It’s no secret that the Japanese are obsessed with education but in addition to the usual reading, writing
and arithmetic some students will soon be tested on their ability to use chopsticks.
Applicants to a private high school for girls in Sasebo in southern Nagasaki Prefecture will be asked to hold and move various small objects including beans and marbles with chopsticks as part of the entrance exam.
"This is simply one factor to assess whether these girls can handle chopsticks correctly, which is really the most basic element in education," said Katushi Hisata, the vice principal of Hisata Gakuen
Girls’ High School.
"It's surprising to see how many children don't know how to hold chopsticks correctly, which is a part of the Japanese culture's beauty," he told AFP by telephone, adding that only 20 percent of elementary students use chopsticks correctly.
The westernization of Japan’s eating habits means that use of the knife and fork is increasingly common, while a growing number of children with
working parents eat alone, leaving them less well versed in chopstick etiquette(礼仪).
The school's vice principal accused celebrities appearing on television food and cookery shows of using chopsticks wrongly.
The school, built in 1902, has space for 40 students in each grade, and has traditional classes in tea ceremony, kimono-fitting, etiquette and cooking as part of the wider curriculum(必修课程).
“We are aware that this kind of exam won't make students jump up and come running to us, because this is unlike normal high schools that advertise success rates of students entering famous universities,” Hisata said.
"But we do know that education is
not only about having brains, but also etiquette," he added.
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Many schools in Japan test the ability to use chopsticks in their entrance exam.
B. only 20 percent of the private high school students can use chopsticks correctly.
C. In the test, students must properly use chopsticks to eat.
D. Besides the usual school subjects, traditional etiquette is emphasized in the school.
2. Which of the following is not related to the fact that most students failed to use chopsticks correctly?
A. Western culture's increasing influence on table manners
B. the lack of family dinners with their parents
C. celebrities’ using chopsticks wrongly on cookery shows
D. The gradual loss of its traditional etiquette.
3. With the words in the last two paragraphs, Hisata means that ___________.
A. this kind of exam will attract more students into their school
B. they will stick to etiquette test as part of the exam after all
C. Japanese education lays a greater emphasis on promotion rate
D. Japanese universities don’t pay attention to etiquette education
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Education reform in Japan B. Chopsticks manners in Japan
C. Japanese students face chopstick test D. Protection of traditional culture
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