About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked: “So, how have you been?” And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied, “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”, that is, in low sprits, until we were in high school.
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new status. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation（揭示）machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.According to the author, feeling depressed is________.
| A．a sure sign of a mental problem in a child |
| B．a mental state present in all humans, including children |
| C．something that cannot be avoided in children’s mental development |
| D．something hardly to be expected in a young child |
Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world________.
| A．through connection with society |
| B．gradually and under guidance |
| C．naturally without being taught |
| D．through watching television |
According to the author, that today’s children seem adultlike results from ________.
| A．the widespread influence of television |
| B．the poor arrangement of teaching content |
| C．the fast pace of human scientific development |
| D．the rising standard of living |
What does the author think of communication through print for children?
| A．It enables children to gain more social information. |
| B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing. |
| C．It helps children to read and write well. |
| D．It can control what children are to learn. |
What does the author think of the change in today’s children?
| A．He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny |
| B．He thinks the change worthy of note. |
| C．He considers it a rapid development. |
| D．He seems to be upset about it. |
A generation of parents raised according to the permissive principles of postwar childcare experts is rediscovering the importance of saying "No" to their children．They are beginning to reclaim the house as their own．Even spanking（打屁股）is back．
While today's parents do not want to return to the Victorian era （时代）—when children were seen, spanked, but not heard—there is a growing acknowledgement that the laissez-faire approach produced a generation of children running rings around puzzled parents struggling to restore order．
Janthea Brigden, a trainer with Parent Network, says: " The problem is that parents don't want all that controlling things．What they want is to be able to discipline （管教） their children through teaching and encouraging．"
According to Steve Biddulph, the author of More Secrets of Happy Children, the permissive era was often just an excuse to ignore children．He believes discipline involves firm but friendly teaching and does not need to involve punishment．He teaches a method called "stand and think" , where a child is helped to figure out what is wrong and how to get it right．Mr．Biddulph understands parents using spanking, but lie is against it．"The happiest children are those who know Mum and Dad are in charge．As children grow into their teens, more negotiation can take place, such as: Prove you can be home safely by 1l pm, and we might let you stay out till midnight．"
" There is no good evidence that an occasional, properly administered spanking is harmful in any way．" says John Rosemond, an American who has won a huge following by calling for "parent power"．It is pure nonsense to believe that restricting children to their room as a punishment could make them have negative feelings about the room and cause sleep problems．
Mr．Rosemond tracks the overturning of traditional family values to the end of the Second World War．He blames the change of the American family into a child-centered, self-respect-oriented （以…为导向） unit on psychologists and social workers, who for 30 years have weakened traditional approaches．Previous generations of American parents raised children not by the book, but by self-evident truth, he says．Children should be seen and hot heard．If you make your bed, you'll have to lie in it．He says that those phrases contain time-honored understanding and principles that helped children to develop what we refer to as the "three Rs" of parenting: respect, responsibility and resourcefulness．Which is closest to the meaning of the underlined word "laissez-faire" in the second paragraph?
| A．Let it be． | B．Go for it． |
| C．Get it right． | D．Take it easy． |
If his child did something wrong, Steve Biddulph would ______．
| A．give him a good beating |
| B．lock him up in a dark room |
| C．ask him to stand in a corner for hours |
| D．help him find out the problem and solution |
By mentioning the underlined part in the last paragraph, Mr．Rosemond ．
| A．blames parents for ignoring children's rights |
| B．reminds parents to communicate more with children |
| C．encourages parents to involve children more in family affairs |
| D．explains how previous generations of parents raised children |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The causes of discipline problems． |
| B．The best way to discipline children． |
| C．Different opinions on ways of parenting． |
| D．Differences between parents of different times |
The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever " intelligent bicycle , fitted with electronic devices to help bring clown the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country．
Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research （TNO） , the intelligent bicycle, runs on electricity．A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1, 700 to 3, 200 euros per bicycle．
The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating （震动的） warning system fitted in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while, the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead．
" Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project．"The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry," he said．
'' More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP．"This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling," she said．
In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country．Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury．
Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67% , were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office．The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly．
The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller．The intelligent bicycle is aimed to ______．
| A．protect the environment |
| B．help reduce traffic pressure |
| C．popularize the use of bicycles |
| D．improve safety for elderly cyclists |
Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when other cyclists approach it from behind?
| A．The saddle． |
| B．The wheels． |
| C．The handlebars． |
| D．The onboard computer． |
We can learn from the passage that ______．
| A．the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go |
| B．the elderly are planning to give up cycling |
| C．the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing |
| D．the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Test Bicycle |
| B．Elderly Cyclists |
| C．A Smart Bicycle |
| D．A Bicycle-mad Country |
All you have is what you bring with you
I've always felt a need to be prepared for whatever situation I've found myself in．
My mother once took me to a store when I was seven years old．She and I got to the checkout counter, and she realized she had forgotten a couple of things on her shopping list．She left me with the cart and ran off to get what she needed．
"I'll be right back．" she said．
She was gone just a few minutes, but in that time, I had loaded all the things on the belt and everything was rung up．I was left staring at the cashier, who was staling at me．"Do you have money for me, son?" she said．"I'll need to be paid．" -
I didn't realize she was just trying to amuse herself．So I stood there, ashamed and embarrassed．
By the time my mom returned, I was angry．"You left me here with no money! This lady asked me for the money, and I had nothing to give her I"
Now that I'm an adult, you'll never catch me with less than $200 in my wallet．I want to be prepared in case I need it．
I've always admired people who are over-prepared．In college, I had a classmate named Norman．One day he was giving a presentation on an overhead projector and in the middle of his talk, the light bulb （灯泡） on the projector blew out．We would have to wait ten minutes until someone found a new' projector．
"It's Okay．" he announced．"There's nothing to worry about．"
We watched him walk over to his bag and pull something out．He had brought along a spare bulb for the Overhead projector．Who could even think of that?
I often told my students, " When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can depend on is what you take with you．" And essentially, the wilderness is anywhere but your home or office．So take money．Pack a light bulb．Be prepared．Why did the cashier ask a seven-year-old boy to pay for the purchases'?
| A．The boy was shopping by himself． |
| B．The boy's mother asked her to do so． |
| C．The cashier was playing a joke on him． |
| D．The boy's mother was away for something else． |
Why was the boy angry with his mother?
| A．His mother left him alone． |
| B．He lost face in front of the cashier． |
| C．His mother forgot to buy something． |
| D．He had just quarreled with the cashier． |
Why did Norman bring a spare bulb with him?
| A．He was always well-prepared． |
| B．His presentation was about bulbs． |
| C．He knew the classroom equipment was of poor quality． |
| D．He predicted the bulb on the projector would blow out． |
What do the two stories tell us?
| A．Accidents happen almost every day． |
| B．Money is the key that opens all doors. |
| C．In fair weather, prepare for a rainy day． |
| D．Chances favor those who are well-prepared． |
Things Your Pilot Won't Tell You
You may not be getting the airline you paid for．
You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional （地方的） airline．The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that．
—Captain at a major airline
If you're a nervous flier, book a morning flight．
The heating of the ground later causes bumpier （颠簸的） air, and it's much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon．
—Jerry Johnson , pilot, Los Angeles
The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing．
The bumpiest place to sit is in the back．If you're in the middle, you don't move as much．
—Patrick Smith, pilot, and author of Cockpit Confidential
Sit in the front if you want fresher air．
The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back．So if you're really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can．Planes are generally warmest in the back．
—Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas
You never know where the safest seat is．
There is no safest place to sit．In one accident, the people in the back are dead; in the next, it's the people up front．
—John Nance, aviation safety analyst and retired airline captain, Seattle
I've been struck by lightning twice．
Most pilots have．Airplanes are built to take it．You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that's it．You're not going to fall out of the sky．
—Charlotte, pilot for a regional earner,．North Carolina
People don't understand why they can't use their cell phones．
Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we ideally are．
—Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, PhoenixJerry Johnson advises nervous fliers to ______．
| A．sit in the back |
| B．fly in the morning |
| C．fly with major airlines |
| D．avoid flying in bad weather |
The best seats for those who need fresh air are ______．
| A．in the front | B．in the middle |
| C．in the back | D．near the wing |
Passengers' use of cellphones before landing is likely to ______．
| A．increase the risk of being struck by lightning |
| B．make it difficult for pilots to control the plane |
| C．cause the instruments of the plane to break down |
| D．affect pilots' judgment about the height of the plane |
This summer, Monika Lutz’s life took an unusual turn. Instead of heading off to college, the high school graduate packed her bags for a Bengali jungle. Lutz, like a growing number of other young Americans, is taking a year off. Gap(间隔) years are quite common in Britain and Australia, but they are just beginning to catch on in the U.S. Lutz, who grew up in Boulder, Colo., has put together a 14-month schedule that includes helping deliver solar power to some communities in India and interning (实习) for a fashion designer in Shanghai---experiences that are worlds away from the lecture halls and university dormitories that await other students. “I could not be happier,” she says.
Why are students attracted to the gap-year concept? According to new survey data from Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, education-policy experts and co-authors of The Gap-Year Advantage, the most common reason for this is to avoid burnout. “I felt like I was focused on college as a means to an end,” says Kelsi Morgan, an incoming Middlebury College freshman who spent last year interning for a judge in Tulsa, Okla., and teaching English at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. The hope is that after a year out of the classroom, students will enter college more energized, focused and mature. That can be an advantage for colleges too. Robert Clagett, dean of admissions at Middlebury, did some research a few years ago and found that a single gap semester was the strongest predictor of academic success at his school.
Most experts recommend securing a spot in college before taking a gap year and warn against using the time off to lengthen your resume. “Most admissions folks can see right through that,” says Jim Jump, the academic dean of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va. But for students like Lutz, who, after getting rejected from five Ivies, decided to take time off, a gap year can help focus interests. Lutz now plans to apply mostly to non-Ivies that have strong marketing programs. “This experience has really opened my eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer,” she says.
But at least one education expert doesn’t want schools spreading the gap-year message. In a study that followed 11,000 members of the high school class of 1992 for eight years after graduation, Stefanie DeLuca, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University, found that, all things being equal, those who delayed college by a year were 64% less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree than those who didn’t. DeLuca did not say whether these students voluntarily started college late, but at the very least, her work indicates that taking a gap year doesn’t guarantee success. “I’m not going to say that time off does not have benefits,” says DeLuca. “But I think we should not be so enthusiastic.”The students take gap years mainly because ______.
| A．they want to be more unusual |
| B．they want to refresh themselves |
| C．some experts advise them to do so |
| D．their parents think it good for them |
According to Lutz, the gap year has made her more ______.
| A．energetic | B．relaxed |
| C．practical | D．enthusiastic |
Stefanie DeLuca probably agrees that ______.
| A．students should think twice before taking gap years |
| B．taking gap years enables students to achieve success |
| C．schools should encourage their students to take gap years |
| D．taking gap years increases students’ chances of getting a good job |
What’s the author’s attitude towards gap years?
| A．Sceptical. | B．Positive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Objective. |