Everyone would agree that learning to read involves developing
many skills. What is more controversial is whether learning these skills
depends on the child reaching a certain stage of cognitive development.
This idea is central to the issue of “reading readiness,” or the idea that
reading instruction should begin when a child reaches certain cognitive
or behavioral benchmarks. Consequently, there is often _____ concern
about reading difficulties prior to age 7, due to the belief that general
cognitive maturation will resolve early reading problems.
This belief does not appear to be supported by empirical
longitudinal studies indicating that word recognition skills as early as
first grade can predict how much reading students will do in high school.
The roots of the “reading readiness” concept reach far back into
education history, and perhaps that is why this belief is still prevalent
among teachers today. Some developmental psychologists and teachers
contend that children must attain a concrete operations stage of
cognitive development before they can learn to read successfully, and
this usually occurs around the age of 7.
【題組】48. Choose the best word to fill the blank.
(A) a lot of (B) much
(C) little (D) due