1 . People who possess high self-esteem are able to commit better and produce a greater bond in relationships with others. Dr. Douglas feels that most people do not value themselves, but with love and self-respect anyone can be above normality and grasp success with the family, the office, or others.
We have become too reliant on intelligence, beauty, and money for our own self-esteem. The loss of esteem reduces the will and ability to set and reach goals. In a series of readings Douglas teaches how to avoid negative statements, how to change them into self-facing behavior, and how to take charge of your mental attitude. Where other motivational and self-help works stop with the theoretical plan for success, Douglas takes everyday examples and puts them into his books. From raising children who believe in themselves to using self-esteem to help bridge the gap in the workplace, he gives readers concrete solutions to the problems that might ruin their interpersonal relations.
Self-esteem building comes from filling your thoughts with positive affirmations (肯定) and learning to react to failures with motivation instead of self-destruction. These lessons are valuable for anyone who feels that life is even slightly out of control. People who feel they have adequate esteem can learn to use it to make their success grander, faster, and more beneficial for others. Douglas approaches this process of self-development as a means of more than creating good things for the individual but also for setting up keys for influencing good things for others.
For more than thirty years, Dr. Douglas has addressed more than two million people on topics from time management to speaking effectively to raising drug-free children. He is the author of fifteen books, including How to Make a Habit of Succeeding.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?| A．Most people behave well enough. | B．Self-respect means being above normality. |
| C．Self-esteem matters much. | D．Committing better equals greater success. |
| A．To be reliant on self-esteem. | B．To set and reach goals. |
| C．To avoid negative thoughts. | D．To offer concrete solutions. |
| A．Learn to be positive. | B．Face it unmotivatedly. |
| C．Admit self-destruction. | D．Ask for help. |
| A．Influencing the individual. | B．Influencing more people. |
| C．Gaining more benefits. | D．Speaking more effectively. |
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Let me first start by introducing myself. I’m Dr. Stanley Amaladas, a child psychologist attached to the University of Manitoba, Canada. Today, I would like to share with you a little about video games. I have children at home and I know how much they love playing video games. In fact, children would sometimes skip meals and family outings just to spend time in front of the computers playing these games. Often, we think it’s just a phase they will outgrow, but more often than not, they do not outgrow it.
The dangers of such games are many. For one, when children spend hours in front of the computer screens, nothing else matters. They lose interest in their studies. What becomes a priority, is their game. They become addicted to the games and will become agitated (不安的) if they do not get their daily ‘fix’.
Moreover, when children spend so much time alone in their little virtual world, they have no interest in socializing (参与社交) with other children. This will lead to antisocial behavior.
These games are expensive too. An original copy of the Counter Strike game children these days are so fond of, can easily cost a hundred dollars at least. Nevertheless, they are willing to spend their entire allowance on just one game.
But all is not lost. In my next session, I will share with you, what we, as parents can do to tackle (处理) this problem. For now, I thank you for your kind attention.
3 . When it comes to higher education in the United States, one of the biggest issues of discussion and concern in recent years has been the cost. Data from the U.S. Department of Education suggests the average cost of college doubled between 1989 and 2016.
James Kvaal is the director of The Institute for College Access and Success. He told VOA that one of the main reasons for the cost increase is reduced government support for colleges and universities. This, in turn, has led schools to raise their prices.
Earlier this year, the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University published a report on state spending on higher education. The report found a 5% overall increase in proposed spending throughout the country. But Kvaal argues this is still nowhere near the level it was 30 years ago or where it needs to be now. He notes that a lot of students still depend on loans to help pay for their education. To date, about 10% of student borrowers are in default. In other words, they are failing to make the necessary payments toward their debts.
Last November, Georgetown University published a study on return on investment in American higher education. Students who attended private colleges and universities made an average of about $73,000 more over 40 years than those who attended public schools. Although the immediate costs to attend a private U.S. university might be higher, the increased cost might be worth it, notes Professor Martin, associate director of the Georgetown Center.
One reason these schools have a better return on investment is their reputation. The selectiveness that makes these schools so well-known and well respected, however, creates its own form of inequality. These colleges pay off well if you can afford to go there and if you can get in. But the fact is, the vast majority of people can't do either: They can't afford it.
1. Why did the American universities increase their fees?| A．They followed the rules of the market. |
| B．They required more pay for teachers. |
| C．They improved their quality of higher education. |
| D．They received less support from the government. |
| A．More uneducated people. | B．More unpaid debts of students. |
| C．A larger gap between universities. | D．An effect on the government's reputation. |
| A．Positive. | B．Objective. | C．Negative. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．A speech. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A business magazine. | D．An education report. |
4 . Tips for Teaching Kids Responsibility
Your best friend has a teenager who helps with housework without being asked. Your cousin has a one-year-old child that puts her bottle in the sink when she finishes the milk, but no reminders are needed.
Let kids help you. Don't complain when its time to do housework. Smile and invite your son to help.
Teach your child consequences (后果). Learning to take care of his things also helps a child develop a sense of responsibility for his actions. Get your son to clean up after an art project, and inform him that he won't be able to play with his crayon the next day if he leaves a messy table.
| A．Offer specific praises on purpose. |
| B．Show kids how to fulfill responsibility. |
| C．Teaching responsibility to kids needs to start early. |
| D．Where do these wonderful children come from? |
| E．When your child is invited to participate, he feels valued. |
| F．Then take away his supplies if he does not take his responsibility. |
| G．You'll be surprised how quickly these actions become a habit for kids. |
5 . “Don’t be a helicopter parent.” This message has been repeated frequently and others try to encourage parents to back off their kids and give them greater space and freedom to explore. But it doesn't actually tell parents how they should act. What kind of parenting style should be adopted in place of the overprotectiveness of helicoptering?
One possible answer is, “Be a lifeguard parent.” That means sitting apart from the action and keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, ready to jump in if needed. This was brought up by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia and Richard Monette, editor-in-chief of Active for Life. They think life guarding should include three parts.
Open attention is the stage parents should be in most of the time, showing a caring interest in what kids are doing, but keeping their physical distance and remaining non — intrusive (不介入的). Focused attention is when a parent perceives (察觉) warning signs and becomes more alert. Maybe it’s time to check in with the child to see how they’re doing. It might be a good opportunity to help the child think through their actions, rather than directing them. Most of the time, play goes back to being safe and the parent can return to open attention. Active intervention is when a parent needs to step in to reduce immediate risk. A child might not realize they’re close to the edge of a busy road or deep water, so the parent has to ensure their safety.
Brussoni says most of a parent's time should be spent in open attention. Days could pass，without ever entering focused attention. Active intervention should be extremely rare. It’s crucial to avoid telling kids to be careful all the time. This sends a message that the child can’t do things without parental assistance.
No one said parenting was easy, but it can be less unbearable if you let go of some control, teach your kids to do things independently, and trust them to self — regulate. Everyone comes out happier in the end.
1. Why is helicopter parent mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．Warn parents not to overprotect kids. |
| B．Introduce another parenting approach. |
| C．Remind parents to give kids more freedom. |
| D．Make a comparison between two parenting styles. |
| A．Accompany kids as little as possible. |
| B．Tell kids to be aware whatever they are doing. |
| C．Direct kids when they are climbing a thin branch. |
| D．Urge kids to leave a heavy traffic road immediately. |
| A．Parenting has been the toughest job since ancient times. |
| B．Allowing parents to self-regulate may be of great benefit |
| C．Less control may lead to a harmonious parent-child relationship. |
| D．Child should be taught to things all by themselves to grow up. |
| A．Don’t Be a Helicopter Parent. | B．Teach Kids to Identify Risks. |
| C．How to Guarantee Kids’ Safety. | D．Strive to Be a Lifeguard Parent. |
6 . A recent article in The Wall Street journal says that Chinese students in American universities are not getting the most out of their educational opportunities. The article says that
Soft skills refer to things like socialization and learning to be
Jocelyn Jia, a 22-year-old from Hainan studying at the university of north Carolina at Chapel Hill, says, “If you just come to study and hang out with Chinese people, all you bring back to China is the
Chinese companies want to hire “haigui” like Jocelyn. Ken Chen of a consulting firm in Shanghai says an American college education teaches you how to socialize, develop your
An American education isn’t
| A．if | B．while | C．as | D．unless |
| A．enjoyable | B．permanent | C．intelligent | D．independent |
| A．mixing | B．combining | C．cooperating | D．conflicting |
| A．society | B．environment | C．class | D．organization |
| A．however | B．in addition | C．as a result | D．for instance |
| A．take pity on | B．show respect to | C．rely on | D．hang out with |
| A．ignore | B．admire | C．require | D．challenge |
| A．diploma | B．proof | C．document | D．title |
| A．have fun | B．have a rest | C．do research | D．take a trip |
| A．average | B．Chinese | C．traditional | D．prestigious |
| A．social well-being | B．financial literary | C．physical strength | D．emotional intelligence |
| A．adequate | B．cheap | C．worthwhile | D．extensive |
| A．time | B．effort | C．investment | D．degree |
| A．teachers | B．books | C．movies | D．friends |
| A．allow for | B．know about | C．focus on | D．seek out |
7 . Erin and Caleb Funk now live in Toledo, Ohio, and have a 16-year-old son, a senior in high school, who has already registered in a vocational（职业的）school for this school year. The idea that their son might attend a vocational school worried the Funks at first.
“Vocational schools seemed to be reserved for people who weren’t making it in ‘real’ schools, so we weren’t completely sure whether we should support our son attending one,” Erin says.
Both Erin and Caleb worked hard to be the first in their families to obtain college degrees, and wanted the same opportunity for their three children. After touring the video- production-design program at Penta Career Center, though, they could see the draw for their son. Despite their initial worries, after learning more about the program and seeing how excited their son was about it, they threw their support behind his decision.
But not everyone in the Funks’ lives understands this decision. Erin says, “When I mentioned it to a friend recently that my eldest had decided to go to the vocational-technical school in our city, her first reaction was, ‘Oh, is he having problems at school？’ There is an attitude out there that the only reason you would go to a vo-tech is that you have some kind of problem at a traditional school.”
But their son has a 3. 95 GPA, a very good score. He was simply more interested in the program at Penta Career Center. He just doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
The Funks are not alone in their misunderstandings and misgivings about the idea of vocational and technical education. Negative（负面的）attitudes and parental worries are still there even in the face of the promising future for these middle-skill students.
“It is considered a second choice, second-class. We really need to change how people see vocational and technical education,” said Patricia Hsieh, the president of Penta Career Center in Toledo, Ohio.
1. What can we learn about the funks？| A．They want their children to receive technical education. |
| B．They come from rich and well-educated families. |
| C．They decided to support their son’s decision eventually. |
| D．They felt ashamed of their son’s choice at first. |
| A．Worries. | B．Shames. | C．Mistakes. | D．Refusals. |
| A．it provides less interesting curricular | B．it can only get second-class students |
| C．it mainly focuses on middle-skill training | D．it is more sensitive to job market changes |
| A．Should We Support Our Children’s Choice of Vo-tech? |
| B．Negative Attitudes to Technical Education. |
| C．Better Job Market for Vocational Students. |
| D．Is Vocational Education a New Trend? |
8 . Nothing succeeds like success，as every parent of a straight A student knows，but trying to stress academic excellence by telling your child“You're so smart！”may be counterproductive．Why？According to a 2017 study，children who think their intelligence is fixed are less likely to pay attention to and bounce back(重整旗鼓) from mistakes than children who think intelligence can grow and change.
In the study，researchers looked at 123 children. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a“growth mindset”(believing that you can work harder to get smarter)，or a“fixed mindset”(believing that your intelligence is unable to change)．They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded. During the recording，researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half second after making a mistake，as children became aware of their mistake and paid closer attention to what went wrong. The larger the brain response was，the more the child focused on the mistake. Based on the data，they concluded that children with a“growth mindset”were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake. While children with a “fixed mindset” were able to “bounce back”，only if they gave their full attention to the mistake.
For parents，the lessons are clear：Don't pay your children compliments that suggest that intelligence is fixed. If your children hands you an A＋ score，don't say，“You're so smart！”Instead，say，“Wow，that studying really paid off！”or“You clearly mastered this material—way to go！”Note the effort，not the intelligence.
Besides，many parents shy away from addressing their children's mistakes，telling them“It's OK. You'll get it the next time”without offering them the chances to figure out what goes wrong. Instead，it's better to reassure your children that mistakes happen，and work to figure out where and how they make the mistake.
1. Which of the following best explains “counterproductive” underlined in Paragraph 1?| A．Opposite. | B．Competitive. |
| C．Successful. | D．Unknown. |
| A．They made fewer mistakes. |
| B．They tried to avoid mistakes. |
| C．They had a smaller brain response. |
| D．They focused more on the mistake. |
| A．Overstressing the intelligence. |
| B．Paying children compliments. |
| C．Addressing children's mistakes. |
| D．Offering chances to find mistakes. |
| A．You are so careless. |
| B．Your studying paid off. |
| C．You'll get it the next time. |
| D．Let's find out how you made it. |
9 . We live in a society that labels everything. We like the convenience of neatly packaged words so we can sum up the person, place or thing and know what to expect. However, especially with children, even harmless labels (标签) can play a lasting role in self-respect, behavior and long-term personality.
Children develop and define their sense of self by processing what others tell them about who they are, what they are good at, how they behave and so on. The communication principle of the “Looking-Glass Self” from Charles Cooley can be applied. Cooley believes that by reflecting back to us who we are, other people function as mirrors for us. Every time a teacher says he or she is a “good student” or a coach says “average player”, that helps define the way the child views himself or herself. Typically, that label will follow them for years to come.
However, parents often refer to children with less severe labels that are just as significant. If you notice one child follows musical interests, he becomes “the musician”. Another loves sports, and she becomes “the athlete”. Another excels in school and is the “brainiac”. None of those labels has negative ideas, but can classify children into pre-defined boxes. What if the “brainiac” really wants to try soccer? Unfortunately, there is already an “athlete” in the family, which creates a fight or flight response. The child can either fight to redefine his or her place as a smart child who also plays soccer, or go back to where he or she has already been.
Labels have much more of an impact that we realize, and we need to be mindful of how we talk about our children. If you must define certain things about them to yourself or others, try to choose positive versions of the same quality, i.e. “cautious” rather than “timid” (胆小的). Keeping the focus on the child’s positive qualities, while avoiding labels, can encourage children to become healthy and happy.
1. What can we learn from the principle of “Looking-Glass Self”?| A．One tends to satisfy others’ curiosity. |
| B．One gains the sense of identity by mirror. |
| C．Children will live up to the expectations of their parents. |
| D．People shape self-concepts by understanding how others view them. |
| A．Her family will be in favor of her. |
| B．She must struggle or she must quit. |
| C．Her family will deny her athletic talent. |
| D．She can’t but give in to parental authority. |
| A．Active. | B．Influential. |
| C．Intelligent. | D．Competitive. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
10 . Generations of people in the United States have seen higher education as the best path towards a well-paying and satisfying job. But the cost of attending colleges and universities in the country has increased greatly over the last 30 years. And there is no guarantee that earning a degree will lead to a job that pays a person enough to support a family.
So, some people turn to other forms of education and training. These include programs that lead to credentials(证书) that prove a person's abilities in a given field, from construction to healthcare. These kinds of programs often cost less than traditional degree programs. And they usually take less time to complete.
New research, however, suggests that these programs are not helping women as much as they are helping men. It is found that about 27 percent of adults in the country hold at least one of these credentials. Adults who had one of these non-degree credentials made more money and were more likely to be employed than those who did not.
Yet the public policy research group New America found some troubling information within that data. Experts there found that men and women earn these credentials at about the same rate. But men who have the same credentials as women are more likely to be employed. They also make more money.
For example, 74 percent of men with a certificate but no four-year college degree were employed. By comparison, 67 percent of women with a certificate but no four-year degree were employed.
In terms of pay, 46 percent of women with a credential but no four-year degree made less than $30,000 a year. The same was true for 25 percent of men. Seventeen percent of men with only a non-degree credential earned more than$75,000. Just five percent of women with similar credentials earned that much.
1. What is the advantage of nontraditional degree programs?| A．Free of charge. | B．Less expensive. |
| C．Interesting to attend. | D．Popular with employers. |
| A．Women lost interest in non-degree programs. | B．Men looked down upon women. |
| C．Men and women are not equal. | D．Women are unwilling to work. |
| A．46%, | B．25%. |
| C．17%. | D．5%. |
| A．Non-degree Programs Benefit Men and Women Unequally |
| B．Non-Degree Programs Replace the Traditional Universities |
| C．It's Unfair That Men and Women Get Paid Differently |
| D．College Costs Are Becoming Higher and Higher |
