高考英語難點講解[23]-有章可循的主旨大意題[閱讀理解]

　　閱讀中的主旨大意題主要是考查學(xué)生在閱讀全文的基礎(chǔ)上歸納總結(jié)文意的能力，然而，學(xué)生在閱讀中常犯的毛病之一就是：只見樹木，不見森林。

　　●難點磁場

　　1.（★★★★★）A World of Opportunity

　　The New York Times is now better than ever.

　　All the more reason to order home delivery now.

　　NEW-SEPARATE sections for The Arts.Monday through Thursday,and Sports 7 days a week that you can pull out,take with you or pass along.

　　NEW-The Dining In,Dining Out section,Wednesdays,a banquet (宴席) of great meals you can make yourself,order up or eat out.

　　NEW-The House & Home section.Thursdays,filled with useful,interesting features and articles about making the most of all sorts of living spaces.

　　NEW-An expanded,two-part Weekend section.Fridays,with more ideas about movies,shows,

　　art exhibitions,outdoor and indoor recreations.

　　Latest news and sports results daily.And of course,daily world and national news,Sunday’s special sections and all the other great features you’ll continue to find in The Times.

　　Find out just how much YOU can benefit from The Times every day.

　　Call 1-800-331-1969 or use the postage-paid order card to order convenient home delivery at 50% OFF our regular price.

　　Question 1:The main idea of this advertisement is that ________.

　　A.many opportunities will be provided just to those who order home delivery

　　B.several new sections have been printed separately from now on

　　C.readers can be well informed of the latest news and sports results

　　D.people can pick up all the information they are interested in

　　2.(★★★★★)Millions of people use contact lenses(隱形眼鏡）.For anyone who doesn’t mind sticking his fingers in his eyes,there are clear advantages:contacts correct vision better than glasses,are less often crushed underfoot,don’t make you look boring,and come in a huge variety of forms——soft,firm,colored,and even theatrical.

　　More and more people are turning to use of contact lenses.But are they safe?

　　Latest research from Australia shows that not all chemicals are effective in killing all germs(細(xì)菌）——and some of these germs can cause blindness in just 24 hours.

　　While most problems with contacts still can go back to poor hygiene(衛(wèi)生）or overuse,not all sight-threatening conditions only happen to those who wash their lenses under the tap or decide,while tired and emotional,to sleep in their lenses for the third night running.

　　Two of the biggest eye-damaging killers——protozoan acanthamoeba and bacteria pseudomonas——are all around us,in our homes and water supplies.This seemingly harmless pair can cause blindness through keratitis(disease of the cornea).

　　“The cornea(角膜)is like a five-layered sandwich”,says Raymond Curran,a doctor from Omagh,Northern Ireland.“Once the bacteria get into a layer they can reproduce there and turn the cornea opaque(too dark to see through).”

　　An optician(驗光師）may see one possibly sight-threatening case each month,but at an eye hospital there may be several each week.Acanthamoeba,often seemingly mild,can be misjudged until it is too late.Meanwhile,pseudomonas,more seriously,can cause increasing sight loss with each hour that passes.If not treated immediately,patients may need a corneal replacement.

　　And the really bad news,according to Professor Roger Buckley,at the Moorfields eye hospital in London,is that acanthamoeba is“one of the hardest germs on Earth”——it can survive in Antarctica.

　　Question 2:In the passage the writer mainly wants to tell us ________.

　　A.the possible danger of contacts

　　B.the importance of keeping contacts clean

　　C.some doctors’ opinions about contacts

　　D.the advantages and disadvantages of contacts

　　3.(★★★★★)With only about１000 pandas left in the world，China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物種)．That’s a move similar to what a Texas A＆M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”．

　　Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs，embryos(胚胎)，semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liｑuid nitrogen．If certain species should become extinct，Dr．Duane Kraemer，a professor in Texas A＆M’s College of Veterinary Medicine，says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future．

　　It is estimated that as many as 2 000 species of mammals，birds and reptiles will become extinct in over １00 years．The panda，native only to China，is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years．

　　This week，Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit．They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal．

　　The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete．

　　“The nuclear transfer（核子移植)of one species to another is not easy，and the lack of available （capable of being used）panda eggs could be a major problem．”Kraemer believes．“They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy （having a baby）．It takes a long time and it’s difficult，but this could be groundbreaking science if it works．They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk，so it is worth the effort，”adds Kraemer，who is one of the leaders of the Ｐroject at Texas A＆M，the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog．

　　“They are trying to do something that’s never been done，and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark．We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction．I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do．It’s a research that is very much needed”．

　　Question 3:The best title for the passage may be         ．

　　A．China’s Success in Pandas Cloning

　　B．The First Cloned Panda in the World

　　C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

　　D．China——the Native Place of Pandas Forever

　　4.(★★★★★)American women experience a great variety of lifestyles. A “typical” American woman may be single . She may also be divorced or married. She may be a homemaker, a doctor, or a factory worker. It is very difficult to generalize about American. However, one thing that many American  women have in common is their attitude about themselves and their role in American life.

　　Historically , American women have always been very independent . The first settlers to come to New England were of ten young couples who had left behind their extended family (i.e. their parents , sisters, cousins, etc.).The women were alone in a new, undeveloped country with their husbands. This had two important effects. First of all, this as yet uncivilized (未開化)environment (環(huán)境)demanded that every person share in developing it and in survival (生存).Women worked with their husbands and children to make themselves accepted in this new land. Second, because they were in a new land without the established (確定的)influence of older members of society , women felt free to step into nontraditional roles.

　　This role of women was strengthened in later years as Americans moved west,again leaving family behind and meeting a new environment. Even later, in the East, as new settlers arrived , the women often found jobs more easily than men. Women became the supporters of the family.

　　Within the established lifestyle of industrialized twentieth century America, the strong role of women was not as attractive as in the early days of the country. Some women were active outside the home; others were not. However , when American men went to war in the 1940s, women stepped into the men’s jobs as factory and business workers. After the war, some women stayed in these positions , and others left their jobs with a new sense of their own ability.

　　Question 4:What is the main idea of this passage?

　　A.Different life styles led by the American women.

　　B.American women were free to step into nontraditional  roles.

　　C.American women worked hard to establish their roles in American history

　　D.American women were independent because they did not have to follow the regulations (rules)at all.

　　●案例探究

　　1.There are many famous museums throughout the world where people can enjoy art.Washington D.C.,the US,has the National Gallery of Art;Paris has the Louver,London,the British Museum.Florida International University(FIU) in Miami,the US also shows art for visitors to see.And it does so without a building,or even a wall for its drawings and paintings.

　　FIU has opened what it says is the first computer art museum in the United States.You don’t have to visit the University to see the art.You just need a computer linked to a telephone.

　　You can call the telephone number of a university computer and connect your own computer to it.All of the art is stored in the school computer.It is computer art,produced electronically by artists on their own computers.In only a few minutes,your computer can receive and copy all the pictures and drawings.

　　Robert Shostak is director of the new computer museum.He says he started the museum because computer artists had no place to show their work.

　　A computer artist could record his pictures electronically and send the records,or floppy discs,to others to see on their computers.He could also put his pictures on paper,of course.But to print good pictures on paper,the computer artist needed an expensive laser printer.

　　Robert Shostak says the electronic museum is mainly for art or computer students in schools and universities.Many of the pictures in the museum are made by the students.Mr. Shostak said the FIU museum will make computer art more fun for computer artists because more people can see it.He says artists enjoy their work much more if they have an audience.And the great number of home computers in America could mean a huge audience for his electronic museum.

　　Question:The main purpose of this text is to give information about ________.

　　A.famous museums throughout the world

　　B.an electronic art museum in Miami,U.S.A.

　　C.art exhibitions in Florida International University

　　D.latest development in computer art

　　命題意圖：本題主要考查學(xué)生的歸納概括能力，屬五星級題目。

　　錯解分析：本題錯選C、D兩項的學(xué)生較多，原因是只抓住了文章中的只言片語，而忽視了前兩段文字在文中的作用及貫穿文章始終的museum一詞。

　　解題方法與技巧：（1）通讀全文，抓住每段文字的主旨大意，尤其是文章的前兩段。第一段作者告訴我們?nèi)�世界有許多著名的藝術(shù)博物館；第二段主要講Florida International University新開的電腦藝術(shù)博物館。隨后各段就這家博物館的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者及博物館的運作做了說明。（2）運用排除法，將較具干擾性的C、D兩項排除掉。C項錯誤在于art exhibitions;D項中只講電腦藝術(shù)的最新發(fā)展，與文章的前兩段無法相符，也沒有呼應(yīng)貫穿文章始終的“art museum”。

　　答案：B

　　2.NMET 2002

　　In 1901,H.G. Wells,an English writer,wrote a book describing a trip to the moon.When the explorers(探險者) landed on the moon,they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities.They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met.In turn,the “moon people” expressed their surprise.“Why,”they asked,“are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”

　　H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon.In 1969,human beings really did land on the moon.People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon.However,the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one.A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

　　Underground systems are already in place.Many cities have underground car parks.In some cities,such as Tokyo,Seoul and Montreal,there are large underground shopping areas.The “Chunnel”,a tunnel(隧道) connecting England and France is now complete.

　　But what about underground cities?Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems,called “Alice Cities”.The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats,offices,shopping,and so on.A solar dome(太陽能穹頂) would cover the whole city.

　　Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space.The surface,they say,can be used for farms,parks,gardens,and wildernes.H.G.Wells’ “moon people” would agree.Would you?

　　Question:What would be the best title for the text?

　　A.Alice Cities—cities of the future.    B.Space travel with H.G. Wells.

　　C.Enjoy living underground.      D.Building down,not up.

　　命題意圖：本題旨在考查學(xué)生的歸納概括能力，是一道主旨大意題，屬五星級題目。

　　錯解分析：此題學(xué)生容易錯選B項，原因是沒有通覽全篇，只抓住了文章的后半部分，尤其是第四段。

　　解題方法與技巧：（1）通覽全文，抓首段大意。（2）文章開篇敘述了H.G. Wells在其科幻小說中的“月球人”詢問月球探險者：“為什么地球人不利用地球內(nèi)部空間而到地球外部空間旅行呢？”；接著下一段講述越來越多的科學(xué)家正在認(rèn)真思考這一問題；隨后兩段敘述underground systems的利用及日本underground cities的設(shè)計；然后再根據(jù)文章最后一段首句：“Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space”，可判斷出此題答案。

　　答案：D

　　●錦囊妙計

　　1.通讀全文，重視首段，注意每段第一句話（尤其是論述性或說明性文章）。

　　2.歸納文章的段落大意。把握文章總體。

　　3.重視重要情節(jié)、人物及事物特征。

　　4.注意觀察，找準(zhǔn)貫穿上下文的關(guān)鍵詞匯。

　　5.重視題干中的關(guān)鍵詞匯：main idea,the best title,the writer mainly wants to tell (or:show)…

　　●殲滅難點訓(xùn)練

　　A

　　Human language is a living thing.Each language has its own biological system,which makes it different from all other language.This system must constantly adjust to a new environment and new situation to survive and flourish.

　　When we think of human language this way,it is an easy step to see the words of a language as being like the cells of a living organism—they are constantly forming and dying and splitting into parts as time changes and the language adapts.

　　There are several specific processes by which new words are formed.Some words come into the language which sound like what they refer to.Words like buzz and ding-dong are good examples of this process.

　　Still another way in which new words are formed is to use the name of a person or a place closely associated with that word’s meaning.The words sandwich and hamburger are examples of this word-formation process.The Earl of sandwich,an English aristocrat(貴族),was so fond of gambling at cards that he hated to be interrupted by the necessity of eating.He thus invented a new way of eating while he continued his game at the gambling table.This quick and convenient dish is what we now call a sandwich—a piece of meat between two slices of bread.The hamburger became the best-known sandwich in the world after it was invented by a citizen of Hamburg in Germany.

　　As long as a language is alive,its cells will continue to change,forming new words and getting rid of the ones that no longer have any use.

　　1.(★★★★★)The passage is mainly about ________.

　　A.the biological system of a living organism

　　B.the inventors of sandwich and hamburger

　　C.the development of human cells

　　D.the changes of a language

　　B

　　The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.

　　Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station’s competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to many without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr. Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered for a peculiar“experiment” organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham, England. Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio. They took a lie detector(測謊儀) test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges included an astrologer(占星家) who declared that they were suited.

　　The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared their joy. Miss Germaine’s mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr. Cordell’s parents are reported to be less than delighted.

　　Organizations, including the marriage guidance service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one person put it, “We have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously without this. Marriage should always be about love.”

　　The couple are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year’s free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?

　　2.(★★★★★)Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

　　A.Two Strangers and a Wedding     B.A Wedding Based on Love

　　C.A Short-Lived Marriage      D.A Well-Matched Couple

　　C

　　Since 1989, Dave Thomas, who died at age 69, was one of the most recognizable faces on TV. He appeared in more than 800 commercials (商業(yè)廣告) for the hamburger chain named for his daughter. “As long as it works,” he said in 1991, “I’ll continue to do those commercials.”

　　Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood. “He still won’t let anyone see his feet, which are out of shape because he never had proper-fitting shoes.” Wendy said in 1993. Born to a single mother, he was adopted (收養(yǎng)) as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan. After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work. “He fed me,” Thomas said,“and if I got out of line, he’d beat me.”

　　Moving out on his own at 15, Thomas worked, first as a waiter, in many restaurants. But he had something much better in mind, “I thought if I owned a restaurant,” he said,“I could eat for free.” A 1956 meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in 1968.

　　In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, in Columbus, Ohio, which set itself apart by serving made-to-order burgers. With 6 000 restaurants worldwide, the chain now makes ＄6 billion a year in sales.

　　Although troubled by his own experience with adoption, Thomas, married since 1954 to Lorraine, 66, and with four grown kids besides Wendy, felt it could offer a future for other children. He started the Dave Thomas Foundation (基金會) for Adoption in 1992.In 1993, Thomas, who had left school at 15, graduated from Coconut Greek High School in Florida. He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party. The kids voted him Most Likely to Succeed.

　　“The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave,”says friend Pat Williams “He wasn’t a great actor or a great speaker. He was just Joe Everybody.”

　　3.(★★★★★)What is the article mainly about?

　　A.The life of Dave Thomas.

　　B.The dream of Dave Thomas.

　　C.The schooling of Dave Thomas.

　　D.The growth of Dave Thomas’ business.

　　D

　　Tim Berners-Lee is the man who wrote the software programme that led to the foundation of the World Wide Web. Britain played an important part in developing the first generation of computers. The parents of Tim Berners-Lee both worked on one of the earliest commercial computers and talked about their work at home. As a child he would build models of computers from packaging materials. After graduating from Oxford University he went on to the real thing. In the 1980s scientists were already communicating using a primitive version(原始版本） of e-mail. While working at a laboratory in Switzerland, Tim Berners-Lee wrote a programme, which let him store these messages. This gave him another idea:write a programme that will let academics(學(xué)術(shù)界人士） from across the world share information on a single place. In 1990 he wrote the HTTP(服務(wù)程序所用的協(xié)議） and HTML(超文本鏈接標(biāo)示語言） programmes which formed the basis of the World Wide Web.

　　The next year his programmes were placed on to the Internet. Everyone was welcome to use them and improve them if they could. Programmers used his codes to work with different operating  systems. New things like web browers and search engines were developed. Between 1991 and 1994 the number of web pages rose from 10 to 100 000.

　　In 1994 Tim Berners-Lee formed the newly formed World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C. More than 200 leading companies and laboratories are represented by W3C. Together they make sure that everyone can share equally on the web. “The web can help people to understand the way that others live and love. It helps us understand the humanity of people,” he says.

　　4.(★★★★★)The main idea of this passage is ________.

　　A.when the Internet came into being   B.how Tim Berbers-Lee formed W3C

　　C.why computers develop so rapidly   D.how the World Wide Web started

　　E

　　Reducing the use of cars during rush traffic hours will make the environment more livable.Unfortunately,our present living and working environments encourage the use of cars.But,the car is taking us down the road in lower-quality air.The exhaust(廢氣) from cars:

　　—damaging the earth’s protective ozone layer and helping to cause the global warming;

　　—causes as much as 50% of the smog-producing compounds and chemical rain in our atmosphere;

　　—causes 60% of the carbon monoxide in our atmosphere.

　　When you consider that the average person breathes in 9 000 quarts of air a day,you realize how important clean air is to human being.

　　The government has spent billions of dollars to control car pollution.Yet,some big cities are still in violation(侵害) of public health standards that protect people from breathing poisonous air.The health care costs related to unclean air are huge.

　　The traditional way of cleaning up what comes out of tailpipes has not done the job of getting rid of automobile emissions(散發(fā)物).Yet today’s cars produces far less pollution than models from the 1960’s.But there are now almost 51 million more cars on the road than there were in 1960,and drivers are traveling many more miles.As a result,cars are still the single largest source of city pollution today.

　　If we are going to achieve clean air,we need to discourage car use by individuals,especially during rush driving hours.

　　At the same time we reduce car use,we must also improve our public transportation system.If going to and from work by public transportation was convenient and cheap,people would use the system instead of using cars to drive to work.

　　Yes,it will cost money to improve our public transportation system.But we now spend billions each year in controlling car emissions without much success.Giving some of that money to public transportation would be a small price to pay for cleanest air.

　　Unless we do something to reduce car use and get people to use public transportation,our love affair with the car will be the death of our environment.

　　5.(★★★★★)What is the main idea of the passage?

　　A.Car use needs to be discouraged.

　　B.Clean air is only possible if we reduce car use during rush hours.

　　C.Car use is causing problems with the ozone layer creating poisonous gases.

　　D.The government spends billions of dollars controlling the pollution coming from cars.

　　F

　　After 78 years in the UK,the Dutch clothing retailer (零售商) has closed shop for the last time.But C & A is not alone.In the past week the best known names on British high streets-Marks & Spencer,Boots and littlewoods—have announced some of their worst ever trading figures.

　　The downturn is not a case of belt tightening.Although there are fears of a recession(衰退),UK consumer (消費者) spending has set new records in the past year.Experts say the sudden fall is the result of a revolution that is changing almost every side of British lives.

　　Mr.and Mrs.UK Average are throwing out the everyday and trading up to the finer things in life.Consumers are declaring an end to all things ordinary.The good taste revolution has swept the country with remarkable speed.Sales of once popular fashions (時髦) are dropping quickly.Just three years ago Marks & Spencer was the UK’s favorite.People now consider the fashions “ordinary”.

　　Yet just 100 yards (91 metres) from the empty aisles (通道) in London’s Oxford Street,the story is different.Burberry enjoyed a 35 per cent increase in sales income in the last three months of last year.Gucci saw its sales rise 25 per cent.Armani reported 20 per cent growth.Demand for the logo-print(商標(biāo)) at Louis Vuitton cannot be satisfied immediately.And growth is not only limited to the wealthy Southeast.

　　Experts say Britain has moved from a “good enough” culture to “good taste”culture.Almost everywhere you look—from clothes,to food and drink,to cars,to home furnishings,to holidays—Britons are buying into a life less ordinary.

　　Rising wealth is driving the revolution.New research shows that the average UK household（family） is 40 per cent better off than in 1986.“In the past only those with money and time on their hands were able to devote energy to the search for tasteful living,”says Martin Harward,a director at the Henley Center.“But as incomes rise and free time increases,the privileged(wealthy) many are living higher.More middle-class consumers are developing a sense of their own self-image  through what they buy.”

　　6.(★★★★★)What is the most proper title for the  passage?

　　A.Income Increasing in Britain   B.Revolution Changing the World

　　C.Britains Going High Fashion   D.Sales in Britain Going Down

　　G

　　All of us eat every day,but most of us don’t understand nutrition(營養(yǎng)).How much do you know about good nutrition?Are the following statements true or false?

　　1.People who don’t eat meat can stay healthy.

　　True.As long as people eat enough milk,eggs and meat alternates(替代物),they can get enough protein(蛋白質(zhì)).

　　2.Fresh vegetables cooked at home are always more nutritious than canned vegetables.

　　False.The difference depends more on how vegetables are prepared than whether they are fresh or canned.Vegetables cooked in too much water can lose a large quantity of vitamins.

　　3.Food eaten between meals can be just as good for health as food eaten at regular meals.

　　True.Nutritional value depends on what types of food you eat,not when you eat them.Eating an egg or an orange between meals can contribute to a good diet.

　　4.Taking extra vitamins beyond the recommended daily allowances won’t give you more energy.

　　True.It’s widely believed that extra vitamins provide more energy.But taking more than the body needs doesn’t make if function better,just as overfilling your gas tank doesn’t make your car run better.

　　5.Natural vitamins are better supplements(補充) for the diet than synthetic vitamins.

　　False.There is no difference.A vitamin has the same properties(性質(zhì)) and specific chemical structure whether made in a laboratory or taken from plant or animal parts.

　　6.Older people need the same amount of vitamins as younger people.

　　True.Older people need the same quantity of vitamins as younger people although they need fewer calories.Certain illnesses raise the requirements for some vitamins,but that is true for the young as well as the old.

　　7.Food grown in poor soil is lower in vitamins than food grown in rich soil.

　　False.The vitamins in our foods are made by the plants themselves.They don’t come from the soil.However,the minerals in a plant depend on the minerals in the soil.

　　If you have answered these questions correctly,you can say you know much about food and nutrition by today’s standards.But remember that nutrition is growing science and that it may be aged as new information is obtained.

　　7.(★★★★★)The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

　　A.list today’s standards of some food and nutrition

　　B.introduce what should be eaten and what not

　　C.explain what is helpful to your health and what is not

　　D.test our nutrition IQ by judging the problems listed

　　H

　　In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism—the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize information. Instead, they work on their own and find answers themselves. There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.

　　In most Asian societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in these Asian countries reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments(作業(yè)).

　　There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these systems of education. For example, one advantage to the system in Japan is that students there learn much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline(紀(jì)律)and self-control.There is,however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.

　　The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.

　　8.(★★★★★)In this passage the author mainly discusses ________.

　　A.how Western school systems mirror the value of individualism

　　B.the advantages and disadvantages of the two educational systems

　　C.what Asian schools should do to make students more creative

　　D.the differences in culture, religion, etc. between the East and West