers’
attention.
Hu
Wei,
a
chemistry
teacher
from Yibin No 6 Middle School, Sichuan,
listed some
possible reasons
to explain why students don’t raise
their
hands:
they
lack
(
缺乏
)
confidence,
they’re
afraid of showing off, or they’re
afraid of
losing face
by
giving a wrong answer
.
To encourage students to raise their
hands and get
more
involved
(
参与的
)
in
class,
Hu
suggests
that
teachers should repeat
(
重复
) the question, then try
to
guide
and
encourage
students
to
offer
their
answers.
Hu
also
advised
student
s
“
not
to
be
shy,
but
confident
and
brave
enough
to
try.
No
matter
whether your answer is right or wrong,
being active
in
class
can
help
you
understand
the
information
better
.”
Sun
Ping,
16
of
Fujian,
always
raises
her
hand
as
soon as
she comes up with the answer
, even if
she
isn’t sure she has gotten the right
answer
.
Sun
can’t
understand
why
s
ome
of
her
classmates
keep silent in class. She enjoys
raising her hand a lot.
“It keeps me
enthusiastic
(
热情的
) and confident to
express
my ideas,” Sun said.
“Raising my hand has
really made me
outstanding
(
突出的
).”
C2
Fun outside
the class
SPRING is coming.
The sun is shining, the weather is
getting warmer
, and the
flowers are blooming
(
盛开
的
). It is time
for us to take school trips with friends.
In these pages, we will find out what
students from
different countries do on
their school trips.
Why do
we take school trips? School trips are a great
chance
to
learn
outside
the
classroom
in
new,
interesting and practical
(
实践的
) ways. For example,
on a trip to a farm, we can see some of
the things we
have been learning about
in biology lessons. When
visiting
science
museums,
we
can
see
science
in
action. But not all school trips are
educational. Some
are just for fun,
like trips to Disneyland.
Where
can
we
go
on
a
school
trip?
In
the
UK,
students
go to many interesting places. They pick up
shells (
贝壳
) and
oysters (
牡蛎
) on the seaside.
They
learn about literature in the
theme park (
主题公园
)
“Dickens World”. Kids
may
also lea
rn
about
history
when they go to a
castle or a famous old home. They
can
even
go
to
wetlands
to
see
swans
(
天鹅
)
and
ducks.
This spring in London, 200 school kids
had a “Teddy
Bears’
Picnic”.
They
took
their
teddy
bears
to
Regent’s
Park
and
had
a
picnic
the
re.
This
is
a
traditional
school trip that students take every
year
.
In Japan,
cherry (
樱花
) trees are
blossoming (
开花
)
by the beginning of April. This is the
best time of the
year for students to
take school trips. School children
have
picnic
lunches,
sing
karaoke
(
卡拉
OK)
and
dance
under
the
trees.
They
also
go
boating
and
hiking
around
the
lakes
and
hills
close
to
cherry
blossom
sites.
Some
kids
even
take
baths
in
hot
springs.
If there is rain, don’t worry. They will go to a
museum instead.
In China, students often take school
trips to parks,
museums or to visit a
mountain. But nowadays it’s
very
popular to take an outward bound
(
野外拓展
)
trip.
Students can learn about survival skills
(
生存技
能
) and
cooperate with others during these trips.
Prepare for your trip
Ask your teachers or group
leaders for a list of things
you can
and cannot bring on the trip.
The day before the trip, check the
weather forecast
for
the
location
where
you are
going.
Then
decide
which type of clothes
you want to take.
Take an
umbrella or a raincoat if necessary.
Bring some plastic
bags for
trash. Don’t throw trash
anywhere you
want. Put it in your trash bag first and
throw the bags in a trash can when you
find one.