US high school students learn construction by building homes

江蘇鹽城市射陽縣陳洋中學 馬秀艷

為了培養(yǎng)學生們在建筑領(lǐng)域上的實踐能力，美國高中學校讓學生們動起手來，建造真正的房屋。學生們在這樣的實踐課程中，學會了用石頭、磚、混凝土等材料進行建造，也體會到了建筑的樂趣。

題材文章詞數(shù)科技創(chuàng)新365 難度 ★★★體裁建議用時新聞7′

海詞積累

1.hands-on adj.實踐的

2.masonry n.磚石建筑

3.mortar n.砂漿

4.pier n.橋墩

Many high school students in the United States gethands-ontraining in construction skills by building real houses.

One such program was created for construction and design students in Waterloo,Iowa.The students have already received training in many areas of house construction.They have put up walls,built windows and doors and completed some wiring.

The project is run by the Waterloo Career Center.The center offers students different programs designed to prepare them for careers in technical fields.Students from the Waterloo Community School District recently took part in construction training that centered on the skill ofmasonrywork done with stone,brick or concrete materials.

The students spent five days at their school learning from experienced workers,who taught them how to mixmortarand build walls with bricks and blocks.One of the goals for the students was to build apier—a solid support built to hold vertical pressure.It usually goes out from land and into water.Learning such skills will help the students be able to build their own solid structures later in their careers.

In this kind of hands-on setting,students can learn exactly how much mortar is needed to create a safe wall.The right mortar level for the students'pier project should be about one centimeter.

They started the pier by putting five blocks in place and finished the project by putting bricks and mortar on the outside to complete the look.

As the students worked,they were told to be sure to use a leveling tool to check that the wall stands straight and level. “It's fun...it's something to do,”West High student Nathan Elliott told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.He added that this kind of learning is much better than sitting at a computer.“I like the hands-on stuff,”he said.Other students also said they liked this method of learning,because it got them excited about future careers in construction.

Bringing the program into schools is an important way to find the next generation of workers.It is great having a whole week in here to present masonry to kids.

Reading Check

1.What's the purpose of programs offered by the Waterloo Career Center?(no more than 10 words)

2.What do the students in Waterloo Community School District learn in construction training?（no more than 15 words）_

3.How do the students like the hands-on training?(no more than 8 words)__

Language Study

Important vocabulary

1.put________建造

2.be ________to旨在

3.mix..._______...把……和……混合在一起4.________place在適當?shù)奈恢?/p>