III. Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage. . Increasing numbers of parents in the US are choosing to teach their kids' at home; The US Department of Education estimated that in 1999, around 850,000 children were being homeschooled. Originally, horneschooling was used for students who couldn't attend school because of learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their children at home due to dissatisfaction with the educational system relating to class size or problems inside the classroom, for example violence. Advocates of homeschooling believe that children learn better when they are in a secure, loving environment. They can also pick and choose what and when to study, which enables them to learn at their own pace. In contrast, critics of homeschooling say that children who are not in classroom miss out: on learning important social skills because they have little interaction with their peers. Moreover, they have raised concerns about the ability of parents to teach their kids effectively because they are not competent educators and have no teaching training. Whatever the arguments for or against it, homeschooling in the US is growing. There are now websites, support groups that enable parents to learn more about educating children. Homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that some believe is failing. 1. What is the topic of the above passage? A. Different ideas about homeschooling B. A new way to learn in the USA: Horneschooling. C. The advantages of getting education at home. D. Parents in the USA want to teach their children at home. 2. One of the reasons why parents don't want to send children to school is that ………………….. A. there are too many pupils in a class B. children learn what they choose C. there is violence at home D. parents want to be good educators 3. The word "peers" in the passage means ……………. A. members B. classmates C. groups D. partners 4. Parents can learn more to teach their children effectively from………….. A. the Department of Education B. their social skills C. the present educational system D. websites 5. From the passage, we can come to understand that…………………. A. homeschooling is only for troubled children B. few parents take their children out of class in the USA C. homeschooling is acceptable in the USA D. traditional education is the best in the USA
IV. Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits blank space in the following passage. Education is important in England. English children are required by law to have an education (1)…………they are 16 years old. Education is compulsory for all children from 5 to 16. About 94 percent of pupils in the UK receive free education from public funds, while 6 percent attend (2)………….fee-paying schools. In general, children start school on the first day of term after they turn 5. At the age of 11, they move on to high schools, known as secondary schools. At the age of 16, students write a(n) (3)………..called the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). All students are tested in Mathematics, English, Literature, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History, one foreign language, and one other subject, such as Art or Computer Studies. After completing the GCSE, some students leave school, others go to (4) ………….. college, (5)…………..others continue at high school for two more years and take a further set of standardized exams, known as A levels, in three or four subjects. These exams determine whether a student is eligible to enter college. 1. 2. A. when A. dependent B. until B. supported C. as C. forced D. during D. independent 3. 4. A. competition A. technique B. contest B. technical C. examination C. technology D. test D. technological 5. A. when B. which C. while D. during