One period of our lives when better results are demanded of us is, strangely enough, childhood. Despite being young we are expected to achieve good grades, stay out of trouble, make friends at school, do well on tests, perform chores at home and so on. It’s not easy.
The good news is that being likeable can help a child perform better. Likeable children enjoy many advantages, including the ability to cope(对付) more easily with stresses of growing up.
In her book Understanding Child Stress, Dr. Carolyn Leonard states that children who are likeable and optimistic are able to gain support from others. This leads to focus and resilience, the ability to recover from or adjust early to life stress; a child who has adequate emotional armor can continue down the path to success. Much research shows that resilience has enabled children to succeed in school, avoid drug abuse, and develop a healthy self-awareness.
Why does a likeable child more easily handle stress and do better in his or her life? Because likeability helps create what’s known as a positive feedback loop(回馈圈). The positive feelings you want to see in other people are returned to you, creating constant encouragement and motivation to deal with the daily stress of life.
This feedback loop continues into adulthood. To return once again to the example of teaching, learning becomes easier with a likeable personality. Michael Delucchi of the University of Hawaii reviewed dozens of studies to determine if likeable teachers received good ratings because of their likeability or because they in fact taught well. Delucchi found that “Students who perceive(察觉) a teacher as likeable, in contrast to(比照) those who do not, may be more attentive to the information that the teacher delivers and they’ll work harder on assignments, and they will learn more.”
You may have noticed this pattern in your own life when you try to give some advice. The more positive your relationship with that person, the more he or she seems to listen, and the more you feel certain that that person has heard you and intends to act on your words.The writer implies in the first paragraph that __________.
A.children are expected much than we usually think |
B.life is not easy for every one of us |
C.better education results in smarter children |
D.to be a likable child is almost impossible |
According to Dr. Leonard, likeable children __________.
A.can cope more easily with stress independently |
B.know how to avoid trouble and unpleasant events |
C.are always optimistic and ready to help those in need |
D.can achieve more and understand themselves better |
The term “emotional armor” in paragraph 3 means __________.
A.mental support from friends | B.mental support from adults |
C.failures in life | D.ability to handle life stress |
The main purpose of the studies done by Michael Delucchi is to find __________.
A.if a likeable teacher has a positive personality |
B.if a likeable teacher draws more attention |
C.how a teacher’s likeability gains popularity |
D.how a likeable teacher’s teaching style is formed |
The passage aims at proving that __________.
A.likeable people do better in life generally |
B.likeable people do better in their childhood |
C.social creatures enjoy more advantages |
D.likeable people give better advice |
What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.” The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.
A.bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding |
B.pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking |
C.great and important; common |
D.hopeful and helpful; careless |
According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.
A.a normal person; a funny person |
B.a strong person; a weak person |
C.a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person |
D.a famous person; an ordinary person |
It is better for parents ________.
A.to praise and encourage their children more often |
B.to be hard on their children |
C.to leave their children alone with nothing to do |
D.to give their children as much help as possible |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
A.Parents play an important part in their children’s growth. |
B.The less you use your mind the duller you may become. |
C.Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live. |
D.What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion |
It was Sunday. I had one last patient to see. I approached her room in a hurry and stood at the doorway. She was an old woman, sitting at the edge of the bed, struggling to put socks on her swollen(肿胀的)feet. I entered, spoke quickly to the nurse and examined her chart. She was getting better.
I looked down at her. She asked if I could help put on her socks. Instead, I said something like this:“ How are you feeling? Your sugars and blood pressure were high but they’re better today. The nurse mentioned you were anxious to see your son who’s visiting you today. I bet you really look forward to seeing him.”
She stopped me with a serious voice, as if she was giving an order. “ Sit down,Doctor.This is my story,not your story. ”
I was surprised and embarrassed. I sat down. I helped her with the socks. She began to tell me that her only son lived around the corner from her, but she had not seen him in five years. She believed that her health problems really had something to do with it. After hearing her story and putting on her socks, I asked if there was anything else I could do for her. She shook her head and smiled. All she wanted me to do was to listen.
Later on, I often thought of what that woman taught me. Everyone has a story and each story is different. Some have a beginning, middle and end. Others wander without a clear conclusion. Yet all those things do not really matter. What matters to the storyteller is that the story is heard—without interruption or judgment. The writer went to visit the older woman to.
A.1isten to her story | B.tell her good news |
C.help her put on her socks | D.see if she was getting better |
What problem did the old woman have?
A.She ate too much sugar. |
B.She had high blood pressure. |
C.She had too many visits. |
D.She liked telling others stories. |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to the older woman’s.
A.not having seen her son for long | B.having no one to look after her |
C.serious voice when giving orders | D.struggling to put socks on her feet |
What does the story mainly tell us?
A.Everyone should learn to listen to others. |
B.Children had better stay with their parents. |
C.We all have a story and each one is different. |
D.Older women are good at telling their stories. |
Last year more than 13 Korean TV series were introduced in China. Turn on the TV, and Korean beauties are appearing during peak viewing times(黄金时段). Some of the dramas are being repeated, but audiences continue to watch them. Why are the South Korean TV series loved by so many Chinese people? Cheng Yiting, a student from East China Normal University, gives us her reasons. She thinks that the good-looking actors with cool clothes and the beautiful sight in the dramas are the selling points for South Korean TV dramas. But what attracted the young audiences most is the pure and moving love stories.
And it seems that South Korean TV series has also won the hearts of middle-aged people. They are touched by the morals(道德)in the shows. These include the importance of respecting elders and social order. Though some people think South Korean TV series are too slow and too long, most of the Chinese audiences like them. Maybe we are really tired of Western TV series. Compared with that, South Korean TV series are not bad. What does the underlined word "repeated" in the third line mean?
A.大长今 | B.流行 | C.重播 | D.垃圾时段 |
Which of the following is not mentioned(提及)about South Korean TV series in the passage?
A.Love. | B.Morals. |
C.Social order. | D.The youth self-respect. |
What is the main reason why South Korean TV series are popular?
A.The series are slow and long. |
B.The actors wear cool clothes. |
C.The stories with morals in them are pure and moving. |
D.The actors are cool. |
What do you know about South Korean TV series from the passage?
A.Thirteen more South Korean TV series will be introduced to China. |
B.Young audiences like South Korean TV series better than middle aged people. |
C.All the South Korean TV series will be repeated this year. |
D.Some Chinese think part of South Korean TV series are worth watching twice. |
After The Super Girl was shown on TV, it was loved by millions of people, especially the young people. It becomes a hot topic among people. Here are some of their opinions
China is a developing country and women now show their abilities as freely as men do. The modern world is a stage for them to show who they are and what they want.
—Nancy , 14 The Super Girls
One of the girls looks like Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) . In Singapore, a show of this kind is called Superstar. I think the competition like this is a good chance for the young girls with the dreams of stage. As for The Super Girl, I hope I can see one international super star coming out from this year's competition .
—Linda , 16
I am worried about these super girls. They are educated in different ways. At their ages, they should be spending more time at school , not on the stage. What are they learning? And for what?
—John , 15 What do people think about The Super Girl ?
A.It was loved by all the people | B.Different people have different ideas |
C.All the young people enjoyed it very much | D.It is not popular among people |
Linda hopes to see from The Super Girl.
A.a show called Superstar in Singapore | B.a girl with the name of Jolin Tsai |
C.an international superstar coming out | D.some young girls with dreams of the stage |
John worries about the super girls because these girls .
A.don't spend enough time studying at school | B.spend too much time studying at school | C.show their abilities in their free time | D.are educated in the same way |
Should parents ever hit their children?
Research suggests many of us are likely to respond “no”, and public support for spanking(打屁股) has been falling over the years. But surverys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once.
I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment. And, no, I don’t feel I was damaged by it.
Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children.
But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn’t the answer.
Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive.
Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades. He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers(同等的人). It may be that children with lower IQqs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterpoductive(反作用的) to their mental development, as well.
Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks(用巴掌打) on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit.
Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never spanked. There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physi punished. Gunnoe’s research suggests they don’t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spank.
There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers(脾气). But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical puishment.According to the first three paragraphs, the author was probably hit by her parents when .
A.they were dissatisfied with her grade |
B.she showed no respect for the elder |
C.they cannot control their temper |
D.their discipline turns out to be not strict enough |
According to Murray Straus, children who are physically punished .
A.are less aggreesive toward others when they get older |
B.have slower physical development |
C.benefit from occasional spanking |
D.may develop lower IQs than their peer |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A.40 percent of children grow up without ever being spanked |
B.Children who suffer less physical punishment are better students |
C.Occasional open-handed spanking on the bottom are mentally harmful |
D.Researchers disagree over whether smacking is mentally harmful to children |
The author seems to agree that .
A.parents should determine whether a child needs to be smacked or not |
B.children who have been spanked tend to behave better than those who haven’t |
C.good parents discipline their children in a fair and reasonable way |
D.physical punishment should be the last resort of any parent |