閱讀理解
If it takes Kate twenty seconds to add 12 and 26, while Terry can do the sum in a quarter the time on his pocket calculator, how much better grades will Terry get than Kate in the math exam?
Pocket calculators are as cheap to buy as a pair of shoes, and as necessary to thousands of school children as a pencil and eraser．Schools have tried to limit their use by allowing them in science lessons to save time but by not allowing them to be used in math classes．When children do their homework, a pocket calculator is a must．Nowadays in Britain, calculators can be used freely in school examinations and already in many schools．The only sound to be heard during a mathematics examination is the sound of children tapping out their answers．
Many parents feel that their children are not being given a basic understanding of the facts of math．“The process of addition, division, subtraction and multiplication is part of training in logic which is important for every child．It teaches them to take series of steps necessary in coming to a conclusion”, says local math teacher．“With a calculator, the child can reach the right answer, but have no idea at all how he get there．”Another teacher in the same school disagreed．“Of course the children understand the principles behind what they do on the calculators．It makes no difference to the mental processes they go through, except to make them much faster and less boring．”“It’s far easier to teach them to grasp the idea of division and multiplication by making them understand which button then need to push than to talk about apples being cut in pieces,”said another teacher, who uses the calculators to keep the interest of his class．
In any case, the pocket calculator is here to stay；it’s taking the strain(過度疲勞)out of mental arithmetic in all sorts of ways…
