『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 31 Passage 2阅读练习：The word “focus” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 31 Passage 2阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 31 Passage 2阅读原文The word “focus” in the passage is closest in meaning to题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

根据不同社会对儿童早期教育目的的看法，不同国家的学前教育（针对5岁以下儿童的教育项目）存在显著差异。

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.

例如，在对中国、日本和美国的学前教育的跨国比较中，研究人员发现这三个国家的父母对学前教育的目的有非常不同的看法。

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.

在中国，家长们往往把上幼儿园看作是让孩子在学业上有个良好开端的一种方式，而在日本，家长们则主要把上幼儿园看作是让孩子有机会成为团体的一员的一种方式。

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.

相比之下，在美国，家长们认为上幼儿园的主要目的是让孩子们更加独立和自立，尽管拥有良好的学习起点和团队经验也很重要。

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.

虽然许多为学龄前儿童设计的项目主要关注社会和情感因素，但也有一些项目主要是为了提高认知能力，并为学龄前儿童在进入幼儿园时将要接受的正式教育做准备。

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.

在美国，最著名的促进未来学术成功的项目是Head Start。

In the United States, the best-known program designed to promote future academic success is Head Start.

该项目成立于20世纪60年代，当时美国提出“向贫困宣战”，迄今已为1300多万儿童及其家庭提供了服务。

Established in the 1960s when the United States declared the War on Poverty, the program has served over 13 million children and their families.

该项目强调父母的参与，旨在服务于“整个孩子”，包括孩子的身体健康、自信、社会责任、社会和情感发展。

The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the 'whole child', including children's physical health, self-confidence, social responsibility, and social and emotional development.

Head Start是否被视为成功，取决于人们看待问题的角度。

Whether Head Start is seen as successful or not depends on the lens through which one is looking.

例如，如果这个程序被期望提供长期的IQ（智商）分数的增长，它是令人失望的。

If, for instance, the program is expected to provide long-term increases in IQ (intelligence quotient) scores, it is a disappointment.

尽管Head Start的毕业生往往会立即显示出智商的提高，但这种提高不会持续。

Although graduates of Head Start programs tend to show immediate IQ gains, these increases do not last.

另一方面，很明显，Head Start的目标是让学龄前儿童做好上学的准备。

On the other hand, it is clear that Head Start is meeting its goal of getting preschoolers ready for school.

参加学前教育的孩子比没有参加的孩子对未来的教育有更好的准备。

Preschoolers who participate in Head Start are better prepared for future schooling than those who do not.

此外，Head Start计划的毕业生有更好的未来学校成绩。

Furthermore, graduates of Head Start programs have better future school grade.

最后，一些研究表明，Head Start的毕业生最终会在高中毕业时表现出更高的学习成绩，尽管成绩并不明显。

Finally, some research suggests that ultimately Head Start graduates show higher academic performance at the end of high school, although the gains are modest.

此外，其他类型的学前准备项目的结果表明，那些参与者和毕业生不太容易留级，他们更有可能完成正式的学业，而不只是完成学前项目。在这个项目上每花一美元，毕业生达到27岁的时候，纳税人就节约了七美元。

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.

最近对早期干预项目的综合评估表明，作为一个整体，学前教育项目可以带来显著的好处，政府在儿童早期投入的资金可能最终会导致未来成本的降低。

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.

例如，与没有参加早期干预项目的儿童相比，参加各种项目的儿童在情感或认知发展、更好的教育成果、增加经济自给自足、降低犯罪活动水平和改善与健康有关的行为方面表现出进步。

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 behaviors.

当然，并不是每个项目都能带来所有这些好处，也不是每个孩子都能得到同样程度的好处。此外，一些研究人员认为，较便宜的项目和相对昂贵的项目一样好，比如Head Start。

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.

尽管如此，评估的结果是有希望的，这表明早期干预的潜在好处是巨大的。

Still, the results of the evaluation were promising, suggesting that the potential benefits of early intervention can be substantial.

并不是每个人都同意在学前阶段寻求提高学习技能是一件好事。

Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing.

事实上，根据发展心理学家大卫·艾尔金德（David Elkind）的说法，美国社会对孩子的要求往往是如此之快，以至于他们在很小的时候就开始感到压力。

In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age.

艾尔金德认为，学业上的成功很大程度上取决于父母无法控制的因素，比如遗传能力和孩子的成熟速度。

Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors out of parents' control, such as inherited abilities and a child's rate of maturation.

因此，如果不考虑他们目前的认知发展水平，就不能指望特定年龄的孩子掌握教育材料。

Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive development.

简而言之，儿童需要发展适当的教育实践，即既基于典型的发展又基于特定儿童的独特特征。

In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.

According to paragraph 1, parents in Japan tend to think of preschool primarily as a place where children can

The word “Whereas” in the passage is closest in meaning to

The word “focus” in the passage is closest in meaning to

It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the Head Start program was designed to serve children who

According to paragraph 3, the Head Start program had NOT been successful at which of the following?

In paragraph 4, the author mentions the “results from other types of preschool readiness programs” to

According to paragraph 4, a cost-benefit analysis of one preschool readiness program revealed that

The word “comprehensive” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 5 mentions that participants in early intervention programs have been shown to do all of the following better than nonparticipants EXCEPT：

According to paragraph 5, which of the following is true about the benefits of early intervention programs?

The word “seek”in the passage is closest in meaning to

The passage mentions “developmental psychologist David Elkind”in order to

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. According to Elkind, not only does this cause the child emotional distress, it also fails to bring the intended cognitive gains.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

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 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 'whole child', including 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 not 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. 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 behaviors. 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 promising, suggesting that the potential benefits of early intervention can be substantial. Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing.  In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age.  Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors out of parents' control, such as inherited abilities and a child's rate of maturation.  Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive development.  In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.