大学英语听力教程第三册听力原文(第二版_张民伦主编).第八单元
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Unit 8
Part1
Tom: What kind of school did you go to, Ann?
Ann: Well, I went to a public primary school and then to a private high school.
Tom: So which do you think is better?
Ann: Actually, I prefer private schools because of the smaller classes and ... usually you have a wider choice of subjects.
Tom: Yeah, I suppose that's true.
Ann: And then there are usually better sports facilities. For example, the school I went to had a swimming pool and a huge gym.
Tom: Yeah ... well, the public high school I went to had great sports facilities. Besides, private schools are really expensive.
Ann: Yeah, but I think they're worth it.
Tom: I don't know. I think you have to judge every school individually, whether it's public or private.
Ann: That may be true ... but children generally get a better, more ... well-rounded education in a private school.
Tom: Maybe, but I'm not totally convinced. By the way, Ann, were you on the debating team in high school, by any chance?
Ann: I sure was! I was the captain!
Part2
Although education is compulsory in the United States, it is not compulsory for all children to get their education at school. A number of parents believe that they can provide a better education for their children at home. Children who are educated at home are known as "home-schoolers." There are about 300 000 home-schoolers in the United States today.
Interestingly, results show that home-schooled children tend to do better than average on national tests in reading and math.
David Guterson is an American writer. He and his wife teach their three children themselves. Guterson says that his children learn very differently from children in a regular school. Learning starts with the children's interests and questions. For example, when there is heavy snowfall on a winter day, it may start a discussion or reading about climate, snow removal equipment, Alaska, polar bears, and winter tourism. Or a spring evening, when the family is watching the stars, is a good time for setting up a telescope and asking questions about satellites, comets, meteors, and the space program. At dinner, if the Brazilian rain forests are on the news, it could be a perfect time to get out the atlas and encyclopedia. Then there might be two hours or more of eating, asking questions, looking up answers, discovering how rain forests influence the climate, what the "greenhouse effect" is, how deserts are formed and how the polar ice caps affect ocean levels.
Although home schooling offers an experience that is often more interesting than regular schools, critics point out that home-schoolers miss out on many important things. The home-schooler is an outsider who, because he or she never attended school, might be uncomfortable mixing with other people in adult life. Critics also say that most parents are not well qualified to teach their children and may pass on their own narrow views to their children. However, most parents don't have the time or desire to teach their children at home, so schools will continue to be where most children get their formal education.
Part3
John James: I disagree, Peter. I don't think it really matters what your educational background is. Anyone who is bright enough is going to do well whatever their education.
Peter Davies: But John, ...
John James: In fact, I think some people carry on with their education when they would do a lot better to get out and start building their own careers by learning things in real life.