B．make the lessons more exciting

C．raise the students' interest in art

D．teach the students about toy design

答案　A

解析　细节理解题。根据第一段第一句中的"...I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beginning of a term to find out something about my students."可知，作者使用Tinkertoys是为了更多地了解自己的学生。故选A。

26．What do we know about the boy mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．He liked to help his teacher.

B．He preferred to study alone.

C．He was active in class.

D．He was imaginative.

答案　D

解析　推理判断题。根据第三段倒数第二句"Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work."可知，他是一个很有创造力的人。

27．What does the underlined word "downside" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Mistake. B．Drawback.

C．Difficulty. D．Burden.

答案　B

解析　词义猜测题。画线词所在句为段落主题句。结合后面的句子"I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking."可知这里指的是：激励的教育方式也有缺点。drawback缺点，符合语境。

28．Why did the teacher ask the students to talk about their dreams?

A．To help them to see their creativity.

B．To find out about their sleeping habits.

C．To help them to improve their memory.

D．To find out about their ways of thinking.

答案　A

解析　推理判断题。根据最后的对话内容可知，作者让孩子们谈论他们那些富有想象力的梦，是为了帮助他们看到自己的创造力。