Pushing children too hard is a really big social problem that seems to be getting worse.Now we have 6-month-olds in music classes and swimming classes.Parents fear that if other children are attending these classes,they will be holding their own children back if they do not enroll,too.
The other extreme,simply taking a laissez-faire approach and letting children do—or refuse to do—whatever they want,is not the answer either,of course.
Dr Taylor emphasizes that parents need to push their children based on what is best for the children,not what is best for themselves.If children understand that an activity is in their best interests,then they will accept it, he finds.
Dr Taylor and other family experts remain pessimistic about the possibilities for widespread social change.“The force of our popular culture,driven by money and superficial(表面上的) values,cannot be resisted,” he says.But change can take place at a“micro-level,” in families and schools.
When changes do occur,the rewards can benefit everyone in the family.One mother supporting this new approach toward parenting mentions the advantages her family experienced after her children cut back on activities.“The biggest thing is that since we have done this,we are rested,” she says.“Not only are our kids rested,because they're not in a ton of stuff, but my husband and I are rested,because we're not driving them everywhere.We weren’t living in the moment when we were always busy.We were living by the schedule.The return on our investment of spending time together has been enormous.”
60. One of the reasons why parents push children so hard is that they______.
A. believe in early development in children
B. are too busy to take care of their children
C. don't want their children to lag behindw
D. want to repeat what their parents did to them
61. The phrase“a laissez-faire approach”(in Line 1,Paragraph 2)most probably refers to________.
A. denying them what they need
B. controlling children in a flexible way
C. developing a keen interest in children
D. letting children do whatever they want
62. The best way to encourage children to work hard is_________
A. to make them believe it’s in their best interests
B. to consider the matter from parents' standpointw
C. to emphasize the importance of hard work from time to time
D. to make it interesting and enjoyable to them
63.What the author doesn’t approve of in the essay is _______.
A. achieving a balance between pushing the children too hard and leaving them alone
B. going from one extreme of pushing children too hard to the other of leaving them alone
C. involving children in activity that will probably contribute to their development
D. enrolling them in music and swimming classes at the very early age
December 2
Sharon called about four times today. At least it shows she's trying to explain something to me. I feel a little better.
December 3
This morning Sharon said she had only told one person and didn't know why everyone seemed to know. Yes, I am an adopted (收养的) daughter. But she had promised to keep it a secret forever!
December 5
I wish I had a friend I could really trust all of the time. I thought I found that friend, but I haven't and it's making me miserable (痛苦的)! It's wrong to tell her all about it. She gains my trust, and then loses it.
December 7
I have a nice room, beautiful house and everything I've ever wanted. My adoptive parents will give me all the things I've ever dreamed of. Yet all the money in the world can't buy what I want now. I want Sharon to be my best friend again.
December 10
Sharon just called. She said she thought it might help if we spent more time together. She worried that I would change schools. She is the best friend I've ever had. When I'm with Sharon, I can be myself. I need Sharon's friendship. I need it more than I've ever known.
December 16
I just had the most fantastic two days of my life! This was the best time I've had for a long, long while. Yesterday, we walked five times around the park and today we walked along the river for twenty minutes. We talked so much. Sharon, Sharon, no brick wall between us now. What is the author mainly worried about?
A.How she was adopted? |
B.Why she had to change schools? |
C.Her family life. |
D.Her friendship with Sharon. |
Sharon lost the author's trust because she __________.
A.did not keep the author's secret |
B.did not explain something to the author |
C.told the author's past life to everyone |
D.often refused to help the author |
The underlined word "fantastic" in the last paragraph probably means __________.
A.funny | B.wonderful | C.sad | D.lucky |
Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask for your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends—you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you—loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease (not worried) but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.When you speak to the class, you should speak __________.
A.as slowly as possible |
B.in a low voice |
C.loudly |
D.forcefully |
Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is __________.
A.noisy |
B.quiet |
C.having a rest |
D.serious |
The situation in the class is __________ that in your house.
A.not very different from |
B.sometimes the same as |
C.sometimes not the same as |
D.not the same as |
The main idea of this passage is __________.
A.that we should talk in different ways in different situations |
B.that we must speak loudly |
C.that we must keep silent at any time |
D.that we must talk with the class |
My husband had just bought a new washing machine for me. I decided to use it the other day and I washed a lot of things. Everything worked well, but I found one of my husband's socks missing. I looked everywhere for it, but I couldn't find it anywhere.
The next morning, I got ready for school as usual. When the bell rang, the students came in, I greeted them and told them what we were going to do that day. When I turned around to the blackboard, the class broke out a roar. They laughed and laughed. They laughed so much, in fact, that I was afraid the headmaster would be in and to see this. I asked the class to stop, but the more I talked, the more they laughed. I decided to pay no attention to them and continued to write on the blackboard. When I did this, they roared even more. Finally, the teacher who was in the next room came in to see what all the laughter was about. When he came in, he started laughing, too!
"Good heavens," I said. "Will someone please tell me what is so funny?"
"Oh, God, "said the teacher. "You have a brown sock stuck to the back of the skirt!"
So that's how I found my husband's missing sock.
"Oh, well," I said to the class, "Let's just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static electricity (静电学). "From the passage we know that the writer cannot be __________.
A.a physics teacher |
B.a good wife |
C.a cleaner |
D.a clever woman |
What happened when the writer turned around to write on the blackboard?
A.The class didn't pay attention to what the teacher said. |
B.The class began to laugh loudly. |
C.Another boy made faces in the classroom. |
D.Another teacher came in. |
The reason why the writer couldn't find one of her husband's socks was that __________.
A.it was torn to pieces while being washed |
B.her husband himself had taken it away |
C.she had left it in the washing machine |
D.it was stuck to the back of her own skirt |
How did the writer react (反应) when she got to know why her students laughed?
A.She gave an explanation for the matter in a clever way. |
B.She wanted to punish those students who laughed at her. |
C.She tried to persuade the class to study physics well. |
D.She regretted not having taught her students physics well. |
When I was in junior high school, I was really a bad boy. My history teacher—Mr. Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty in his class. By the end of the first semester, I'd had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge on him.
The opportunity arose one morning when Mr. Oven was called to the office for a certain reason. While Mr. Oven left, my company Billy and I grabbed Mr. Oven's lunch bag from under his desk. I opened his sandwich and placed a bug in between the two slices of bread. We put it back and closed it. To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process. We laughed for weeks over this.
Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break. Billy's mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from. Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr. Oven was informed. Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team. Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000-word essay on what I did and why I did that. I really felt embarrassed every time I saw Mr. Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year. I felt a little regret that Mr. Oven left our school the next year.Mr. Oven criticized me a lot because __________.
A.I disobeyed his rules in class |
B.I didn't go to his class |
C.I didn't answer his questions |
D.I was naughty in my homework |
How can you imagine Mr. Oven when he had his lunch?
A.He would be glad to eat his delicious sandwich with the bug. |
B.He would eat it as usual when he had his sandwich. |
C.He would cry because he was afraid of the bug in his sandwich. |
D.He would be very angry when he found the bug in his sandwich. |
The underlined sentence "Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break. " in Paragraph 3 probably means " __________ ".
A.It was until Thanksgiving break that the secret was let out. |
B.All the students left on Thanksgiving break. |
C.All __________ the students went south on Thanksgiving break. |
D.Billy and I went south during Thanksgiving break. |
Which one was NOT true according to the article?
A.He had to be punished to leave school for two weeks. |
B.He was kicked off the football and basketball team. |
C.He had to eat the sandwich he had made for Mr. Oven. |
D.He had to write a 1000-word essay to acknowledge his mistake. |
(2014 河北开滦月考) I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I'd have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time... and I left without getting a cent.The author's roommate offered to help him because __________.
A.he felt sorry for the author |
B.he thought it was a chance to make some money |
C.he knew the doctor was a very good one |
D.he wanted the author to have a good lawyer |
A good doctor is essential (必要) for the author to __________.
A.be properly treated |
B.talk with the person responsible for the accident |
C.recover before he leaves America |
D.eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury |
The word "charge" in the second paragraph means __________.
A.be responsible | B.accuse |
C.ask as a price | D.claim |
Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very __________.
A.selfish | B.friendly | C.professional | D.busy |
What conclusion (结论) can you draw from the story?
A.Going to court is something very common in America. |
B.One must be very careful while driving a car. |
C.There are more bad sides in America than good sides. |
D.Money is more important than other things in the US. |