Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to preschool children. But a new study tells that calling attention to the words and letters on the book may lead to better readers.

The two-year study compared (比较) children who were read to this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the words showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding.

Shayne Piasta, a professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, says most preschool teachers would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read storybooks in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed words.

Ms. Piasta says if you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word spelling. But she says studies show that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic (系统的) way.

They watched more than three hundred children aged four and five in classrooms in Ohio and Virginia. The children came from poor families and were poor in their language skills. They may become bad readers when they enter primary schools later.

Professor Justice says children’s language skills can be improved by discussing with him or her when you are reading a book to a child. There are different ways that adults can talk to children about the letters and words on the page. They can point to a word and discuss the shape of it with a finger. They can point out a word: “This is ‘dog’.” They can discuss the meaning of the word or how the words tell the story. And they can also show how words are written left to right in English.

49. What does the underlined phrase “it makes sense” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. It can be understood and agreed.                     B. It is impossible to happen.       

C. It can be difficult to imagine and describe. D. It is surprising to see.

50. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Parents are more important than teachers for little children.

B. Teachers need to learn a lot to use the new teaching way.

C. It’s impossible for preschool children to understand words.

D. Skills are important to children’s reading development.

51. The writer wants to tell us that ____.

A. preschool children should have higher discussing skills

B. parents should make a plan to teach their children reading

C. teachers should help children pay attention to printed words

D. languages skills should be discussed with preschool children

“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world”. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in many parts of the world. That program became one of American exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. The viewers include more than half the country’s pre-school children, from every kind of economic, racial (种族的), and geographical group.
Although some educators object (反对) to some parts of the program, parents praise (赞扬) it highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems come out when first graders who have learnt from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not watched the program.
Tests have shown that children from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited (受益) from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional (偶尔的) viewers. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly.
The programs all use songs, stories, jokes and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships. But there are some differences. For example, the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to teaching whole words than to teaching separate (单独的) letters.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories (理论) of its creators, the support by the government and private businesses, and the skillful use of various TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching it feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is NOT true?