【推荐1】According to the findings of a new study, telling kids they’re smart enhances the idea that intelligence is a genetic gift rather than a skill that ran he improved, and children who think their intelligence is fixer! are not likely to pay attention to mistakes and recover from them.

In the study publisher! online, researchers looked at 123 children who were about 7. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset（思维定式）”. They asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer task while their brain activities were recorded. During the recording, researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half-second after making a mistake. The larger the brain response was, the more the child focused on the error.

Based on the data they collected, the researchers concluded that children with a “growth mindset” were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake, and in turn were more likely to improve their performance by paying closer attention to the task after making an error.

For parents, the lessons are clear: for starters, don’t pay praises that suggest intelligence is fixed. If a child hands you an A test, don’t say “You are smart!” Instead say “Wow, that study really paid off!”

Second, focus on using errors to work together and learn. Many parents and teachers shy away from mentioning a child’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. You’ll get it next time.” without giving them the opportunity to figure out what went wrong. Instead, it’s better to tell the child that mistakes happen, and to pay attention and work to figure out where and how they made the mistake.

1. What’s the resold of telling kids they’re clever?

A．They may think efforts are useful.

B．They may be attentive to their mistakes.

C．They may think they’re very clever.

D．They may think intelligence is fixed at birth.

2. How would children with a “growth mindset” react to their mistakes in the study?

A．They would be more careful to their mistakes and more likely to improve.

B．They had a smaller response and would pay no attention to their errors.

C．They would he less attentive to their errors and pay little attention to their mistakes.

D．They are more likely to have a larger brain response before making a mistake.

3. What does the author advise the parents to do when their kids make mistakes?

A．Comfort the kids and stress the efforts they made.

B．Tell them it’s OK and they will get it next time.

C．Praise the progress they made but not their smartness.

D．Let the child think about what mistakes they made.

4. What floes the passage mainly talk about?

A．Praise the children for their intelligence.

B．How to Heal with kids’ performance at school.

C．Proper response to kids’ mistakes and progress.

D．The reflection on kids’ smartness and development.

【推荐2】Early or Later Day Care

Many young parents are confused about whether their children should have early day care, and there have always been different views on this subject.

The British psychoanalyst John Bowlby believes that separation from parents during the sensitive “attachment” period from birth to three may scar a child’s personality and lead to psychological problems in later life. Some people have drawn the conclusion from Bowlby’s work that children should not be subjected to day care before three because of the parental separation it causes, and many people do believe this.

According to Bowlby, a great deal of psychological harm can occur when young children are separated from their parents. If they are left without touch for a while, they will have a higher stress level. Parents’ influence on their children’s well-being may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child’s brain is developing rapidly and when nearly all of her or his experiences are shaped by parents and the family environment.

However, there are critics. Some anthropologists (人类学家) point out that the love affair between children and parents found in modern societies does not usually exist in traditional societies. There has been a long history of the fact that father and mother did not bring up their children alone. Plato, around 394 B.C., argued that a system of early child care would free women to participate in society. Results from Israeli and Dutch studies show that child-raising duties are more evenly distributed among a broader group of people.

Besides, studies have reported that early day care has a neutral or slightly positive effect on children’s development. They learn the benefits of being socially smart, understanding the concept of sharing and caring. They promote concentration skills, which is very important in their learning. There are games where children are taught basic language and mathematical skills through stories and everyday examples.

Common sense tells us that early day care would not be so widespread if children had problems with it. But Bowlby’s analysis raises the possibility that it has delayed effects. The possibility that such care might lead to more mental illness 15 or 20 years later can only be explored by the use of statistics. Whatever the long-term effects, parents sometimes find the immediate effects difficult to deal with. Children under three dislike leaving their parents and show unhappiness. At the age of three almost all children find it easy to go to the nursery. The matter, then, is far from being clearly known, though experience and available evidence indicate that early day care is reasonable for young children.

1. The passage mainly argues whether ______.

A．children over three will accept school education

B．children under three should be sent to nursery schools

C．the family relationship is different in traditional societies

D．early day care should be totally replaced in modern societies

2. Which of the following supports Bowlby’s theory?

A．Early day care wouldn’t be so popular if it had negative effects.

B．Separation from parents for young children is common in history.

C．Parents find the immediate effects of early day care difficult to deal with.

D．Studies show early day care has a positive effect on children’s development.

3. The author’s attitude towards early day care is that ______.

A．children under three should stay with their parents

B．it has potential benefits for both children and parents

C．the bad effect of it on children will disappear as they grow up

D．it is controversial and the settlement calls for the use of statistics

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction       P: Point       Sp: Sub-point (次要点)       C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐3】In today’s households where both parent go to work and kids have busy schedules with school homework and many afternoon activities, finding time for a gathering at the table seems all but impossible. Yet, studies have shown time and again that eating together has multiple benefits for family members, especially children.

According to reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University(CASA), children who eat more with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol dependencies. They tend to perform better academically than those who frequently eat alone. Family meals came into American life in the mid-20^th century. In the 60’s and 70’s, social, economic and technological changes quickly dissolved the short-lived way of family meals. Restaurant visits, take-out and TV dinners have since become the norm.

There are indicators, however, that the old customs are coming back. According to the latest CASA reports, 59% of surveyed families said they ate diner together at least five times a week, a significant increase from 47% in 1998. Whatever drives this trend, it is a development that should be welcomed.

Eating together as a family is not just about food and nutrition. It is about teaching them how to become members of their society and culture. Food as become so easily and cheaply available that we no longer appreciate its significance. We have to rediscover its importance and its value. Sharing a meal with loved ones should be considered a special event, which can almost take on the form of a ceremony, as it was practiced by our ancestors for whom finding food was a constant struggle.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the simple act of eating at home surrounded by family may make children more virtuous or socially more responsible. But it can lay the groundwork for a lot of things that point them in the right direction.

1. What does the underlined sentence suggest?

A．Dining at home would enjoy great popularity.

B．The society was to develop at a rapid speed.

C．This practice of family meals started to change.

D．Americans would attach importance to take-out.

2. What is the writer’s attitude towards eating together as a family?

A．Disapproving.	B．Favorable.
C．Reserved.	D．Objective.

3. From the passage we learn our ancestors possibly ________.

A．valued the education of children	B．liked struggling with each other
C．appreciated the importance of food	D．cared much about food nutrition

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Family Dinners Benefit Kids	B．Good Eating Habits Matter
C．Meals Take on New Meanings	D．Old Customs Are Coming Back