Washington: A research conducted at the University of Maryland looks at the numerous complex reasons as to why young children decide to include or exclude (排斥) other kids from their group of friends.
It suggests that the kids’ decision-making process is much more complex than previously believed.
"They take into account group information, ranging from cliques (小圈子) and networks, when deciding what makes a group work well. Sometimes kids are excluded because they lack social skills, but a lot of time it has nothing to do with that. Instead it has to do with what we refer to as ’group membership’ such as gender, race, nation, and culture," says Professor Melanie Killen, the Associate Director of the Centre for Children Relationships and Culture at Maryland, who led the 4-year project.
Reporting their findings in the journal, the researcher said whatever was the reason, individuals who experienced long-term exclusion (排斥) from the group of friends suffered from depression, anxiety and loneliness.
The study looked at two models to define how children make decisions regarding acceptance of other kids in their group -- the individual social deficit model and the inter-group social cognition (认同) model. While the former says that children’s rejection occurs due to social deficits like shyness, wariness or fearfulness, the latter says that it happens because of group dynamics, prejudice and exclusion.
It was also found that the age of children was also a factor that influenced their decisions regarding other kids’ acceptance as friends.
"With age, kids become more aware of group dynamics, conventions, customs, and rituals. With this comes a greater concern about group functioning, which can lead to exclusion which can be negative from a social justice viewpoint," says Killen.
The researcher believes that her study may have many benefits, as it could provide insights into how to help when children are rejected by their peers.While making friends, kids think more about the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．social skills | B．culture | C．race | D．gender |
The underlined word "deficit" in Paragraph 5 may mean “_______”.
| A．skill | B．relationship | C．weakness | D．experience |
One of the major purposes of the research is to _______.
| A．tell the reader how to tell inclusion from exclusion |
| B．remind children to be careful while making friends |
| C．seek ways to help kids excluded by their peers |
| D．stop the children belonging to the inter-group social cognition model |
While making friends, children exclude those of social deficit model to _______.
| A．keep their groups purer |
| B．make their groups more socially powerful |
| C．refuse other customs and cultures |
| D．prove their groups to be strict |
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”
At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone! ” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth…?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room——if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.Why did the author shout at the telephone?
| A．He was mad at the telephone. |
| B．He was angry with his agent. |
| C．He was anxious about his wife. |
| D．He was impatient with the secretary. |
What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
| A．She said nothing. | B．She shouted at him. |
| C．She called the agent. | D．She threw the phone away. |
What made the author laugh?
| A．His own behavior. | B．His wife’s suggestion. |
| C．His changeable feelings. | D．His wife’s sweet kiss. |
What does the underlined word “antics”(in the last paragraph) refer to?
| A．Smart words. | B．Unusual actions. |
| C．Surprising looks. | D．Anxious feelings. |
In the near future，we may be using our eyes to operate our smart-phones and tablets，even when it comes to playing popular games like Fruit Ninja．
The Gaze Group has been developing eye-controlled computer technology for nearly 20 years．But those devices have been firstly designed to help those with disabilities，and are very expensive．
“After a while，we figured out that probably the best way is to go for a mass-market way，” says Gaze’s Sune Alstrup Johansen．“where everybody would have this available．"
Johansen and some of his colleagues have formed a new company，the Eye Tribe，which is hoping to develop the technology on a mass commercial level．
The technology works with the help of the computing device toward the user’s face． After making sure of the user’s eye movements，the technology is then able to easily find where a person’s eyes are moving，and then allow the eyes to control a cursor（光标）．
“Our software can then determine the location of the eyes and know where you’re looking on the screen to make sure what you’re looking at，“reads an explanation on the Eye Tribe site．
There has been a gradual change toward hands-free technology in recent years， particularly in the gaming world．Recently Xbox released the Kinect device，which lets users control their Xbox and play certain games using only their hands，legs and voices． But still，most of these devices have been more of a gimmick than a practical way to use one’s hands to control a mobile device．Johansen said a replaceable filter（滤光器）would be a cheap，convenient way for most consumers．
And even as companies like The Eye Tribe work to create such a product for the average user, making the eye-controlled technology more accessible and less expensive will have similar benefits for physically disabled users.
For more articles on modern science，please CLICK here．Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．An introduction of a new device． |
| B．An introduction of smart-phones． |
| C．An introduction of eye-controlling technology． |
| D．An introduction of a new technology for the disabled． |
The underlined word“gimmick” probably means.
| A．a trick | B．a way | C．a lie | D．a dream |
According to the passage，we can learn that.
| A．the eye-controlling technology was first developed for the blind |
| B．the present developing 0f the technology will bring no good |
| C．there is no such a phone as we can use only with our eyes at present |
| D．the eye-controlling technology is only intended for the disabled people |
This passage is probably taken from.
| A．an experiment report | B．a science fiction |
| C．a school textbook | D．a science website |
All my life I had loved airports．To me，they were fl kind of magic gateway to the world，but today it seemed like a cold and heartless place．
“Well，here we are，the airport，"my sister said with fl sigh．As 1 watched her unload my luggage，I could see the sadness in her eyes．One last hug and a final good-bye and I would be on my way to a new lire abroad，leaving my beloved sister behind．
I looked at my sister and even though her eyes were filled with tears，she was trying to keep a brave face．“You’d better go or you’ll miss your flight，”she said．
“I am just going to walk away and not look back，” I said． As I held her one last time she whispered，“Don’t worry about me，I’ll be fine．"“I’ll miss you，” I replied with tears in my eyes．As I promised，I did not look back。but 1 was sobbing．To me it was the end of the world．
While boarding the plane 1 was still crying．I did not have the energy to put my bag in the overhead locker, so I put it on the empty seat next to mine．As I settled into my chair， a feeling of sadness overwhelmed（淹没） me．I felt like my best friend had just been taken away from me．
The plane shook heavily and the bag fell，with some stuff spreading on the floor．When I bent over to gather the things up，I saw an unfamiliar little book in the middle of my belongings．It was not until I picked it up that I realized that it was a diary．
Immediately I recognized my sister’s handwriting．“Hi，Sis，What a day it has been today．First you let me know that you are moving abroad and then my boss…”My sister had been keeping a diary for the past month and she was now passing it on to me．I was to write in it for the next couple of months and then send it back to her．Even though a large ocean separated us，at some point it felt like she was actually there．The writer started to cry.
| A．when she watched her sister unload her luggage |
| B．when she held her sister one last time |
| C．when she settled hherself into her chair |
| D．when she was boarding the plane |
what had the writer thought about airports before she separated from her sister?
| A．Airports brought freedom． |
| B．Airports were on the top of her love． |
| C．Airports led to the wonderful world． |
| D．Airports were fl cold and heartless place． |
From the writer’s and her sister’s tears，we can see.
| A．they loved each other very much |
| B．they felt sad about the new life |
| C．they were afraid of the separation |
| D．it was the end of the world to them |
What do we know about the diary from the passage?
| A．The writer’s sister gave it as a gift |
| B．The writer had put it in her own bag |
| C．The writer’s sister received it as a present |
| D．The two sisters would write in it and share it |
As most university students are packing their bags，boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival，some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus．
Zhou Yunyun，22，a senior finance major at Jilin University，has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province，he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends．
“I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day．It’s just fun to make friends this way，”he said．“When I returned home in past years，my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation．They had high expectations of me，which made me feel stressed，” said Zhou．
The campus，usually lively，will probably turn into a death town，with most restaurants，shops and student centers closed during the break．But there are also a few advantages，according to Jia Debao，2 1，a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University．“I might feel a bit lonely，but at least I can stay away from my parents’ complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay，” he said．“More importantly，I can enjoy the high speed of the Internet，I can always find empty seats in classrooms，and I don’t have to wait to use the bathroorm” But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans．That’s because communication on the Internet can’t replace real life interpersonal relationships．
Society has promoted a kind of“couch potato" or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestyle can damage students’ mental and physical development.
“When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard，you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally，"said Shi．“A human’s most important task is to survive，which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time． Instead，it must be achieved through real life experience and communication．”What can we learn about Zhou Yunyun?
| A．He feels very lonely on campus． |
| B．He will promote close-in culture． |
| C．He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives． |
| D．He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends． |
Spending the Spring Festival on campus for Jia Debao means.
| A．he will miss his parents a little bit |
| B．there will be more seats in classrooms |
| C．he will have a quiet and peaceful break |
| D．the speed of the Internet will get faster |
The underlined phrase“couch potato” is closest in meaning to.
| A．inactive person | B．close friend |
| C．sociable student | D．addicted gamer |
What do education experts recommend students to do?
| A．To do some traveling． |
| B．To stay more with families． |
| C．To find empty seats in classrooms． |
| D．To experience real lire and communication． |
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Safari tours go to some of the best wildlife national parks and game parks in Africa， even the Masai Mara in Kenya．We are ready to offer a more personalized service，including staying in smaller safari eco-camps and providing high quality professional safari guides，plus 4x4 safari vehicles for game drives．We can also offer you the choice to fly straight into the wildlife areas，using light airplane，to avoid lengthy road journeys．
Here is a typical Tour Plan of Game-watchers(2 nights／3 days)
If you have any further questions, please contact us at www. Gamewatchers. com or call us at 0944-598-580.According to the passage，Game-watchers is
| A．a travel plan in Kenya’s best national parks |
| B．Kenya’s largest and best safari company |
| C．Kenya’s online travel company of game drives |
| D．a winner of many travel awards home and abroad |
Which of the following is offered as an alternative means of transportation if you can’t wait to get into the wildlife areas?
| A．4×4 safari vehicle． | B．Plane |
| C．Walk． | D．Bus |
How many meals are offered in a typical Tour Plan of 2 nights／3days?
| A．Nine． | B．Eight |
| C．Seven． | D．Six. |
The author’s purpose of writing the passage is
| A．to introduce the beautiful scenery of Kenya |
| B．to make an advertisement for a tour company |
| C．to inform tourists of the detailed tour information |
| D．to make people curious about the wild life in Kenya |