“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“‘Helicopter (直升机) parenting’ means monitoring their kids’ every activity, which is out of date.”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 in her son’s name to try to raise his chances of being accepted to the college. Another couple of 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. According to paragraph 2, “helicopter parenting”________.| A．was once a popular parenting style | B．clears problems for kids |
| C．encourages kids to care for themselves | D．is preferred by more parents |
| A．argue for the “snowplow parenting” style |
| B．give examples of “snowplow parenting” |
| C．explain the idea of “snowplow parenting” |
| D．offer some advice on “snowplow parenting” |
| A．Parents should be prepared to deal with the problems their kids meet. |
| B．Parents should never do anything for their kids until problems turn up. |
| C．Kids should develop the ability to face challenges with the help of parents. |
| D．Kids should always be independent of their parents no matter what happens. |
| A．Clear the Way for Your Kids |
| B．Have Your Eye on Your Kids |
| C．“Helicopter Parenting”—The Same Old Story |
| D．“Snowplow Parenting”—The More Help, The Better? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Letters to the Editor
Nurses’ strike
Sir, I have worked in the public sector for more than 30 years and know that the idea that nurses will be “driven out” of the health service by the 1 per cent pay offer is poppycock(胡说) (news, Mar 8). What attracts and keeps people working in these areas is public service and, as the Queen said in her message, a “selfless devotion to duty”.
Tim Kerin
London E7
Doorstep heroes
Sir, I can understand why so many people now like to have their milk delivered (“Pint-sized heroes are back on doorstep”, Mar 8) but don’t know why it has to be at such antisocial hours. I have often been woken up by the loud noise of Milk & More delivering to one of my neighbours in the early hours, and one day last week it was even at 1:50 a.m. , which made me sleepless the following hours.
Helen Hinde
Ruislip, Middx
Wine of the weak
Sir, Jane MacQuitty excelled (突出) herself in her wine column this week (“Red wine for lightweights: the best 12% and under bottles”, Weekend, Mar 6). The eight bottles on offer were flavoured as follows: forest-fruited, meaty, mocha, beetrooty, tobacco leaf, lemony and samphire. The star flavours (调味) in a Reisling from Chile were fat and lime pickle (酸菜味). Of the eight bottles of wine only one was described as “grapey”.
Tony Stafford
Harston, Cambs
Note: Letters to the Editor should be sent to letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post 1London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF.
1. Why did the three people write these letters?| A．To make themselves famous. | B．To make some complaints. |
| C．To promote The Times. | D．To improve their writing skills. |
| A．the health service | B．the nurses’ devotion to their work |
| C．the practical idea | D．the medical workers’ strike |
| A．Shocking. | B．Pleasant. | C．Unbearable. | D．Popular. |
【推荐2】Emily St. Denny is fifteen years old. She was born in Beijing, China, where her father worked as a French teacher and her mother taught English. When she was five years old, Emily and her family moved to Milan, Italy, where her little sister was born. Two years later, her family moved to Japan, where she attended an international school. After five years, the whole family moved to France.
Emily's father was born in France; her mother in America. After living in so many places, Emily does not really know who she is. She says she feels more American than anything else, as English is her first language, but she has never lived there! Emily is a "Third Culture Kid".
"Third Culture Kid" (shortened to "TCK") was made up in the 1960s by doctors Ruth and John Useem. They used it to talk about the experience of immigrant (移民) children growing up between two cultures: the culture of their parents, and the culture of the place they are living in.
Today, TCK also refers to children who have traveled a lot and who are culturally mixed. These are children who are familiar with many cultures, but not as familiar with their parents'.
1. Where was Emily's sister born?| A．In China. | B．In Italy. | C．In Japan. | D．In France. |
| A．6. | B．5. | C．4. | D．3. |
| A．She finds traveling interesting. |
| B．She is not certain about where she belongs. |
| C．She thinks school life is boring. |
| D．She does not feel close to her friends. |
| A．Because she has lived in America. |
| B．Because America is her birthplace. |
| C．Because she loves American culture. |
| D．Because English is her mother language. |
| A．Children who like traveling very much. |
| B．Children who attend international schools. |
| C．Children who grow up in different cultures. |
| D．Children who have been separated from their parents. |
【推荐3】New research says 35 percent of the deaths of children worldwide are caused by hunger. The research is from poor to middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Robert Black from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland was the leading writer of the research. He says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die in poor countries each year because of hunger.
He says more than two million children die from underdevelopment, either before or after birth. Millions of others who survive face a lifetime of disabilities or early death. And the effects are not just physical. Poor brain development can limit economic success as children become adults. Then the cycle of poverty and hunger often repeats for their children.
Doctor Black says hungry children are also more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease as adults. He says the studies show that food programs need to place the greatest importance on the first two years of life. Hungry children can suffer the whole life damage from age two.
So it is high time to improve their diets. Diets should include foods rich in vitamin A and other useful things. The researchers say early help like these could reduce child deaths by 25%.
The research has faced some criticism（批评）. A medical aid group says the researchers underestimate（低估）the number of child deaths from hunger. The researchers say there are findings that support this treatment but more studies are needed to compare it to hospital care.
1. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?| A．Poverty and hunger have influenced all children's lives in the world. |
| B．Hunger has some bad effects on children's physical and mental development. |
| C．Ever year over two million children die of hunger after birth. |
| D．Poverty and hunger can limit people's success. |
| A．If a child is hungry at childhood, he will be disabled in the future. |
| B．Criticism is the best medicine for hunger. |
| C．The results from the research is not satisfactory. |
| D．Generally speaking, hungry children have less chance of catching heart disease when they grow up. |
| A．Before birth. | B．Between birth and the age of two. |
| C．From age two to five. | D．Under the age of five. |
| A．Hunger—children's biggest enemy. | B．How to prevent hunger. |
| C．A latest survey about hunger all over the world. | D．Time to improve our living conditions. |
【推荐1】We know that spending lots of time sitting down isn’t good for us, but just how much exercise is needed to match the negative health effects of sitting down all day? Research suggests about 30—40 minutes per day of building up a sweat should do it.
Up to 40 minutes of“moderate(温和的)to vigorous(有力的)intensity physical activity” every day is about the right amount to balance out 10 hours of sitting still, the research says—although any amount of exercise or even just standing up helps to some extent.
That’s based on a study published in 2020 analyzing nine previous studies, involving a total of 44, 370 people in four different countries who were wearing some form of fitness tracker. The analysis found the risk of death among those with a more sedentary(久坐的)lifestyle went up as time spent engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity went down. In other words, putting in some reasonably intensive activities—cycling, brisk walking, gardening—can lower your risk of an earlier death.
While analyses like this one always require some detailed dot-joining across separate studies with different volunteers, timescales and conditions, the benefit of this particular piece of research is that it relied on relatively objective data from wearables—not data self-reported by the participants.
The research based on fitness trackers is broadly in line with the 2020 WHO guidelines, which recommend 150—300 mins of moderate intensity or 75—150 mins of vigorous intensity physical activity every week to balance out sedentary behaviour.
Walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift, playing with children and pets, taking part in yoga or dancing, doing household chores, walking, and cycling are all put forward as ways in which people can be more active—and if you can’t manage the 30—40 minutes right away, the researchers say, start off small.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By telling stories. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By raising questions. |
| A．The longer you sit still, the earlier you will die. |
| B．The more you exercise, the healthier you will be. |
| C．Productivity can be improved through physical activities. |
| D．Proper intensive activities help reduce the risk of earlier death. |
| A．It’s based on previous studies. |
| B．Its data is relatively objective. |
| C．It’s carried out in different countries. |
| D．Its data is from the participants’reports. |
| A．To analyze the risk of sitting still. |
| B．To recommend a healthy lifestyle. |
| C．To inspire people to do more exercise. |
| D．To show benefits of physical activities. |
【推荐2】Are you interested in part-time jobs? Do you want to make more money by doing these jobs? Here are some for you to choose.
Offer dog walking or pet-sitting services Caring for pets is a great way to earn extra cash while also getting some fresh air. Post what services you provide with before they offer you online or on a personal website. For example, you might make it a rule that you will walk dogs, feed and water all pets, and play with pets, but not give them medicine. | Pose for art students Art students at art schools, colleges and museums need you as a live model for them to learn to draw a human figure. What you need is to be willing to pose (摆姿势) in front of others for up to 30 minutes. Is it easy enough to make money? All shapes and ages are OK, but only females! |
Babysit if you’re good with children Talk to people you know to see if they may be in need of a babysitter, and post about your availability as a babysitter on social media. It’s a good idea to get CPR certified (认证) if you want to babysit, as this will make you more marketable to clients and will be safer for the kids. | Find small paid tasks through apps There are apps that pay you for doing marketing tasks. Download one and use it to find small paid tasks you can do. But do stay away from apps that ask you to do something like paying a fee or supplying credit card information to sign up to complete surveys. Those are almost always tricks. |
If you want to know more information, please click www.235.com.
1. ________ is a good way for you to earn extra money while breathing fresh air.| A．Looking after pets | B．Being a babysitter | C．Being a model | D．Being an operator |
| A．Giving medicine | B．Getting CPR certified |
| C．Having a degree in English | D．Cleaning their houses |
| A．Textbook | B．Science book | C．Newspaper | D．Website |
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
1. This year ________teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.
| A．twenty-three hundred |
| B．thirteen hundred |
| C．over three thousand |
| D．less than two thousand |
| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
| B．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| C．let students learn something about other countries |
| D．have teenagers learn new languages |
| A．America food tasted better than German food |
| B．German schools were harder than American schools |
| C．Americans and Germans were both friendly |
| D．There were more cars on the streets in America |
| A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
| B．there are a lot of after-school activities |
| C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
| D．students go out side to enjoy themselves in a car |
| A．There were few outside activities in Germany. |
| B．Fred had his own car when he was in America. |
| C．Subjects seemed easy for Mike in the USA. |
| D．All family activities were around the individual in Germany. |
【推荐1】Kindergarten represents a crucial environment in which children develop school-related skills and patterns of engagement. They form the basis for the development of later competence which is important for academic success. As for later academic skills, kindergarten achievements have been found to have great predictive value.
Given the long-lasting effects that kindergarten experiences have on later schooling, it is important to understand the factors associated with children’s learning and motivation during this time. The quality of teacher-student interaction has been found to be important in terms of many different academic and socio-emotional outcomes. However, much of the previous work in the field has focused on children in later grades in elementary school and has been conducted in the United States. Fewer studies have been conducted in other educational environments and in kindergarten specifically.
Some researchers investigated bidirectional links between the quality of teacher-child relationships and children’s interest and pre-academic skills in literacy and math in Finland. Participants were 461 Finnish kindergarteners (6-year-olds) and 48 teachers.
The results suggested that teacher-perceived (教师感知的) conflicts predicted children’s lower pre-academic skills in both literacy and math. It is possible that when children experience conflicts with teachers, the negative emotions attached to these conflicts are harmful to children’s engagement in learning and reduce their interest in academic tasks. It’s also possible that children experiencing conflicts are missing out on time for learning literacy and math, either because they become separated from instructional activities or because teachers have to spend more instructional time on behavioral management.
The findings emphasize the importance of kindergarten teachers being aware of how their relationships with children can influence children’s later schooling. Therefore, it would be important to develop pre-service and in-service programs and interventions to help teachers. Teacher education programs may also benefit teachers not only in academic content and education practices but also in strategies used to build supportive relationships with children.
1. What do we learn about kindergarten achievements?| A．They’re closely related to kids’ personalities. |
| B．They greatly affect kids’ later academic skills. |
| C．They enormously depend on the teachers’ competence. |
| D．They’re mainly about kids’ problem-solving abilities. |
| A．has drawn little attention from researchers |
| B．has been considered very important by teachers |
| C．has resulted from specific educational environments |
| D．has formed the basis of many good socio-emotional outcomes |
| A．To promote the educational programs among kindergarten teachers. |
| B．To explain the benefits of carrying out education practices. |
| C．To call on kids to build up good relationships with teachers. |
| D．To stress the importance of kindergarten teachers. |
| A．The significance of developing kids’ school-related skills. |
| B．The necessity of improving teachers’ academic competence. |
| C．The ways of reducing teacher-student conflicts in kindergarten. |
| D．The influence of teacher-student interaction in kindergarten on kids. |
【推荐2】When my daughter was seven years old, she came home from soccer practice clearly downhearted. When asked, she told me what a teammate said: her teeth were too yellow. My heart broke for her. As parents, we try to keep our children safe, but we can’t always be there to protect our kids from unkind words. I tried to console my daughter. I told her that she has a beautiful smile with nice, strong, healthy teeth. I told her not to let someone else’s criticisms influence her. On the inside, though, I worried. From my youth, I’ve struggled with the concept that my self-worth was directly related to my physical appearance.
When I became a mom, I was afraid that this concept would take root in my daughter. I wanted to protect her little ears from unkind words that might skew(歪曲) her idea of self-worth. I wanted to protect her little eyes from unrealistic beauty standards set by magazines, television, and movies. I wanted to protect her little heart from being broken by the thought that she didn’t live up to the standards in some way.
How, then, can we teach our kids that they are much more than their appearance? We can start by modeling kindness, and self-acceptance in our own lives. Kids tend to copy what adults do and say, so be careful. If we are putting ourselves down, our kids will follow in our footsteps. Instead, adopt a positive attitude when it comes to your own self-worth. Praise kids for their acts of kindness, like sharing with a friend or helping a family member without being asked and talk to them about how it makes them feel.
It’s a hard thing for parents to teach children to be confident in their own skin and to pay more attention to their inner beauty than outward appearance. It’s also worthy of note that there’s nothing wrong with telling your kids they are beautiful. I tell my kids that they’re beautiful all the time. Hopefully, in doing so, they’ll begin to understand that there’s so much more to them than just their shells.
1. What does the underlined word “console” probably mean in paragraph 1?| A．Influence. | B．Comfort. | C．Accompany. | D．Criticize. |
| A．Her expectation for her daughter’s future. | B．Her concerns about her daughter’s growth. |
| C．Her hope to protect her kid from falling ill. | D．Her attempts to keep her daughter energetic. |
| A．By delivering a speech to them. | B．By sharing our ideas with them. |
| C．By accepting all their decisions. | D．By setting a good example to them. |
| A．Encourage kids to ignore the outer beauty. |
| B．Avoid praising the appearance of our children. |
| C．Teach our kids the significance of inner beauty. |
| D．Try to listen to our children as much as possible. |
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip (退稿条) from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and ruined hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?”
“No”, she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
1. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Now too many entertainments take up too much time. |
| B．Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities. |
| C．Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her free time. |
| D．Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. |
| A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| C．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
| D．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. |
| A．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
| B．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
| D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
| A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. |
| B．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. |
| C．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. |
| D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. |
