3 . Given that most little girls love to dress up as princesses, it is difficult to imagine what might be wrong with that. But one author has written an entire book on how she believes the fairy tale fantasies send a dangerous message.

Jennifer L Hardstein is behind the recently-published Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters. The child and adolescent psychologist believes that children as young as two are taking away unrealistic ideals from fairy tale books and Disney cartoons that can affect their self-esteem later on.

In her book, Dr. Hardstein theories that traditional stories like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella promote the idea that if a girl is pretty enough and has fancy clothes and shoes, she find love and popularity. The author refers to this phenomenon as the “Princess Syndrome”

These kinds of messages, she says, have a huge impact on a girl's self-confidence and make it hard for children to understand as they grow up, that intelligence, generosity and passion are more important value. During an appearance on CBS' Early Show, Dr. Hardstein explained: “Girls are getting this message everywhere that. … what their worth is based on is how they look and the things that they have and it's very superficial (肤浅的)”

Her book teaches parents how to let their toddlers (幼儿) enjoy the Disney moves and their teenagers watch figures in reality shows while encouraging a discussion about the messages projected by the media. Speaking on the show she said: “Parents think their kids will understand the messages that they receive all the time but actually they don't.”

As well as warning of the dangers of “Princess Syndrome” her book advise parents how to guide and empower their children from an early age. Dr. Hardstein warns of the influence of toys like Barbie dolls and teenager celebrities who might wear heavy make-up.

Princess Recovery, she assure parents, will bring “balance, confidence, and self-sufficiency into your daughter's life while giving her a modern, energetic childhood.”

1. According to Jennifer L Hardstein, the fairy tale fantasies _______

A．are dangerous because girls in them greys up like princesses

B．are difficult to understand due to people's wrong imagination

C．enable girls to be strong and empowered like princesses

D．contain unrealistic ideals affecting young kids' self-esteem later

2. Dr. Hardstein believes that _______

A．Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella should be abandoned totally

B．girls find love and popularity with beauty and fancy clothes

C．intelligence, generosity and passion are more important value

D．it is superficial to look pretty and have fancy clothes and shoes

3. What tip can parents get from her book to deal with the “Princess Syndrome”?

A．Disney movie's and reality shows should be completely forbidden.

B．Discussions help kids understand messages projected by the media.

C．Young children should ' play with toys such as Barbie dolls.

D．Heavy make-up is harmful for the health of teenager celebrities.

4. The passage is written in order to ______

A．introduce a new term called the “Princess Syndrome”	B．guide parents how to deal with the fairy tale fantasies
C．introduce and advertise a new book on child raising	D．warning of the dangers of the “Princess Syndrome”

4 . Directions：Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main points of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Children Deserve Arts Education

Children are introduced to the arts in many different ways. Participation in the arts improves personal confidence, problem solving skills, and even memorization and social skills. As young brains develop, it is vital that the creative side of the brain receive equal attention to the logical side of the brain to ensure maximum education. Unfortunately, there are those who believe creativity holds little or no value. However, they could never be farther from the truth.

According to a National Education Association research report, “Teenagers and young adults of low socioeconomic status (SES), who have a history of in-depth arts involvement, show better academic outcomes than low-SES youth with less arts involvement.” This research report shows that the arts strengthen the academic hemisphere of the brain. According to recent studies, as the brain focuses on math problems or reading, only certain areas of their brain are activated. However, when teenagers and young adults are listening to music, drawing a picture or engaging the mind creatively, multiple areas of the brain are working at the same time. As a result, more areas of the brain are strengthened, resulting in stronger overall brain activity.

With all the benefits of arts education, it is shocking that some educational boards still believe sufficient education can be reached without the benefits of the arts. In January 2017, the Utah State Board of Education released an official command that added two classes to the school curriculum, requiring all students between sixth and eighth grades to take those courses. This in turn limited the opportunity for the students to take elective arts courses. This command created an uproar among parents and teachers in Canyon School District and—thanks to protests—was not put into effect.

Participation in the arts is one of the most precious gifts we can give our children. It brings them joy, creativity and helps them excel academically. Our education system is weakening the critical role the arts have in education. If we limit the arts within school systems, we take away our children’s chances of present and future accomplishments. We cannot do that. Our children need to have every opportunity to expand their minds through the means of the arts. We must give our youth the opportunities and advantages to reach their highest goals and dreams if we are to secure a bright future for generations to come.

5 . Middle-class parents are fueling bad behavior in the classroom by “buying off” their children with computers and televisions rather than teaching them basic social skills, a teachers’ union leader said.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said some middle-class parents failed to support the right of the teacher to teach and of pupils to learn by failing to create the right social conditions at home.

Children were living in “isolation,” glued to computer games and TV shows in their bedrooms and in many cases it was relatively wealthy parents who were encouraging such solitary behavior. “They are not learning about give and take within the family,” she said.

“Often it’s the well-off middle classes that buy off their children through the computer and TV and everything that isolates them within the home,” Bousted said. “And then they’re surprised when their child doesn’t come to school ready to learn.”

Bousted’s comments come ahead of the union’s conference next week, where members will debate a motion brought by its Cheshire branch calling for parents of disruptive pupils to see their child benefit docked (削减). Another proposal is for mothers and fathers to attend parenting classes to help them deal with badly-behaved children.

While she acknowledged that the motion about cutting child benefit was “quite extreme” and said she was not sure it was viable (可行的), she insisted it raised relevant issues.

“It comes out of a frustration that many members feel that while they are working their socks off under an extremely rigid accountability framework to get children to learn, they are not being supported by home,” she said.

Of the idea of classes for parents of naughty children, she said, “If you go into a pet shop, you have to prove that you are going to be able to take care of a dog before they will sell you a puppy, but there is nothing for being a parent unless you are so awful the state takes your child away from you.”

1. What does Bousted think of the students from some middle-class families?

A．They are among the most selfish people.

B．They are afraid of speaking in public places.

C．They fail to be taught right basic social skills at home.

D．They don’t like to make friends with others at school.

2. Which is one proposal of the meeting to be held by a teachers’ union?

A．Telling parents the importance of attending parent-teacher conferences.

B．Calling on parents to help educate their badly-behaved children.

C．Discussing how to improve students’ performance at school.

D．Analyzing why American teachers face so many pressures.

3. In Bousted’s opinion, what makes many teachers frustrated though they try their best to get children to learn?

A．These children make no improvement at all.

B．They can’t get the support of these children’s parents.

C．They still face the danger of being fired.

D．Their requests for raising wages is refused.

4. What is the passage mainly talking about?

A．The way of dealing with badly-behaved children.

B．The reason why the teachers’ union is holding a conference.

C．Children are more addicted to media in modern times.

D．Parents fuel their children’s bad behavior in the classroom.

8 . Directions： Complete the following passage by using the -words in the box. Each -word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. developmental B. waving     C. obligation   D. setting     E. daily   F. quoted G. deserve       H. obstacle     I. endanger   J. sincerely   K. distinctive

The President of North Macedonia walked Embla Ademi, an 11-year-old girl to her elementary school in the city of Gostivar on Monday after he heard she had experienced bullying at school as a result of having Down syndrome—a genetic condition that causes learning disabilities, health problems and     1     facial characteristics —a spokesperson for the President’s office told CNN.

Pendarovski talked to Embla’s parents about the challenges she and her family face on a     2     basis, and discussed solutions, his office said in a press release.

“The President said that the behavior of those who     3     children’s rights is unacceptable, especially when it comes to children with atypical development,” the statement said.

“They should not only enjoy the rights they     4    , but also feel equal and welcome in the school desks and schoolyard. It is our     5     as a state, but also as individuals, and the key element in this common mission is empathy.”

“It will help children like Embla, but it will also help us learn from them how to     6     express happiness, share and be in togetherness,” the president added.

In a video shared by Pendarovski’s office, the President can be seen sitting down with Embla's family, giving her gifts. He is also seen     7     the 11-year-old off at the school gate as she walks into the building. “We are all equal in this society. I came here to give my support and to raise awareness that inclusion is a basic principle”, the press release     8     Pendarovski as saying.

The President said he “encouraged and supported” Embla’s parents in their fight for the protection of the rights of children like their daughter.

“Prejudices in that context are the main     9     to building an equal and just society for all,” Pendarovski said, according to the press release.

He also stressed there was a legal and moral responsibility to provide inclusive education, in which the main focus is on developing skills and abilities in children with different     10     processes and emphasized the need to raise public awareness of the issue.

9 . There was a time, not that long ago, when women were considered smart if they played dumb to get a man, and women who went to college were more interested in getting a “Mrs. Degree” than a bachelor’s. Even today, it's not unusual for a woman to get whispered and unrequested counsel from her grandmother that an advanced degree could hurt her in the marriage market.

“There were so many misperceptions out there about education and marriage that I decided to sort out the facts,” said economist Betsey Stevenson, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. So along with Wharton colleague Adam Isen, Stevenson calculated national marriage data from 1950 to 2008 and found that the marriage penalty women once paid for being well educated has largely disappeared.

“In other words, the difference in marriage rates between those with college degrees and those without is very small,” said Stephanie Coontz, a family historian at Evergreen State College. The new analysis also found that while high-school dropouts had the highest marriage rates in the 1950s, today college-educated women are more likely to marry than those who don’t finish high school.

Of course, expectations have changed dramatically in the last half century. “In the 1950s, a lot of women thought they needed to marry right away,” Coontz said. “Real wages were rising so quickly that men in their 20s could afford to marry early. But they didn’t want a woman who was their equal. Men needed and wanted someone who knew less.” In fact, she said, research published in 1946 documented that 40 percent of college women admitted to playing dumb on dates. “These days, few women feel the need to play down their intelligence or achievements,” Coontz said.

The new research has more good news for college grads. Stevenson said the data indicate that modern college-educated women are more likely to be married before age 40, are less likely to divorce, and are more likely to describe their marriages as “happy.” The marriages of well-educated women tend to be more stable because the brides are usually older as well as wiser, Stevenson said.

1. Not long ago, it was believed that women went to college in order to ________.

A．find a husband

B．get smart in the marriage market

C．learn to be a good wife

D．marry someone with a bachelor’s degree

2. According to the first paragraph, what grandmother whispers to her granddaughter is usually ________.

A．taken as a warning	B．regarded as out-of-date
C．given voluntarily	D．accepted unwillingly

3. What did Betsey Stevenson find about well-educated women in the past?

A．Their marriage rate was higher than at present.

B．Their marriage rate was lower than at present.

C．Their divorce rate was higher than at present.

D．Their divorce rate was lower than at present.

4. The effect of education on marriage has been found to be ________.

A．favorable	B．insignificant
C．long-lasting	D．extensive

10 . Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then write an English summary within 60 words in your own words according to the passage given below.

Hitting the right button

It has been found that in some countries, achievement in some subjects at school is not always good for boys as it is girls. It is possible that using computers may be a way to solve this problem.

Many boys seem to have a natural liking for computers, but it can often be hard to leave the screen and concentrate on the work the teacher wants them to do.

As computers are becoming more and more important in the world of education today, it is natural to assume that computers can help greatly with boys who do not do too well at school and need to raise their general educational standards. Many boys appear to be more confident than girls in using it, and they need to use computers more frequently, especially at home.

Researchers at universities now think that it could be a really good way of re-engaging under-achieving boys in the learning process, and teachers have indicated that it does work. They have found that, although lots of boys do not seem to like writing in the classroom, when they use a computer, they are more willing to compose longer pieces of writing and use different styles. The issue of unintelligible handwriting is no longer a problem, either, as the neatness and presentation standards rise when boys use a computer to print out their work.

Many boys welcome the “hands on” approach of computer. However, researchers and teachers need to be careful that boys don’t just “cut and paste” things that they have found on the internet, but haven’t read, and hand it in as a completed assignment. Some boys overestimate how good they are and think they can do things without any effort. They need to develop proper research skills and make their written work more structured. Other boys take short cuts, or look at internet sites they haven’t been asked to look at. They may not plan or think carefully about their work, or they may try to finish their work quickly. This tendency is not going to be completely cured by using computers. One way to get boys to concentrate properly on the work they have been asked to do may be to encourage them to use their computers at home. However, they also need to be set tasks that are interesting and relevant to them.

As in all things, the interaction between the pupil, the teacher and the computer is crucial.

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