A
This month millions of American kids can forget about classroom bells and set off for their grandparents’ homes,sleep-away camps and lifeguard stands.But the summer vacation hasn’t always been a birthright of US schoolchildren.Before the Civil War,schools operated on one of two calendars(日历),neither of which included a summer vacation.Rural(农村的) schooling was divided into summer and winter terms,leaving kids free to help with the farm work in the spring planting and fall harvest seasons.Urban students,meanwhile,regularly had as many as 48 weeks of study a year,with one break per quarter.
In the 1840s,however,educational reformers like Horace Mann moved to combine the two calendars out of concern that rural schooling was not enough and that overusing of young minds could lead to nervous disorders.Summer appeared as the obvious time for a break:it offered a rest for teachers,fit in the farming calendar and reduced doctors’ concern that packing students into hot classrooms would promote the spread of disease.
But people’s opinion about the modern US school year,which averages 180 days,is still divided.Some experts say its pleasant but lazy summer break,which took hold in the early 20th century,is one of the reasons maths skills and graduation rates of US high school students ranked well below average in two international education reports published in 2007.Others insist that with children under increasing pressure to devote their downtime to internships (实习) or study,there’s still room for an institution that protects the lazy days of childhood.
21.What did the rural school calendar before the Civil War allow children to do?
A.Enjoy a summer vacation.
B.Take a break each quarter.
C.Have 48 weeks of study a year.
D.Assist their parents with farm work.
22.What did the educational reformers do in the 1840s?
A.They introduced summer vacation.
B.They shortened rural school terms.
C.They promoted the study of farming.
D.They advocated higher pay for teachers.
23.Why are some people unhappy about the modern US school year?
A.It pushes the teachers too hard.
B.It reduces the quality of education.
C.It ignores science instruction.
D.It includes no time for internships.
