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When Joe Bates was twelve years old, he lost interest in school. He stopped listening in his classes. Some of his teachers began to consider him a problem.
But a few of Joe’s teachers thought that Joe might have lost interest in schoolwork because he already understood it. They proposed that Joe try taking a university class in computer science. Joe did. He was the best student in the class. Later tests showed that his intelligence and knowledge were far greater than most children of his age. He entered university when he was thirteen, about four years earlier than most children. And by the time he was in his early twenties, Joe was teaching computer science at a university.
Joe’s story shows what can happen when a child’s unusual ability is recognized. Sadly, however, not all gifted children get this recognition. And educational experts say unusually gifted children may waste their abilities if they do not get help to develop them.
Studies show that almost twenty percent of students who fail to complete high school in the United States are gifted children.This is because gifted children can have special problems as well as special abilities. Teachers may not recognize their abilities or may not know how to keep them interested. Or they may consider such students to be troublemakers or rebels.
Gifted children may feel lonely or different because they do not know other children who share their interests.
Educators say there are more than two million gifted children in the United States today. But they say fewer than half are taking part in special education programs designed for them.
One of the most successful programs is held every summer at John Hopkins University in the state of Maryland, where Joe Bates went to school. It started in 1980 when educators saw that there must be many children like Joe.
At first, only 100 children took part in it, and now more than 1,000 children between the ages of nine and sixteen are students in the summer program.
The John Hopkins program provides studies in math and science. It also has classes for children with unusual ability in language and writing. The children study the same subject every day for several weeks. It could be biology, or history, or literature. In those few weeks, they learn as much as in a normal nine-month school year.
William Durden, the director says the program succeeds because it permits children to make progress more quickly than in a traditional program. And the children get to meet others like themselves.
49. Joe Bates stopped listening in his classes because __________.
A. he lost interest in school
B. he hated those teachers who considered him a problem
C. he had already understood what he was taught
D. he wanted to take a university class
50. When a child’s unusual ability is recognized, __________.
A. he can do whatever he likes
B. he will no longer be considered to be a troublemaker or rebel
C. he may have more success than most children of his age
D. he will certainly take part in a special education program
51. According to the passage, the most important thing is to __________.
A. recognize and develop gifted children’s unusual abilities
B. design and support special education programs for gifted children
C. help gifted children get to meet others who share their interests
D. encourage gifted children instead of treating them as a problem
52. Many gifted students fail to complete high school in the United States because _________.
A. they take part in traditional education programs
B. their unusual abilities are not recognized
C. their teachers don’t know how to keep them interested in schoolwork
D. they have special problems as well as special abilities.
