Tokyo—Our kids, the Japanese government announced, have forgotten how to behave. They can’t be bothered with housework. If they see someone being wrongお, they probably look the other way.

Few countries have placed more importance on being well-behaved than Japan. The simplest requests for directions often result in guided tours. Smiling shopkeepers are still the rule. Lost wallets usually make their way back to their owners.

But according to recent surveys, all that may be going the way of the ancient hairdo(发式).And Japan’s government has gone into something of a crisis mode（危机时刻）.

A Japanese Education Ministry survey formed late in 1999 and made public last month found that Japan moves behind other nations in teaching youngsters right from wrong.

It also reported that Japanese children are less helpful and do far less housework than their foreign peers(同龄人) in all classes. But they are better about taking dirty dishes to the kitchen after dinner.

In addition, Japanese kids are more likely to dye their hair and carry cell phones than their American and Chinese kids, according to another survey by a Tokyo-based think-tank(专家小组).

Children in about 9 percent of public school classrooms are so disorderly that teachers cannot hold lessons, further recent reports show. Children refuse to sit, to listen or to stop talking.

Older and middle-aged Japanese continue to have a solid sense of good manners and social justice, says Professor Yoshina Hirano from Shin’shu University, who was appointed to direct the ministry’s survey.

Despite the knowledge of good manners among adults, the breakdown of manners may be spreading, he said.

1. From the first paragraph we can infer that __________.

A. the Japanese government has gone bad

B. kids in Japan have a bad memory

C. kids in Japan seldom help their parents with the housework

D. kids in Japan are too busy to help others

2. The second paragraph seems to show us __________.

A. the education system of Japan is better than that of any other country

B. shopkeepers in Japan are too kind to their customers

C. Japanese kids often find wallets on their way to their schools

D. Japanese adults in public places act politely to each other

3. It is implied in the passage that Japanese kids __________.

A. spend much time doing their homework

B. lead an advanced modern life

C. have their hair cut too often

D. often wash dishes after dinner

4. From the last three paragraphs we may conclude that __________.

A. older and middle-aged Japanese should set examples to their kids

B. Japanese schools are supposed to punish some rude kids

C. it is difficult for Japan to prevent its kids from becoming impolite

D. Japanese kids have become tired of staying at school

 

Tokyo—Our kids, the Japanese government announced, have forgotten how to behave. They can’t be bothered with housework. If they see someone being wrongお, they probably look the other way.

Few countries have placed more importance on being well-behaved than Japan. The simplest requests for directions often result in guided tours. Smiling shopkeepers are still the rule. Lost wallets usually make their way back to their owners.

But according to recent surveys, all that may be going the way of the ancient hairdo(发式).And Japan’s government has gone into something of a crisis mode（危机时刻）.

A Japanese Education Ministry survey formed late in 1999 and made public last month found that Japan moves behind other nations in teaching youngsters right from wrong.

It also reported that Japanese children are less helpful and do far less housework than their foreign peers(同龄人) in all classes. But they are better about taking dirty dishes to the kitchen after dinner.

In addition, Japanese kids are more likely to dye their hair and carry cell phones than their American and Chinese kids, according to another survey by a Tokyo-based think-tank(专家小组).

Children in about 9 percent of public school classrooms are so disorderly that teachers cannot hold lessons, further recent reports show. Children refuse to sit, to listen or to stop talking.

Older and middle-aged Japanese continue to have a solid sense of good manners and social justice, says Professor Yoshina Hirano from Shin’shu University, who was appointed to direct the ministry’s survey.

Despite the knowledge of good manners among adults, the breakdown of manners may be spreading, he said.

1. From the first paragraph we can infer that __________.

A. the Japanese government has gone bad

B. kids in Japan have a bad memory

C. kids in Japan seldom help their parents with the housework

D. kids in Japan are too busy to help others

2. The second paragraph seems to show us __________.

A. the education system of Japan is better than that of any other country

B. shopkeepers in Japan are too kind to their customers

C. Japanese kids often find wallets on their way to their schools

D. Japanese adults in public places act politely to each other

3. It is implied in the passage that Japanese kids __________.

A. spend much time doing their homework

B. lead an advanced modern life

C. have their hair cut too often

D. often wash dishes after dinner

4. From the last three paragraphs we may conclude that __________.

A. older and middle-aged Japanese should set examples to their kids

B. Japanese schools are supposed to punish some rude kids

C. it is difficult for Japan to prevent its kids from becoming impolite

D. Japanese kids have become tired of staying at school

 

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.
【小题1】Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A．Because there is one group presenting a catering service.

B．Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.

C．Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.

D．Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.

【小题2】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．China can make and sell any product all over the world

B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment

C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand

D．the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination

【小题3】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Look for a New Way of Learning.	B．Reward Creative Thinking.
C．How to Become a Creator.	D．Establish a technical Environment.

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering（饮食）service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.
【小题1】Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A．Because there is one group presenting a catering service.

B．Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.

C．Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.

D．Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.

【小题2】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．China can make and sell any product all over the world

B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment

C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand

D．the new government program is aimed at encouraging imagination

【小题3】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Look for a New Way of Learning.

B．Reward Creative Thinking.

C．How to Become a Creator.

D．Establish a technical Environment.