C23
Land of the Rising Sum – Reading 1
A Japan has a significantly better record in terms of average mathematical attainment
than England and Wales. Large sample international comparisons of pupils'
attainments since the 1960s have established that not only did Japanese pupils 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?
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 per cent are in the private sector. 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 last for 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 mutual bowing, and then concentrate
on whole-class teaching.
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 identity and
loyalty. Pupils attend the school in their own neighbourhood, which in theory 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.
C Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the lesson and the remarkably quiet
classes take their owe 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 concept 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.
D Lessons all follow the same pattern. At the beginning, the pupils put solutions to the
homework on the board, then the teachers comment, correct or elaborate as necessary.
Pupils mark their own homework: this is an important principle in Japanese schooling
as it enables 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 After the homework has been discussed, the teacher explains the
topic of the lesson, slowly and with a lot of repetition and elaboration. Examples are
demonstrated on the board; questions from the textbook are worked through first with
the lass, and then the dass is set questions from the textbook to do individually. Only
rarely are supplementary worksheets distributed in a maths dass. The impression is
that the logical nature of the textbooks and their comprehensive coverage of different
types of examples, combined with the relative homogeneity of the dass, renders work
sheets unnecessary. At this point, the teacher would circulate and make sure that all
the pupils were coping well.
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 assisted by the teacher or quietly seek
help from their neighbour. Carefully fostered lass identity makes pupils keen to help
each other — anyway, it is in their interests since the class progresses together.
This scarcely seems adequate help to enable slow learners to keep up. 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 informed of their children's
progress and will play a part in helping their children to keep up with dass, sending
them to 'Juku' (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.
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
emphasis 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
lasses, may be unfair and unjustified. No poor maths lessons were observed. They
were mainly good and one or two were inspirational.
Questions 1-5
Reading Passage 1 has six sections, A - F.
Choose the correct heading for sections B - F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i The influence of Monbusho
ii Helping less successful students
iii The success of compulsory education
iv Research findings concerning achievements in maths
v The typical format of a maths lesson
vi Comparative expenditure on maths education
vii Background to middle-years education in Japan
viii The key to Japanese successes in maths education
ix The role of homework correction
Example Answer:
Section A iv
1 Section B
2 Section C
3 Section D
4 Section E
5 Section F
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.
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
Second nature – Reading 2
Your personality isn't necessarily set in stone. With a little experimentation, people
can reshape their temperaments and inject passion, optimism, joy and courage into
their lives
A Psychologists have long held that a person's character cannot undergo a
transformation in any meaningful way and that the key traits of personality are
determined at a very young age. However, researchers have begun looking more
closely at ways we can change. Positive psychologists have identified 24 qualities we
admire, such as loyalty and kindness, and are studying them to find out why they
come so naturally to some people. What they're discovering is that many of these
qualities amount to habitual behaviour that determines the way we respond to the
world. The good news is that all this can be learned.
Some qualities are less challenging to develop than others, optimism being one of
them. However, developing qualities requires mastering a range of skills which are
diverse and sometimes surprising. For example, to bring more joy and passion into
your life, you must be open to experiencing negative emotions. Cultivating such
qualities will help you realise your full potential.
B 'The evidence is good that most personality traits can be altered,' says Christopher
Peterson, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, who cites himself as
an example. Inherently introverted, he realised early on that as an academic, his
reticence would prove disastrous in the lecture hall. So he learned to be more outgoing
and to entertain his classes. 'Now my extroverted behaviour is spontaneous, ' he says.
C David Fajgenbaum had to make a similar transition. He was preparing for
university, when he had an accident that put an end to his sports career. On campus,
he quickly found that beyond ordinary counselling, the university had no services for
students who were undergoing physical rehabilitation and suffering from depression
like him. He, therefore, launched a support group to help others in similar situations.
He took action despite his own pain - a typical response of an optimist.
D Suzanne Segerstrom, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky,
believes that the key to increasing optimism is through cultivating optimistic
behaviour, rather than positive thinking. She recommends you train yourself to pay
attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things that come about each
day. This will help you convince yourself that favourable outcomes actually happen
all the time, making it easier to begin taking action.
E You can recognise a person who is passionate about a pursuit by the way they are so
strongly involved in it. Tanya Streeter's passion is freediving - the sport of plunging
deep into the water without tanks or other breathing equipment. Beginning in 1998,
she set nine world records and can hold her breath for six minutes. The physical
stamina required for this sport is intense but the psychological demands are even more
overwhelming. Streeter learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her
body and mind could do. 'In my career as a competitive freediver, there was a limit to
what I could do - but it wasn't anywhere near what I thought it was/ she says.
F Finding a pursuit that excites you can improve anyone's life. The secret about
consuming passions, though, according to psychologist Paul Silvia of the University
of North Carolina, is that 'they require discipline, hard work and ability, which is why
they are so rewarding.' Psychologist Todd Kashdan has this advice for those people
taking up a new passion: ' As a newcomer, you also have to tolerate and laugh at your
own ignorance. You must be willing to accept the negative feelings that come your
way,' he says.
G In 2004, physician-scientist Mauro Zappaterra began his PhD research at Harvard
Medical School. Unfortunately, he was miserable as his research wasn't compatible
with his curiosity about healing. He finally took a break and during eight months in
Santa Fe, Zappaterra learned about alternative healing techniques not taught at
Harvard. When he got back, he switched labs to study how cerebrospinal fluid
nourishes the developing nervous system. He also vowed to look for the joy in
everything, including failure, as this could help him learn about his research and
himself.
One thing that can hold joy back is a person's concentration on avoiding failure rather
than their looking forward to doing something well. 'Focusing on being safe might get
in the way of your reaching your goals,' explains Kashdan. For example, are you
hoping to get through a business lunch without embarrassing yourself, or are you
thinking about how fascinating the conversation might be?
H Usually, we think of courage in physical terms but ordinary life demands something
else. For marketing executive Kenneth Pedeleose, it meant speaking out against
something he thought was ethically wrong. The new manager was intimidating staff
so Pedeleose carefully recorded each instance of bullying and eventually took the
evidence to a senior director, knowing his own job security would be threatened.
Eventually, the manager was the one to go. According to Cynthia Pury, a psychologist
at Clemson University, Pedeleose's story proves the point that courage is not
motivated by fearlessness, but by moral obligation. Pury also believes that people can
acquire courage. Many of her students said that faced with a risky situation, they first
tried to calm themselves down, then looked for a way to mitigate the danger, just as
Pedeleose did by documenting his allegations.
Over the long term, picking up a new character trait may help you move toward being
the person you want to be. And in the short term, the effort itself could be surprisingly
rewarding, a kind of internal adventure.
Questions 14-18
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
Psychologists have traditionally believed that a personality 14......................... was
impossible and that by a 15......................... , a person’s character tends to be fixed.
This is not true according to positive psychologists, who say that our personal
qualities can be seen as habitual behaviour. One of the easiest qualities to acquire
is 16......................... . However, regardless of the quality, it is necessary to learn a
wide variety of different 17......................... in order for a new quality to develop; for
example, a person must understand and feel some 18......................... in order to
increase their happiness.
Questions 19-22
Match each statement with the correct person, A-G. Write the correct letter, A-G, in
boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.
19. People must accept that they do not know much when first trying something new.
20. It is important for people to actively notice when good things happen.
21. Courage can be learned once its origins in a sense of responsibility are understood.
22. It is possible to overcome shyness when faced with the need to speak in public.
List of People
A. Christopher Peterson
B. David Fajgenbaum
C. Suzanne Segerstrom
D. Tanya Streeter
E. Todd Kashdan
F. Kenneth Pedeleose
G. Cynthia Pury
Questions 23-26
Reading Passage 2 has eight sections, A-H. Which section contains the following
information?
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
23. a mention of how rational thinking enabled someone to achieve physical goals
24. an account of how someone overcame a sad experience
25. a description of how someone decided to rethink their academic career path
26. an example of how someone risked his career out of a sense of duty
Persistent bullying is one of the worst experiences –
Reading 3
Persistent bullying is one of the worst experiences a child can face. How can it be
prevented?
Peter Smith, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, directed the
Sheffield
Anti-Bullying Intervention Project, funded by the Department for Education.
Here he reports on his findings
A Bullying can take a variety of forms, from the verbal -being taunted or called
hurtful names- to the physical- being kicked or shoved- as well as indirect forms, such
as being excluded from social groups. A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found
that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of
bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent. There was less bullying in
secondary schools, with about one in twenty-five suffering persistent bullying, but
these cases may be particularly recalcitrant.
B Bullying is clearly unpleasant and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy
and depressed. In extreme cases, it can even lead to suicide, though this is thankfully
rare. Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal
relationships as adults, while children who persistently bully are more likely to grow
up to be physically violent, and convicted of anti-social offences.
C Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to
teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny
the problem. 'There is no bullying at this school' has been a common refrain, almost
certainly all true. Fortunately, more schools are now saying: There is not much
bullying here, but when it occurs we have a clear policy for dealing with it.'
D Three factors are involved in this change. First is an awareness of the severity of the
problem. Second, a number of resources to help tackle bullying have become available
in Britain. For example, the Scottish Collllcil for Research in Education produced a
package of materials, Action Against Bullying, circulated to all schools in England
and Wales as well as in Scotland in summer 1992, with a second pack, Supporting
Schools Against Bullying, produced the following year. In Ireland, Guidelines on
Countering Bullying Behaviour in Post-Primary Schools was published in 1993.
Third, there is evidence that these materials work, and that schools can achieve
something. This comes from carefully conducted 'before and after I evaluations of
interventions in schools, monitored by a research team. In Norway, after an
intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools
suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved. The Sheffield
investigation, which involved sixteen primary schools and seven secondary schools,
found that most schools succeeded in reducing bullying.
E Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly
what is meant by bullying, and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it
occurs, what record will be kept, who will be informed, what sanctions will be
employed. The policy should be developed through consultation, over a period of
time- not just imposed from the head teacher's office! Pupils, parents and staff should
feel they have been involved in the policy, which needs to be disseminated and
implemented effectively.
Other actions can be taken to back up the policy. There are ways of dealing with
the topic through the curriculum, using video, drama and literature. These are useful
for raising awareness, and can best be tied into early phases of development while the
school is starting to discuss the issue of bullying. They are also useful in renewing the
policy for new pupils or revising it in the light of experience. But curriculum work
alone may only have short-term effects; it should be an addition to policy work, not a
substitute.
There are also ways of working with individual pupils, or in small groups.
Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile, and
certain approaches to group bullying such as 'no blame', can be useful in changing the
behaviour of bullying pupils without confronting them directly, although other
sanctions may be needed for those who continue with persistent bullying.
Work in the playground is important, too. One helpful step is to train lunchtime
supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting and help them break up
conflicts. Another possibility is to improve the playground environment so that pupils
are less likely to be led into bullying from boredom or frustration.
F With these developments, schools can expect that at least the most serious kinds of
bullying can largely be prevented. The more effort put in and the wider the whole
school involvement, the more substantial the results are likely to be. The reduction in
bullying - and the consequent improvement in pupil happiness- is surely a worthwhile
objective.
Questions 27-30
Reading Passage 3 has six sections,
Choose the correct heading for sections A-D from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-vii, in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
______________________________________________________
List of Headings
i The role of video violence
ii The failure of government policy
iii Reasons for the increased rate of bullying
iv Research into how common bullying is in British schools
v The reaction from schools to enquiries about bullying
vi The effect of bullying on the children involved
vii Developments that have led to a new approach by schools
______________________________________________________
27 Section A
28 Section B
29 Section C
30 Section D
Questions 31-34
Choose the correct letter. A. B. C or D.
Write the con·ect letter in boxes 31-34 on your answer sheet.
31 A recent survey found that in British secondary schools
A there was more bullying than had previously been the case.
B there was less bullying than in primary schools.
C cases of persistent bullying were very common.
D indirect forms of bullying were particularly difficult to deal with.
32 Children who are bullied
A are twice as likely to commit suicide as the average person.
B find it more difficult to relate to adults.
C are less likely to be violent in later life.
D may have difficulty forming relationships in later life.
33 The writer thinks that the declaration 'There is no bullying at this school'
A is no longer true in many schools.
B was not in fact made by many schools.
C reflected the school's lack of concern.
D reflected a lack of knowledge and resources.
34 What were the findings of research carried out in Norway?
A Bullying declined by 50% after an anti-bullying campaign.
B Twenty-one schools reduced bullying as a result of an anti-bullying campaign
C Two years is the optimum length for an anti-bullying campaign.
D Bullying is a less serious problem in Norway than in the UK.
Questions 35-39
Complete the summary below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 35-39 on your answer sheet.
What steps should schools take to reduce bullying?
The most important step is for the school authorities to produce a 35 .......................
which makes the school's attitude towards bullying quite clear. It should include
detailed 36 ........................ as to how the school and its staff will react if bullying
occurs. In addition, action can be taken through the 37 ........................... This is
particularly useful in the early part of the process, as a way of raising awareness and
encouraging discussion On its own, however, it is insufficient to bring about a
permanent solution. Effective work can also be done with individual pupils and small
groups. For example, potential38 ......................... of bullying can be trained to be
more self-confident. Or again, in dealing with group bullying, a 'no blame' approach,
which avoids confronting the offender too directly, is often effective. Playground
supervision will be more effective if members of staff are trained to recognise the
difference between bullying and mere 39 ......................... .
Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.
Which of the following is the most suitable title for Reading Passage 153?
A Bullying: what parents can do
B Bullying: are the media to blame?
C Bullying: the link with academic failure
D Bullying: from crisis management to prevention