A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes(奇才) and music prodigies(神童), what it’s like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I’ve done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
• attend a sleepover
• have a play date
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No.1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
I’m using the term “Chinese mother” loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I’m also using the term “Western parents” loosely. Western parents come in all varieties. All the same, even when Western parents think they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It’s hours two and three that get tough.
Despite our squeamishness(神经过敏) about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that “stressing academic success is not good for children” or that “parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun. ” By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be “the best” students, that “academic achievement reflects successful parenting,” and that if children did not excel at school then there was “a problem” and parents “were not doing their job. ” Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.
1. Why can Sophia and Louisa become geniuses?| A．Because they listen to their mother’s arrangement. |
| B．Because they are gifted in mathematics and music. |
| C．Because Chinese parents can always cultivate successful children. |
| D．Because they are restricted to do something. |
| A．Cultural differences between China and the West. |
| B．Westerners tend to be more strict with their children. |
| C．Time for children to learn music. |
| D．The difference between Chinese mothers and Western mothers. |
| A．Participate in extracurricular activities with classmates. |
| B．Study hard and ignore everything else. |
| C．Practice your familiar musical instruments. |
| D．Strike a proper balance between work and rest. |
| A．Western mothers feel very different from Chinese mothers. |
| B．Western mothers have prejudice against Chinese mothers. |
| C．Western children develop more comprehensively than Chinese children. |
| D．Chinese mothers put too much pressure on their children to study. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As Earth’s climate has been warming, the risk of urban flooding g has grown, too. Building ponds to collect extra rainwater can restrain that flooding. But those ponds may actually add to global warming, according to a new study.
Recently, Audrey Goeckner, lead author of the new study, and her team compared the uptake and later release of carbon-based gases at five ponds, which were all in Manatee County Fla.
Along with a lab technician, Goeckner collected samples from samples from the bottoms of the ponds. The samples had mud above sandy material. Older ponds had deeper mud. Back at the lab, the research team measured the carbon-based chemicals in the samples.
In general, older ponds released less of these carbon-based chemicals into the air than younger ponds did. At the same time, “The rate that older ponds we restoring carbon in the sediment (沉积物) increased, “Goeckner says. In contrast, younger ponds seem to send out more carbon than they stored away.
“Sediment layers tend to be deeper in older ponds. They often have less oxygen available to fuel the breakdown of cells and tissues by microbes. This could slow the release of carbon-rich gases. It’s just really important to take into account how these human-made ecosystems are playing apart in the environment,” Goeckner explains. Her team shared its findings in Communication Earth Environment.
This isn’t the first study to show that ponds can release greenhouse gases, notes Trisha Moore, an ecological engineer at Kansas; State University. What sets the new study apart is that it is one of the first “looking at both parts of the system” —how much carbon the ponds store and how much they release. As such, she finds, “It was just a nice example of how we need to look at a system. However, she warns, this study sampled only a small number of ponds in one state. “Future research should look at what happens in ponds where the climate and vegetation are different,” Moore says.
1. What does the underlined word “restrain” in paragraph 11 probably mean?| A．Predict. | B．Explain. | C．Cause | D．Limit. |
| A．How long the ponds could be formed |
| B．How carbon-based gases affected humans. |
| C．How much carbon the ponds stored and sent out |
| D．How human made ecosystems benefited the environment. |
| A．They had deeper mud. | B．They added to global warming. |
| C．They stored less oxygen | D．They could be used to control floods. |
| A．Objective. | B．Disappointed | C．Favourable. | D．Opposite. |
【推荐2】A recent study from a team of South Korean researchers suggests that eating alone often may lead to poor eating habits and poor food choices. Specifically, the study found that men who ate alone more than twice a week had a greater risk of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
For children, eating with their families is not only about preventing bad results—it is also about developing good ones.
In 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) looked at data from nearly three-quarters of the world’s countries. Among its findings was the fact that students who shared a main meal with their families were less likely to skip school. Children who eat a main meal with their families are also less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
In the report titled “The Importance of Family Dinners”, researchers say that “teens who have frequent family dinners are more likely to say their parents know a lot about what’s going on in their lives”. They also claim that when teens say they feel closer to their parents, they are less likely to use drugs and alcohol.
Another study from the University of Montreal found that children who ate with their families experience long-term physical and mental health benefits. These children were physically in better shape and drank fewer sugary soft drinks. These children also seemed to have better social skills and they were less aggressive (好斗的).
Professor Linda Pagani says that mealtimes shared with parents “likely provide young children with first-hand social interactions, discussions of social issues and day-to-day concerns”. She adds that they may likely help the child have better communication skills with others.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．Advantages of eating with parents. | B．Benefits of eating alone. |
| C．Ways of developing social skills. | D．Dangers of using drugs and alcohol. |
| A．Abuse drugs and alcohol. | B．Drink more sugary soft drinks. |
| C．Get on well with their parents. | D．Be more socially active and aggressive. |
| A．To introduce a famous person. | B．To offer background information. |
| C．To explain further. | D．To show the disadvantage of eating with parents. |
| A．A popular novel. | B．A travel magazine. |
| C．A science report. | D．A biology textbook. |
【推荐3】Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt - including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Riding a pulley (滑轮) -operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window - there is no glass! -you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast - the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps to the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was1 like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65 ℉ in summer. (Don’t worry - there is heat in winter.)
1. Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?| A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned. | B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
| C．The glue can prevent the rain from dissolving the hotel. | D．It is located on a prehistoric dried-up lake. |
| A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B& | B．B. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner. |
| C．The name of the hotel. | D．The name of the hotel owner. |
| A．Tayka Hotel De Sal | B．Green Magic Nature Resort |
| C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B | D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
【推荐1】Everyone “talks” with their hands at least sometimes. Some people’s hand-talking, or gesturing (手势) matches their messages well. Other people like to make gestures that can be confusing. And still others don’t use their hands much at all. No matter which group you are in, it’s important to pay attention to your hand gestures while you are communicating. And also remember hand gestures can have cultural meanings.
A few years ago, I was a speaker at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal. It was my first time in Portugal, and I became immediately fond of the special pastries (糕点) that Lisbon and Portugal are known for. One morning I went into a bakery and ordered two of the pastries. I did so by holding up two fingers, similar to the “victory” or “peace” gesture in the United States. The person behind the counter put three pastries in the box. I later learned that the gesture for two would raise thumb and index finger. Even though my thumb wasn’t showing, the person behind the counter thought I was signaling for three.
I was lucky that I didn’t get into more trouble than an extra pastry. Many hand gestures are not universal. Before speaking in a country that you are not familiar with, do some research to find out which gestures might be misunderstood, not understood at all or rude.
1. Why did the author go to Lisbon, Portugal?| A．To taste pastries. | B．To take a holiday. |
| C．To attend a meeting. | D．To learn Portuguese culture. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Normal. | B．Independent. | C．Common. | D．Complex. |
| A．One should be careful when ordering food in Portugal. |
| B．Hand gestures may have different meanings in different cultures. |
| C．The person behind the counter understood the author’s gesture. |
| D．The person behind the counter cheated the author. |
| A．tell us that hand gestures are not the same worldwide |
| B．explain the general use of gestures |
| C．ask us to use correct hand gestures in Portugal |
| D．share a funny story in Portugal |
【推荐2】As you get older, you’ll meet a wider range of people from diverse cultures. If you haven’t met many people from different backgrounds, it can be hard to know how to respect their culture.
One of the best ways to understand other people’s cultures is to first consider your own. Most of us don’t realize that our customs and beliefs might seem strange to someone else. Don’t think of your own way of life as the only normal one and everyone else’s to be strange.
Maybe you’ve recently met someone from a different culture, or you’re curious about how different people live. When you meet people from a different culture, ask them about their lives. Also, you can read books, watch movies or listen to radio shows.
Differences between us are what make life so interesting, so just accept the differences between yourself and your friends from different cultures. The best way to respect people from other cultures is to strike a balance between curiosity and appreciation:
| A．Respect other cultures. |
| B．Appreciate the differences. |
| C．Ask questions if your friends are open to it. |
| D．In this way, you may find it hard to know your own culture. |
| E．Otherwise, it’s hard to approach those differences with respect. |
| F．Here are some tips for learning more about them and about yourself. |
| G．These will help you get an insider’s view on a different culture. |
【推荐3】People around the world are superstitious about numbers; even those ancient Greeks believed that all numbers and their multiples had some mystical significance.
Those numbers between 1 and 13 were in particular to have a powerful influence over the affairs of men.
For example, it is commonly said that luck, good or bad, comes in threes; if an accident happens, two more of the same kind may be expected soon afterwards. The arrival of a letter will be followed by two others within a certain period.
Another belief involving the number three has it that it is unlucky to light three cigarettes from the one match. If this happens, the bad luck that goes with the deed falls upon the person whose cigarette was the last to be lit. The ill-omen linked to the lighting of three things from one match or candle goes back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier. It was believed that three candles alight at the same time would be sure to bring bad luck; one, two, or four, were permissible, but never just three.
Seven was another significant number, usually regarded as a bringer of good luck. The ancient astrologers believed that the universe was governed by seven planets; students of Shakespeare will recall that the life of man was divided into seven ages. Seven horseshoes nailed to a house will protect it from all evil.
Nine is usually thought of as a lucky number because it is the product of three times three. It was much used by the Anglo Saxons in their charms for healing.
Another belief was that great changes occurred every 7th and 9th of a man’s life. Consequently, the age of 63 (the product of nine and seven) was thought to be a very perilous time for him. If he survived his 63rd year he might hope to live to a ripe old age.
Thirteen, as we well know, is regarded with great awe and fear. The common belief is that this derives from the fact that there were 13 people at Christ’s Last Supper. This being the eve of his betrayal, it is not difficult to understand the significance given to the number by the early Christians.
In more modern times 13 is an especially unlucky number of a dinner party, for example. Hotels will avoid numbering a floor the 13th; the progression is from 12 to 14, and no room is given the number 13. Many home owners will use 12 1/2 instead of 13 as their house number.
Yet oddly enough, to be born on the 13th of the month is not regarded with any fear at all, which just shows how irrational we are in our superstitious beliefs.
1. What does the underlined sentence mean?| A．If one good thing happens, two bad things will follow it. |
| B．If one bad thing happens, two good things will follow it. |
| C．If one good thing happens, two more good things will follow it. |
| D．Three good things and three bad things always come together. |
| A．3 and 7 | B．7 and 9 | C．3 and 9 | D．3 and 13 |
| A．dangerous | B．instable | C．unlucky | D．unhealthy |
| A．legend |
| B．popular belief |
| C．religion |
| D．certain customs |
| A．His attitude is not clear. |
| B．He is strongly critical. |
| C．He is in favour of them. |
| D．He is mildly critical. |
【推荐1】The research by OECD that was analyzing the homework of 15-year-old school kids has shown that Italian children are busy with homework as they have to spend over 9 hours on it weekly. The other countries where children have to work over 6 hours on their tasks are Ireland, Poland, the USA and Australia.
Additional practice
It teaches students responsibility
When students only visit classes they have no idea how difficult it is for teachers to prepare for the lessons and may behave badly.
It teaches important life skills
When we say that students do their homework we add many meanings in this phrase. Pupils learn to manage time effectively, set priorities, and improve self-discipline.
If teenagers would have too much time for leisure activities, the possibility that they will be involved in some illegal or criminal issues rises greatly. Being busy with tasks they do not waste their time and spend it with the unmatched benefit.
| A．It keeps students busy. |
| B．It enriches students’ knowledge. |
| C．Therefore, it’s high time that homework should be banned. |
| D．Not all the information is grasped by students at the lessons. |
| E．That is a good preparation for future career and meeting deadlines set by bosses. |
| F．At the same time, each person realizes that homework is extremely important in studying. |
| G．When they are given assignments on a regular basis, they raise responsibility, punctuality (守时), and performing. |
【推荐2】Every school has students who stand out for their abilities and their eagerness to learn. In Mexico, a school created a program to work with them. In 2019, both teachers Lotta Andersson and John Rennie got the idea to provide learning opportunities for students with a hunger for knowledge. They are English coordinators(协调员) in the school. “We want to have a program to inspire students who really have the abilities and the interests to learn more and continue accepting challenges,” Andersson said during a recent interview.
Students in the program, which was called Learning Challenges, met with the teachers about once a month. Andersson and Rennie would help us choose research topics. We then worked with the teachers to find books, interview subjects and Internet sources. While in Learning Challenges, I gave presentations on European culture and the fashion industry.
When asked what skills students had formed in the program, which ended in June 2020 because of the limits of a common disease. Andersson said, “They had learned to ask questions, be more open-minded and see things from different angles(角度). Also, they mastered the skills — reflecting more, acting actively, and learning not to put limits on themselves.”
A student, Yihane Abed, conducted research on the sun, the moon, stars, planets, etc, while in Learning Challenges. “The skills I developed were teamwork and the ways to do research and give a good presentation,” she said.
Andersson and Rennie continue to help students pursue their love of learning. “The program doesn’t exist formally, but as an important part of the culture at school, it is still needed,” Andersson said. “There is much more difference, not only for students who need extra help, but also for those who are higher achievers.”
1. What’s the purpose of creating Learning Challenges?| A．To help some students learn more. |
| B．To guide students to work out successfully. |
| C．To raise students’ interest in visiting Europe. |
| D．To encourage English students to help others. |
| A．Ways that students used in the program. |
| B．Abilities that students got from the program. |
| C．Difficulties that students met in the program. |
| D．Topics that students chose from the program. |
| A．Teamwork. | B．Travelling. | C．The universe. | D．The fashion industry. |
| A．Hard. | B．Formal. | C．Necessary. | D．Traditional. |
In 2012, there were more than 4,000 American students completing bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees in Germany. The Institute of International Education (IIE) says that the number of U.S. students completing college degrees in Western Europe increased by about 5 percent from 2010 to 2012. American students choose to study in another country for two main reasons. First, international experience is becoming more important in the modern job market. Second, the cost of higher education has continued to rise in the United States. Rising tuition (学费) costs make education abroad—particularly in countries that charge no tuition-attractive to American students, says the IIE.
Many American students choose Germany because of the low cost of education there. German public universities do not charge tuition fees. And many universities in Germany offer courses in English, too. College education in the US is seen as a privilege and expected to cost money but in Germany it is seen as an extension of a free high school education where one expects it to be provided.
The German government has been eager to encourage students to come to Germany for another reason. Like many countries in Western Europe, German's population is becoming older, and fewer young people are entering college and the job market. The German government hopes to attract skilled foreign students who will stay in Germany.
1. Which country attracted American students most in the 2011-2012 school year?
| A．Germany. | B．France. | C．Britain. | D．Italy. |
| A．many universities there offer courses in English |
| B．the cost of education is relatively low there |
| C．studying abroad matters in their job hunting |
| D．it is much easier to find a job than in the USA |
| A．Overseas education. | B．High school education. |
| C．College education. | D．Public education. |
| A．More and more US students choose colleges overseas. |
| B．Reasons why more students study in foreign countries. |
| C．Western Europe manages to attract foreign students. |
| D．Advantages and disadvantages of German education. |
