1 . For many years we have talked about education in a changing society but have done little to educate for uncertainty. Perhaps the best insurance we can offer for this uncertainty is the presence of a good mind. To develop a good mind the student must learn how to learn and develop a taste for learning. The world of tomorrow needs flexible individuals, intelligently mobile individuals, individuals who can land on their feet when their jobs become technologically outdated, and individuals who can deal with the unexpected.

To educate for flexibility we must distinguish between training and education. To train is to emphasize immediate goals to neglect (忽视) the long-term growth. To educate, however, is to foster (培养) limitless growth to develop the good mind.

An inevitable element in education for flexibility is an attitude favorable to change. This is hard to develop. It requires faith in oneself and in the future. Then, what can the school and college do to build an attitude more favorable to change? Certainly they can and must develop the self-confidence of students, and build them up with repeated success instead of constant failure. Schools and colleges can help students admire what is admirable and provide continuing guidance in how to become a real person having faith in the future and having a good mind of his own.

To meet the striking social changes of the future, continuing education is a necessity. As Native Americans noted, you should keep on learning as long as you're ignorant. The flexibly educated person knows that today's fact may be tomorrow's misconception. So we should raise awareness of lifelong learning.

The test of a modern society capable of meeting change with accelerated (加速的) evolution instead of revolution does not lie in asking, “Is everybody learning?” To be learning is not only a condition for survival; it is also the basis for being richly alive.

2 . Attachment Parenting is not Indulgent (纵容) Parenting. Attachment parents do not “spoil” their children. Spoiling is done when a child is given everything that they want regardless of what they need and what is practical. Indulgent parents give toys for tantrums (发脾气), ice cream for breakfast. Attachment parents don’t give their children everything they want, they give their children everything that they need. Attachment parents believe that love and comfort are free and necessary. Not sweets or toys.

Attachment Parenting is not “afraid of tears” parenting. Our kids cry and have tantrums sometimes, of course. But they do this because their emotions are so strong that they need to get them out. They simply expect us to listen to them. We pick up our babies when they cry, and we respond to the tears of our older children because we believe firmly that comfort is free, love is free, and that when a child is in need of comfort and love, it is our job to provide these things.

Attachment Parenting is not Clingy Parenting. I do not cling (抓紧) to my children. In fact, I’m pretty free-range. As soon as they can move, they usually move away from me. Sure, I carry them and hug them and chase them and kiss them and rock them and sleep with them. But this is not me following them everywhere and pulling them back to me. This is me being a home base.

Attachment Parenting is not Helicopter Parenting. I don’t hover. I supervise (监督). I follow, I teach, I demonstrate, I explain. I don’t slap (拍，打) curious hands away. I show how to do things safely. I let my child do what he wishes to do, first with help and then with supervision and finally with trust. I don’t insist that my 23-month-old hold my hand when we walk on the sidewalk because I know that I can recall him with my voice because he trusts me to allow him to explore and he trusts me to explain when something is dangerous and to help him satisfy his curiosities safely.

Most of the negative things that I hear about “Attachment Parents” are completely off-base and describe something that is entirely unlike Attachment-Parenting. Attachment Parenting is child-centered and focuses on the needs of the child. Attachment Parents simply believe that children are taught, not trained.

4 . The term home schooling means educating children at home or in places other than a normal setting such as a public or private school. These days, homeschooling in America is ________.

Teaching methods at homeschooling ________. Some parents follow a strict timetable and ________ a traditional school environment. Other parents follow an extreme form of homeschooling in which they do not give grades or tests and allow their children to study wherever they want. More parents, however, follow the middle ________ to provide a balance between freedom and discipline.

Why do parents choose homeschooling? Some believe that children in public schools experience too much “peer pressure”, or social pressure from friends. They say it may have a ________ effect on the child’s studies. Other parents are dissatisfied with the quality of education in the public school. About half the parents who teach at home are ________ motivated and use lessons by mail or Internet from church schools. Whatever the ________ may be, it is evident that more and more children are being taken out of normal schools every year. ________, many questions have emerged, encouraging the debate over home schooling against public schooling.

What then is the future of education? Although children often learn well at home, weak regulations in most states mean that officials rarely challenge or ________ parents who say they are home-schooling. As the ________ continues, so do the questions about what home schoolers are studying at home. How can parents ensure that their children are prepared academically for college? How are home schoolers ________ to make sure they are getting the same educational standards that school students must have? Recent studies in the United States have shown that homeschooled children tend to be slightly better in subjects like English and art, but they are obviously less ________ math and science. Finally, there are questions regarding the children’s emotional development. Are they too ________ their fellow students? Are they ________ the opportunity to get the social benefits of being in a large classroom of students? As with any debatable issue, the answers to these questions are never ________.

7 . HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if left unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. For example, some of them may become involved in tobacco or alcohol-abuse, which can lead to physical and mental health problems. To prevent harmful habits like these from dominating a teenager’s life is essential. They must learn to recognise bad habits early and make appropriate changes.

To change bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. There is a famous saying based on the philosophy of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” In many ways, our lifestyle is the sum of choices we have made. We make a choice to do something, and then we repeat it over and over again. Soon that choice becomes automatic and forms a habit that is much harder to change. The good news is that we can change, if we understand how habits work.

According to modern psychology, we must first learn about the “habit cycle”, which works like this:

*Firstly, there is a “cue”, an action, event, or situation that acts as a signal to do something.

*Secondly, there is a “routine” , the regular action you take in response to the cue.

*Thirdly, there is the “reward”, the good thing or feeling we get from the routine.

For example, when we feel unhappy (cue), we eat lots of unhealthy snacks (routine), which makes us feel happy (reward). The reward makes us much more likely to continue the cycle, and the bad habit of relying on unhealthy snacks is formed.

To facilitate a positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by combining the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. For example, we could try to replace a negative routine with something more positive. So, when we feel unhappy again(cue), rather than eat snacks, we could listen to some of our favourite music instead(routine), which will make us feel relaxed (reward). Aside from changing bad habits, we can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. For example, when we come to an escalator(cue), our normal routine is to ride it, but we could change this routine into something more positive by taking the stairs instead.

Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, but over a period of time. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Zi wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” One step seems small, but it is essential. To reach the goal of change, a person must show some discipline and repeatedly take many small steps. After all, it is not easy to break bad habits.

For young people, there is plenty of time to change bad habits. However, there is no “magic pill” or delete button that will help you; you have to think about your bad habits and decide on some changes. You have the power to build a happy and healthy life full of good habits!

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy   ______ some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if ______ (leave) unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. ______ (change) bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. The good news is that we can change our bad habits if we understand ______ habits work. To facilitate ______ positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them.

We can do this by ______ (combine) the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. We can also use the habit cycle ______ (create) good habits. Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, ______ over a period of time. To reach the goal of change, a person must ______ (repeated) take many small steps. Young people have the power ______ (build) a happy and healthy life full of good habits!