2015浙江省英语卷.doc

2015浙江 A From the very beginning of school we make books and reading a constant source of possible failure and public humiliation. When children are little we make them read aloud, before the teacher and other children, so that we can be sure they know all the words they are reading. This means that when they dont know a word, they are going to make a mistake, right in front of everyone. After having taught fifth-grade classes for four years, I decided to try at all costs to rid them of their fear and dislike of books, and to get them to read oftener and more adventurously. One day soon after school had started, I said to them, Now Im going to say something about reading that you have probably never heard a teacher say before. I would like you to read a lot of books this year, but I want you to read them only for pleasure. I am not going to ask you questions to find out whether you understand the books or not. If you understand enough of a book to enjoy it and want to go on reading it, thats enough for me. Also I’m not going to ask you what words mean. The children sat stunned and silent. Was this a teacher talking? One girl, who had just come to us from a school where she had had a very hard time, looked at me steadily for a long time after I had finished. Then, still looking at me, she said slowly and seriously, Mr Holt, do you really mean that? I said just as seriously, I mean every word of it. During the spring she really astonished me. One day, she was reading at her desk. From a glimpse of the illustrations I thought I knew what the book was. I said to myself, It cant be, and went to take a closer look. Sure enough, she was reading Moby Dick , in edition with woodcuts. I said, Dont you find parts of it rather heavy going? She answered, Oh, sure, but I just skip over those parts and go on to the next good part. This is exactly what reading should be and in school so seldom is, an exciting, joyous adventure. Find something, dive into it, take the good parts, s