大学英语综合教程 第一册 unit 8b

[00:00.00]benefit/  in the first place/  proceed/  competent
[00:04.00]利益/首先/继续进行/有能力
[00:07.99]essential/  concentrate on/ solve/   efective
[00:12.21]必要的/集中/解决/有效的
[00:16.43]confuse/ what if/  focus/  at hand
[00:20.75]使困惑/如果…怎么样/集中注意力/在手边
[00:25.08]claim/  contribute/ ultimate
[00:31.11]Do you think the use of calculators inleapning math is a good idea?
[00:37.15]If you do,perhaps this artic will change your mind.
[00:41.98]DITCH THE CALCULATOR    by Diane Hunsaker
[00:47.83]I sigh inwardly as I watch yet anotber student,this one a ninth grader
[00:49.45]struggle with an advanced math problem that requires simple multiplication.
[00:57.39]He mentally battles with5×6×6
[01:02.25]looks longly at the off-limits calcu-lator on the corner of my desk and fina1y guesses the answer:35
[01:13.09]The rowth in the use of calculators in the classroom amazes me.
[01:18.45]The students I tutor tell me regularly
[01:22.60]that their teachers allow unlimited access to this tool
[01:28.22]The National Coulcil of Teachers 0f Mathematics actiVely encourages its use．
[01:35.37]Recently I attended a math seminar
[01:38.93]where the instructor casually stated that teachers were no longer reluctant
[01:45.82]to permit calculators in the classroom
[01:49.30]Now "everyone" agrees on their importance,she said
[01:55.23](1) The more I hear from the education esablishment
[01:59.77]about the benefits of these devices in schools,the 1ess surprised I am
[02:05.70]when  midle and  high-school students
[02:09.46]who have difficulty with arithmetic call for toring in algebra and geometry
[02:15.50]Having worked six years as an electrical engineer before switching to teaching
[02:22.50]I often suggest to my students that they consider technical and scientific careers
[02:29.63]but I'm d1iscouraged when I see an increasing number of kids
[02:35.56]who lack simple math skills．
[02:38.80]Educators have many arguments in defense of calculators,
[02:44.68]but each one ignores the reason that we teach math in the first place
[02:50.55]Math trains the mind.
[02:53.87]By this I mean that students learn to think logically and rationally
[02:59.23]to proceed from known information to desired information
[03:04.82]and to become competent with both numbers and ideas
[03:09.57]These skills are something that math and science teach
[03:15.11]and are essential for adolescents to become thinking
[03:19.68]intelligent members of society.
[03:23.34]Some teachers argue that calculators let students concentrate on
[03:30.08]how to solve problems instead of getting tied up with tedious computations
[03:37.23](2) Having a calculator doesn't make it any easier
[03:42.07]for a student tn decide how to attack a math nrohlem
[03:46.74]Rather,it only encourage him to try every combination of addition, subtraction
[03:54.48]Multiplication or division
[03:58.29]without any thought about which would be more appropriate
[04:02.65]Some of my elementary-school children look at a word problem
[04:08.84]and instantly guess that adding is the correct approach
[04:13.60]When I suggest that they solve the problem this way without a calculator,
[04:20.81]they usually pause and think before continuing
[04:24.65]A student is much more likely to cut down his work by reflecting on the problem first
[04:33.87]if he doesn't have a calculator in his hand.
[04:39.59]Learning effective methods for approaching confusing problems
[04:45.91]is essential,not just for math but for life.
[04:50.06]A middle-school teacher once said to me,
[04:55.63]"So what if a student can't do long division?
[04:59.39]Give him a calculator,and he'll be fine."
[05:03.05]I doubt it.I don't know when learning by heart and repetitious problem
[05:10.99]solving fell to Such a low priority in education circles
[05:15.85]How could we possibly communicate with each other,much less create new ideas
[05:24.39]without the immense store of information in our brains?