But the nervous father continued. He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery(整形手术). The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears.
The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large ears. She had been delivered by operation, and had not yet seen the child.
“She doesn't take things as easily as I do,” he said to the nurse.
By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby. The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears.
The baby was in a blanket(毛毯) with his head covered for the short trip through the cold air-conditioned corridor. The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could look at her child for the first time.
She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, “Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears!”
No problem with Mom. She married those ears...and she loves the man to whom they are attached.
The poet Kahlil Gibran said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light.
1. When the father first saw his baby, he was worried that________.
| A．The baby might not grow up healthily. |
| B．The baby might be laughed at by others. |
| C．The baby might disappoint its mother. |
| D．the baby might have mental problems. |
| A．could not function well. |
| B．looked the same as others. |
| C．only caused a small problem. |
| D．needed to have plastic surgery. |
| A．She blamed her husband for the baby’s big ears. |
| B．She was the first to discover the baby’s large ears. |
| C．She suggested having an operation on the baby immediately. |
| D．She found something similar between the baby and its father. |
| A．The ears. | B．The parents. | C．The doctor and nurse. | D．The problems |
| A．To advise readers to listen carefully. |
| B．To draw a conclusion from the story. |
| C．To criticize the wrong attitude to physical beauty. |
| D．To stress the importance of doctor-patient relationship. |
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【推荐1】Nicole Eisenberg’s older son has wanted to be a star of the stage since he was a kid. He took voice, dance and drama lessons and attended the well-known Stagedoor Manor summer camp for half a dozen years. “I had to take him on 20 auditions (试演) for musical theater. But he did it with me. I did not helicopter parent him. I was co-pilot.” Ms Eisenberg said.
Helicopter parenting is a term that become popular in the 1980s and grew out of fear about children’s physical safety. It is the practice of hovering anxiously near one’s children, monitoring their every activity. In the 1990s, it meant not just constantly monitoring children, but also always teaching them.
Or was she a snowplow parent? Snowplow parenting is an even more obsessive (强迫性的) form, which keeps their children’s futures obstacle-free, so they don’t have to come across failure, frustration or lose opportunities.
It’s a parent’s job to support the children, and to use their adult wisdom to prepare for the future when their children aren’t mature enough to do so. It’s painful for any parent to watch their child mess up, or not achieve their goals. Now, however, the stakes (赌注) are so much high. “Increasingly, it appears any mistake could be very serious for their class outcome,” said Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland.
“The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid.” Ms Lythcott-Haims said. “You have made a role for yourself of always being there to handle things for your child, so it gets worse because your child is ill-equipped to manage the basic tasks of life.” Learning to solve problems, take risks and overcome frustration are important life skills.
However, snowplowing has gone so far that many young people are in crisis, lacking these problem-solving skills and experiencing anxiety. Many snowplow parents know it’s problematic, too. But because of privilege or peer pressure or anxiety about their children’s futures, they do it anyway.
1. What do helicopter parents and snowplow parents have in common?| A．They teach their children everything. |
| B．They do everything for their children. |
| C．They care too much about their children. |
| D．They only fix their eyes on their children. |
| A．A thousand miles begins with a single step. |
| B．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| C．Good company on the road is the shortest cut. |
| D．Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. |
| A．The shortage of problem-solving ability. |
| B．The decrease of their anxiety. |
| C．The satisfaction of learning. |
| D．The pressure from their friends. |
| A．Helicopter Parents and Their Children |
| B．Parents Develop Problem-solving Skills |
| C．Parents Prepare for Children’s Future |
| D．Parents Rob Children of Adulthood |
We have not seen you for a while now, so I thought we might check in. Did you fall off the edge of the Earth? Your mother worries, you know, and I am just curious. Well, I am more than curious. I feel abandoned.
Apparently you’ve dumped us for your career. I can understand that, because you’ve always had a wonderful work ethic (道德).
Look, obviously your long absence has confused us. As we go about our daily routines, your mother and I are distracted – both by your absence and our pride in your career. The other day, I entered my work password into the microwave, then stood there cursing it for not working. And I was so off my game (状态差) that I actually used that cholesterol-free mayo (不含胆固醇的蛋黄酱) your mother insisted on buying in an effort to drive me from the house.
Listen, a lot has happened since you’ve been away. Abraham Lincoln was shot. We had two more children – a princess, now 23; a boy, now 12.
Yesterday I bought a very clean 2001 Camaro car from an older woman. Your mother is not happy about this. She says it is the kind of muscle car driven by ex-convicts (有犯罪前科的人) when they examine your house at 2 am.
In response, I tell her it was the car of my dreams (when I was 18). So that’s where your long absence has left us. Your long absence is not so bad, though we miss your roaring laughter ... the way your cheeks flush (晕红) when you eat Thai food. How you always march too hard into the house, like a Scotsman stepping on snakes.
Each evening, your mother now waits by the window the way she did when you used to step off the bus in first grade, your hair full of rubber bands.
Bet that drove you crazy even then, her running out on the porch (门廊) like you’d just returned from a month-long journey to the moon.
Look, parents are not easy people.
But should the urge ever hit you, feel free to stop by some time. Our house is your house. Our hearts are yours too.
And your mother is still waiting by the window.
Love, Dad
1. The author entered his work password into the microwave because __________.
| A．all kinds of passwords made him confused |
| B．he was thinking too much about his work |
| C．he was affected by his daughter’s long absence |
| D．he was getting old and he had forgotten how to use the microwave |
| A．comparing the past and present |
| B．talking about history and his dream |
| C．listing changes they have made to their routines |
| D．detailing strange things they have started doing |
| A．describe what kind of person his daughter is |
| B．show how much he and his wife care about their daughter |
| C．show how annoyed his daughter must feel about her mother |
| D．remind his daughter of the problems they had |
| A．humorous | B．inspiring | C．serious | D．patient |
【推荐3】There's no place like home. 'This English saying has much truth in it: the best place to be is surrounded by our treasured possessions and our loved ones and with a roof over our head. And for many young adults, it's the only affordable place to stay; somewhere where they can receive first-class service from mum and dad. But this comes at a price!
According to the UKS Office for National Statistics, about a quarter of young adults aged 20-34 live at home, and that figure has been growing. A survey found that 18% of adult children in the UK said they were moving back home because of debt, compared with 8% last year. More young people had lost their jobs, and others couldn’t afford their rent compared with the previous year. So, it's easy to see why they're increasingly becoming home birds.
The BBC’s Lucy Hooker explains that many returning adult children enjoy home comforts. These include cooked meals, a full fridge and cleaning, as well as their bills being covered by what is commonly called ‘The hotel of mum and dad’. But for the ‘hoteliers’, that's mum and dad, the survey found the average cost to them has gone up sharply, and that they are sacrificing luxuries and holidays to look after their ‘big kids’ Emma Craig from MoneySuper market says, “They’re trying to look after their children more. If your child comes home and you see them struggling financially, you feel more awkward asking them for rent or to contribute. It tugs on your heartstrings more.”
With parents spending around € 1, 886 on takeaway food, buying new furniture and upgrading their Wi-Fi for the benefit of their offspring, it's easy for the returning children to put their feet up and make themselves at home. That’s before they learn a home truth that one day it might be their own kids who'll be checking into the hotel of mum and dad!
1. Why did the author mention the saying in Paragraph 1?| A．To explain a proverb | B．To analyze a survey |
| C．To solve a problem | D．To note a phenomenon |
| A．The desire for family's concern | B．The difficulty in job hunting |
| C．The pressure of money shortage | D．The duty to take care of parents |
| A．They are enjoying family members' company. |
| B．They are spending less money on luxuries. |
| C．They are charging their kids for accommodations. |
| D．They are complaining about the poor Wi-Fi. |
| A．a hidden secret | B．a private message |
| C．an unpleasant fact | D．an extra information |
