Grandparents might be known for spoiling grandchildren, but a new study says they might also be helping the kids improve their social skills and behavior.
Spending time with grandma and grandpa especially appears to help children from single-parent, divorced/separated or stepfamily households, according to the report, published in the February Journal of Family Psychology.
"Grandparents are a positive force for all families but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties," the study's lead author, Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said in an American Psychological Association news release. "They can reduce the negative influence of parents separating and be a resource for children who are going through these family changes."
In interviewing 11- to 16-year olds from England and Wales, Attar-Schwartz and her team found that the more conversations the youths had with a grandparent, including asking for advice or even money, the better they got along with their peers and the fewer problems they had, such as hyperactivity and disruptive behavior.
"This was found across all three family structures," she said. "But adolescents in single-parent households and stepfamilies benefited the most. The effect of their grandparents' involvement was stronger compared to children from two biological parent families."
The study did not look at children who lived solely with their grandparents, though.
The findings have great implications for people in the United States, the authors said, because American grandparents are increasingly sharing living space with their grandchildren. A 2004 U.S. Census Bureau survey found that more than 5 million households include a grandparent and a grandchild under 18, up 30 percent since 1990, according to background information in the news release.It is generally believed that a grandmother __________ .
| A．can help a child through hard times |
| B．can help kids develop social skills |
| C．can spoil a child |
| D．is a positive force for all families |
According to the passage, grandparents will be of least benefit to a child __________ .
| A．from two biological parent families |
| B．from a single—parent household |
| C．from a divorced household |
| D．from a stepfamily household |
A child who asks his grandmother for money will __________ .
| A．have difficulty in getting along with his peers |
| B．still get along well with his peers |
| C．be easier to be spoiled than his peers |
| D．not be popular with peers |
We can learn from the last paragraph that ___________ .
| A．there are more families in America undergoing difficulties |
| B．American parents are much busier than those from other countries |
| C．American grandparents are much better at bringing up their grandchildren |
| D．American kids like to share more living space with their grandparents |
The passage implies that __________ .
| A．children who live solely with their grandparents may benefit the most |
| B．grandparents are a source of comfort to children from families undergoing difficulties |
| C．grandparents play a more positive role than parents in children’s growth |
| D．all families should leave their children to be brought up by grandparents |
Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world？A small group of engineers and robotics experts envision(展望) a day in the not-too-distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.
One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute. It was called Groundhog and it looked like a golf cart. It used lasers(激光) to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines－some of the most dangerous work in the business.
The latest prototype is called Cave Crawler. It's a bit smaller than Groundhog，and even more advanced. It can take photos and videos and has sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous gases. Incredibly，the robot has a real sense of logic. If it comes across an obstacle it gets momentarily confused. It has to think about what to do and where to go next. Sometimes it throws_a_fit just like a real person.
Myles and his colleagues hope that robots like Cave Crawler will one day be used in rescue operations. “A robot could speed up the rescue process by doing reconnaissance(侦察)，” says Chuck Whittaker，a robotics engineer at Carnegie Mellon. “The robot can go ahead and，with its sensors，report what it has found and whether it is safe for humans to proceed.”
Using robots in rescue operations，though，is problematic. The lasers that guide the robots don't work in smoky environments so the engineers at Carnegie Mellon have experimented with sonar(声呐)and radar guidance systems，and with some success.
Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry. The robots do the most repetitive and dangerous jobs，but won't get rid of the need for human workers.The underlined phrase “throws a fit” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.
| A．gets angry |
| B．gets shocked |
| C．becomes confused |
| D．becomes cheerful |
The latest robot is more advanced than Groundhog mainly because ________.
| A．it can map abandoned mines |
| B．it can see in the dark tunnels |
| C．it's smaller than Groundhog |
| D．it has a real sense of logic |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．the mining robots will have a very bright future |
| B．robots in the automotive industry must be improved |
| C．there will be no need for human workers in mines |
| D．robots in mines will cost a lot |
What can guide the robots in smoky environments?
| A．The lasers. |
| B．Sonar and radar guidance systems. |
| C．Command guidance systems. |
| D．Image matching guidance systems. |
My friend had mentioned the other day that her father had a lot of children's toys he was looking to give away. She knew I have a three-year-old daughter so she thought of me first. I told her I would love it if I could get some nice things for my daughter, which I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford.
When I met her father, he began to explain he was too poor once and that he would hate to throw away things that can be very useful.
Before he showed me what he was giving away, I thought the toys would be mostly lego's(乐高积木) or things like that. When he was showing me around I saw a bed, a slide, a kitchen set and many other things that just blew my mind. He told me to write a list of everything my daughter could use and as my eyes were wide, he told me not to feel guilty. He said I was helping him by getting rid of the stuff.
As I was looking around I did feel guilty, but I tried to remain more grateful than guilty. Every time I tried to thank him for giving me and my daughter all this wonderful stuff he would thank me right back. I wanted to believe that he was just thanking me so that I wouldn't feel so guilty but in reality I believe that he was as grateful as I was that these toys would be put to good use.
In the eyes of charity, it makes sense to feel grateful, but guilt is just as normal. I know that we could have lived without a slide, which is why I do feel guilty, but I am grateful all the same because my daughter really does enjoy all these nice things!Why did the old man want to give away his toys?
| A．He wanted to help those poor children. |
| B．He was wealthy enough to buy new toys. |
| C．He wanted to make full use of those toys. |
| D．He needed some space for more useful things. |
In the writer's opinion, the old man felt grateful because
| A．he wanted to make her more guilty |
| B．he wanted her to take the toys quickly |
| C．the toys would be put to good use |
| D．he finally got rid of the stuff |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．The writer took all the toys home. |
| B．The old man was a kind and thoughtful person |
| C．The writer wanted to refuse the stuff when she first saw them. |
| D．The writer's daughter enjoyed the slide most among all the stuff. |
How did the writer feel when given the stuff?
| A．Guilty and honored. | B．Grateful and respected. |
| C．Honored and respected. | D．Guilty and grateful. |
Tiny transmitters(发射机) fixed on the backs of the blue-green bees have allowed scientists to follow the insects as they fly for miles in search of rare flowers.
Working in Panama, scientists caught 17 bees of the common species and fixed a 300 milligram radio light onto the back of each. The signals they sent out were used to follow their movements in and around the forest where they lived.
Professor Martin, from Princeton University, US, and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, said, “By following the radio signals, we discovered that male bees spent most of their time in small centre areas, but could take off and visit areas farther away. One male even crossed over the shipping lanes in the Panama Canal, flying at least 5km, and returned a few days later.”
Researchers have struggled to follow the movements of bees before, following bees marked with paint or using radar which doesn’t work well in forests.
“Carrying the transmitter could reduce the distance that the bees travel, but even if the flight distances we record are the shortest distances that these bees can fly, they are impressive, long-distance movements,” said Dr. Roland Kays, from New York State Museum, a co-author of the research published today in the on-line journal. “This result helps to explain how these bees’ pollination(授粉) can be so rare.” Pollination by bees and other insects is the key to the diversity and continued growth of flowers and trees in some forests.
The new study is the first to use radio transmitters to follow bees in a forest. Similar research may now be carried in temperate forests, where bees also play a vital role.The main purpose of the passage is to___
| A．call on people to protect the bees for the environment |
| B．explain why the bees fly far away in search of flowers |
| C．introduce a modern way to follow the bees to readers |
| D．encourage the public to support the scientists’ research |
What was the problem when researchers tried to follow the bees in the past?
| A．It was quite difficult to mark the bees |
| B．The radar itself didn’t work very well |
| C．The bees weren’t easy to be recognized |
| D．Environmental limits were hard to solve |
What Dr. Roland Kays said implied that____
| A．he didn’t expect bees could fly so long a distance |
| B．The transmitter didn’t have any effects on bees at all |
| C．He wanted to know how far bees could travel badly |
| D．The record was in fact as exact as he had thought |
Researchers follow the movements of bees mainly to___
| A．learn how far they can fly at most |
| B．discover how they affect the plants |
| C．correct some wrong ideas about bees |
| D．get to know where they enjoy living |
If you’re tired of the Mediterranean and don’t want to head to Disney again, perhaps it’s time for a summer holiday in space. Russia has declared plans for its first floating hotel, 217 miles above earth, and it is something of an offering with good service.
Hosting just seven guests in a four cabins, the accommodation will boast huge windows with views back to earth and tasty microwave meals will be served instead of the ones often used by astronauts.
Just getting there will be an adventure in itself—it will take two days aboard a Soyuz rocket—and it won’t exactly be a budget holiday: A five-day stay will cost you￡100, 000 to￡500, 000 for your journey. The hotel is due to open by 2016 and, according to those behind it, will be far more comfortable than the International Space Station (ISS) used by astronauts and cosmonauts.
In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical or horizontal. Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens. Many kinds of delicacies will be available.
Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited. Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. Waste water will be recycled.
Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies which will construct the hotel, said: “Our planned module inside will not remind you of the International Space Station. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth. The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.” The hotel can also be used as an emergency bolthole (避难处) for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis.Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Russia declares the design for its first space hotel |
| B．The first space hotel is under construction now |
| C．The astronauts will have a second home in space |
| D．Russia has the advanced technology in exploring space |
What does the underlined word “budget” in the 3rd paragraph mean?
| A．expensive | B．worthwhile |
| C．economic | D．uncomfortable |
What kind of accommodation will the guests have in the space hotel?
| A．They will have the same food as the astronauts have. |
| B．Many kinds of drinks are available including alcohol. |
| C．Guests can have beds that are either vertical or horizontal. |
| D．Tourists are accompanied by the astronauts from the ISS. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The space hotel is built to remind you of the International Space Station. |
| B．The hotel is constructed with big windows so that tourists can see the earth. |
| C．The company, Orbital Technologies, has already begun to build the space hotel. |
| D．In the near future, a space trip for most of the people can be realized. |
Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want. If the shop has it in stock, the salesman immediately finds it, and the business of trying it on follows at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed inless than five minutes.
For a man, small problems may begin when the shop doesn't have what he wants. In that case, thesalesman, tries to sell the customer something else. "I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be thecolour you mentioned. "Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual response is: "This is the right colour and may be the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on."
However, a woman in almost every respect she does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on needand she is only "having a look around". She is always open to persuasion; indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her. She will try on any number ofthings. Most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lookout for the unexpected bargain. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one room to another, often retracing her steps, before selecting the dresses she wants to try on. It is a laborious process, but apparently an enjoyable one. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.The underlined part “sets great store by ” in paragraph 3 means___
| A．has much information about | B．knows nothing bout |
| C．believes in | D．has her doubts about |
What does the passage tell us about women shoppers for clothes?
| A．They welcome suggestions from others. |
| B．They rarely consider buying cheap clothes. |
| C．They predict what they want to buy. |
| D．They listen to advice but never take it. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Men never buy what they don’t need |
| B．A man’s shopping is often based on need |
| C．A woman goes shopping in order to look for cheap things |
| D．A woman’s shopping is never based on need. |