“Don’t be a helicopter parent.” This message has been repeated frequently and others try to encourage parents to back off their kids and give them greater space and freedom to explore. But it doesn't actually tell parents how they should act. What kind of parenting style should be adopted in place of the overprotectiveness of helicoptering?
One possible answer is, “Be a lifeguard parent.” That means sitting apart from the action and keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, ready to jump in if needed. This was brought up by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia and Richard Monette, editor-in-chief of Active for Life. They think life guarding should include three parts.
Open attention is the stage parents should be in most of the time, showing a caring interest in what kids are doing, but keeping their physical distance and remaining non — intrusive (不介入的). Focused attention is when a parent perceives (察觉) warning signs and becomes more alert. Maybe it’s time to check in with the child to see how they’re doing. It might be a good opportunity to help the child think through their actions, rather than directing them. Most of the time, play goes back to being safe and the parent can return to open attention. Active intervention is when a parent needs to step in to reduce immediate risk. A child might not realize they’re close to the edge of a busy road or deep water, so the parent has to ensure their safety.
Brussoni says most of a parent's time should be spent in open attention. Days could pass，without ever entering focused attention. Active intervention should be extremely rare. It’s crucial to avoid telling kids to be careful all the time. This sends a message that the child can’t do things without parental assistance.
No one said parenting was easy, but it can be less unbearable if you let go of some control, teach your kids to do things independently, and trust them to self — regulate. Everyone comes out happier in the end.
1. Why is helicopter parent mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．Warn parents not to overprotect kids. |
| B．Introduce another parenting approach. |
| C．Remind parents to give kids more freedom. |
| D．Make a comparison between two parenting styles. |
| A．Accompany kids as little as possible. |
| B．Tell kids to be aware whatever they are doing. |
| C．Direct kids when they are climbing a thin branch. |
| D．Urge kids to leave a heavy traffic road immediately. |
| A．Parenting has been the toughest job since ancient times. |
| B．Allowing parents to self-regulate may be of great benefit |
| C．Less control may lead to a harmonious parent-child relationship. |
| D．Child should be taught to things all by themselves to grow up. |
| A．Don’t Be a Helicopter Parent. | B．Teach Kids to Identify Risks. |
| C．How to Guarantee Kids’ Safety. | D．Strive to Be a Lifeguard Parent. |
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【推荐1】My mom was one-eyed. I hated her... She was such an embarrassment. She ran a small shop at a flea market to sell anything for the money we needed.
I remember it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..., “Your mom only has one eye?!” and they teased me.
I wished my mom would disappear from this world, so I said to her, “Why don’t you have the other eye?! You’re only going to make me a laughing stock. Why don’t you just die?” She didn’t respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but meanwhile, it felt good to think I said what I’d wanted to say.
That night, I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get water. My mom was crying quietly. I looked at her, and turned away. Because of what I had said to her earlier, there was something hurting in my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying from her one eye. So I told myself I would grow 
up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our poverty.
Then I left her and got accepted in the Seoul University. Then, I got married. I bought a house then had kids. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom.
This happiness was getting bigger when someone unexpected came to see me. It was my mom... Still with her one eye. My little girl ran away, scared of her eye.
I screamed at her, “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address.” and she disappeared. Thank goodness. She doesn’t recognize me. I was relieved. I told myself I wasn’t going to think about this for the rest of my life.
One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to me. I lied to my wife saying I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to what I used to call a house. I found my mother fallen on the ground. She had a piece of paper in her hand. It was to me.
My son, I was glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school. For you... sorry I only have one eye. When you were little, you lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you grow up with only one eye, so I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son seeing a whole new world for me with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. You mean the world to me.
My world fell apart. I hated the person who only lived for me. I didn’t know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds.
1. How did the author feel when he saw his mother crying quietly in the kitchen?| A．He felt guilty of what he had said to her. |
| B．He felt good to speak out all he’d wanted to say. |
| C．He felt sympathetic to what his mother had suffered. |
| D．He felt anxious about his mother’s health. |
| A．she lost one eye in an accident |
| B．she donated one of her eyes to her son |
| C．she felt angry with her son sometimes |
| D．she attended the school reunion |
| A．kindhearted and helpful | B．disabled and mean |
| C．graceful and respectable | D．painstaking and tolerant |
| A．My one-eyed Mother | B．Love Between Mother and Son |
| C．My Poor Family | D．A Letter From My Mother |
| A．Think about the problem from your parents’ point of view． |
| B．Never listen to your parents |
| C．Think before you speak． |
| D．It is quite common to disagree with one’s parents． |
| E．Hear them out and then decide how to deal with the problem． |
| F．If you can, try to discuss the problem with your parents at another time． |
| G．Be clear about what you need，rather than focus on why you disagree． |
【推荐3】As she walked around the huge department store, Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. She wished that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfume.
Besides, shopping at this time of the year was a most disagreeable experience: people trod (踩) on your toes, poked (捅) you with their elbows and almost knocked you over in their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you.
Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attractive ties were on display. “They are real silk,” the assistant assured her, trying to tempt her. “Worth double the price.” But Edith knew from past experience that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father.
She moved on reluctantly and then quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale—and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long: although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bound to please him.
When she got home, with her small well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at the supper table. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood, “Your father has at last decided to stop smoking.” She informed her daughter.
1. Why was shopping very disagreeable at that time of the year?| A．Because customers were doing their shopping in a great hurry. |
| B．Because customers often poked each other with their elbows. |
| C．Because customers often knocked each other. |
| D．Because some customers trod on others’ toe. |
| A．He did not like presents. |
| B．He never got presents. |
| C．He preferred ties. |
| D．It was difficult to choose a present for him. |
| A．Purposely. | B．Happily. | C．Accidentally. | D．Unwillingly. |
| A．Glad. | B．Disappointed. | C．Annoyed. | D．Joyful. |
【推荐1】Gift givers often make serious mistakes in gift selection during the holiday season, according to are search article in Current Directions in Psychological Science.
The research, led by Jeff Galak, a professor from Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business, suggests that gift givers tend to focus on the moment of exchange when selecting a gift, while gift receivers are more focused on the long-term value of the gift.
“What we found was that the giver wants to 'wow(使喝彩)' the receiver and give a gift that can be enjoyed immediately in the moment, while the receiver is more interested in a gift that provides value over time," explained Galak. "Put another way, there may be times when the vacuum cleaner(吸尘器), a gift that is unlikely to wow most receivers when they open it on Christmas day, really ought to be at the top of the shopping list as it will be well used and liked for a long time."
The researchers found that this different focus on the gifts showed up in a number of different ways. For instance, some gift giving mistakes included giving unrequested gifts in an effort to surprise the receiver, when they are likely hoping for a gift from a planned list.
The researchers make recommendations for those hoping to choose better gits, advising them to better put their foot in gift receivers' shoes when thinking about gifts that would be both appreciated and useful.
"We exchange gifts with the people we care about, in part, in an effort to make them happy and strengthen our relationships with them," Galak added. "By considering how valuable gifts might be overtime for receivers rather than how much of a smile it might put on receivers' faces when they are opened, we can meet these goals and provide useful, well-received gifts."
1. What do the gift givers usually focus on when choosing gifts?| A．Receivers' immediate reactions. | B．Receivers' inner thoughts. |
| C．Receivers' long-term needs. | D．Receivers' lifetime hobbies. |
| A．To give advice on how to ask for a gift. |
| B．To show the influence of the wrong gifts. |
| C．To stress the popularity of the vacuum cleaner. |
| D．To show the importance of a gift's long-term value. |
| A．What a good gift shows about personality? |
| B．Why a good gift well worth "wows" and smiles? |
| C．Prices come first when choosing a Gift |
| D．A good gift calls for practical value |
【推荐2】After the death of her mother, Margaret Renkl gently placed in an antique jar the “soft white hair” left behind in her mother’s hairbrush. Years passed. When it no longer carried the smell she cherished, Renkl laid the hair across a tree branch in her yard. This act was meant as a direct invitation to the birds in her yard, and it was accepted: A chickadee flew off with the hair for the nest she was building.
Renkl devotes only a half-page to this story, but it conveys the beautiful theme of human and other-animal lives at the heart of her new book The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year. Renkl brings alive in 52 chapters her love for the animals in her half-acre yard in Tennessee. Equally moving, she expresses her great sadness about the human-caused crises the natural world faces, and her determination to take action.
She makes good on her promise. She treats an injured fox, with the help of a trap, a bit of bacon, and advice from a veterinarian (兽医); she also ensures that leaves from the trees in her yard are left uncleaned so that insects and birds overwinter can dine there; she fills a garden with milkweed in support of butterflies, and creates a shelter for tree frogs in the form of a 40-gallon tank filled with water and frog-friendly plants.
Compared to the tone of her earlier collections of essays, Late Migrations and Graceland, there’s a touch of extra sadness in Renkl’s new book. That’s not only owing to what’s happening to the natural world. Renkl’s parents have died and her three sons have all left home, “they all packed off to their own lives”; Renkl is “a little bit lost and a little bit tired.”
In these days of climate crisis, the phenomenon of ecological sadness is real. In order to seize opportunities to help, we do require fuel to restore our spirits. It’s easy to find that fuel in Renkl’s chapters like “The Bobcat Next Door,” “Praise Song for the First Red Leaf of the Black Gum Tree,” and “Loving the Unloved Animals.”
1. Why does Renkl mention her mother’s hair in her book?| A．To remember her departed mother. | B．To invite birds to nest in her yard. |
| C．To develop the theme of her book. | D．To draw public attention to her book. |
| A．What Renkl does for wildlife. | B．Renkl’s boring daily routines. |
| C．How Renkl tackles her mental stress. | D．Renkl’s promise to her mother. |
| A．It is full of worry and surprise. | B．It is affected by changes in her family. |
| C．It mainly features natural world. | D．It focuses on the climate change. |
| A．Showing ecological sadness. | B．Reading Renkl’s new book. |
| C．Protecting animals and plants. | D．Fighting against ecological crisis. |
【推荐3】It’s said that you can choose your friends but not your family. Maybe, But it’s clear that good friends come with plenty of health benefits, Now research suggests that your friendships may be more important than family relationships when it comes to your health and happiness.
Researchers from Michigan State University carried out two studies published in Personal Relationships. They first looked at data from nearly 280,000 people from almost 100 countries worldwide. After comparing people’s friendships and family relationships with their physical and mental health, the team discovered that friendship was linked to higher scores of well-being (康乐) than family relationships.
The second study involved (涉及) almost 7, 500 older adults, and suggested that the quality of friendships had a much bigger influence on health than family relationships. People who reported stressful friendships were much more likely to suffer poor health compared to those who had positive friendships; the influence on health from good or bad family relationships was small.
Friendships are very important to well-being. For one, it’s easier to drop a bad friendship than it is to cut ties with a family member. Even better, friends can also provide social support when things get tough with family members, such as going through a divorce or when caring for an aged parent. And long-lasting friendships are less likely to be filled with guilt than a family relationship.
Of course, good friendships don’t just happen — they require time, but time spent on developing good friendships is worth it.
“Friendships help us shun loneliness but are often harder to maintain (维持) throughout the life,” explains William Chopik, PHD, assistant professor of psychology.“ If a friendship has survived the test of time, you know it must be a good one. It means you’ve found someone you turn to for help and advice often.”
1. What did the two studies focus on?| A．Examining the influence of friendships and family relationships on well-being. |
| B．Telling people to pay more attention to friends instead of family members. |
| C．Proving that friendships are the most important part of people’s life. |
| D．Finding out the similarities between friends and family members. |
| A．How family members benefit our well-being. |
| B．What family members are unable to do for us. |
| C．when friendships can play a key part in our life. |
| D．Why friendships are key to health and happiness. |
| A．Only time can test good friendships. |
| B．Friendships can happen all the time. |
| C．It takes time to gain good friendships. |
| D．We should be patient with our friends. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Predict | C．Experience | D．Value |
【推荐1】Chinese mathematics educator Gu Lingyuan delivered a lecture about a 45-year math teaching reform program in Shanghai at the 14th International Congress on Mathematical Education. The reform program—the “Qingpu Experiment”—has involved three generations of educators.
The experiment started in Shanghai’s Qingpu District in 1977 when Gu found only 2.8 percent of 4,300 surveyed middle school students there passed a test related to basic math knowledge, and 23.5 percent received zeros. Since then, three rounds of 15-year research and reforms in math teaching have been launched to improve the general local math education quality.
“The first period was to explore practical ways to improve education quality in most common situations,” Gu said. In this period, Gu and his colleagues(同事) spent three years in surveying students’ math learning. They then selected seven local schools and 50 teachers to learn about problems and useful experiences before screening out the most effective teaching approaches. The approaches were then promoted in all local schools.
With their efforts,16 percent of the final-year students passed the math test in the graduation exam in 1979, and the rate increased to 85 percent in 1986.
After improving students’ test scores, they began to work on how to make students become “smarter”. In this period, they developed an approach to guiding students to develop their cognitive ability rather than merely memorizing mathematical concepts and practicing by doing exercises. In the past decade, they have been paying more attention to students’ innovative abilities and putting forward the approach of action education.
“This experiment helped us find out problems in mathematics education in China and offer solutions, in which we have summarized our own experiences,” said Gu.
1. What do the experimental data in paragraph 2 indicate?| A．Students showed little interest in math. |
| B．Students diversified in learning outcomes. |
| C．Students exhibited limited math competence. |
| D．Students were distracted from math learning. |
| A．One in five students passed the final graduation math test. |
| B．Selected measures were taken to boost students’ performance. |
| C．A survey concerning teachers’ education process was conducted. |
| D．Various teaching approaches were promoted across the country. |
| A．Students’ innovative ability. | B．Students’ memorizing ability. |
| C．Teachers’ education system. | D．Teachers’ teaching technique. |
| A．Qingpu Experiment: a 45-year math teaching reform program. |
| B．Gu Lingyuan: A pioneering mathematics educator. |
| C．The development of math education in China. |
| D．Education reforms in Qingpu District. |
【推荐2】“Snowplow (扫雪机) parenting” is the newest parenting style that can include parents booking their adult children haircuts, calling their college kids to wake them up so that they don’t sleep through a test, and even calling their kids’ employers.
“‘Helicopter (直升机) parenting’ means monitoring their kids’ every activity, which is out of date.” Claire Cain Miller and Jonah Engel Bromwich wrote in The New York Times. “Some rich mothers and fathers now are more like snowplows: clearing any problems in their children’s path to success so that they don’t have to meet failure or lose opportunities.”
There is a mother who started a charity (慈善机构) in her son’s name to try to raise his chances of being accepted to the college. Another parents spent years helping their daughter avoid foods with sauce, which she didn’t like. Once she got to college, she had problems with the food in her school because it was all covered in sauce.
A survey says that three-quarters of parents of children between the ages of 18 and 28 ask for doctor visits or haircuts for their children, and 11% say they would call their kids’ bosses whether their children are having an issue at work.
As reported, wealthy parents try to get their children into top colleges by giving a large amount of money to a school, such as paying for a building. This parenting has become the most popular way to raise children, whatever the income, education, or race is.
Julie, a teacher at Stanford, told the Times that “snowplow parenting” is not a reasonable approach. “The parents should prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid,” she said.
1. What do we know about “snowplow parenting”?| A．It is out of date. |
| B．Parents help kids deal with most problems. |
| C．It gets kids ready for school life. |
| D．Parents encourage kids to do their own things. |
| A．Parents make kids popular. |
| B．Parents provide little money for kids. |
| C．Parents ask kids to care for themselves. |
| D．Parents watch over kids’ every activity. |
| A．Do as wealthy parents do. |
| B．Do as little as possible. |
| C．Prepare kids for the future. |
| D．Clear the roads for kids. |
| A．Helicopter Parenting | B．The Similarity in Parenting |
| C．A Research on Parenting | D．A New Kind of Parenting |
One cost-cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four. Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient. But there’s a question: Would the quality of undergraduate education suffer? Few US universities have formally approved a “three-year degree” model.
I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a three-year curriculum any time soon. For one thing, most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits. In addition, at famous universities, the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out” one quarter of the required credits. Professors will resist “diluting(稀释)”the quality of the education they offer.
In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always superior to a quality three-year education. A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major. It is not a good idea to water down education, any more than it’s not a good idea to water down medicine. If we want to help students find their way through university, we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation. We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible. We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in meaningful part-time jobs that relate to their university studies, such as the five-year co-op program at Northeastern University.
1. Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．It’s time to shorten the learning process |
| B．Best learning takes place over time |
| C．University education should be watered down |
| D．College education calls for reform |
| A．some excellent students can graduate ahead of time |
| B．college students are offered the co-op program |
| C．electives’ credits make up one quarter of the required credits |
| D．all students are required to finish four-year education before graduation |
| A．the author is a college professor |
| B．the author considers the university education quality very important |
| C．the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford |
| D．the author pays special attention to the all-round development of college students |
| A．explanation | B．Definition | C．Comment | D．introduction |
