Question

Last year, on report card day, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she's only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A.”

I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?       

I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes---no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic（施有机肥料的）carrots. No more organic anything!            

I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns（橄榄球底线得分）? What about the orchestra（管弦乐队）? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.

“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.”

Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? “When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones (蛋卷),” said one third-grader.

1.What's the best title for the passage?

A．Tips on Paying Kids for Good Grades

B．New Trends in Paying Kids for Good Grades

C．Good Grades Mean Good Rewards

D．Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades

2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Taking care of my children would influence my work.

B．I would spend less money on my children's good grades.

C．More rewards would be needed as my children grow up.

D．Reducing my children's homework load would cost me a lot.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________. 

A．if you buy children pizza as a reward, they will work harder

B．if you pay kids for good grades, they will take it for granted

C．children will not ask for rewards when they enter high school

D．good grades won't help kids make great progress in the future

4.The author takes her neighbor as an example to show _______.

A．pizza is the best way to motivate children

B．it is necessary to reward children for their good grades.

C．getting rewards for good grades is common nowadays

D．rewards are not the only way to motivate children

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文讨论的是一种不合理的教育方式，孩子有一点点好的表现，就给孩子奖励，这让孩子感觉到自己就是为了得到父母的奖励而学习，对他们的成长有不好的影响。

1.D 主旨大意题。本文讨论的正是孩子在学校里得到了高分或者有很好的表现，很多父母都给孩子奖励。这样的教育方法是不正确的，会带来很多不好的影响。故Ｄ项符合上下文。

2.C 推理题。根据本句As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. 随着孩子的家庭作业变多了，那么我给孩子的奖励就会更多，那么我的收入就会变少。是指随着孩子的成长，需要给孩子更多的奖励。故Ｃ正确。

3.B 推断题。如果孩子有一点点的进步，我们就给孩子奖励。这会让孩子认为我们应该给他们适当的奖励。认为他们的学习就是为了得到奖励而学习的。故B正确。

4.D 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.作者以邻居为例就是为了告诉我们不给孩子奖励，孩子也可以表现得很好。故D正确。

考点：考查教育类短文阅读