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Unit 1

1. What were the author and his wife doing in Nanjing in the spring of 1987？

They were studying arts education in Chinese kindergartens and elementary schools in Nanjing.

2. What was their son Benjamin fond of doing during their stay at the Jinling Hotel?

Their 18-month-old son Benjamin was fond of trying to place the key into the slot of the key box during their stay at the Jinling Hotel.

3. How would Chinese staff members of the hotel respond to Benjamin's attempt to place the key into the slot?

They would come over to watch Benjami, and then try to teach him how to do it properly.

4. Why did the author decide to work the key-slot anecdote into his discussions with Chinese educators?

Because he realized that this anecdote was directly relevant to their assigned tasks in China: to investigate early childhood education and to throw light on Chinese attitudes toward creativity.

5. What did his Chinese colleagues think of the key-slot incident?

Most of them displayed the same attitude as the staff at the Jinling Hotel.

6. What did the author emphasize in presenting his views about the incident?

He emphasized that the most important thing is to teach the child that one can solve a problem effectively by oneself.

7. What does the author mean by saying this incident was key in more than one sense?

He means that this incident pointed to important

differences in educational and artistic practices between

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China and the USA.

8. In what way does the author associate the key-slot incident with \

The manner in which the Chinese staff saw the need to teach the child by guiding his hand is characteristic of a broader attitude to education, one that stands in contrast to the Western preference for leaving the child to explore and learn unaided.

9. What examples does the author give to illustrate childhood education in the arts in China?

One example is of children at the age of 5 or 6 painting flowers, fish and animals skillfully and confidently; in a second example, calligraphers 9 and t 0 years old are producing excellent works; and in a third, young artists work on perfecting their: craft for several hours a day.

10. How do Americans and Chinese differ in their attitudes to creativity?

Americans think that unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge, and skills can be picked up later. Chinese think that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired, and there is no hurry to promote creativity.

11. What makes them take different positions on the question of creativity?

This is mainly due to the difference in their way of thinking.

12. What suggestion does the author make about seeking a better approach to fostering skills and creativity?

The author makes the suggestion that we should strike a better balance between the poles of creativity and basic skills.

Unit2

1. What is the Salvation Army? What does a Salvation

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Army bell ringer do?

The Salvation Army is a religious charitable organization. A Salvation Army bell ringer is a volunteer who helps it collect donations.

2. What did the boy ask the writer? What do you think made him raise such a question?

The boy asked him: Are you poor? He did it simply out of confusion and curiosity. Obviously he knew nothing about the Salvation Army bell ringer.

3. How did the writer answer? What does the writer's answer to the boy's question mean?

He said, \others.\

4. Why did the boy's mother scold him?

The boy's mother scolded him because the question was socially inappropriate, especially to a person who looked poor.

5. Is the writer poor or not in terms of material possessions? Give facts to support your conclusion.

H's, economically he is poor. He lives in a small basement apartment. He doesn't even have a color TV. He falls into the lowest income category And so on.

6. Does the writer feel poor? Why or why not?

No, the writer does not feel poor. This is because he has enjoyed good health and creativity which he thinks are much more important than material goods.

7. In what situation does the writer feel out of place?

He feels out of place among people who ate primarily interested in material things.

8. What did the girl tell him before her visit to his basement apartment? And what happened after?

She told him that she was interested in what's on the inside.

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But after he Wok her to his poorly furnished apartment, she changed her mind completely. 9. How ought one to understand such \seemingly abrupt

change in her priorities\

It only shows that to her the most important thing was still material goods rather than what she had claimed before.

10. Can we infer from the essay what role commercials can play in society?

Commercials can put people under pressure to purchase more than is really necessary.

11. Why does the writer say \year I feel wealthiest\

Because December is the time for him to work for the Salvation Army as a bell ringer, which gives him a genuine sense of belonging and brings him happiness in helping others.

12. How has the boy's question affected the writer?

The boy's question has helped the writer realize that, despite his lack of expensive possessions, he is rich in many other ways and should be thankful for that.

Unit4

1. What did the author do three years ago and what is she doing now?

She was a television producer three years ago and now she works as a telecommuter.

2. How does the author work nowadays?

She submits articles and edits them via emails and communicates with colleagues on Internet mailing lists.

3. How does the author manage her daily life?

She could almost do anything on the net: she can order food, and manage her money, love and work.

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