Many people in the UK have poor mathematical skills. Dr.Richard Pike, a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said that mathematics questions in entrance tests to British universities were much too simple.
About two thirds of British universities now offer special courses in mathematics to new students. The courses are necessary because new students do not know enough mathematics when they leave high school. A university teacher said that there was a serious risk that there would not be enough scientists and engineers coming out of British universities in the future.
New university students are bad at mathematics. So are a lot of other people in Britain. A survey found that 7 million people in England were bad at mathematics. It is necessary to help people improve their math skills, which are important in lots of ways.
One problem is that many students do not want to study math because they think it is a difficult subject. They want to have high grades in their A levels. High A level grades are necessary in order to go to university. This is one reason why students do not choose to study mathematics at A level. Sometimes schools also prefer students to study easier subjects instead of mathematics. A school will have a better reputation if more students pass A level exams.
Another problem is that some educated people think mathematics is not important. They think it is not a creative subject. This way of thinking is very dangerous. When people do not understand mathematics, they are not able to make proper judgments about important questions. Nowadays, a lot of people use the Internet to find the answers to scientific questions. But they don’t understand science. They cannot judge the value of the information which they find. People will become very ignorant if they don’t study mathematics and science.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?| A．Mathematics problems in the UK. | B．Simple exams for British students. |
| C．Unscientific course structure in the UK. | D．Problems for British high school students. |
| A．students hope to learn more about mathematic skills |
| B．students’ parents want them to continue math study |
| C．students do not learn enough mathematics in high school |
| D．students are expected to become scientists or engineers |
| A．students think mathematics is not important |
| B．schools ask all students to pass A level exams |
| C．schools encourage students to study mathematics |
| D．students are afraid to study mathematics at A level |
| A．They can’t make any achievements in some creative work. |
| B．They can’t make correct decisions on some important issues. |
| C．They can properly use the Internet to look for information. |
| D．They can gain the respect of students who are bad at math. |
