Encouraging pupils to keep noise to a minimum should be a valuable component of all children’s education, according to new research.
Dr. Helen Lees, from Stirling University’s school of education, says that “enforced（强制的）silence” is seen as a punishment and often acts to suppress children’s natural ability. But she says that teaching children about the benefits of “enforced silence”,--- deliberate stillness that gives them the opportunity to focus and reflect in a stress-free environment--- can have a significant effect on pupils’ concentration and behavior.
It is the latest in a string of researches to establish a link between the classroom environment and pupils’ academic ability.
A study almost a decade ago in London found that children’s exam results were cut by as much as a third if they were taught in noisy classrooms. Teaching unions have also called for a limit of 26℃ to be put on classroom temperatures because teachers and pupils struggle to work in hot conditions, and some educationalists claim that too much clutter（杂乱的东西）on classroom walls can prevent children from concentrating.
Dr. Lees said, “When we take some research on school settings and put it all together, what we see is that education without silence does not make much sense. In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.”
Dozens of schools across Britain have already introduced periods of “reflective silence” into the timetable.
Kevin Hogston, head of Sheringdale Primary, south London, has just introduced a minute’s silence at the start of twice-weekly meetings in which children are taught breathing techniques and encouraged to reflect. The school plans to introduce it into classrooms every day.
【小题1】According to Dr. Helen Lees, “enforced silence” ＿＿

A．is an effective way of punishment

B．does not make much sense in class

C．can improve pupils’ confidence

D．makes pupils more creative

【小题2】The underlined word, “suppress”, in the second paragraph probably means “_________”.

A．prevent

B．improve

C．apply

D．reveal

【小题3】What can be inferred from the research on school settings?

A．Students are more active if taught in noisy classrooms.

B．Silence makes a great difference to pupils.

C．Clutter on the walls can help students concentrate.

D．Most schools are not satisfactory in terms of classroom temperatures.

【小题4】 What would be the best title for the text?

A．Arranging classroom settings benefits studies

B．Achieving silence is beneficial for people

C．Using enforced silence is effective punishment

D．Keeping quiet in class improves academic performance

Dogs that can retrieve (取出) cash from ATMs and empty washing machines help disabled people lead more independent lives, but can they also help change disruptive (爱捣乱的) teenagers’ behaviour?

A unique TV experiment, “Dog House”, follows five unruly youngsters as they are taught to become dog trainers. The idea is simple. Kids really like dogs. But can the skills involved in training them - patience, consistency, rewarding good behaviour – give these teenagers the discipline they need in their own lives?

The teens involved were put forward by local schools in West Sussex, who had run out of ideas of how to deal with them.

Liam was typical－14 years old, bad – tempered, aggressive, foul mouthed and about to be permanently excluded from school. Allie, Rob and Ellie, had similar problems – they couldn’t concentrate, they didn’t like being told what to do and they had serious anger problems. Katrina was different. She was so shy that she had developed agoraphobia(陌生环境恐怖), she suffered from depression and had taken herself out of mainstream education.

Gradually, working with the dogs began to have an impact on the kids. But, in order to fully appreciate the significance of what they were doing, they needed to meet the disabled people who benefited from having these dogs. The meetings had a profound impact on the teenagers. After meeting Eileen Hobson and her dog Sailor, Liam changed his ways and his unlikely friendship with severely disabled wheelchair user Eileen blossomed.

Two months into the course Liam began to connect with the dogs too - particularly a young yellow Labrador called Aero. The relationship flourished so much that the dog often knew instinctively what the teenager wanted him to do before he'd even asked. "He just knows," says Liam.

Liam’s school noticed a huge change in his whole outlook. His teacher Nick Brown said “More than anything I see a confident and happy young man. It’s been superb.”

1．The teens were selected to be dog trainers just because          .

       A．they liked dogs very much

       B．they came from the same local school

       C．they ran out of ideas of how to behave in school

       D．their teachers had some difficulty in dealing with them

2．What was Katrina’s problem?

       A．She didn’t like being told what to do.

       B．She had serious anger problems.

       C．She was bad – temptered and aggressive.

       D．She had trouble in getting along with others because of her shyness.

3．What made Liam greatly changed?

       A．Training the dogs.

       B．His meeting Eileen Hobson and her dog.

       C．His teacher Nick Brown’s praise.

       D．A unique TV programme.

4．The word blossomed in the fifth paragraph probably has the same meaning as         .

       A．developed            B．decorated            C．expanded             D．declined

5．From the passage we know that           .

       A．all dogs can retrieve cash from ATMs

       B．unruly youngsters can become good dog trainers

       C．the skills in training dogs can really affect children’s behavior in school

       D．the five teenagers were sullen and aggressive