It is not only praise or punishment that determines a child’s level of confidence. There are some other important ways we shape our kids—particularly by giving instructions and commands in a negative or positive choice of words. For example, we can say to a child “Don’t run into traffic! ”or “Stay on the footpath close to me.” In using the latter, you will be helping your kids to think and act positively, and to feel competent in a wide range of situations, because they know what to do, and aren’t scaring themselves with what not to do.
Actually, it is all in the way the human mind works. When we think, we automatically practise. For example, if someone offered you a million dollars not to think of a blue monkey for two minutes, you wouldn’t be able to do it. When a child is told “Don’t fall off the tree,” he will think of two things: “don’t” and “fall off the tree”. That is, he will automatically create the picture of falling off the tree in his mind. A child who is vividly imagining falling off the tree is much more likely to fall off. So it is far better to use “Hold on to the tree carefully.”
Clear, positive instructions help kids to understand the right way to do things. Kids do not always know how to be safe, or how to react to the warning of the danger in negative words. So parents should make their commands positive. “Sam, hold on firmly to the side of the boat” is much more useful than “Don’t you dare to fall out of the boat?” or “How do you think I’ll feel if you drown?” The changes are small but the difference is obvious.
Children learn how to guide and organize themselves from the way we guide them with our words, so it pays to be positive.
1. Why do we choose positive words when giving kids commands?| A．to help them to learn in different situations | B．to increase their confidence |
| C．to guide them to do things carefully | D．to improve their imagination |
| A．A child will act on what is instructed. |
| B．One won’t think of a blue monkey when given money. |
| C．A child will fall off the tree when told not to. |
| D．One can’t help imagining what is heard. |
| A．How do you think I’ll feel if you get hurt? |
| B．Don’t walk on the grass. |
| C．Stay on the sidewalk until it’s safe to cross. |
| D．Don’t you dare to walk through the red light? |
| A．Positive instructions guide kids | B．Praise makes kids confident |
| C．Right instructions keep kids safe | D．Clear commands make kids different |
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【推荐1】The Sahara Desert, which covers over 3.6 million square miles of Northern Africa, is one of the most unsuitable places for most animals to live in on the planet today. However, new research conducted by a team of international biologists has found that millions of years ago, the area was filled with frightening animals feeding on meat, including dinosaurs,
“It was the most dangerous place in the history of planet Earth because it was home to so many different kinds of dangerous animals in all shapes and sizes," says study leader Nizar Ibrahim, a biologist at the University of Detroit Mercy.
The researchers found the fossils (化石) of three of the world's largest-known dinosaur species that raised the Kem Kem beds to the status of “the most dangerous place in Earth's history”.
They included the "shark-toothed dinosaurs”. Larger than even the T-Rex, the massive theropods (兽脚亚目恐龙) measured 13 feet tall, 45 feet long, and weighed as much as 17,637 pounds. The creatures sported enormous jaws and teeth up to eight inches long. The mid-sized theropod, which grew to about 26 feet in length, had unusually slim hind limbs (后肢) for its size, suggesting it may have been a swift runner.
The most interesting thing was the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (埃及棘龙). The massive 50-foot long, 15,434-pound animal had a long nose, similar to those of a crocodile's stomach, and long teeth. The dinosaur's most unusual feature, however, was its tail. Unlike the tails of other dinosaurs, such as the T-Rex, it was flexible with a large surface area.
To test the tail’s abilities, the biologists created a plastic one and attached it to a robotic swimming device. They found that the paddle-like structure was capable of moving sideways, suggesting that the dinosaurs could easily push through water. The researchers believe the dinosaurs were equally comfortable on land, where they came to lay their eggs.
1. What was the Sahara Desert like millions of years ago?| A．Animals there mainly lived in water. | B．There lived many dangerous animals. |
| C．Dinosaurs were the only animals there. | D．Dinosaurs there fed on three animals. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By using experts' words, |
| C．By listing some figures. | D．By showing plastic ones. |
| A．Its huge stomach. | B．Its long nose. |
| C．Its sharp teeth. | D．Its flexible tail. |
| A．The Sahara Desert Was Once Home to Dinosaurs |
| B．Dinosaurs Lived on the Earth for Millions of Years |
| C．Dinosaurs Were Once Dangerous to Many Animals |
| D．Researchers Have Found Fossils of Many Dinosaurs |
【推荐2】Imagine an island untouched by humans and without any large mammals.Colorful and strange birds of all shapes and sizes fly over forests and seaside hills. The sky is painted with endless clouds. Flightless birds nest safely on the ground, and seabirds cover the beaches. The sound of the bird song is overwhelming. The Maori named this place “Aotearoa,” Land of the Long White Cloud. The world now knows it as New Zealand.
When the Maori sailed their canoes across the Pacific Ocean from their homeland, Hawaiki, at least 120 different species of birds lived in Aotearoa. Eleven species of moa , an ostrich-like bird, moved freely, and the largest stood 11 feet tall. The Haast’s eagle dominated the skies with its wing span of nearly 10 feet. Because bats were the only mammals, Aotearoa was an actual bird paradise.
Unfortunately, the Maori overhunted the moa for meat. As the moa disappeared, the Haast’s eagle lost its primary food source. By the time Europeans arrived in New Zealand, both birds were extinct.
When European settlers arrived, they brought animals that attacked birds. These non-native animals exploded in number because they had no predators. Birds also lost habitat as forests were cut down for wood and pastures.
Within a few hundred years of humans discovering and living in New Zealand, more than half the unique bird species were extinct. The whekau,found throughout New Zealand in the 1800s, was declared extinct in 1914. The piopio,considered the best songbird in Aotearoa, was last seen in the mid-1900s.
Thirty percent of the species now alive are in danger because of other animals and loss of habitat. Scientists estimate nature would take 50 million years to replace the birds lost over the last 1,000 years. New Zealand conservationists are working to save the threatened species.
1. What does the first paragraph tell us?| A．New Zealand is a paradise for birds. |
| B．Aotearoa does not really exist. |
| C．The Maori founded New Zealand. |
| D．No mammals lived on the island. |
| A．Partners. | B．Killers. | C．Friends. | D．Settlers. |
| A．Threats from man and other animals. |
| B．The arrival of Europeans. |
| C．The lack of food sources. |
| D．The increase in farmland. |
| A．Why local officials stop hunting. |
| B．What living conditions for natives are like. |
| C．How many animals have survived on the island. |
| D．What efforts conservationists take to guard bird species. |
【推荐3】A study has shown how ecotourism in the Philippines has transformed people’s attitudes towards marine (海洋的) conservation.
Researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada and other institutes in Philippines, visited three sites where tourists pay to swim with whale sharks in the wild. They interviewed range of locals in Oslob, Donsol and Pintuyan, including fishers and ex-whale shark hunters. At Oslob, the largest of the three sites, people were more likely to speak about the resulting improvements to their quality of life and an increase in job opportunities. At the smaller, less profitable sites, responses were more likely to be about the changes in how people behaved towards the sharks.
Dr. Jackie Ziegler, who led the team from the university’s Marine Protected Areas Research Group, said, “Many of the people we spoke to reported they now care about and value whale sharks because of tourism activities. They also expressed the community’s emotional connection to the species and the strong need to protect them. Before the introduction of tourist activities, most of the locals admitted to harming the sharks by hitting them with stones, harpoons, paddles, dynamite or riding them.” In terms of attitudes towards the wider marine environment, the majority of respondents now actively encourage others to care for the ocean and they also use more sustainable (可持续的) fishing practices.
The study also acknowledged the potential negative effects of tourism on the marine environment, such as impacts on the health of local coral reefs and of the sharks. It concluded that further studies were needed to assess these impacts before firm conclusions could be drawn regarding the positive impact of whale shark tourism on ocean conservation.
Nevertheless, the researchers say their work suggests ecotourism can be an effective means of strengthening protection. “It was fascinating to hear the importance so many local Filipino communities place on whale shark tourism. Bringing in the views of the local tour operators to the study was imperative (必要的) in uncovering the true impact of whale shark tourism and the wider benefits to ocean conservation in the Philippines,” Dr. Ziegler added.
1. What do the local people concern least according to paragraph 2?| A．Improvements of life. |
| B．Behaviors towards sharks. |
| C．Increases of work chances. |
| D．Relationships between people. |
| A．Protective. | B．Satisfying. | C．Unsustainable. | D．Beneficial. |
| A．Influences on the health of other marine species. |
| B．Strategies for carrying out marine ecotourism. |
| C．Benefits from ocean conservation. |
| D．Importance of protecting the local whale sharks. |
| A．Ecotourism Has Brought Large Benefits to People |
| B．Ecotourism Transforms Locals’ Attitudes to Marine Conservation |
| C．Marine Ecotourism Gives Rise to a New Kind of Business |
| D．Ecotourism Does Much Good to Marine Life as Before |
A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual £40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.
However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.
When viewed at the national level, the
This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.
The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.
If there was a greater coordination（协调）of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.
1. What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization?
| A．They have lost their leading position in many ways. |
| B．They still have a place among the world leaders. |
| C．They do not regard it as their responsibility. |
| D．They fail to change knowledge into money. |
commercialization?
| A．It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy. |
| B．It indicates their ineffective use of government resources. |
| C．It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way. |
| D．It does not reflect the differences among universities. |
| A．concentration of resources in a limited number of universities |
| B．compulsory cooperation between universities and industries |
| C．government aid to non-research-oriented universities |
| D．fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions |
| A．Fully use their research to benefit all sectors of society. |
| B．Generously share their facilities with those short of funds. |
| C．Advertise their research to win international recognition. |
| D．Spread their influence among top research institutions. |
【推荐2】Everyone has “down days”. Maybe it’s because of the bad weather, or the disappointing grades on a difficult test, and some days teenagers just act uninterested in life or school. But these symptoms(症状) often pass quickly, as teens move on to new school subjects, or meet with friends to prevent themselves from thinking what troubles them at the moment. But if a teenager displays symptoms of sadness for more than two lasting weeks, it might point to something serious.
As teenagers develop, they push new boundaries(边界), complain about rules and look for more free rights from their parents. According to the online Health Guide on Adolescent Development, parents must be lasting figures in their teenagers’ life, providing safe boundaries for teens to grow, even if the teenagers act like these boundaries are unwanted.
Parents need to provide rules, while also remaining flexible(灵活的) and respectful of the growing teens’ need for freedom. For example, teenagers will often feel frustrated, embarrassed, and even angry that thought they want freedom, they still need to ask their parents for an agreement to go to a friend’s house, or need their mothers to take them to school.
The US Department of Education says that parents should respect and support their teen’s choices as long as those choices won’t have long-term harmful effects. For example, even if a parent doesn’t enjoy the music his or her teen listens to, it’s unlikely that the choice of music will prevent that teen from entering a good college, or lead to health problems. However, if that teen is drinking alcohol and driving, parents must get through strict punishments to teach that there are bad results for poor choices that come with increased freedom.
1. Why do teen’s feelings of bad days usually disappear quickly?| A．Their teachers help them. |
| B．They take some medicine. |
| C．Their parents talk with them. |
| D．They change their attention. |
| A．Freedom must be given at anytime. |
| B．Teens are mad at being controlled. |
| C．Teens need both freedom and proper rules. |
| D．Rules must be absolutely strict for teens. |
| A．Support their helpful hobbies. | B．Tell them which college to attend. |
| C．Cancel their after-school activities. | D．Get them away from singing pop songs. |
| A．How to Be With Growing Teens |
| B．Causes of Teens’ Sadness |
| C．Teens’ Worries About Strict Rules |
| D．The Importance of Making Friends With Teens |
【推荐3】Soon, students will be receiving their latest report cards, even though many already know their grades. Thousands of schools nationwide have adopted what’s called “open grade books’’, online portals that allow both parents and kids to get up-to-the-minute progress reports.
Recently, I’ve noticed this whole system stresses out my 11-year-old daughter, Audrey. “It seems that if my grades do decrease, I’m worried on what my parents are going to say,’’ Audrey said. Hearing her say this breaks my heart. I wonder: Do other parents and kids feel this way? I put a call out to my network and found Carrie Du Bois.
“I thought it was a mistake,’’ says Du Bois.
About three years ago, Du Bois called the leader of the Sequoia Union High School District in San Mateo County to find out why she was receiving a daily email of her son’s grades. The leader told her the portal was working as it should.
Du Bois called every mental health professional she knew and they all told her the same thing: The supply of constant data on academic progress can overemphasize the importance of grades. Her district has since changed systems and no longer sends out daily grade updates. However, hundreds of other schools in the Bay Area still do.
A spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Unified School District said the feedback they’ve received from parents is overwhelmingly positive. Other parents have also told me the portals give them insights into their kids’ lives and open up conversations beyond “how was your day.”
Most of the portals offer parents the option of turning off daily notifications. Mental health care professionals advise that a healthier and more accurate measure of progress is checking grades once a week or even once a month. It’s what I have decided to do.
1. What can be a suitable title for the text?| A．The Education System Has Gone Wrong |
| B．Parents Are Worrying about Their Kids |
| C．A Good Way to Motivate the Kids to Work Hard |
| D．Open Grade Books Are Stressing Kids Out |
| A．They allow parents to get their kids’ daily grades reports. |
| B．Neither parents nor kids like them because they create anxiety. |
| C．Most kids make progress in school due to them. |
| D．All parents have to receive daily grade updates online. |
| A．Because Du Bois doesn’t like it. |
| B．Because of Du Bois’ effort against it. |
| C．Because Du Bois knew many mental health care professionals. |
| D．Because the supply of constant data on academic progress hurt kids. |
| A．Most parents will turn off daily notifications. |
| B．No parents agree with the mental health care professionals. |
| C．The author will pay less attention to Audrey’s daily grades. |
| D．The author doesn’t care about her daughter’s accomplishments. |
