Unit 1Education where you livePeter Graham: Last class, I asked you to think about how you would improve the overall quality of our education. I've invited two foreign students to share their views with us today. Yoon-Hee, Pak is from Seoul, Korea, and Gordon Pickering is, from Canberra, Australia. They'll each talk about how they think the quality of education where they live could be improved. Yoon-Hee, would you like to start first?Yoon-Hee: Sure. I think instead of being institutions that foster critical thinking and address the real-world needs of students, many of today's schools are more like" information factories"--- places where we memorize as much data as we can (most of which we later forget) so that we can "pass a test." In my country, for example, one's future --- from the major you will study to the job you will eventually get---often depends on whether or not you pass the test to get into a good college. Families spend en9ormous amounts of money to send their kids to cram schools to help them prepare for and pass the university entrance exam. Your education becomes focused on this one single goal: passing the test.In my opinion, if we want to talk about improving the quality of education of all, the first thing we should do is to place less emphasis on rote memorization and test-taking in our schools and more emphasis on developing critical thinking and important life skills. Classes in all grades should feature more hands-on, practical learning. Let's take one example. We've all studied science from a book. But students can also learn about it by going on field trips and spending time in nature, or volunteering at a local wildlife preserve. "Learning by doing" is a great way to develop practical skills and to apply what we've learned in books. Many high school and university graduates often wish they'd had a chance to do more of this kind of learning in school. I wish I had!We also need to understand that being educated is about more than studying science, math, and languages. Of course these subjects are important. But so are painting and music. And what about learning how to cook, plant a garden, and make your own clothes? Mahatma Gandhi himself believed that these skills were just as important as science and math and belonged in every school curriculum. I couldn't agree more.Peter Graham: Thank you. Yoon-Hee. Now let's listen to what Gordon from Australia has to say.Gordon: Well, here is my response to Yoon-Hee's comments. First off, I would say that I agree with her that schools should be places that cultivate critical thinking and prepare students to meet the challenges they will face in the real world.On a philosophical level, I also think that it would be great if our classrooms featured more hands-on learning. But we have to be realistic, too. Many private and public schools in Australia and around the world have a minimum of forty students in a classroom. Yoon-Hee talks about spending time in nature rather than learning science from a book. It's a lovely idea, and in a perfect world, classroom ratio would be ten students for every one teacher. But with forty or more students, how can a teacher make sure the students are learning, and not just goofing off while they're "out in nature" or volunteering somewhere?Yoon-Hee also mentioned that schools should spend less time on drills and tests. In my opinion, students need to spend more time on drilling and memorizing certain information. I say this because in a recent National Geographic study, only about 25% of the 18-24-year-olds interviewed from around the world were able to identify countries such as Israel and Iran correctly on a map! An alarming number of high school graduates today can't do basic math or write a coherent essay. How are people like this supposed to compete in the job market?I guess the question for me is why do we go to school? And I think we do so to master academic skills in core areas such as reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Schools in Australia need to be doing more to make sure that all students are graduating with a solid foundation in these subjects if it means more drills and tests, well then, so be it.Unit 2Diana is organized and reliable. She turns in her homework on time and says she's good about checking in with her parents while she's out with friends."I keep my grades up and I'm responsible for getting things done," says Diana, 15.It would come as no surprise to many experts that Diana is the oldest child in her family. Some psychologists believe that your place in the family can shape your personality, influencing whether you are responsible, a risk-taker, or ridiculously funny."Oldest children are usually responsible," says Frank J. Sulloway, research scholar and author of Born to Rebel, a book on the significance of birth order."Firstborns are more likely to serve as parents,"Sulloway says. "As a result, firstborns tend to be more conscientious." Firs。