Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, "In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence". Given that this is the case, why aren't students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive ears, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult (侮辱). For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn't in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution (解决) : stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well Rude words, name-calling, and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy (策略) for conflict resolution : listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker's position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn't mean trying to figure out what's wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn't, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn't mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, "64 percent of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75 percent of the teachers reported an increase in student co-operation; and 92 percent of the students felt better about themselves'. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that_______
A.violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime |
B.a small conflict can lead to violence |
C.students tend to lose their temper easily |
D.the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight |
Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
A.To find out who is to blame. |
B.To get ready to try new things. |
C.To make clear what the real issue is. |
D.To figure out how to stop the shouting match. |
After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that______
A.there was a decrease in classroom violence |
B.there was less student cooperation in the classroom |
C.more teachers felt better about themselves in schools |
D.the teacher-student relationship greatly improved |
The writer's purpose for writing this article is to_______
A.complain about problems in school education |
B.teach students different strategies for school life |
C.favor teaching conflict management in schools |
D.inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence |
The private automobile(私家车)has long played an important role in the United States. In fact, it has become a necessary and important part of the American way of life. In 1986, sixty-nine percent of American families owned at least one car, and thirty-eight percent had more than one. By giving workers rapid transportation, the automobile has freed them from having to live near their place of work. This has encouraged the growth of the cities, but it has also led to traffic problems.
For farm families the automobile is very helpful. It has made it possible for them to travel to town very often for business and for pleasure, and also to transport their children to distant schools.
Family life has been affected(影响)in various ways, The car helps to keep families together when it is used for picnics, outings, and other shared experiences. However, when teenage children have the use of the car, their parents can't keep an eye on them. There is a great danger if the driver has been drinking alcohol or taking drugs, or showing off by speeding or breaking down traffic laws. Mothers of victims(受害者)of such accidents have formed an organization called MADD(Mothers Against Drunk Driving. These women want to prevent further tragedies(悲剧). They have worked to encourage the government to limit the youngest drinking age, Students have formed a similar organization, SADD(Students Against Drunk Driving)and are spreading the same message among their friends.
For many Americans the automobile is a necessity. But for some, it is also a mark of social position and for young people, a sign of becoming an adult. Altogether, cars mean very much to Americans. .
. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A.Cars have encouraged the growth of the cities. |
B.Cars can bring families together when they go for picnics. |
C.Cars have enabled people to live far from their place of work. |
D.Cars help city families to transport their children to faraway schools. |
.. What has been done to deal with the problem of drunk driving?
A.Patents have paid more attention to their children. |
B.Some organizations have been set up against drunk driving. |
C.Mothers have tried to persuade their children not to drink alcohol. |
D.University students have asked the government to solve the problem. |
. We can infer from the text that ____________ in America.
A.it will be more difficult for peop![]() |
B.parents will not allow their children to have their own cars |
C.the government will encourage people to use public transportation |
D.cars will still be popular though they have caused many problems |
How Many Lies Do the Children Tell You?
Mothers who feel their children don’t appreciate them can add another complaint to the list: half the time, their children are lying to them. A study designed to expose the truth about lying shows that undergraduates lie to their mothers in 46% of their conversations. Still, mums should feel
better than-total strangers, who are told lies an aston
ishing 77% of the time.
Bella DePaulo and a team of psychologists from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, asked 77 undergraduates to keep a record of all their conversations for a week, and write down whether they lied at any time. DePaulo named lying broadly, as “when you intentionally try to mislead someone”, so she would catch the smallest of lies.
The students told an average of two lies a day. They said they had been studying when they had been out drinking. One told his parents that a textbook cost $50 rather than $20 so that they would send him extra money. Female students constantly told their plain-looking roommates that they were pretty. “They are everyday lies,” says DePaulo.
DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to. College students lied to their best friends 28% of the time but lied to acquaintances 48% of the time. In close relationships, people were more likely to tell “kind-hearted” lies, designed to protect feelings, rather than self-serving lies.
DePaulo finds that unmarried lovers can expect less honesty than best friends because of the insecurity that comes with romance.
Mothers can take heart from one other finding. They may have been lied to, but at least their children talked to them. The students were recorded telling few lies to their fathers because they had little interaction with them. Female students lied to their roommates to ________.
A.get money from them | B.offer them the services |
C.gain more security | D.make them happy |
According to the passage, college students told fewer lies to ________.
A.mothers | B.best friends |
C.acquaintances | D.romantic partners |
Which of the following statements is correct ?
A.Undergraduates lie to their mothers in 77% of their conversations. |
B.Strangers become very annoyed when children tell lies to them. |
C.Compared with mothers, students’ fathers are told fewer lies. |
D.Best friends can expect more insecurity than unmarried lovers. |
What is the purpose of this article ?
A.To present a fact. | B.To argue an idea. |
C.To tell a story. | D.To explain a theory. |
One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are.
When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different -- we cry out for something better. That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that’s ingrained(根深蒂固的)in our culture.
The root of unhappiness is that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place. We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, as it just is.”
An example: in my recent post(帖子), A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind, quite a few commentators thought my outlook was negative, pessimistic, or fatalistic(听天由命的)... because I said you should expect people to mess up, expect things to go differently from what you planned. Above all, you should embrace that.
It’s too negative to expect something to go wrong, they said. However, I think it’s only negative if you see it as negative, or if you judge it as bad.
Instead, you could accept it as the way the world works -- as the way things actually are. And try to understand why they are that way.
Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But changing things is not because you can’t accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of change of learning and growing.
Can we make this world a better place? Again, that’s an assumption that it’s a bad place fight now. But instead, you could say the world is just what it is -- and that’s neither good nor bad. You can say that you’ll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world -- not because you’re such a bad person now, but because that’s the path you choose to take, because you enjoy that path.
As you catch yourself judging, and wishing for different -- try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results. Which of the following statements is correct according to the author?
A.We can never change things because we can’t accept them. |
B.We shouldn’t try to do whatever we can to help others and make a difference. |
C.It’s wrong of you to expect things to go differently. |
D.There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. |
What’s the main idea of the whole passage?
A.The world is a good place for us to live in. |
B.Unhappiness comes from what we want to be different. |
C.You might as well accept the world as it is and try to embrace it. |
D.Let’s make the world more beautiful. |
Where does the passage probably come from?
A.A novel. | B.A news story. | C.A travel guide. | D.A magazine. |
Fred Michel is one of 7.2 million Americans who moonlight. Once a week, after his day job as medical director of a mental health center, the 40-year-old psychiatrist heads to a part-time job at a treatment center for young people. Twice a month, he travels three hours to another teenage treatment center.
Last year, 5.4 percent of the American workforce held second jobs, according to the US Labor Department, and that looks set to increase this year.
Many workers like the safety that moonlighting provides, says Carl Hausman , the writer of “Moonlighting: 148 Great Ways to Make Money to the Side”.
The information from the US Labor Department shows that 40 percent of US moonlighters take a second job to meet household expenses or pay off debts. Others save money or buy some special things.
People also take second jobs with an eye to the future -- wanting to try out a new field or gain experience.
Michel started moonlighting when medical systems were unstable. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t tied to one system that ended up failing.
Just as the purposes for moonlighting vary, the moonlighters cross all ages and racial groups. And they work in a variety of industries -- no longer just service, office and sales jobs.
“Technology just affects your ability to make money,” Hausman says. “That makes a frequent change in moonlighting.”
As its name means, moonlighting still occurs mostly at night. And that results in some pressures. Chief among them is time.
Full-time employers could misunderstand, too. Some companies do not allow after-hour work because they fear it will affect their employees’ 9-to-5 performance.
“The primary employer is saying, ‘Wait, I’m paying you for the sharp, fresh, energetic you,’” says Tom Gimbel, president and founder of LaSalle Staffing in Chicago. “If you’re burning yourself at both ends, it’s going to show.”
Still, the good done to the moonlighters can be great. Besides extra income, moonlighters enjoy variety, freedom and chance to do something new. They may also find their part-time jobs strengthen what they do full time.
Besides, “it’s fun,” Michel says. Not only do his part-time jobs offer a chance to network, stretch his professional skills and make more money, but they also give him the variety he wouldn’t find just in a full-time job.
“It’s a way of pulling from the spice cabinet,” he says, “and offering a little variety throughout the day.”The reason why Fred Michel began to moonlight is that ________.
A.he found it exciting to do a part-time job |
B.he needed to make ends meet with more money |
C.he feared he would lose his present job one day |
D.he felt more and more pressure from his ![]() |
Some companies don’t allow their workers to moonlight because they are afraid ________.
A.their workers cannot do extra-hour work for them |
B.their workers will be too tired to try their best at work |
C.their workers will one day turn to some other different jobs |
D.their workers will not get to work and be off work on time |
The underlined sentence “It’s a way of pulling from the spice cabinet.” in the last paragraph means ________.
A.moonlighting gets you away from the job you don’t enjoy |
B.moonlighting offers y![]() |
C.moonlighting strengthens your professional skills |
D.moonlighting brings you chances to do something different |
What is the article mainly about?
A.The ways of moonlighting. | B.The reasons for moonlighting. |
C.The problems with moonlighting. | D.The kinds of people who moonlight. |
Mother’s Day is usually celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. Do you know that a mom deserves a special gift this year for Mother’s Day? Sure, flowers can always brighten Mother’s Day and a dinner out is alway
s appreciated. However, doesn’t she deserve something more personal or something that lasts longer than an evening?
I’m talking about the gift of fitness. Improved fitness is a gift that is invaluable to everyone. When you give a woman the gift of fitness, you are helping her open her door to better health. I can’t think of a more thoughtful gift that shows the recipient (接受者)how much you care about their well-being. By giving the gift of fitness you are providing them with unlimited health benefits. Besides, it’s a gift that you can truly feel proud to give.
Of course, we all know that exercising can help people stay slim and fit. But, do you also know about all the other great benefits of exercising? Daily physical activities reduce stress and help you sleep better. Fitness has been linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can help prevent osteoporosis (骨质疏松). Not to mention that exercising also improves self-esteem, increases energy and helps you be able to do continuous work for longer.
All moms would find these benefits extremely great. If they are like most of us, they have probably even mentioned how they would like to drop a few pounds or just get in better shape. In fact, experts say that about 62% of Americans are currently on a diet. By giving the gift of fitness, you are helping provide your mom with extra motivation. She may be more motivated to actually get fit because she doesn’t want to feel guilty about ignoring such a thoughtful gift.
The first paragraph is likely to tell us that ________.
A.we should give a special gift to our mom for Mother’s Day |
B.we should invite our mom to a dinner for Mother’s Day |
C.it’s good to send flowers to moms for Mother’s Day |
D.moms aren’t worth special gifts for Mother’s Day |
The underlined word “invaluable”(in paragraph 2) means ________.
A.priceless | B.worthless | C.useless | D.helpless |
According to this passage, the gift of fitness will ________.
A.make moms feel prouder |
B.let moms free from illnesses |
C.keep moms having a healthy diet |
D.encourage moms to do more exercise |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.Better Pay Attention to Your Mother’s Health |
B.Give the Gift of Fitness This Mother’s Day |
C.Moms Like to Accept the Gift of Fitness |
D.Help Your Mother Keep a Good Shape |