So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.
【小题1】The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that .A．it is one of the most difficult school coursesB．students spend endless hours in readingC．reading tasks are assigned with little guidanceD．too much time is spent in teaching about reading【小题2】The teaching of reading will be successful if .A．teachers can improve conditions at school for the studentsB．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of readingC．teachers can devise the most efficient system for readingD．teachers can make their teaching activities observable【小题3】The underlined word“ scrutiny” most probably means“ ”.A．inquiryB．observationC．controlD．suspicion【小题4】According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when .A．children bee highly motivatedB．teacher and learner roles are interchangeableC．teaching helps children in the search for knowledgeD．reading enriches children’s experience【小题5】The main idea of the passage is that .A．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to readB．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possibleC．reading ability is something acquired rather than taughtD．reading is more plicated that generally believedD
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(答案→)D
解析：文章谈论的是一个教育问题。现在的教学中，大量的时间被用于教学生如何阅读。然而，阅读能力并不是通过老师讲授给学生的，而是学生自己通过努力习得的。
【小题1】国家第一段“It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading.”可知，太多的时间被用于教学生如何阅读，故选D。
【小题2】国家最后一段“Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.”可知，教师只是起到一个创设情境的作用，如何学会阅读，需要学生自己探索适合自己的方法，故选B。
【小题3】国家第二和第三段“Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed. ...Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.”可知，教学是一个公开的活动，而学习则属于私人活动，它在一个人的内心进行，学习的过程不是公开的，因此不能被观察，故选B。
【小题4】国家最后一段“When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated.”可知，教师应该创造情境来激发学生的动力，这样做的话，学生会很容易掌握阅读技巧。故选A。
【小题5】国家第一段“they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves ...reading cannot be taught directly”和最后一段“Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.”可知，阅读能力不是教会的，而是学生自己通过努力习得的，故选C。