In a US city, a woman parked her car in an attended lot. Hoping to get a discount on the cost of parking, she asked, “Do you give validation(批准)?” “Certainly,”replied the store's manager:“You are an excellent person and I love your hair.” That might be worth the cost of parking．I mean，who wouldn't pay a couple of dollars for this kind of validation?
Author Alan McGinIlis cites an interesting study about the power of positive encouragement．A second-grade teacher complained that her children were spending too much time standing up and roaming around the room rather than working．
Two psychologists observed the behavior of the children and the teacher. Every ten seconds they noted how many children were out of their seats. They counted 360 unseated children throughout each 20-minute period．They also noted that the teacher said "Sit down!" seven times during the same period．
The psychologists tried an experiment．They asked the teacher to tell the children to sit down more often. This time they noted that she commanded her students to sit down 27.5 times in an average 20-minute period, and now 540 were noted to be out of their seats during the same average period．Her increased scolding actually made the problem worse．
Then the experimenters tried a different task．They asked the teacher to quietly praise those children who were seated and working．At this time, children's roaming was decreased by 33％．They showed their best behavior when they were praised more and blamed less．
People who motivate others to take great action are almost always those who encourage more than criticize; who praise more and blame less.
Perhaps the woman's question is the correct one after all．"Do you give validation?" I hope I can always answer “YES”.
1.When parking her car in an attended lot, the woman ________.
A. made a very silly mistake B. was laughed at by the manager
C. got great praise from the manager D. failed to pay the cost of parking at last
2.The students in the study performed better mainly because_______.
A．they were motivated by the psychologists
B．they were inspired by the teacher's attitude
C．they regretted roaming around the classroom
D．they changed their relationship with the teacher
3. In the passage, the author thinks that_______.
A. it is better to blame others than to praise others
B. sometimes it's hard to receive praise from others
C. criticizing children does no good to their growth
D. we all know how to encourage others by praising
4. Why does the author talk about the study in the passage?
A. To show the power of encouragement.
B. To show how the teacher praises children.
C. To show his argument is scientifically based.
D. To show the teacher is a successful motivator.
5.What is the author's attitude towards giving validation?
A. Neutral B. Negative C. Positive D. Reasonable[来源:学_
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.
1. The author felt depressed because she __________.
A. couldn't consume her waking hour
B. had not seen a film for a long time.
C. had not finished her work on time
D. had worked on a hard job for too long
2.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
A. take photos B. find a solution to the project
C. hop along the path D. cheer herself up
3. The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
A. unsuccessful B. unrelated C. uninteresting D. unexpected
4.In the author's opinion, __________.
A. a bath can make people relaxed
B. depression is usually caused by hard work
C. walking in a busy city centre harms people's health
D. adults should express their inner feelings freely
5.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
A. explanation B. suggestion C. introduction D. reminder
Last year, I lost my best friend in high school. It seemed that everyone else’s life could just continue on in its 36 way, but mine couldn't. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to face 37 and their gossip at school. I was forced to 38 my routine on Monday morning as usual. In the evening I returned home from school 39 completely defeated. All I wanted to do was 40 into bed and wallow（沉迷于）in my own self-pity. I pulled back the covers on my bed and 41 a pile of cards left by my dad. Each card included a（n） 42 that it was to be opened on a 43 night that week.
I made it through that week 44 my father. Each card 45 to say just what I needed to hear. Tuesday’s card said, “The past is painful to think about and the 46 is impossible to imagine. Don't try. Just take it one minute at a time.” On Wednesday my mood 47 when I read, “What you are feeling now is 48 and normal. It still feels very bad, but it is part of the healing 49 .” Friday’s card contained a poem he wrote. The last lines made me smile through my tears. “Whatever special 50 you face along life’s way, may you 51 that you will find the best in every day.” I was instructed to open the last card 52 the party I went to on Saturday night. In it he wisely reminded me to 53 . “The world isn't so bad after a good laugh. The more you laugh, the more you heal.” Each card was signed, “Love, Dad.”
My world once collapsed but I 54 the difficult breakup eventually. It owed to my dad , who made his 55 known when he couldn't be present.
1.A. pleasant B. strange C. funny D. normal
2.A. everyone B. anyone C. someone D. nobody
3.A. work out B. meet with C. deal with D.come across
4.A. making B. feeling C. regarding D. onsidering
5.A. crawl B. push C. jump D. draw
6.A. invented B. discovered C. created D. wrote
7.A. instruction B. explanation C. presentation D. information
8.A. regular B. flexible C. particular D. legal
9.A.in favor of B. regardless of C. in search of D. because of
10.A. seemed B. happened C. occurred D. intended
11.A.life B. future C. dream D. result
12.A. fell B. passed C. flied D. lifted
13.A. false B. honest C natural D. innocent
14.A. content B. process C. cure D. progress
15.A.destruction B. competition C. challenges D. destination
16.A. trust B. guess C. predict D. succeed
17.A. before B. since C. after D. till
18.A. cry B. scream C. sing D. laugh
19.A.got through B. looked through C. broke through D.put through
20.A. schedule B. concept C. soul D. confidence
----Wang Ming, will you take part in the coming National English proficiency contest?
---- We should catch the precious chance .
A. Out of the question! B. That’s for sure. C. For what? D. Why bother?
All of us have already known _______she will choose is the opportunity to go abroad.
A. this B. that C. what D. which
I feel greatly honored to make a speech in your school.
A. to invite B. inviting C. to be invited D. invited
