英语听力精选进阶版 6469

Byron Court, a school in north-west London, gets high marks for integration¹. No fewer than 42 languages are spoken in the playground. The 600 pupils from places as far apart as Iraq, the Philippines, Somalia, India, Romania and Slovakia mingle³ and play together.

Many of these children spoke² no English at all when they arrived in the UK aged⁴ five to eight years old. But they learn quickly. Martine Clark, the school's executive head teacher, believes that unity⁵ is very important. She says: "It's vital there's no differentiation⁶ between any languages or any culture. We do that by celebrating the diversity of the culture in our school."

According to Clark, the children that come to Byron Court are adaptable⁷ and resilient. Having such a variety of backgrounds makes them better learners. Some have struggled, not always understanding instructions in the classroom. But after a few years, many have turned the disadvantage of not speaking English into the advantage of being bilingual.

Nonetheless, educational standards can suffer when not everyone speaks the same language, at least to begin with. Though according to Martyn Pendergast, an education officer at Brent Council, this doesn't last for long: "It takes time to learn English and in Brent our children perform just below the national average when they are assessed at seven years old. But by the time they're 11 they've caught up with national standards and at 16 they're flying".

Those who don't speak English but are used to discipline often progress rapidly. But some are concerned about children who are native speakers of English. Christopher McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, which aims to promote a greater emphasis on traditional values, says: "The problem is not the migrant children. The problem is the white working class children who are doing very badly at school."

McGovern believes many parents think a lot of attention is given to migrant children, while their own children are being neglected.

White British families and second-generation immigrants have been moving out of schools near urban centres to more distant suburbs, or to the countryside. That's a process which raises its own questions about the future of education in British cities.

Quiz 测验

1. How is unity maintained in a school with children from so many different backgrounds?

By not differentiating⁸ between different languages or cultures and celebrating diversity.

2. True or False: Many immigrant children find it difficult to understand classroom instructions?

True.

3. When do pupils catch up with the national average in terms of assessments⁹?

By 11 years old.

4. True or False: Some working class parents aren't happy because their children can't understand immigrant students?

False. They aren't happy because they believe too much attention is given to migrant children and their own are forgotten.

5. Which expression means 'people who were born in a country their parents moved to'?

Second-generation immigrants.

Glossary 词汇表

to get high marks for (something) 在（某方面）获得高分

integration (种族之间的）融合

playground 操场

to mingle 交际，交往

head teacher 校长/教务长

differentiation 区别

to celebrate 庆祝，赞扬

adaptable 适应能力强的

resilient 有弹性的，坚忍不拔的

educational standards 教育水平

to assess 评估，考查

traditional values 传统价值

working class 工薪阶层

to neglect 疏忽，不予重视

second generation 第二代

suburb 市郊

1 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

7 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

8 differentiating   

[计] 微分的

参考例句：

• They succeed in differentiating the most commodity-like products. 在最通用的日用产品方面，它们也能独树一帜标新立异。
• The simplest and most effective method of differentiating areas is to use different colours. 区别面状要素最简单而又行之有效的办法，是使用不同的颜色。

9 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句