第5章 Lesson 5 Cursive Writing
When we think of a generation gap, we usually think of conflicting tastes in music or pastimes. However, in recent years, the gap has been widening in terms of handwriting. It has been found that many students nowadays can't read cursive writing. Many teachers think that it should once again be taught in schools because it is as one journalist describes it "a link to our human heritage".
Opponents to bringing cursive writing back to the school system say that it is obsolete in the modern world and that typed words are now the primary form of communication. Not only is cursive writing not used by the vast majority of people, many people argue that the time it would take to teach it could be put to better use, such as teaching the technical skills that students need in order to excel in a increasingly technological world.
On the other hand, even in today's world, there are reasons to pick up a pen and put it to paper. Many American institutions still require original signatures, for example. And original signatures are much more difficult to forge than their digital counterparts. There is also strong evidence that writing by hand is good for the mind. It activates a different part of the brain, and helps develop fine motor skills in children. The process of handwriting has also been shown to stimulate ideas. Studies have also shown that students who do cursive writing learn to read and spell earlier than those who don't. Furthermore, handwriting is aesthetically pleasing. People don't tend to type love letters. Calligraphy also remains popular as an art form.
I. Word List
conflicting: opposite
heritage: culture, history
forge: to copy illegally
excel: to do very well
aesthetically: visually
II. Answer the following questions.
1. Why do some people think that learning cursive writing isn't useful nowadays?
___________________________________________________________.
2. Why do some people think cursive writing is still important to learn?
___________________________________________________________.
3. What advantages does cursive writing have over typing?
___________________________________________________________.
4. Do you think cursive writing is useful to learn? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________.
5. Do you know cursive writing? If not, would you like to learn it?
___________________________________________________________.
III. What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the reading.
1. a difference in something - g _ _
2. main, most common - p _ _ _ _ _ _
3. companies, schools, - i _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. to help things happen - s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. when many people like something - p _ _ _ _ _ _
IV. True, False, or Not Given—Read these sentences carefully.Write T (true), F (false), or NG (not given) for each.
___ 1. Cursive writing is more popular than ever today.
___ 2. Most people think cursive writing looks better than typing.
___ 3. Cursive writing is better for the brain than typing.
___ 4. Cursive writing used to be more common than it is now.
___ 5. Cursive writing is more difficult to do than typing.