A week before Earth Day, posters【小题1】 (put) up around our school, calling upon us to join in the actions for a greener earth.

Our class came up with the idea【小题2】 (make) better use of used materials. We brought to our classroom worn-out clothes, pieces of cardboard and empty plastic bottles and turned those into dolls, handbags, tissue boxes and small vases. That weekend, we went to a nearby neighbourhood and gave them away to the people there. All were very happy with those 【小题3】 (expect) gifts, especially little kids and elderly people. We did so well that we were invited to share our ideas and experience with all the students of our school.

We are very proud of 【小题4】 (we) and believe we can do more for a better world.

It was a warm and sunny morning at the Central Park Zoo. Abigail and her classmates were buzzing with excitement 【小题1】 their school bus entered the zoo parking lot. Today, Abigail’s class was going on a field trip to the zoo to learn more about the animals and their 【小题2】 (nature) habitats. To make sure no one got lost in the zoo, each student had a buddy. Abigail’s buddy 【小题3】 (name) Derrick. Derrick loved animals and was excited to go to the zoo. But sometimes, Derrick did not follow the rules and got in trouble. Abigail hoped that today, Derrick 【小题4】 (follow) the rules to avoid getting into trouble.

For schools in the New York City, this school year was met by a particular reform issue. It began in June of 2018, when, as part of an effort to fight the enduring problem of segregation(种族隔离), Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his intention 【小题1】the testing requirement should be discontinued for admission to the city’s eight selective “élite” high schools. Then, late last month, the Advisory Group released a report 【小题2】 (suggest) that the city rethink its entire approach 【小题3】identifying and educating high-achieving children. More accurately, it recommended replacing the gifted-and-talented programs with new initiatives 【小题4】 challenge premature children without relying on a test or academic tracking. However, Asian-American parents fearing that the proposed change 【小题5】(disadvantage) their children filed a lawsuit to block it.

Testing holds great attraction 【小题6】 it is neutral, indifferent to a student’s background and wealth. But this is not 【小题7】the current system functions. Success is closely related to socioeconomic advantages and access to test preparation. For example, Asian-American students tend 【小题8】(rate) lower on the most subjective parts of college admissions evaluations.

It’s not clear what the result of the current debate will be. One thing, however, is certain: the competition for places at New York’ chools 【小题9】(drive), in part, by a lack of faith in the quality of education in other parts of the system. Also, it is seen as a conflict between different social groups fighting for a system in which their children are 【小题10】(likely) to be restricted by discrimination.