Children often complain that too much homework is bad for them—and now scientists have proved it. Homework should take just 60 minutes for pupils to benefit most and results drop if it takes longer than 90 minutes, a new study has revealed.

For teens to learn the most and get good marks, teachers do not need to set piles of work, but to assign it regularly. And on no account should students be helped with it, according to the study by University of Oviedo, Spain. It found pupils spent on average between one and two hours a day doing homework in all subjects. Pupils whose teacher systematically assigned homework scored nearly 50 points higher on the standardized test, while pupils who did their maths homework on their own scored 54 points higher than those who asked for frequent or constant help. The results were similar in science.

Dr Suarez-Alvarez said: “Our data indicate that it is not necessary to assign huge quantities of homework, but it is important that assignment is systematic and regular, with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-regulated learning. The data suggest that spending 60 minutes a day doing homework is a reasonable and effective time.”

Students’ maths and science results began to decline when teachers assigned 90-100 minutes of homework per day. And while they found a small gain in results between 70 and 90 minutes, it required two hours more homework a week. “For that reason, assigning more than 70 minutes of homework per day does not seem very efficient,” Dr Suarez-Alvarez said. “The conclusion is that when it comes to homework, how is more important than how much. Once individual effort and autonomous working is considered, the time spent becomes irrelevant.”

The study, published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Educational Psychology, questioned 7,725 Spanish state and private school pupils of an average age of nearly 14, with an almost equal gender division.

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1.How much time of homework benefits the pupils most?

A 90 minutes.

B 60 minutes.

C 90-100 minutes.

D 70 minutes.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第一段的“Homework should take just 60 minutes for pupils to benefit most”可知，六十分钟的作业对于学生来说效果最 好。故选 B。

2.How much time of homework benefits the pupils most?

A They do large quantities of homework.

B They finish homework correctly with help.

C They are given systematical and regular homework.

D They get frequent or constant help in their homework.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据文章第二段的“teachers do not need to set piles of work, but to assign it regularly” 和 “Pupils whose teacher systematically assigned homework scored nearly 50 points higher on the standardized test”以及第三段的“but it is important that assignment is systematic and regular”可知，有规律系统地给学生布置作业对他 们是最有好处的。故选 C。

3.What does Suarez-Alvarez conclude from the study?

A The amount of homework assigned is important.

B The amount of time spent on homework makes no difference.

C The way to give assignments is more important than the amount.

D Independent learning has nothing to do with efficiency.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第四段的“For that reason, assigning more than 70 minutes of homework per day does not seem very efficient,”以 及 “The conclusion is that when it comes to homework, how is more important than how much” 可知，该研究的结论是，布置作业的方式比作业 量更重要。故选 C。

4.Which column in the newspaper is the text selected from?

A Campus Life Section.

B Classified Advertising.

C News at Home.

D Educational Research Column.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了 小学生做作业时长与学习益处的关系，应该是教 育研究类。故选 D。

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A Research Proves Too Much Homework Is Bad for Pupils.

B Teachers Are Advised to Give Assignments Reasonably.

C Never Give Help to Children Doing Their Assignments.

D 60 Minutes of Homework Per Day Benefits Pupils Most.

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了多长时间的作业对学生最好的分析研究。故选D。