On average, American kids ages 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school, eight hours more that they did in 1981. They also did more household work and participated in more of such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞). Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997: boys now spend an average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log half that time. All in all, however, children’s leisure time dropped from 40% of the day in 1981 to 25%
“Children are affected by the same time crunch (危机) that affects their parents,” says Sandra Hofferth, who headed the recent study of children’s timetable. A chief reason, she says, is that more mothers are working outside the home. (Nevertheless, children in both double-income and “male breadwinner” households spent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents 19 hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)
All work and no play could make for some very messed-up kids. “Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself,” says T. Berry Brazelton, professor at Harvard Medical School Unstructured(unorganized)play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to handle their relationships with their peers, but kids ages 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week engaged in it.
The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing “free time” watching television. But that, believe it or not, was one of the findings parents might regard as good news. If they’re spending less time in front of the TV set, however, kids aren’t replacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get kids more interested in books, the children spent just over an hour a week reading. Let’s face it, who’s got the time?
1. By mentioning “the same time crunch” (Line 1, Para. 2) Sandra Hofferth means ______.| A．children have little time to play with their parents |
| B．both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure time |
| C．children are not taken good care of by their working parents |
| D．both parents and children have trouble managing their time |
| A．he has plenty of time reading and studying |
| B．he has more time participating in school activities |
| C．he is left to play with his peers in his own way |
| D．he is free to interact with his working parents |
| A．extracurricular activities(after-class activities) promote children’s intelligence |
| B．most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched off |
| C．efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitful |
| D．most parents believe reading to be beneficial to children |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.
In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.
“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”
Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.
1. What is the problem with the author’s children?| A．They often annoy their neighbours. | B．They are tired of doing their homework. |
| C．They have no friends to play with | D．They stay in front of screens for too long. |
| A．By making a documentary film. | B．By organizing outdoor activities. |
| C．By advertising in London media. | D．By creating a network of friends. |
| A．records | B．predicts | C．delays | D．confirms |
| A．Let Children Have Fun | B．Young Children Need More Free Time |
| C．Market Nature to Children | D．David Bond: A Role Model for Children |
【推荐2】Type the words“kind of”，“probably”or“perhaps”into an email in Microsoft Outlook and the program might well tell you to think again．If the artificial intelligence-powered“Microsoft Editor”decides you’re not sounding decisive enough，it will warn you：“Words expressing uncertainty lessen your impact．”
To me，this suggestion sums up something we’ve got wrong in society．It highlights a broader issue：we live in a world that rewards those who speak with conviction—even when that is misplaced—and gives very little airtime to those who acknowledge doubt．
Research shows that the human brain is hard-wired to hate uncertainty：a 2016 study published in Nature Communications found that when volunteers were given electric shocks，their stress levels were highest when they had no idea whether they were going to be given a shock or not—higher even than subjects who were told they definitely would get one．
While confident-sounding specialists might be giving us what our brains ache for，the relief they are providing is probably misleading．Yet overconfident“thought leaders”and other public figures are usually the ones who get the most newspaper headlines and biggest social media followings．Psychology professor Philip Tetlock ran a series of“forecasting tournaments”between 1984 and 2003，in which he found that there was a negative association between the fame of forecasters and their ability to predict the outcomes of events．
Tetlock divided up forecasters into“foxes”and“hedgehogs”．Foxes consider all sorts of different approaches and perspectives，and integrate those into detailed conclusions．Hedgehogs tend to view the world through the lens(透镜)of one single defining idea．That makes the hedgehogs worse forecasters but more likely to get attention．
Perhaps we care less about the truth and more about some sense of security，however momentary that might be．And it makes Sense that when we’re all feeling anxious and making so many sacrifices，we would want to feel that some adults somewhere know what they’re doing．Nevertheless，is it time to give a bit more attention to the foxes?
1. What does the underlined word“conviction”in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Strong belief． | B．Heavy doubt． |
| C．Creative thought． | D．Specific knowledge． |
| A．Big fame most probably promotes certainty． |
| B．Confident public figures attract more followers． |
| C．Thought leaders are capable of forecasting events． |
| D．High reputation may relate to poor predicting ability． |
| A．Their ideas are more optimistic． |
| B．Their conclusions are more decisive． |
| C．Their viewing angles are intergrated． |
| D．Their approaches to forecasting are detailed． |
| A．Determined attitudes enhance popularity． |
| B．Certainty is over-rated and over-rewarded． |
| C．Confidence is vital to accurate predictions． |
| D．Human brains desire for a sense of security． |
【推荐3】In 2022, 61 companies in the United Kingdom (UK) took part in the world’s largest test of a four-day work week.
The pilot program, conducted in the UK, guided over 60 companies and almost 3, 000 workers through a six-month trial of a 4 day week, with no loss of pay for workers. Overall results show that almost every organization will stick to a 4-day week post-trial, with 91% definitely continuing or planning to continue, and a further 4% leaning towards continuing.
Companies rated their overall experience of the trials an average of 8. 5/10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7. 5/10. Profits rose by 35% over the trial periods when compared to similar periods from the previous year and hiring increased while absenteeism decreased.
Lead researcher, Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College observed an encouraging consistency in the data. “Results are largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, showing it works for many types of organizations. There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems,” she said. Getting the carbon footprint down is also encouraging, with commuting (通勤) time falling by a half bour per week.
How did workers do more in less time? Some companies cut meetings, or made sure they were shorter. Others used technology to help workers get more done quickly. Some companies created a “focus time” so workers could work on just one thing without being interrupted.
In general, workers said the four-day work week left them feeling less tired. About 71% said they felt less “burnt out” with their new work hours, and 39% said they felt less stressed. On average, 73% of the workers were more satisfied with the time they spent working.
1. Which of the following best describes the experiment?| A．Controversial. |
| B．Ambitious. |
| C．Eventful. |
| D．Successful. |
| A．It’s a one-sided move. |
| B．It’s what technology brings. |
| C．I’s environmentally friendly. |
| D．It’s unfit for big companies. |
| A．Working habits. |
| B．Joy at work. |
| C．Health management. |
| D．Business performance. |
| A．Monday-Friday Model Is Outdated |
| B．Good Health Is Good Business |
| C．4-Day Workweek Trial Finishes |
| D．4-Day Workweek Could Be Coming |
【推荐1】A graduation gift has a special meaning for people, particularly as the years pass. What is the best gift to give a graduate? It should encourage their dreams.
1. Life success
Let’s have a quick look at life success and why dreams and goals are so important. Life success lies in the dreams we have and the goals we set and achieve. Researchers found that concrete (具体的) dreams and goals, and your ability to carry out a plan to achieve them, play a big part in your life success.
2.
The best graduation gift should encourage a graduate’s dreams with one eye on the past and the other on the future. In practical terms, it should have emotional meaning, usefulness and convenience so that it can be easily carried with the young person.
3.Thank-you notes
| A．A dream gift |
| B．A useful book |
| C．Books can act as the ideal graduation gift. |
| D．For the graduate receiving gifts — don’t forget the thank-you notes! |
| E．After receiving a graduation gift encouraging your dreams, you can be more successful. |
| F．This guide offers ideas for the ideal gift to encourage a graduate’s hopes and dreams. |
| G．So, that is why encouraging and supporting a graduate’s dreams and goals should be a big part of any graduation gift. |
【推荐2】Teenagers drink. It’s a known fact among our society. People think that they do it to fit in, or to be cool, or to have fun. Although they may be the case for some, the true causes are much more severe. Many do it to escape, or they have no choice in the matter. Knowing and understanding these true causes will make it easier to deal with and treat.
Alcoholism usually runs in the family. A study done by the University of California, San Francisco, showed that about 25% of children of alcoholic families will become alcohol addicts. Therefore, teenagers who have alcoholic parents are more likely to develop alcohol addiction.
Teens are at a higher risk of drinking alcohol because they are more likely to feel more self-conscious about themselves than adults. They are more anxious to create good impressions on their classmates and friends, therefore turning to alcohol. Also, teens believe that drinking makes them feel better, look smarter, or appear cooler.
Teenagers who use alcohol report that the guidance from their parents is often lacking. There is usually a communication gap between the parents and the child.
But you can deal with it well. Know your teenagers and talk with them. Understand what they are going through at school, and know who their friends are. A simple conversation each day can help; in other words, communication is the key. Allow them to enjoy their risky behavior under your supervision. You don’t have to be an annoying one in your teenager’s life, to be a part of it.
1. According to the study done by the University of California, teenagers are more likely to drink when they ________.| A．suffer from great pressure from study | B．live in the family where parents drink much |
| C．hang out with alcoholic friends | D．are in the dark about the harm of drinking |
| A．show they are wealthy | B．impress them well |
| C．express their certain feelings | D．help them understand each other |
| A．understand what they are thinking | B．share drinking with them |
| C．communicate with them well | D．ask them to be responsible |
| A．teenagers | B．drinkers | C．teachers | D．parents |
【推荐3】Do you have any strong opinion on co-educations or single-sex schools?
A supporter of co-educational schools would probably say that schools should be like the societies they belong to. In Hong Kong, men and women mix socially on a day-to-day basis．In many fields men are even likely to have female bosses. It is, therefore, desirable that boys and girls grow up together, go to school together, and prepare themselves for a society that does not value sexual separation．
Some would go on to argue further that growing up with members of the opposite sex is important for personal development．Regular contact can remove the strange ideas about the opposite sex and lead to more natural relationships. Single-sex conditions are seen as leading to more extreme opinions, and possibly even as encouraging homosexuality(同性恋), though there is no proof that this is the case.
Those who are against co-education often also fix their attention on the sexual side. Some parents fear that close contact with members of the opposite sex is dangerous for teenagers. They want their children to be attentive to their studies. Such parents feel uncomfortable with modern ways and the free mixing of the sexes.
A stronger argument comes from research into school results. Girls grow up earlier than boys, tend to be more orderly and are likely to be better at languages. In a mixed class, boys who might do well in a single-sex class become discouraged and take on the role of troublemaker. Certainly in the UK this situation has greatly alarmed the government for it to be encouraging co-educational schools to have some single-sex classes. In the UK the best schools are all single-sex, strongly suggesting that co-education is not the best answer. This may, however, not be as simple as it looks. It may simply be that the famous old schools that attract the best students happen to be single-sex, rather than that being single-sex makes them better schools.
1. The underlined word “attentive” in Para.3 most probably means ________.| A．accessible | B．addicted |
| C．devoted | D．accustomed |
| A．co-education | B．single-sex classes in co-educational schools |
| C．single-sex education | D．co-educational classes in single-sex schools |
| A．single-sex schools are the best schools in the UK |
| B．being single-sex does not necessarily make a school better |
| C．co-educational schools are better for both sexes in personal development |
| D．because boys cannot compete with girls in study, they go to single-sex school |
【推荐1】Scientists know where earthquakes are likely to take place.But it is difficult for them to predict how strong an earthquake will be. Now，American researchers have found it possible to predict the strength of future quakes.
The earth’s crust — the outermost surface — is made up of large plates.As many as 20 plates cover the earth.They move slowly，sometimes sliding under one another and causing the earthquakes.
Timothy H．Dixon is a geologist (地质学家) in the University of South Florida，who studies rocks and soil to understand the earth.He and other scientists are using global positioning system，or GPS，to measure what he calls “slowslip” events.
Timothy Dixon says that while people can’t feel a building breaking off，sometimes deadly earthquakes will happen.The big Japan earthquake in 2011 and the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami in 2004 are the kind，and they are the real killers.So what we think these slowslip events are telling us is that they’re letting off steam in areas where there is a break.And if they let off enough steam，the areas won’t crack.“The more of the areas that break，” he says，“the more powerful the earthquake is.”
The scientists set up a number of GPS receivers 15 years ago in Costa Rica to measure the “slowslip” events，which take place only every year or two.The last one was three months before an earthquake in 2012.
You know an earthquake is more or less inevitable．People always want to know when an earthquake is going to happen.This technology cannot predict that.But Timothy Dixon says even if you don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen，since you know it’s going to happen，and you know how big it’s going to be，you can prepare accordingly.
1. According to the passage，what can scientists predict about earthquakes at present?| A．When an earthquake will happen. |
| B．Where an earthquake may happen. |
| C．How strong an earthquake will be. |
| D．What kind of the earthquake will be. |
| A．Unavoidable. | B．Unpredictable. |
| C．Powerful. | D．Terrible. |
| A．We can’t predict when an earthquake happens forever. |
| B．His new findings will prevent earthquakes happening. |
| C．His new findings will help people reduce damage caused by earthquake. |
| D．His new findings have been used in researching earthquakes. |
| A．To tell us the reason why an earthquake can happen. |
| B．To tell us that the strength of an earthquake can be predicted in the future. |
| C．To tell us what Timothy H．Dixon is doing in his spare time. |
| D．To tell us the advantage of knowing the strength of future earthquakes. |
【推荐2】I started the latest round of the NutriFit programme weeks ago. We took about 45 minutes to go through participants’ health records, previous diets, expectations, and levels of willingness to change to tailor the programme to meet each individual’s needs.
I was shocked by one thing. When it came to weight-loss goals, I usually asked, “When was the last time you were happy with your body?” The reply usually related to pre-wedding, pre-kids, pre-college — the usual suspects. However this time, almost everyone said, “Of course, I wasn’t happy with it then, but I am happy with it now!”
It made me stop to think. For most of us, no matter how much we don’t really like the body shape, there will possibly be a point in the future when we would kill for the body we currently have. I don’t mean to upset anyone who is improving their body shape right now. But maybe we need to stop and smell the roses. We should be happy with and grateful for our bodies exactly as they are.
That’s why NutriFit has changed into something much more holistic(全面的). Now we have every shape and size taking part, but the goals are so much bigger: disease prevention, more energy, better immunity, well-balanced hormones(激素)... The list goes on.
In my opinion, the key rule of a successful nutrition programme is to be based on real food. If you focus more on balanced diets and less on weight, it will become a mentally healthier process. If you’re going to maintain your new, healthy lifestyle, it needs to be something you actively enjoy — a lifestyle that you want to maintain. If you eat healthily because you want to rather than you have to, life will get 1,000 percent easier.
1. What did the author and his partners do to tailor the programme for individuals?| A．They introduced the programme in detail. |
| B．They examined participants’ physical health condition. |
| C．They got clear about participants’ health history and plans. |
| D．They analyzed and adjusted participants’ dietary structure. |
| A．People’s discontent with their previous life. |
| B．People’s optimism about their current body. |
| C．People’s satisfaction with their former body. |
| D．People’s ambitious goals of losing weight. |
| A．People’s image. |
| B．People’s health. |
| C．People’s weight. |
| D．People’s appearance. |
| A．Weight loss. |
| B．A healthy lifestyle. |
| C．A sound exercise plan. |
| D．Enough nutritious food. |
【推荐3】Keith Payne realized he was poor for the first time when he was in the fourth grade. The awareness came to him when a new lunch lady in the cafeteria asked him to pay for his lunch.
“Previously, the lunch lady had just waved me on because I’d always been on free lunch,” he says. “But this new lady didn’t know how things worked, and it was the first time that I had been asked to pay for my lunch.”
It was an agonizing moment and all of a sudden, he realized why he got free lunch while many of his classmates were paying for their meals every day.
“It’s not like I was poorer the day after that than I was before. Nothing objective had changed. But because of that subjective awareness, I began constantly comparing myself with my classmates and felt really unhappy,” he says.
Keith Payne is now a social psychologist at the University of North Carolina and shares how the awareness of inequality affects the way that both our minds and our bodies respond.
“As we walk through the world, it is very natural for us to compare our lives with those of others. We think about ourselves in terms of being on a certain ladder (梯子) with some people above us and it can cause serious psychological consequences,” he says.
One is that it makes us more willing to seek out risks and engage in high-risk, high-reward sort of behaviors. It affects us in ways that are similar to physical threats.
“But I think there are wiser and less wise ways to make those social comparisons,” he says. “Upward social comparisons feel terrible, but they can be motivating. Downward social comparisons feel great, and yet they can be demotivating. So one of the things I recommend is that we can be more strategic in making upward and download social comparisons, Neither one is good in itself. It just depends on what your goal is.”
1. Which of the following best explains “agonizing” underlined in paragraph 3?| A．Painful. | B．Brief. | C．Important. | D．Happy. |
| A．Poor people should be treated equally. |
| B．He wants to blame the new lunch lady. |
| C．There were a lot of poor people in his country. |
| D．We can be influenced by the awareness of inequality. |
| A．Unimportant. | B．Acceptable. | C．Annoying. | D．Unnecessary. |
| A．Talk to psychologists immediately. | B．Hang out with top performers. |
| C．Compare with less successful persons. | D．Stay alone and enjoy ourselves. |
【推荐1】At night, when you go to bed, many birds and animals are getting ready to sleep too. But others are just waking up and beginning their day, because they are nocturnal: they sleep during the day and then come out at night. Have you ever heard an owl hooting in the night? Owls are nocturnal. They spend the night looking for rabbits, mice and other small animals to eat. Bats, pangolins, moths, spiders, and many kinds of frogs come out at night to look for food too. And even in the oceans, some fish sleep at night while others, like sharks, become active.
So why do these animals live so differently? For some of them, it is safer, because there are fewer predators that want to catch and eat them. For others, it is easier to find food because the animals that they eat come out at night too. Some animals are nocturnal because the temperature is better for them at night. Slugs and snails, for example, can easily dry out in the daytime sun, so they hide in dark wet places and wait for the night. Many desert animals are also nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day.
Many nocturnal animals have special senses to help them to move around, stay safe and find food at night. Some have very big eyes that let in a lot of light, so that they can see in the dark. Some, like the fox, can smell things very well or, like owls, have an amazing sense of hearing. And some use echolocation to help them move around and find food in the dark. They make special noises that echo back, telling them what is nearby What other animals do you know about that are nocturnal? Try and find out about one.
Why does it come out at night, and what special senses does it have for night-living?
1. Why do owls come out at night?| A．To stay safe. | B．To hunt for food. |
| C．To find a playmate. | D．To build a shelter. |
| A．Why some animals are active at night. | B．When different animals come out. |
| C．Where food is easy to find at night. | D．How desert animals get away from heat |
| A．On the dry rocks. | B．In the water. |
| C．On the rooftop. | D．In the wet grass. |
| A．To voice opinions. | B．To offer advice. |
| C．To show some facts. | D．To spread love and joy. |
【推荐2】A good book is indeed the best friend sf a person. The same goes for outstanding CEOs of world recognized companies as well. Let’s have a look at the favorite books of some of the world-famous CEOs of the globe.
Microsoft CEO(Former)-Bill Gates, The Catcher in the Rye bu J.D. Salinger
A few themes explored in the novel are rebellion（叛逆）, anxiety and confusion. It acknowledges that young people are a little confused, but can be smart about things and see things that adults don’t really see. Gates said, “ I didn’t actually read The Catcher in the Rye until I was 13, and ever since then I’ve said that’s my favorite book.”
OWN CEO-Oprah Winfrey, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This book talks about how a little girl observes the people around her. Winfrey said, “I read it in eighth or ninth grade, and I was trying to recommend the book to other kids. So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that probably since I read this book.”
Apple CEO-Tim Cook, Competing A gainst Time by George Stalk Jr. And Thomas M. Hout
This book is based on 10 years of precious research done by the authors. It talks about how newer concepts of managing time in new product development, production and sales and distribution provide companies with the edge to succeed in this highly competitive world.
1. Which may be chosen by parents to learn about kids disobeying rules?| A．Competing A gainst Time. |
| B．The Catcher in the Rye. |
| C．Napoleon. |
| D．To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| A．Tim Cook. |
| B．Bill Gates. |
| C．Larry Ellison. |
| D．Oprah Winfrey. |
| A．She loved reading when young. |
| B．She read the book with other kids. |
| C．The book has an influence on her career. |
| D．The book is about a girl’s thoughts. |
【推荐3】Hong Kong is among the cities which have the largest populations in the world, but with night skies around 1,000 times brighter than globally accepted levels, it gains a bad reputation(名声) for its light pollution.
A study by Hong Kong University found that brightness levels in the southern Chinese city's popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui were 1,200 times greater than the international dark sky standard.
The crowded city of 7 million people, full of residential(住宅的) high-rises, towering office blocks and neon(霓虹灯) advertisements has no laws to control outdoor lightning.
The result is that light pollution is thought to be much worse than in other large cities, including London, Sydney, Tokyo and Shanghai.
“In Hong Kong, you can't go anywhere outdoor in the evening without your eyes being blinded by this really upsetting outdoor lightning,” the light pollution survey's head Jason Pum told AFP.
“The fact that we have all this light in the sky means energy is wasted,” he said, adding that too much artificial lightning also affects nightly wildlife.
Research has suggested that light pollution can cause a number of harmful health problems in humans, including sleeplessness and headaches and can also affect body clocks and hormones(荷尔蒙).
The university's survey, the result of five million measurements taken from points across the city, was released just days before the start of the yearly Earth Hour event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund.
People around the world will be encouraged to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday night to advertise climate change. Last year, a number of Hong Kong's major buildings along Victoria Harbour went dark to mark Earth Hour.
“Anyway, we should do our best to reduce the amount of lightning and suit it to the benefit of the environment.”
1. If you walk out at night in Hong Kong, you can see all those things except ______.| A．neon advertisements | B．residential buildings |
| C．a dark sky with many stars | D．high office blocks |
| A．Too much lightning means wasting energy. | B．It can make the city more beautiful at night. |
| C．It may have a bad effect on nightly wildlife. | D．It can do great harm to human beings' health. |
| A．Earth Hour is simply organized to reduce pollution. | B．light pollution is the biggest problem in Hong Kong. |
| C．light pollution is the primary causes of sleeplessness. | D．light pollution in Hong Kong is among world's worst. |
| A．Ways to reduce light pollution | B．Causes of light pollution |
| C．Worries about light pollution | D．Bad effects of light pollution |
