All parents have skyhigh hopes for their children.We want them to be confident and content.What can parents do to help their kids grow up to lead happy lives? Experts advise:
1.Helping them find their talents.In order to succeed,children need to feel they’re good at
something.So expose your children to as many interests as possible,then let them choose those they like best.
2.Applauding their achievements. A study found that students whose parents paid attention to
their abilities were far more likely to do well in school-and in life-than students whose parents didn’t show such support.So celebrate your kids’achievements,no matter how small they are.
3.Praising their efforts. Kids won’t always come out on top.Still,they deserve kudos (赞誉) for trying their best.Tenyearold April Cutler,for example,has had trouble with math since second grade.
"She usually gets C’s on her report card,but last year she was determined to get A’s and worked hard at it," says her mom.“When the first grading period ended,April was disappointed when she got a B
minus in math," Lueille continues.“But my husband and I told her we were very proud that she’d
improved.That inspired her to try even harder.She got a B plus for the next period !"
4.Letting them make decisions and mistakes.Making his/her own decisions increases a child’s
sense of control and builds his/her selfesteem (自尊心).And allowing kids to make wrong decisions-so
long as doing so won’t harm them-helps kids learn from their mistakes.
5.Encouraging them to solve their own problems.As they grow,children need practice in
communicating,standing up for themselves and compromising.One of the best places to learn these skills
is at home.So the next time your child runs to you complaining that her brother is blaming her,step back
and let them work it out.
1.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To encourage parents to admire their kids.
B.To show how to praise kids.
C.To help kids study harder.
D.To give advice on how to help kids become mature.
2.The passage is mainly intended for________.
A.kids
B.parents
C.teachers
D.educators
3.From the example of April Cutler,we can learn that________.
A.praising kids’ efforts can help them make greater progress
B.setting a high goal makes kids feel discouraged
C.solving problems by themselves helps kids feel confident
D.interest is the best teacher
4.Why should parents allow kids to make mistakes?
A.Making mistakes is a normal thing for a kid.
B.Adults also make mistakes now and then.
C.Kids can learn something valuable from their mistakes.
D.Making mistakes won’t harm kids.
Between 1993 and 1995,Atul Singhal of the Institute of Child Health and his colleagues researched 299 fullterm newborns,each of whom weighed very little for their age.The babies" moms had decided not to breastfeed (用母乳喂养).
2.________The rest received a formula with more nutrients and 28 percent more protein than the standard formula.The growth of all of these children was compared to that of 175 similarly low birthweight babies whose mothers had chosen to breastfeed their children for their first 9 months.3.________They found 83 babies from the normalformula group,70 babies from the extraformula group,and 95 babies from the breast fed group.4.________According to the latest data,children who had received the extra formula had significantly higher blood pressures than those in the other two groups.
Seven human tests have indeed shown that when infants are overfed before being stopped breastfeeding,they have an increased possibility to become fat as youngsters.
No matter how big a child is at birth,he or she will probably reach the same adult height no matter how quickly the baby grows.But reaching one"s adult size at a slowtomoderate speed may have a lot of benefits,as Singhal says.5.________
B.When they grow up,they might have high blood pressure.
C.These babies have very little energy because they are so small.
D.Six to eight years later,the researchers gave the children a series of measurements and tests.
E.The results were quite surprising.
F.Tiny babies will grow much slower if they are not specially fed.
G.His advice to parents:Be patient.Don"t rush a child"s growth.
Scientists have shown that teens are more active later at night than children and adults,so most
teens areprobably staying up later for whatever reasons.“The researchers measured the presence of the
sleeppromoting hormone (荷尔蒙) in teenagers’ saliva (唾液) at different time of the day.They learned
that the hormone levels rise later at night than they do in children and adults-and remain at a higher level
later in the morning.Measuring the hormone in the saliva is a good way to show that most teens have
sleep problems,but changing school schedules isn’t the best way to fix this.Most people arguing against
changing school schedules would say that it would only cause teens to stay up and wake up later,thus
leaving them with the same problem.
The biggest problem schools would come across from changing their schedules would be the after
school and job conflicts students and teachers would meet.“Teachers reported that students were more
alert,and research showed that afterschool sports and jobs would suffer.Students in that area might have been able to deal with less time for jobs and sports somehow,but some of them have practice and earlier plans that would become conflicted if this change were to occur.Most students rarely have time to play a
sport and do homework before 9 or 10 o’clock.Opening schools later may have worked for some areas,but the reality is often very different.
1.The meaning of the underlined word “chaotic”in the 1st paragraph is close to________.
A.positive
B.apparent
C.negative
D.ambiguous
2.Most teens have sleep problems because________.
A.they are more active than children and adults
B.school work takes up most of their time
C.their hormone levels are higher later at night
D.they probably like staying up for no reason
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.There are many conflicts between students and teachers.
B.Some of the teachers have practice and earlier plans.
C.Most students are able to do sport and homework before 9?00.
D.Ways to solve students’ sleep problem vary from area to area.
4.The passage mainly develops by________.
A.giving reasons
B.showing examples
C.comparing facts
D.offering solutions
research suggests.
And the under25s who have watched color TV all their lives tend to have colorful adventures in_the_
land_of_nod.
Research from the first half of the 20th century,especially in the 1930s and 1950s,suggested that most
dreams are in black and white.
But results from tests in the 1960s and later suggested that up to 80 per cent of dreams contain some
colors.
Since this period marked the transition (过渡) from blackandwhite films and TV to widespread
Technicolor (彩色印片法),an obvious explanation was that television was influencing dreams,but
differences between the studies prevented the researchers from drawing any firm conclusions.
Later studies asked subjects (实验对象) to complete dream diaries immediately they woke up,but
the earlier research used questionnaires completed in the middle of the day,so the subjects might have
simply forgotten color elements in their dreams and assumed they were grey.
To solve the problem,psychologist Eva Murzyn asked 60 subjects,half of whom were under 25 and half
over 55,to answer a questionnaire on the color of their dreams and their childhood exposure (暴露) to
films and TV.
The subjects then recorded different aspects of their dreams in a diary every morning.
She found there was no significant difference between results drawn from the questionnaires and the
dream diaries.
She then analyzed data to find out whether an early exposure to blackandwhite TV or films could still
have a lasting effect on her subjects"dreams,40 years later.
Less than five per cent of the under25s"dreams were black and white.But the over55s who had access
to blackandwhite media in their younger days reported dreaming in black and white roughly a quarter of
the time.
Murzyn said,"There could be a critical period in our childhood when watching films has a big influence
on the way dreams are formed." People"s attention might be heightened during the time they are watching
TV or films.
B.the 1930s
C.the 1950s
D.the 1960s and later
B.during travelling
C.in a dream world
D.when they are thinking
B.both diaries and questionnaires were used
C.more advanced technology was used
D.subjects were given more time to record their dreams
B.the results of the previous studies on dreams couldn"t be trusted
C.older people are more likely to be influenced by TV viewing
D.the colors of TV sets are more likely to appear in viewers"dreams
B.TV viewing has different influences on different people.
C.Childhood TV viewing may determine the color of dreams.
D.Childhood TV viewing may influence a person"s later life.
education experts. The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) led the effort.
The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. What is the reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the
responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilites, like education, fall to each state.
Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the
same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities.
And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.
Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live.
They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests
required by the No Child Left behind Act.
Kara Schlosser is communications director for the CCSSO. She says the new standards clearly state
what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.
Forty--eight states have a1ready shown approval for the standards. Two states refuse to accept the
idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for
all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the national standards will hurt their students because
the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks
and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal control.
Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say
the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states
qualify (取得资格)for some federal grant money.
1. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Local Control of Education Standards out of Date
B. American National Education Standards under Consideration
C. Education Standards in Each State--Good or Bad.
D. Acceptance of the New Standards in the United States
2. Why is local control of education no 1onger a good idea today?
A. Because local standards are limited.
B. Because it is required by the federal government.
C. Because people today moves among states more often than before.
D. Because America has never had the same school standards throughout the country.
3. Some people are against the nationa1 education standards because__________
A. the standards are higher than those of each state
B. they are not yet prepared for the new standards
C. the standards may prevent some students gaining excellence
D. they don"t want the federal government to train their teachers
4. If a state agrees to accept the national standards, it will probably get ________.
A. more students
B. advice on how to improve teaching
C. better textbooks
D. money from the federal government
1 the news that New York University (NYU) is opening a campus on Chinese mainland, the
possibility of getting an American education is coming closer to a 2 .
But how will Chinese students deal with a very different style of teaching? 3 that encourages
debate, discussion and critical thinking?
You know how kids constantly ask questions? They have so much to learn and simply 4
information. Asking questions _5_ they are curious.
So 6 does that natural 7 become weaker? Not at kindergarten, nor at primary school. But
perhaps with puberty(青春期) 8 self-consciousness and a reluctance to draw attention to
yourself by asking the teacher questions.
9 , that"s a pity, because asking your teachers questions should be encouraged. After all, they"ve
been educated, 10 a lot more experience than you and perhaps possess a little wisdom.
When I taught journalism at college in Scotland I 11 answering students" questions. Some of them
asked difficult ones. I didn"t always know the answers. If I didn"t, I"d admit 12 and try to find out
later.
At university we were encouraged to challenge our peers and tutors. A student would prepare a
paper on a subject and other students would 13 it. It was a way of 14 critical and logical
thinking.
You can learn to think logically, 15 some of the more difficult problems would probably require
advanced math. Having a logical mind can help develop critical thinking.
My wife doesn"t have a logical mind, but she does have emotional intelligence. An ability to
empathize(有同感) with people, relate to them and 16 their personalities is also important to
critical thinking.
I can"t claim to have 17 like her emotional intelligence, but I"d like to think some of it has
influenced me. If you can"t 18 try to put yourself in someone else"s 19 , how can you understand
their situation and their problems?
So try to develop your powers of critical thinking. 20 books, films, music and newspapers. And
don"t believe everything you read or see. Think for yourself.