Passage 2

　　Sixth-grader Ivory Kelly finished up an English assignment at the blackboard. Then . . . Ping! Ping! He felt his head being hit. The 12-year-old knew just who was attacking him. He spun around and shouted at DeAngela Byrd. DeAngela claimed she was innocent. Then she called Ivory a“guinea pig(豚鼠). ”“Liar!” he yelled back. Their teacher, Linda Mann didn’t send them to the principal. She didn’t even make them stand in the hall. Instead, she sent them to work things out in a small storage room in the school. The room is Glengarry Elementary’s mediation(調(diào)解) center.

　　Mediation in school is a way to solve disputes without having teachers punish students. Kid mediators are trained to listen to classmates accused of misbehaving or fighting. Without taking sides, the mediators help troubled kids come up with their own solutions. It usually takes no more than 15 minutes.

　　At Glengarry, 30 students from third through sixth grades are trained to settle fights. After calmly discussing the attack and name calling with sixth-grade mediators, Michael Reese and Tracie Thacker, Ivory and DeAngela signed a pledge “not to mess with each other. ”

　　Many U. S. elementary schools are starting to give kids more responsibility for discipline. In the past 10 years’ one-tenth of the nation’s 86,000 public schools have staffed programs to resolve conflicts, mostly in middle or high schools. But educators want to begin more mediation programs sooner. They say elementary-age kids are even better at talking about their feelings and deciding on a fair solution than older kids are! When a teacher or principal is not involved, “kids talk more freely,” says Glengarry Principal Loraine Johnson.

　　So far, mediation seems to work well. In one survey of 115 Ohio elementary schools with mediation programs’ two out of three noted a decrease in fights, and more than half said fewer kids were being sent to the principal’s office. In New Mexico, reports of bad behavior in elementary schools have dropped 85% since mediation programs began.

　　Glengarry mediator David Townlye , 11, says the method really works and not just in school. He used his new skills to help end a long-running battle between his grandmother and mother. “My grandmother thought my mother kept spending too much on flowers she planted outside our house,” said David. “I let both of them talk. Finally, my mother agreed not to spend so much. ”

　　26. What do the kid mediators do in the center?

　　A. They provide a solution for the kids who fight.

　　B. They each defend a kid involved in the conflict.

　　C. They listen to the kids talking about their disputes.

　　D. They pick the punishment for the kids who misbehave.

　　27. Which is NOT mentioned as a possible way for teachers to solve disputes according to the passage?

　　A. Talking to the kids themselves.

　　B. Sending the kids to the principal.

　　C. Making the kids stand in the hall.

　　D. Sending the kids to the mediation center.

　　28. What is one of the reasons that many schools have set up mediation programs according to the passage?

　　A. There is not enough staff to settle kid disputes.

　　B. Schools want kids to be more responsible for discipline.

　　C. Mediation skills are vital to kids in their later development.

　　D. Kids enjoy listening to classmates who are accused of misbehaving.

　　29. The survey of schools in Ohio that participated in mediation programs ______________ .

　　A. indicates that teachers need to be mediators

　　B. proves that mediation can stop all school violence

　　C. reports that the programs are also effective at homes

　　D. shows some schools have a decrease in bad behavior

　　30. What can you infer from the passage?

　　A. Kids love working as mediators.

　　B. Kids are better mediators than teachers.

　　C. Not all kids become mediators at schools.

　　D. School principals don’t have to deal with students’ disputes.

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