“Why do people enjoy saying that they are bad at math?” wonders Petra Bonfert, a professor of engineering at Dartmouth College. After seeing too many examples of adults “passing on mathematical anxiety like a virus,” Bonfert has an important message for math-phobic parents and educators: “We are passing on from generation to generation the fear for mathematics.”
Many people hold the view that math is inherently hard, and only people with an inborn mathematical ability can understand it. While well-meaning adults may think they’re encouraging kids by sharing their own math fears, research has shown the opposite. Research has found that the problem is particularly significant for girls, who “are especially affected when a teacher publicly announces math hatred before she picks up the chalk.” Moreover, a study published recently reported that female mathematical achievement was diminished in response to a female teacher’s mathematical anxiety. The effect was correlated: the higher a teacher’s anxiety, the lower the scores.”
Parents’ anxiety about math can have a similar effect on kids’ achievement and their attitude toward the subject. Children who received math homework help from mathematically fearful parents showed weaker math achievements than their peers, which in turn resulted in increased math anxiety for the children themselves. New research on math anxiety confirms that these parents unintentionally teach kids to expect that math will be beyond their capabilities.
Fortunately, Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist of Barnard College, has found a surprisingly easy way for parents to stop passing on math anxiety and build their children’s math confidence. The most important finding is the importance of normalizing math at home in a way that’s relaxing and playful: from using math-themed books and stories, playing with math games and toys to cooking together. He argues that we need to teach kids that “working on mathematical skills is not unlike practicing a sport. Neither can be learned by watching others perform the activity and both require encouragement and effort. You do not need an inborn mathematical ability in order to solve mathematical problems. Rather, what is required is perseverance, a willingness to take risks and feeling safe to make mistakes.
1. Why do some people share their math fear with kids?| A．To expect kids to learn from their mistake. | B．To prove only geniuses can learn it well. |
| C．To give encouragement to their kids. | D．To stress the importance of genetic factors. |
| A．Decreased. | B．Measured. | C．Improved. | D．Influenced. |
| A．Normalizing maths at home is relaxing and full of fun. |
| B．Having an inborn math ability is essential to children. |
| C．Developing mathematical skills differs from doing a sport. |
| D．Encouragement and efforts help yield math learning success. |
| A．Math-phobic adults are to blame for math failure. |
| B．Math anxiety is nothing to be afraid of at all. |
| C．Parents and teachers pass on math fear to kids. |
| D．Risks and mistakes are what success takes. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. A school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don't go.
But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don't fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other's experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school. Other find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out-often encouraged by college administrators.
Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves-they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn't explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can't absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.
Some adventuresome educators and watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college doesn't make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things-may it is just the other way around, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are merely the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy (离经叛道的想法 ) to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better.
But contrary evidence is beginning to mount up.
1. According to the author, ________.| A．people used to question the value of college education |
| B．people used to have full confidence in higher education |
| C．all high school graduates went to college |
| D．very few high school graduates chose to go to college |
| A．high school graduates who aren't suitable for college education. |
| B．college graduates who are selling shoes and driving taxis. |
| C．college students who aren't any better for their higher education |
| D．high school graduates who failed to be admitted to college. |
| A．society cannot provide enough jobs for properly trained graduates. |
| B．high school graduates do not fit the pattern of college education. |
| C．too many students have to earn their own living. |
| D．college administrators encourage students to drop out. |
| A．more and more evidence shows college education may not be the best thing for high school graduates |
| B．college education is not enough if one wants to be successful |
| C．college education benefits only the intelligent, ambitious, and quick-learning people |
| D．intelligent people may learn quicker if they don't go to college |
【推荐2】How to Stay Motivated for the Entire School Year
Every new school year brings the same age-old problem:
Focus on a good start.
From the moment you walk into your very first class this semester,
Have a plan for your homework and study time.
If you think about your class time, that is highly regimented. You have a specific place you’re supposed to be and the class is happening at a specific time.
If you’re realizing that your attention is fragmented or you’ve taken on too many commitments,then it could be a good strategic decision to give up that in order to raise your motivation to tackle the other things on your plate.
Make real fun a priority of the new semester.
You need that cycle of actual rest, which isn’t just sleep, but it’s, you know, respite from your work and actual fun time,and work.
| A．make the commitment to sit up front and wring class for all it’s worth. |
| B．So,apply that logic to your homework and study time. |
| C．Learn to avoid some difficulties. |
| D．your motivation to learn is constantly drained as the semester passes slowly. |
| E．You need that actual interplay between those two states of being. |
| F．lack of motivational mantras or mindset hacks to maintain a hardworking attitude. |
| G．Know when to quit. |
【推荐3】Trips to museums are part of many children's education. Every year, museums receive a large number of school students.
Typically, schools are concerned about students performing well on required math and science tests.
In order to learn how a trip to an art museum affects students, the team looked at 11,000 students and found that students who visited an art museum were more tolerant (容忍的)
This study involved two groups. The first group who saw a live performance experienced improvement in tolerance.
Some museums are looking for ways to provide new programs for schools. Apart from their usual field trips, the museums also offer STEM-based tours for science, technology, engineering and math.
| A．People gradually recognize the importance of field trips |
| B．The other one watched a movie version of the same play |
| C．This motivation is very important to the success at school |
| D．Therefore, teachers may not see the value of art museum trips |
| E．Students analyzed data carefully after they visited art museums |
| F．These tours look at connections between art, science, math and architecture |
| G．Plus, they learned more about the art and developed stronger critical thinking skills |
【推荐1】Role-Playing in Child Development
Playing is a key component in the learning process for virtually all of the children. There are various ways in which children play, but one of the most important is role-playing. This involves a child engaging in an activity during which he or she pretends to be another person.
Experts on child development believe that role-playing can increase the connections in children’s brains that help them learn. Language skills are some of the most important aspects of learning. When children role-play, they must work out steps that need to be taken to complete a task, and create plans to act out a story. These activities enable children to develop their oral language skills. They become able to organize others and to give directions.
Children’s social skills can also be developed. When engaged in group activities, children have different roles. Some are leaders while others are followers. At times, the children will disagree, so they must learn to negotiate and compromise with one another, and they must learn to apologize when they have strong arguments or disagreements as well. Children further learn about cooperation and sharing and, hopefully, begin to understand things from another person’s point of view.
Besides helping children learn some kinds of skills, role-playing fosters children’s imaginations and can therefore assume a number of forms. For example, boys may pretend to shave like their fathers or perform various tasks around their homes. Girls, meanwhile, often pretend to be mothers to do some daily tasks, particularly if it involves caring for young babies. Sometimes children may imagine belonging to a group of superheroes or imitate (模仿) real-life situations. They might dress up and assume different roles. Another example is the performing of stories they read in books, which is also very common when they role-play.
Another beneficial aspect of role-playing is that it can help children deal with certain actions that may cause them emotional pain, such as the fear they face when going to school for the first time or making a visit to the doctor. If children role-play situations like these beforehand, the fear that they experience when doing these actions in reality frequently lessens. For this reason, experts encourage parents to allow their children to role-play and even to take part in these activities to help their children master their fears.
Role-playing can benefit children in many ways. There is no activity for which young children are better prepared than fantasy play. Nothing is more dependable and risk-free, and the dangers are only pretend.
1. From the author’s description in Paragraph 4, we learn that children often ________.| A．involve daily-life activities in groups |
| B．act out the activities that their parents do |
| C．perform daily tasks instead of their parents |
| D．change real-life situations when role-playing |
| A．develop a better awareness of grammar |
| B．receive benefits from their emotional pain |
| C．improve creativity by using their imaginations |
| D．understand how to be both leaders and followers |
| A．ignore | B．confirm | C．overcome | D．predict |
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
●New labels to show calories
The US government ruled that all food establishments(场所) should put the calorie information of their foods on their menus. Within a year chain restaurants, like fast food KFC, will have to say clearly on their menus how many calories their fried chicken wings, fries, and other items contain. Amusement parks, movie theaters and supermarkets will also have to follow the rules. The move is designed to fight against the problem of obesity(肥胖) in the US.
● Antibiotics leading to world problem
The entire world is facing this problem: antibiotic resistance. And the resistance will lead to the deaths of 10 million people across the world by 2025, predicted a new report released by the UK government. Antibiotics are used to destroy or slow the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies. But overuse and misuse of them can encourage bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming antibiotics, which makes it increasingly difficult for humans to fight diseases.
●___________________________________
Australia is the world's most expensive destination for international students, according to a study done by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). They have to spend an average of $ 42,000 ( about 258 ,000 yuan) a year to study at Australian universities. Singapore is not far behind, with an average yearly cost of $ 39,229, followed by the US at $ 36,564 and the UK at 35,045. However, Australia's education quality only ranks joint fourth with Canada, well below the US, the UK, and Germany. In addition, international students studying in Germany only have to pay about one-sixth the cost of studying in Australia.
● New Games sports may be added
The International Olympic Committee has canceled the 28-sportcap for future summer Olympics But each summer Games will still only be allowed 10, 500 athletes and 310 events. Countries that could host the games will discuss plans with the committee during a new invitation stage before bidding. They are also allowed to hold events outside their own countries and get financial support from the committee. No changes will be introduced for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
1. The news brief covers ______________.
| A．medicine, disaster, finance, events |
| B．business, medicine, economy, sports |
| C．service, health, education, events |
| D．health, medicine, education, sports |
| A．serious diseases | B．medical drugs |
| C．harmful bacteria | D．varieties of resistance |
| A．The cost of studying overseas |
| B．Australian study most expensive |
| C．International students in Australia |
| D．Australia's education quality |
| A．Some events may be held outside the host country in future summer Olympics |
| B．It is Australia's best education quality that will cause students to make a wise choice. |
| C．It is necessary for the UK government to try hard to encourage using lots of antibiotics. |
| D．Popcorn sold in cinemas in the world will soon have calorie information labels. |
【推荐3】When Peter Kahn became an English teacher at the Chicago Oak Park High School, he was terrified of teaching poetry. “Poetry was my least favorite subject as a student, and my least favorite subject to teach as a teacher, ”he says. “I was terrible at it. ” So he asked a former student of his for help, who suggested the idea of a poetry slam — a competition in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience. “The student with the lowest grade in my class ended up winning it, ” says Kahn. “And I realized this is something powerful.”
That was 1999. Inspired by the club’s potential to engage students, Kahn created an after-school spoken word club at the high school. And for over 20 years, the club has created space for students to engage in storytelling.
Many students have gone on to become award-winning poets, scholars, or even National Youth Poet Winners. Now a new poetry collection called Respect the Mic is showing a portion of that talent. The collection features 76 honest, powerful poems by the club’s students and alumni(校友), with a foreword by Pulitzer-prize winning poet Tyehimba Jess. Over the years, Kahn has invited distinguished poets like National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes and National Poetry Slam champion Patricia Smith to visit his classroom.
For Kahn, the collection and the club were all about helping students who just didn’t like school, as well as students of color — Black students in particular — who, Kahn writes in the book, faced an “opportunity gap” in classrooms. On average, they had a lower GPA (Grade Point Average) than white students.
Ultimately, the editors and some critics hope the club will take this power of poetry and move it beyond the Oak Park classroom, so that teachers like Kahn, who were once afraid of poetry, will be able to get themselves and their students excited about it.
1. What does Kahn think of the idea of a poetry competition?| A．Effective. | B．Nonsense. | C．Disappointing. | D．Demanding. |
| A．It’s a record of students’ life. |
| B．It’s about Kahn’s teaching experiences. |
| C．It includes a poem by a Pulitzer-prize winning poet. |
| D．It shows the students’ gift for writing poetry. |
| A．can wipe out color discrimination in the high school |
| B．is helpful to the black students |
| C．fails to fill the opportunity gap in the classroom |
| D．has moved to classrooms of other schools |
| A．A reunion of Kahn’s outstanding students. |
| B．An English teacher overcoming the fear of teaching. |
| C．A high school spoken-word club changing students’ lives. |
| D．A famous poem composed by a club’s students. |
【推荐1】Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence is something we can develop with practice and time.
Here are some ways to improve emotional intelligence.
Pay attention to your own feelings
One of the first steps in improving your EQ is paying attention to your body language. Pause and pay attention to your body language when you experience different emotions.
Also, consider writing down your feelings in a journal.
Empathize
Pause before reacting and put yourself into the other person’s place. How would you feel in his or her position?
Active listening
Those with low EQ will impulsively start talking about themselves every chance they get, no matter what the topic is. For active listening, try to build a conversation, which can promote mutual understanding.
| A．It’s not only a good release |
| B．It will make a big difference |
| C．How should you deal with such situations |
| D．Here’s one skill that many people could improve |
| E．What could be a possible reason for their behavior |
| F．It’s a skill that will pay off many times in our lives |
| G．What do you instinctively do when you get bad news |
【推荐2】To many web-building spiders, most of whom are nearly blind, the web is their essential window on the world: their means of communicating, capturing prey (猎物), meeting mates and protecting themselves. A web-building spider without its web is like a man cast away on an island of solid rock, totally out of touch and destined to starve to death.
So important is the web to an orb-web spider’s survival that the animal will continue to construct new webs daily even if it is being starved. For 16 days the hungry spider builds completely normal webs. Then, as the animal gets thinner, it constructs a wider-meshed web using fewer strands (线). Such webs would only trap larger prey, which is more economical from the perspective of a starving spider.
The spider stores energy by recycling web protein. It simply eats its own web each evening and re-uses it to produce new silk. In the following studies, it was found that 95 percent of web protein reappears in the next day’s web. Most of the energy needed for web-building is used in walking over the strands as they are laid down.
Scientists are impressed by the spider’s highly preprogrammed brain, which is larger for its size than the brain of any other invertebrate (无脊椎动物). If web-building is interrupted, or if some of the existing strands are destroyed, the spider simply goes back to see where the web is left off and then finished building a normal web. One spider will even finish building the incomplete web of another.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?| A．Web-building spiders have good eyesight. |
| B．One web-building spider usually conducts one web. |
| C．Most spiders will stop conducting webs when hungry. |
| D．Web-building spiders will probably die without their webs. |
| A．it is 16 days old | B．it has fewer strands |
| C．it is getting weaker | D．it hunts for food |
| A．it uses web protein to reproduce silk |
| B．it has a highly preprogrammed brain |
| C．the web is almost everything for a spider |
| D．it is able to rebuild a completely destroyed web |
| A．Keys to Spiders’ Adaptability | B．Web-building Spiders’ Life Secrets |
| C．Importance of Webs to Spiders | D．Spiders’ Highly Preprogrammed Brain |
【推荐3】Although we can’t know for certain how the earliest human beings kept track of the time, scientists believe they probably relied on the natural world around them. For example, historically, humans have relied upon the movement of the sun across the sky to track time. The ancient Egyptians built tall obelisks (方尖碑) that would cast shadows to help divide the day into sections.
These obelisks worked in much the same way as sundials (日晷), which were a popular means of timekeeping long ago. Of course, sundials didn’t help much at night or on cloudy days. To help keep time when it wasn’t sunny, ancient people also learned to track the movement of the planets and constellations (星座) after dark.
Other devices were developed over time, including hour glasses and water clocks. These devices relied upon the time it would take a particular substance (物质), such as sand or water, to move from one part of a container to another. Rather than clocks, though, these devices were more like timers.
How did people long ago set up a meeting at a certain time in the future? Some historians believe many people relied on a technique as simple as pointing to an area of the sky. When the sun reached that point, that’s when you would meet the next day.
Of course, humans, being the clever creatures we are, relied on a variety of natural solutions to the problem of timekeeping. For example, many people simply trained their bodies to wake up at the first light of dawn. Others may have relied upon animals, such as roosters, as alarm clocks.
If people had to be up before dawn, they might have depended on the full bladder (膀胱) method. By drinking a lot of water before going to bed, they would be assured of waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!
1. What do the examples suggest in Paragraph 1?| A．It was hard for people to track time. |
| B．The sun was important to people’s life. |
| C．People tracked time by the natural world. |
| D．The sun had something to do with time. |
| A．The animal calls. |
| B．The shadows of obelisk |
| C．The position of the sun. |
| D．The planets and constellations. |
| A．To get up on time. | B．To wake up at dawn. |
| C．To prevent thirst. | D．To go to the bathroom. |
| A．When did Clock Appear? |
| B．Why is the Sun Important? |
| C．Where does Clock Come From? |
| D．How did People Keep Time before Clock? |
