READING UNIT 03: EDUCATION

Contents
&Pre-class task .................................................................................................................. 2

Task 1 ............................................................................................................................... 2

Task 2 :............................................................................................................................. 6

Task 3 : reading the passage again and answer the questions 1-15 ............................. 10

&After-class tasks ........................................................................................................... 12

Task 1 :........................................................................................................................... 12

Task 2 :........................................................................................................................... 13

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 READING UNIT 03: EDUCATION

&Pre-class task

Task 1

BEFORE YOU READ: in order to prepare well for your reading, make sure you check
the meanings of the following words carefully

1. Attain (v)

Definition: to reach or succeed in getting something

He has attained the highest grade in his music exams.

2. Pupil (n)

Definition : a person, especially a child at school, who is being taught

The school has over 400 pupils

3. Identity (n)

Definition: who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different
from others

The man's identity was being kept secret while he was helping police with enquiries.

4. Concentration (n)

Definition: a large number or amount of something in the same place

The greatest concentration of traffic is in the city center.

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5. Theory (n)

Definition: lý thuyết

In theory, the journey should take three hours, but in practice it usually takes four because
of roadworks.

6. Form (v)

Definition: to begin to exist or to make something begin to exist

A solution began to form in her mind.

7. Deliver (v)

Definition: to take goods, letters, parcels, etc. to people's houses or places of work

Mail is delivered to our office twice a day

8. Concept (n)

Definition: a principle or idea

It is very difficult to define the concept of beauty.

9. Pattern (n)

Definition: a particular way in which something is done, is organized, or happens

The pattern of family life has been changing over recent years

10. Elaborate (v)

Definition: to add more information to or explain something that you have said

He said he was resigning but did not elaborate on his reasons.

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11. Principle (n)

Definition: a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works

She is interested in actual human relationships rather than abstract principles.

12. Enable (v)

Definition: to make someone able to do something, or to make something possible

Saving enough money now will enable you to retire comfortably.

13. Repetition (n)

Definition: something that happens in the same way as something that happened before

We hope to avoid a repetition of last year's disasters

14. Distribute (v)

Definition: to give something out to several people, or to spread or supply something

The books will be distributed free to local schools

15. Circulate (v)

Definition: to move around or through

Blood circulates through the arteries and veins.

16. Impression (n)

Definition: an idea or opinion of what something or someone is like

I don't tend to trust first impressions

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17. Keep up (v)

Definition: to be able to understand or deal with something that is happening or changing

very fast

I read the papers to keep up with what's happening in the outside world.

18. Inform (v)

Definition: to tell someone about particular facts

I informed my boss that I was going to be away next week.

19. Emphasis (n)

Definition: the particular importance or attention that is given to something

I think we should put as much emphasis on preventing disease as we do on curing it.

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Task 2: Fill the reading passage with the words below

LAND OF THE RISING SUN

A-

Japan has a significantly better record in terms of average mathematical …………… than
England and Wales. Large sample international comparisons of pupils' attainments since
the 1960s have …………….. that not only did Japanese ………… at age 13 have better
scores of average attainment, but there was also a larger proportion of 'low' attainers in
England, where, incidentally, the variation in attainment scores was much greater. The
percentage of Gross National Product spent on education is reasonably similar in the two
countries, so how is this higher and more consistent attainment in maths achieved?

Established Pupils

Attainment

B-

Lower secondary schools in Japan cover three school years, from the seventh grade (age
13) to the ninth grade (age 15). Virtually all pupils at this stage attend state schools: only
3 percent are in the …………………. Schools are usually modern in design, set well back
from the road and spacious inside. Classrooms are large and pupils sit at single desks in
rows. Lessons ……………… a standardised 50 minutes and are always followed by a 10-
minute break, which gives the pupils a chance to let off steam. Teachers begin with a formal
address and …………., and then concentrate on whole-class teaching.

Mutual bowing Last for

Private sector

Classes are large - usually about 40 - and are unstreamed. Pupils stay in the same class for
all lessons throughout the school and develop considerable class …………… and loyalty.

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Pupils attend the school in their own neighbourhood, which in ………… removes ranking
by school. In practice in Tokyo, because of the relative concentration of schools, there is
some competition to get into the 'better' school in a particular area.

Concentration Theory

Identity

C-

Traditional ways of teaching ……………. the basis of the lesson and the remarkably quiet
classes take their own notes of the points made and the examples demonstrated. Everyone
has their own copy of the textbook supplied by the central education authority, Monbusho,
as part of the ……………… of free compulsory education up to the age of 15. These
textbooks are, on the whole, small, presumably inexpensive to produce, but well set out
and logically developed. (One teacher was particularly keen to introduce colour and
pictures into maths textbooks: he felt this would make them more accessible to pupils
brought up in a cartoon culture.) Besides approving textbooks, Monbusho also decides the
highly centralised national curriculum and how it is to be …………...

Delivered Concept

Form

D-

Lessons all follow the same ……………... At the beginning, the pupils put solutions to the
homework on the board, then the teachers comment, correct or ……………… as
necessary. Pupils mark their own homework: this is an important …………….. in Japanese
schooling as it …………….. pupils to see where and why they made a mistake, so that
these can be avoided in future. No one minds mistakes or ignorance as long as you are
prepared to learn from them.

Principle Pattern
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Elaborate Enables (enable sb to do sth)

After the homework has been discussed, the teacher explains the topic of the lesson, slowly
and with a lot of ………………. and elaboration. Examples are ……………… on the
board; questions from the textbook are worked through first with the class, and then the
class is set questions from the textbook to do individually. Only rarely are supplementary
worksheets ………. in a maths class. The ………………. is that the logical nature of the
textbooks and their comprehensive coverage of different types of examples, combined with
the relative homogeneity of the class, render work sheets unnecessary. At this point, the
teacher would …………. and make sure that all the pupils were coping well.

Distributed Demonstrated

Circulate Impression

Repetition

E-

It is remarkable that large, mixed-ability classes could be kept together for maths
throughout all their compulsory schooling from 6 to 15. Teachers say that they give
individual help at the end of a lesson or after school, setting extra work if necessary. In
observed lessons, any strugglers would be ……………. by the teacher or quietly seek help
from their neighbour. Carefully fostered class identity makes pupils keen to help each other
- anyway, it is in their interests since the class ………….. together.

Assisted Progresses

This scarcely seems adequate help to enable slow learners to ……………... However, the
Japanese attitude towards education runs along the lines of 'if you work hard enough, you
can do almost anything'. Parents are kept closely ……………. of their children's progress
and will play a part in helping their children to keep up with class, sending them to 'Juku'

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(private evening tuition) if extra help is needed and encouraging them to work harder. It
seems to work, at least for 95 per cent of the school population.

Keep up Informed

F-

So what are the major contributing factors in the success of maths teaching? Clearly,
attitudes are important. Education is valued greatly in Japanese culture; maths is recognised
as an important compulsory subject throughout schooling; and the …………… is on hard
work coupled with a focus on accuracy.

Other relevant points relate to the supportive attitude of a class towards slower pupils, the
lack of competition within a class, and the positive emphasis on learning for oneself and
improving one's own standard. And the view of repetitively boring lessons and learning the
facts by heart, which is sometimes quoted in relation to Japanese classes, may be unfair
and unjustified. No poor maths lessons were ………….. They were mainly good and one
or two were inspirational

Emphasis Observed

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IN-CLASS

Task 3: Questions 6-9

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

6 There is a wider range of achievement amongst English pupils studying

maths than amongst their Japanese counterparts.

7 The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education generally

reflects the level of attainment in mathematics.

8 Private schools in Japan are more modern and spacious than state-run
lower secondary schools.

9 Teachers mark homework in Japanese schools.

Questions 10-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.

10 Maths textbooks in Japanese schools are

A cheap for pupils to buy.

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B well organised and adapted to the needs of the pupils.

C written to be used in conjunction with TV programmes.

D not very popular with many Japanese teachers.

11 When a new maths topic is introduced,

A students answer questions on the board.

B students rely entirely on the textbook.

C it is carefully and patiently explained to the students.

D it is usual for students to use extra worksheets.

12 How do schools deal with students who experience difficulties?

A They are given appropriate supplementary tuition.

B They are encouraged to copy from other pupils.

C They are forced to explain their slow progress.

D They are placed in a mixed-ability class.

13 Why do Japanese students tend to achieve relatively high rates of success in maths?

A It is a compulsory subject in Japan.

B They are used to working without help from others.

C Much effort is made and correct answers are emphasised.

D There is a strong emphasis on repetitive learning.

Questions 14-15

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Check your understanding: answering the following questions in your own words

In your opinion, what factors are important in the success of math education in Japan? (list
as many as possible)

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

&After-class tasks
Task 1: Fill in the blanks with the following words

ü Circulate ü Inform
ü Distributing ü Keep up
ü Emphasis ü Enable
ü Repetition ü Principle
ü Elaborate ü Impression

1. Schools here put/place/lay great ………….. on written work and grammar.

2. We'll …………. you when a decision has been reached.

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3. I can't ……………… with all the changes

4. When I first met him I got/had the ……………. that he was a shy sort of person.
5. I try to …………. at a party and not just stay with the friends I came with
6. Several people were arrested for ………….. racist leaflets
7. The job involved the endless ……………… of two or three simple tasks.
8. Only good team work will …………… us to get the job done on time.
9. The machine works according to the ……………. of electromagnetic
conduction
10. He refused to ……………… on why he had resigned.

Task 2: Fill in the blanks with the following words

ü Pupil ü Patterns
ü Attained ü Concept
ü Delivering ü Theory
ü Concentration
ü Identity
ü Formed
1. Changing ……………. of agriculture are threatening the countryside.
2. Product differentiation is an important …………… in marketing.
3. The furniture store is …………… our new bed on Thursday.
4. I …………. the impression (= the way she behaved suggested to me) that she
didn't really want to come.
5. In ………….., women can still have children at the age of 50.
6. There is a heavy …………….. of industry in the north of the country
7. Australia has its own cultural ……………., which is very different from that of
Britain.
8. I am a second-year ……………….

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9. India ………. independence in 1947, after decades of struggle.

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