【推荐1】Modern life is full of things that can influence your ability to be sensitive and responsive to your child. These include extra work, lack of sleep, and things like mobile devices. Some experts are concerned about the effects that distracted (分心) parenting may have on emotional bonding and children’s language development, social interaction, and safety.

If parents are not available, kids can get distressed and feel hurt or ignored. They may have more emotional outbursts, feeling alone and even lose emotional connections to their parents.

It can be tough to respond with sensitivity during tantrums, arguments, or other challenging times with your kids. “If parents respond by being bad-tempered or aggressive themselves, children can copy that behavior, and a negative cycle then continues to upgrade,” explains Dr. Carol Metzler.

According to Crnic, kids start to regulate their own emotions and behavior around age three. Up until then, they depend more on you to help them regulate their emotions, whether to calm them or help get them excited. “They’re watching you to see how you do it and listening to how you talk to them about it,” he explains. “Parents need to be good self-regulators. You’re not only trying to regulate your own emotions in the moment, but helping your child learn to manage their emotions and behavior.”

“When parents engage positively with their children, teaching them the behaviors and skills that they need to cope with the world, children learn to follow rules and regulate their own feelings,” Metzler says.

1. What may distract parenting according to the text?

A．Working overtime,

B．Too much sleep.

C．Negative emotions.

D．Social interactions.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Bad habits of ignored children.	B．Bad effects of parents’ absence.
C．The outcome of parents’ availability.	D．The behavior of emotional children.

3. What does the underlined word “tantrums” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Mental relaxation.

B．Extreme anger.

C．Heated discussions.

D．Desperate hunger.

4. What should-parents do according to the passage?

A．Be strict with their children.	B．Control children’s emotions.
C．Stay involved with their children.	D．Ask children to copy their behaviors.

【推荐3】We all know about the health benefits of swimming. It offers a great exercise for the body — it builds patience, muscle strength and cardiovascular (心血管的) fitness. If you don’t mind getting wet, it can be fun too.     1     Well, many people are taking the jump, based on evidence that it can actually be good for us.

Cold-water swimming is sometimes called “wild swimming”, namely swimming in natural areas including ponds, rivers and the sea. Jumping in gives a short sharp shock to the body, but many participants say that they have got used to it. A cold dip might wake you up, but research has found that it can have much bigger benefits than that for your body and mind.     2    

    3     One man who suffered constant pain after surgery claimed that he was cured by taking a swim in cold open water. And another swimmer, Sandria Simons, told the BBC, “The immersion (浸没) of your body in cold, salt water, just feeling like you’re at one with nature if you like, just feels amazing.”

But what is it that people are gaining from this cold and uncomfortable experience? Doctors say that getting into cold water causes a stress response, but the more you do it, the less stress you will have. It’s also thought to have a strong anti-anger effect.     4     Some experts believe that cold-water swimming helps “cross-adaptation”, where one form of stress prepares the body for another. For example, it also helps to reduce the stress of exercising at high altitude.

    5     You should approach it with caution, swim with a friend, and maybe start in the summer, when the water temperatures are higher.

A．It can also improve your health and happiness.

B．People of all ages join the activity, even little kids.

C．Cold-water swimmers should make full preparations.

D．So, if you’re convinced that this is for you, take advice.

E．But who would enjoy swimming in water that is ice cold?

F．But there are bigger benefits to this stress-reducing exercise.

G．Cold-water swimming has reportedly cured certain health conditions.

【推荐2】WHY DO WE CELEBRATE FESTIVALS?

Festivals are celebrated all around the world. They have a wide range of origins, such as the seasons of the year, religions, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has its different customs and unique charms. However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love, or peace is common in all festivals.

Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are grateful for the year’s supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime— the Egyptian harvest season. It featured a parade and a great feast with music, dancing, and sports. Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a meal. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade away and others may be established. One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays, many big cities have given up this custom in order to avoid air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its religious origins.

Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses taking advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialised, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths, and attitudes towards life. They are occasions that allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what to appreciate. And if you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.

1. Why do we celebrate festivals?
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. What is true about harvest festivals around the world according to the 2nd paragraph?

A．The harvest festival is the most important one of all the traditional festivals.

B．In ancient time the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime.

C．In some European countries, people get together to celebrate over a meal.

D．Both the Chinese and Japanese families enjoy delicious mooncakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

3. What may make customs in festivals change over time?

A．The spread of new ideas.

B．Air pollution.

C．The development of modern technology.

D．The religious belief.

4. What opinion does the author hold about the commercialised festivals?

A．Festivals should not be commercialised.

B．The rise in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

C．It’s OK for festivals to be commercialised.

D．We don’t know.

5. At festivals people can do all the following except________

A．forget their work for a little while

B．relax and enjoy life

C．show their faiths towards life

D．find different cultures have little in common

【推荐3】It’s not easy to step out of your comfort zone. In fact, it’s scary. But at the same time, you’ll experience and learn amazing things. So you need to step out of your comfort zone and experience new cultures abroad.     1     You’re exposed to different languages, smells, colors, sights, sounds, and people. If you’re not convinced yet, read on.

It’s a big world out there.     2     When you live in another country, you can open your eyes to the beliefs and values of other people. You will discover new social norms (规范) and lifestyles. It will not only change your perspective(观点), but it will reshape your personality as well.

    3     Who doesn’t want to have a second language under their belt? Learning a second language will give you the ability to step inside the mind of a culture and see things from a whole new perspective. It’ll also give you an advantage in the job market. Being in a foreign country helps you learn a new language much faster.

Don’t you want to greatly improve your development as a person? Traveling to a different country and experiencing a new culture allows that. Exposure to multi-cultures or diversity will lead to a better judgment.     4     You will also learn fun skills such as cooking among others.

    5     This is the most fun part of traveling. You meet people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. You will learn valuable lessons and hear stories from each person you meet, which will make the trip even more memorable.

A．People live and behave differently.

B．You can also learn a new language.

C．There is a scientific reason for traveling abroad.

D．Doing that is like stepping into whole new worlds.

E．Going abroad allows you to make friends from all over the world.

F．You can learn to become more social, open-minded, and independent.

G．You may find it hard to communicate with others when you’re abroad.