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Rowena and Billy Wrangler are model high school students. They study hard and do extremely well on achievement tests. And next year, Rowena will be attending Harvard University. Billy, her younger brother, hopes to go to Com ell. What makes Rowena and Billy different from most students is that they don't go to school. In fact, they've never been to school. Since kindergarten, they've studied at home. Neither Rowena nor Billy feels as if they've missed out on anything by being taught at home. Like many of more than one million people who receive home schooling in the United States, they feel as if they've gotten a good education.
The home-schooling trend began in the U.S. in the 1980s with parents keeping their children out of public schools so they could provide religious education at home. Today, as the home-schooling trend continues to grow, parents are more likely to consider home schooling as an option because they believe schools don't do a very good job of teaching and are occasionally dangerous places. But can parents really do a better job?
The answer in many cases is yes. In many studies, students taught at home ranked average or above average when compared to students who went to public schools. More importantly, these students were often more self-directed and have a greater depth of knowledge. "They are very well prepared for academic challenges," says Patricia Riordan, the dean of admissions at George Mason
University.
One such student, Robert Conrad, now a sophomore at university, claims he really learned how to study and schedule his time during his eight years of home schooling. Still, not every student is as successful as Robert.
"For every home-schooling success story, there are an equal number of failures," states Henry Lipscomb, an educational researcher. "There are just so many disadvantages that students taught at home have to overcome. " For example, they have fewer chances to interact with others of their own age. Consequently, they sometimes lack the usual social skills. "No matter what, though," states Lipscomb, "home-schooling is a growing trend. I think we'll be seeing more and more of this. "
26. Compared with other students, the most different thing Rowena and Billy do is that________
A. they study hard
B . they do extremely well on achievement tests
C . they never go to school
D . they feel they have gotten a good education
27. At first in the 1980s parents gave home-schooling to children for________
A. better education
B . religious education
C . safety
D . all the above
28. According to the article, what is NOT the advantage of being educated at home?
A. Home is a safer place for children.
B . Students taught at home are more self-directed.
C . Students taught at home have a greater depth of knowledge.
D . Students taught at home can go to good universities.
29. The Walter thinks
A.parents can do a better job than schools
B . home-schooling will be more and more useful
C . students taught at home make greater achievements
D . home-schooling is good in some aspects
30. The best title of this text might be________
A. Home-schooling: A Growing Trend
B . Home-schooling: A Better Choice
C . Home-schooling: A Way to Success
D . Home-schooling: A New Method of Education
