Homework 回家功课大论战
Just when is enough?
功课到底要做到什麽时候？
October 17
PRO
Experts have spent years poring over surveys and compiling data, trying to come up with conclusive evidence as to whether homework is good or bad. It seems every few years the opinion swings from one extreme to the other. However, the debate on the value of homework is not as subjective as we may be led to believe.
Consider the objective results of a study by Professor Harris Cooper of Duke University. He found "a typical homework-completing high school student . . . will outperform students who do not do homework by 69 percent on standardized tests."
The benefits
Homework has many pluses. Apart from helping students do better on tests, homework helps students review and practice what has been taught in class. Homework helps improve retention and understanding; furthermore, it helps students hone their time management and organizational skills. Homework also acts as a gauge for teachers to determine students' comprehension. Some say the most important aspect of homework is that it trains students to learn outside of school.
To be sure, homework shouldn't just be "busy work.? To maximize its full potential, homework should be purposeful and appropriate to a student's ability, and it should involve the student's parents in some way.

赞成
    多年来，专家详读调查报告及汇整资料，意图找出真凭实据以判定回家功课究竟是好是坏。似乎每隔几年，各方观感就会从一个极端摆荡到另一个极端。不过，针对回家功课是否有益的争辩并不如我们以为的那麽主观。
    看看「杜克大学」哈里斯?库柏教授的一项研究取得的客观结果吧。他发现「向来习於完成回家功课的高中生…在标准化测验的表现会比不做回家功课的学生胜出百分之六十九。」
益处
    回家功课带来许多好处。除了协助学生考试得到佳绩，也可以帮他们复习与练习上课所学，回家功课可增进记忆与理解；此外还能磨练学生的时间管理与组织技巧。老师也可以透过回家功课评量学生的课业理解程度。有人说回家功课最重要的一个层面是训练学生在「校外」学习。
    的确，回家功课不该只是「忙碌做功课」。为了发挥回家功课的最大效用，它应该目标明确，而且适合学生能力，也应该让家长多多少少参与其中。

Word Bank
compile (v)汇整（资料）
The government health organization compiled an information booklet about the dangers of smoking.
subjective (adj)主观的
Modern art is very subjective. People find many different meanings in the same painting!
hone (v)磨练；使更臻完美
Even though Walter is a professional, he still spends five hours a day honing his golf skills.
maximize (v)尽量发挥；使…增至最大
To maximize the space in her room, Pam put up four bookshelves along the wall.

Chat Room
Teaching Topic: Homework, Schoolwork and Busy Work 教學主題： 家庭作業非家事
homework：家庭作业
housework：家事，就是不同的household chores，像倒垃圾，洗碗，吸尘等等
school work：学业功课，包括class work在课堂上的作业以及homework家庭作业
busy work：使学生不致于空闲而外加的作业，busy work也可用在办公室，老板让员工维持在一种busy的状态而指示的无意义的工作

---Hi, friends. Welcome to the Chat Room. We're happy to have Vickie here for a chat today. Hi, Vickie.
---Hi, Ken. Hi, everyone. So what is our topic today, Ken?
---Homework. Or should I say schoolwork?
---Eh, good question. Homework is part of schoolwork which also includes work completed during class. Generally schoolwork is very similar to homework. It is usually up to the teacher to decide when assignments are to be completed. And often work that is not finished during class will be assigned as homework.
---So schoolwork includes classwork and homework?
---That's correct.
---And I think we should point out that homework and housework are very different.
---Right you are. They are completely different. When we say housework, we are referring to tasks such as cleaning and cooking, household chores in other words.
---homework是家庭作业，但housework是家事，就是不同的household chores，像倒垃圾，洗碗，吸尘等等，school work是学业功课，school work包括class work在课堂上的作业以及homework家庭作业。Vickie, the lesson also mentions busy work. What's that?
---Well, as the name suggests, busy work is schoolwork given to students to keep them busy. And it's usually dull and doesn't really teach them anything new.
---Can this term be used outside of school?
---Sure, it can. You can have busy work at the workplace. If you feel your assigned duties in the office are useless or unproductive, you might call it busy work.
---busy work字面上的意思是忙碌的工作，指的就是使学生不致于空闲而外加的作业，busy work也可用在办公室，老板让员工维持在一种busy的状态而指示的无意义的工作就是busy work也就是到头来会让你觉得白忙一场
---Let's go to Michelle now to see what she has for us today.

compile (v)汇整（资料）
汇集，收集
We spent a lot of time compiling the facts and statistics for our final report.
我们为了期末报告花了很多时间收集事实与统计数字。
编辑
Our accounting department is compiling the budget for next year.
我们的会计部门正在编列明年的预算。

subjective (adj)主观的
The evaluation of the employee's performance is sometimes very subjective.
对职员工作表现的评量有时候是非常主观的。
反义字：objective
The report was proven to be objective and impartial.
这份报告后来证明确实是客观的，没有偏颇的。

maximize (v)尽量发挥；使…增至最大
The company shut down some less profitable stores to maximize their profit.
公司削减一些比较不赚钱的店面来增加利润。
充分利用
Helen made a great impression on her supervisor by maximizing the opportunities given her during her internship.
Helen充分利用这次实习的机会让上司对他留下很好的印象。

October 18
CON
Unfair
One of the more compelling arguments against homework finds its origins in economics. For a variety of different reasons, underprivileged home environments simply aren't conducive to doing schoolwork, which means poorer students are at a learning disadvantage. Even before a new school year begins, they're already behind! To remedy this, some have called for the school day to be extended, with supervised study time for all students to complete work at school. That way, everyone would have the same opportunity to succeed.
"A sin against childhood"
Homework stresses out students, and it also puts a strain on families. One hundred years ago, the California legislature in the U.S. got involved in helping to abolish homework up to the eighth grade. It may seem severe, but there are a lot of exasperated families who would love to go back to that time. One mother relates, "I walk in from work at 6 p.m. and have to spend the next three hours drilling my 6-year-old daughter through her homework. We have no quality time."
Without exaggeration, homework denies students significant amounts of leisure time with their families, not to mention time for other activities that teach important lifeskills.
Now, what's your viewpoint?

反对
不公平
    反对回家功课有个比较有力的论点，其立论基础在於经济层面。基於诸多原因，弱势家庭的环境根本不利於学生做功课，也就是说贫困学生身处不利的学习态势。新学年还没开始，他们就已经落後别人了！为了导正这个情况，有人主张上学时间应该延长，提供课业辅导时间，让所有学生都能在「校内」做完功课。这麽一来，大家才会有同等的成功机会。
「剥夺童年时光」
回家功课让学生承受许多压力，也徒增家庭负担。一百年前，美国加州立法机关投身协助废除一到八年级学生的回家功课。这样的做法看来也许严苛，但现今许多气急败坏的家庭一定很想回到过去那段时光。有个母亲说：「我晚上六点下班回家，接着要花三个小时带我六岁的女儿做功课，根本没时间好好相处。」
    持平而论，回家功课大大剥夺学生与家人相处的休闲时光，更别提参与其他活动，学习重要的生活技能了。
    那麽你的看法如何？

Word Bank
compelling (adj)强而有力的；令人折服的
Charlie's reason for being late to work wasn't very compelling.
conducive (adj)有益的
Watching horror movies late at night is not very conducive to having a good sleep.
abolish (v)废除
All the employees complained after the boss abolished the traditional afternoon tea break.
exasperated (pp)被激怒的；恼怒的
Anson became exasperated with his computer when it crashed right before the sales meeting!

Chat Room
Teaching Topic: Calling Without a Phone 教學主題：不用電話的Call
call for：要求，需要，如Mountain biking calls for strong legs and good balance. 骑登山脚踏车必须要有强壮的双腿以及好的平衡感。
call on someone：造访某人
gentleman caller：追求者，男朋友

---Hi, friends. Welcome to the Chat Room. I'm Ken.
---And I'm Vickie. And our topic today is about Homework.
---Vickie, our lesson mentions that poorer students are at a learning disadvantage. And some have called to extend the school day. So those people just called up the school?
---Mm, be careful, Ken. Look closely at what it says: Some have called for the school day to be extended. Notice they didn't call anyone. They called for something.
---Oh, so to call for something is not making a phone call.
---No. When you call for something, you demand it or require it. For example, a particular situation may call for immediate action. And that simply means it requires immediate action.
---So in the lesson, some people are demanding that the school day be extented.
---That's right.
---call这个字有诸多的含义，它可以表示打电话，但是用在片语call for表示要求，需要，课文中提到Some have called for the school day to be extended. 有些人要求上课的时间应该要延长。可以再举一个例子Mountain biking calls for strong legs and good balance. 骑登山脚踏车必须要有强壮的双腿以及好的平衡感。What about call on instead of call for? What does that mean?
---Well, when you call on someone, you make a request for help or information. For example, you might call on someone for assistance or call on someone to support you. Another meaning of calling on someone is to visit the person.
---So if I say I'll call on you tomorrow, then I'll be visiting you tomorrow?
---That's correct.
---What about a gentleman caller? What's that?
---Well, a gentleman caller is another name for a boyfriend. And the idea comes from a suitor who calls or visits his romantic interest.
---call on someone就是造访某人，gentleman caller字面上的意思是来造访的绅士，指的就是一个追求者，现在一般就是指男朋友。

compelling (adj)强而有力的；令人折服的
The most compelling evidence in this case is the defendant's DNA report.
这个案子中被告的DNA报告是最有力的证据。
I don't have any compelling reasons to reject his offer.
我没有任何令人信服的理由可以拒绝他所提出来的条件。

conducive (adj)有益的
有助于某件事的，导致于某个后果的；说明有助于哪件事，导致于哪个后果用to
Such a stressful working environment is not conducive to your health.
这么大压力的工作环境对你的健康不利。
A happy family live is conducive to children's learning.
快乐的家庭生活有助于儿童的学习。

exasperated (pp)被激怒的；恼怒的
The exasperated customer insists on suing the store.
这个被激怒的顾客坚持要告这家店。
exasperating：使人生气的，使人恼怒的
He's so exasperating that I refuse to listen to him.
他真是把我惹火了，我拒绝听他讲话。