The healthy adolescent boy or girl likes to do the real things in life, to do the things that matter. He would rather be a plumber’s mate and do a real job that requires doing than learn about hydrostatics sitting at a desk, without understanding what practical use they are going to be. A girl would rather look after the baby than learn about child care. Logically we should learn about things before doing and that is presumably why the experts enforce this in our educational system. But it is not the natural way—nor, I venture to think, the best way. The adolescent wants to do things first for only then does he appreciate the problems involved and want to learn more about them.
They do these things better in primitive life, for there the adolescent boy joins his father in making canoes or going out fishing or hunting. He is serving his apprenticeship in the actual accomplishments of life. It is not surprising that anthropologists find that the adolescents of primitive communities do not suffer from the same neurotic “difficulties” as those of civilized life. This is not, as some assume, because they are permitted more freedom, but because they are given more natural outlets for their native interests and powers and allowed to grow up freely into a full life of responsibility in the community.
In the 19th century this was recognized in the apprenticeship system, which allowed the boy to go out with the master carpenter or thatcher, to engage in the actual work of carpentry or roof-mending, and so to learn his trade. In some agricultural colleges at the present time young men have to do a year’s work on a farm before their theoretical training at college. The great advantage of this system is that it lets the apprentice see the practical problems before he sets to work learning how to solve them, and he can therefore take a more intelligent interest in his theoretical work.
Since more knowledge of more things is now required in order to cope with the adult world, the period of growing-up to independence takes much longer than it did in a more primitive community, and the responsibility for such education, which formerly was in the hands of the parents, is now necessarily undertaken by experts at school. But that should not make us lose sight of the basic principle, namely the need and the desire of the adolescent to engage responsibility in the real pursuits of life and then to learn how-to learn through responsibility, not to learn before responsibility.
1. According to the author, what is the natural way of education?
2. The main advantage of the natural way of education, whether in primitive or modern times, is that learners ______.
3. According to the context, “this in the third paragraph refers to ______.
4. Which of the following best sums up the author’s main point?
问题1选项
A.Doing things while learning.
B.Doing things as an apprentice.
C.Doing things before learning.
D.Learning practical knowledge first.
问题2选项
A.can learn the trade through solving problems at work
B.are given opportunities to develop their interest first
C.are given more freedom in doing things and learning
D.can work with their masters throughout their learning
问题3选项
A.the difficulties modern adolescents experience
B.the amount of freedom in learning in primitive life
C.the kind of skills boys learned from their father
D.the way of learning in primitive communities
问题4选项
A.The apprenticeship system was effective in learning.
B.Students should be given more freedom in learning.
C.Students develop their interest through learning.
D.Learning to solve problems is learning through responsibility.
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, what is the natural way of education? 根据作者的观点，什么是自然的教育方式？
A. Doing things while learning. A. 边学边做。
B. Doing things as an apprentice. B. 像学徒一样处理事。
C. Doing things before learning. C. 在学习之前先做事情。
D. Learning practical knowledge first. D. 先学习实用知识。
【答案】C
【考查点】细节理解题
【解题思路】根据题干可定位文章第一段，在关键信息the natural way后，作者开始阐述自己的观点，即The adolescent wants to do things first...他从青少年的天性去分析：他们想要先做事情，因为只有到那时他才意识到所涉及的问题，并想要更多地了解和学习解决这些问题。因此，先做后学对应C选项，符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A、D选项可以由解题思路排除，属于曲解原文；
B选项，文章是有讲到学徒制，意思是这种先做后学的教育方式，而不是说要我们像学徒一样去做事情，去处理事情，属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The main advantage of the natural way of education, whether in primitive or modern times, is that learners________ 无论是在原始时代还是现代，自然教育方式的主要优势，是学习者________。
A. can learn the trade through solving problems at work A. 能通过解决工作中的问题来学习
B. are given opportunities to develop their interest first B. 有机会先培养他们的兴趣
C. are given more freedom in doing things and learning C. 在做事和学习方面有更多的自由
D. can work with their masters throughout their learning D. 在他们的学习过程中可以和他们的老师一起工作
【答案】B
【考查点】细节理解题
【解题思路】根据题干可定位文章第二段This is not...but because they are given more natural outlets for their native interests...in the community.意为：这并不是因为他们被允许有更多的自由，而是因为他们被赋予了更自然的渠道来培养他们的兴趣……。可知，这种优势在于可以有机会让他们培养兴趣，即可排除C选项，因而对应选项B。
【干扰项排除】
C选项可由解题思路排除；
A、D选项也是优势，但对比题干main advantages，侧重于主要优势，先有兴趣才会愿意去解决问题，因此B选项更加关键，A、D选项属于本末倒置。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to the context, “this” in the third paragraph refers to____. 根据上下文，“this”在第三段指的是____。
A. the difficulties modern adolescents experience A. 现代青少年所经历的困难
B. the amount of freedom in learning in primitive life B. 原始生活中学习的自由度
C. the kind of skills boys learned from their father C. 孩子们从父亲那里学来的技术
D. the way of learning in primitive communities D. 原始社会的学习方式
【答案】D
【考查点】词义猜测题
【解题思路】根据题干可定位文章第三段第一句，关键句后的非限制性定语从句即对它进行了解释：which allowed...trade.意为：允许男孩和木匠师傅或撒切尔一起出去，从事木工或屋顶修理的实际工作，从而学习自己的手艺。这其实就是指前文提到的原始社会的一种教育和学习方法。因此，D选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B选项文章并未涉及，属于无中生有；
C选项关键词为skills，文章只提及少年们会跟父亲出去做一些事情，并未涉及到技能，属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following best sums up the author’s main point? 下面哪一个最好地总结了作者的主要观点？
A. The apprenticeship system was effective in learning. A. 学徒制是一种有效的学习制度。
B. Students should be given more freedom in learning. B. 学生应该在学习上有更多的自由。
C. Students develop their interest through learning. C. 学生通过学习培养兴趣。
D. Learning to solve problems is learning through responsibility. D. 学会解决问题是通过责任学习。
【答案】D
【考查点】主旨大意题
【解题思路】文章的首尾段一般会突显作者的中心思想，而本文的结构是分——总，因此，定位到最后一段，由最后一句But that should not...learn how—to learn through responsibility, not to learn before responsibility.意为：青少年需要和渴望在生活的真正追求中承担责任，然后学习如何——通过责任学习，而不是在责任之前学习。与D选项通过责任学习相对应，因此正确答案为D。
【干扰项排除】
A选项可定位到第三段...this was recognized in the apprenticeship system，意为作者的观点在学徒制中得到了认可。因此，实际上，作者是通过这一论据来更好地佐证自己，即在责任中学习，故A选项属于曲解原文。
B选项可定位到第二段This is not, as some assume, because they are permitted more freedom，意为：这不是因为他们有更多的自由。与选项不符，因此属于反向干扰。
C选项可定位第三段最后一句The...he can therefore take a more intelligent interest in his theoretical work，意为：它让学徒在开始工作之前看到实际问题，并学习如何解决它们，因此他可以对他的理论工作产生更聪明的兴趣。是通过解决问题才更有兴趣，而不是通过学习，属于曲解原文。
