British children used to play conkers (板栗游戏) in the autumn when the horse-chestnut trees started to drop their shiny brown nuts. They would select a suitable chestnut, drill a hole in it and thread it onto a string, then swing their conker at that of an opponent until one of them broke. But the game has fallen out of favour. Children spend less time outdoors and rarely have access to chestnut trees. Besides, many schools have banned conkers games, worried that they might cause injuries or nut allergies.
That sort of risk-averseness(规避风险) now spreads through every aspect of childhood. Playgrounds have all the excitement designed out of them to make them safe. Many governments, particularly in societies such as America, have tightened up their rules, requiring parents to supervise(监管) young children far more closely than in the past. Frank Furedi of the University of Kent, a critic on modern parenting, argues that allowing children to play unsupervised or leaving them at home alone is increasingly described as a symptom of irresponsible parenting.
In part, such increased caution is a response to the huge wave of changes. Large-scale urbanization, smaller and more mobile families, the move of women into the labor market and the digitization of many aspects of life have unavoidably changed the way that people bring up their children. There is little chance that any of these trends will be changed, so today's more intensive(精细化的) parenting style is likely to go on.
Such parenting practices now embraced by wealthy parents in many parts of the rich world, particularly in America, go far beyond an adjustment to changes in external conditions. They mean a strong bid to ensure that the advantages enjoyed by the parents’ generation are passed on to their children. Since success in life now turns mainly on education, such parents will do their best to provide their children with the schooling, the character training and the social skills that will secure access to the best universities and later the most attractive jobs.
To some extent that has always been the case. But there are more such parents now, and they are competing with each other for what economists call positional goods. This competition starts even before the children are born. The wealthy classes will take their time to select a suitable spouse and get married, and will start a family only when they feel ready for it.
Children from less advantaged backgrounds, by contrast, often appear before their parents are ready for them. In America 60% of births to single women under 30 are unplanned, and over 40% of children are born outside marriage. The result, certainly in America, has been to widen already massive social inequalities yet further.
All the evidence suggests that children from poorer backgrounds are at a disadvantage almost as soon as they are born. By the age of five or six they are far less “school-ready” than their better-off peers, so any attempts to help them catch up have to start long before they get to school. America has had some success with various schemes involving regular home visits by nurses or social workers to low-income families with new babies. It also has long experience with programmes for young children from poor families that combine support for parents with good-quality child care. Such programmes do seem to make a difference. Without extra effort, children from low-income families in most countries are much less likely than their better-off peers to attend preschool education, even though they are more likely to benefit from it. And data from the OECD’s PISA programme suggest that children need at least two years of preschool education to perform at their best when they are 15.
So the most promising way to ensure greater equality may be to make early-years education and care for more widely available and more affordable, as it is in the Nordics. Some governments are already rethinking their educational priorities, shifting some of their spending to the early years.
Most rich countries decided more than a century ago that free, compulsory education for all children was a worthwhile investment for society. There is now an argument for starting preschool education earlier, as some countries have already done. In the face of crushing new inequalities, a modern version of that approach is worth trying.
1.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
A. More attention is placed on children’s safety.
B. More and more parents are becoming irresponsible.
C. Children are no longer interested in outdoor activities.
D. Parents are advised to spend more time with their children.
2.Which of the following about intensive parenting style is TRUE?
A. Chances are that this style could be changed.
B. Financial pressure forces parents to be stricter.
C. Rich families adopt such style to keep their advantages.
D. Such style is largely influenced by the size of the family.
3.What does the underlined sentence imply?
A. Economists offer practical advice to guide parenting.
B. A happy marriage secures children’s social positions.
C. Unfair division of social resources drives parents mad.
D. Parents are struggling for their children’s edge over peers.
4.Which is the proper measure to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor?
A. Parents are persuaded to give birth to babies in their later years.
B. Funds are provided for poor children after they are admitted to school.
C. New babies in low-income families are sent to nurses or social workers.
D. Children from low-income families are ensured to receive early education.
5.What’s the author’s attitude towards investment in pre-school education?
A. Supportive B. Disapproving
C. Skeptic D. Unconcerned
6.The author begins the passage with the game of conkers to .
A. show competition overweighs cooperation
B. imply educational inequalities should be broken
C. make readers aware of the rules of the game
D. indicate the game has lost its appeal to children
Babies have an astonishing talent that adults entirely lose. By the age of one, they can recognise the significant noises around them and group them into a language. When we have lost this capacity as adults, it becomes enormously difficult to distinguish between sounds that are glaringly different to a native speaker. It all sounds Greek to us. This is because the range of possible sounds that humans use to convey meaning may be as high as 2,000, but few languages use more than 100 and even then the significant noises－the phonemes (音素) of a language－each cover a range of sounds and so vague distinctions which would change the meaning of a word in other languages.
But where do these phonemes come from and why do they shift over time? New research suggests that the apparently arbitrary distribution of some sounds around the world may be partially explained by diet. This is unexpected. We’d rather think of language as product of our thought, rather than of the arrangement of our teeth. In reality, though, any given language must be both.
Hunter gatherer languages very seldom use the sounds known as labiodentals (唇齿音)－those such as f and v－that are made by touching the lower lip with the upper teeth. Only two of the hundreds of Australian aboriginal languages use them, for example. But in cultures that have discovered farming, these consonants (辅音) are much more common. The argument goes that farmers eat more cooked food and more dairy than hunter gatherers. Either way, they need to chew mush less, and to bite less with their front teeth. So farmers grew up with smaller lower jaws and more of an overbite than their ancestors who had to bite through harder foods. It became easier for them to make the labiodental consonants instead of purely labial (唇音) ones: one example is that f come to take the place of p. Romans said “pater” but English speakers (unless they’re Rees－Moggs) say “father”.
Beyond these particular changes, the story highlights the way in which everything distinctively human is both material and spiritual: speech must combine sound and meaning, and the meaning can ’t exist or be transmitted without a real object. But neither can it be reduced to the purely physical, as our inability to understand or even to recognise foreign languages makes clear. The food we eat shapes our jaws, and our jaws in turn shape the sounds of our language. The ease with which we eat probably shapes our thought too, as anyone who has suffered toothache could testify. What we eat may have shaped the sounds of our language, but how we eat changes how we feel and what we use language to express. A family meal is very different from a sandwich at the office desk, even if the calorie is the same. Food has purposes and meanings far beyond keeping us alive and pleasing the Palate (味觉).
1.Compared with adults, babies could more easily .
A. create significant noises B. classify the forms of noises
C. understand the Greek language D. distinguish meaningful sounds
2.According to the passage, which of the following factors help shape language?
A. Lips and teeth. B. Jobs and habits.
C. Age and regions. D. Food and thinking.
3.The reason for farmers' making sounds of “f” and “v” is .
A. enjoying more cooked foods B. biting more with front teeth
C. constantly chewing harder foods D. growing up with lager lower jaws
4.By writing this passage, the author intends to reveal .
A. jaws help shape our thought
B. food determines our thought
C. diet has some influence on language
D. language consists of sound and meaning
Like a lot of health-care professionals, Dr. Brian Goldman finds it extremely difficult to draw boundaries between his work and personal lives. “There’s this view that you should suck it up and do one more thing,” says the ER physician and host of CBC’s White Coat, Black Art. But that “one more thing” often comes at Goldman’s expense.
“You’re exhausted and a patient or their family look at you with begging eyes,” he says. “So you have this dilemma: say that your shift is over or give until you’re totally spent?” Goldman’s work stress combined with family tension after his mother was diagnosed with dementia 20 years ago. Caring for her over a decade was difficult, as was dealing with his father’s grief. “When someone else is drowning you, you have to grab a life preserver and save yourself,” says Goldman.
Setting boundaries isn’t just important for busy professionals; everyone can benefit from managing situations that cause undue stress or pain. Here are some tips.
First, “If someone’s behavior makes you unhappy --- and it could be anything from the way they speak to you to repeatedly failing to stick to their promise --- then there’s room to set limits,” says Patrick Keelan, a Calgary psychologist. We often avoid setting limits because we prioritize the happiness and comfort of others over ours. In order to control t hi s im pul se, Goldman suggests framing the development of boundaries as a form of self-kindness. When facing an overwhelming situation like the one he was in with his father, Goldman suggests reflecting on what is making you feel uncomfortable, unhappy or unappreciated. “You can’t relate to others or be kind to others if you aren’t kind to yourself,” he says.
Second, once you’ve become aware of your needs, setting and maintaining boundaries requir es clear verbal communication. There are three obstacles to enforcing boundaries in a relationship: fear, guilt and self-doubt, says psychologist Nicole MaCance. We often fear that if we set limits, the other person will reject us, or we feel bad claiming our needs. Keelan proposes setting ground rules before relationships become tense. Start by cooperatively listing values --- like mutual respect, support, and loyalty --- and then building the guidelines from these values. If you’re struggling to reach a consensus, Keelan recommends engaging a third party, such as a therapist, to help.
Now, if you want a boundary to stick to, you can’t enable someone in breaking it. As such, it’s crucial to establish consequences for transgressions ( 越轨). Otherwise, McMance says, “you’re giving them permission to violate that boundary.” If they won’t respect your boundaries, you have to do some soul- searching about the value of the relationship. “When you feel bad more than you feel good in this person’s presence, and when the relationship is impacting your self-worth and happiness, it’s time to reassess,” says McCance. Saying no is hard, but she suggests framing it as saying yes to healthier relationships. “We’re all better mothers and partners and brothers when we have boundaries.”
1.What do we know about Goldman?
A. He is in need of support in his work.
B. He is caught between his work and life.
C. He slides into the state of desperation.
D. He always puts his family at the first place.
2.What do the underlined words “this impulse” refer to?
A. prioritizing others’ happiness B. avoiding setting limits
C. failing to stick to their promise D. framing the development of boundaries
3.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Do communicate. B. Do not cross.
C. Identify your limits. D. Say no and mean it.
| Welcome to Fraser Island Your adventure unfolds Once departing Rainbow Beach we start from Inskip Point by vehicle ferry. Watch out for dolphins. Northward bound—travel by 4WD (4 wheel drive) along the endless golden highway of 75 Mile Beach. Swim at crystal clear freshwater LAKE MCKENZIE—famous for its turquoise colors and white sands. Delicious “Aussie style” sizzling bush BBQ with icy cold drinks. Primitive rainforest—luxuriant canopy of palms and vines. Eli Creek—time for a lazy dip. Shipwreck of the SS Maheno-built in Scotland 1904-a permanent fixture to the Northern Beach since 1935. Intriguing Colored Sands formations—part of this World’s largest sand island. ※ Remember this is a 4WD safari and may not be suitable if pregnant or if you havea bad back. ※ Dress comfortably—it’s not a fashionparade! Bring your swimmers and camera. |
Complimentary cold drinks Prime 250g Rib Fillet Steak OR local award winning 100% beef sausages and onions OR Fish—delicate white fillets with lemon, OR Vegetarian. Burger—special blend seasonal vegetables. GENERAL CONDITIONS: Tours may vary due to tidal or weather conditions. As we are a small company and prepare our own food, cancellation fees have to apply. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. Codford Pty. Ltd. Trading as FraserIsland Nature Tours ABN 80 010 870 729 |
1.Which of the following is mentioned about Fraser Island?
A. Considerable size and cheap souvenirs.
B. Authentic food and impressive food.
C. Target visitors and modern architecture.
D. Convenient transportation and long history.
2.According to the leaflet, visitors should .
A. dress their fashionable clothes B. provide a health certificate
C. pay extra money for cancellation D. follow the fixed trip plans
What's all this tree- - planting for? " I was asked when I began writing about _____ a piece of land I had bought in Somerset. The truth is, I just love trees. And I am not _____ AsI get older, all I really _____ is to plant trees , Prince Charles says in a BBC documentary in which he is _____ in the wood he planted on the day Prince George was born.
There are _____ and wonderful trees in our cities and villages. They were planted, or self- sown, years, even centuries ago. We take them for granted, _____ the creatures living among them, remain in ignorance of the _____ trees are doing us(cleaning the air, for instance) and cut them down for new _____. Yet we keep a feeling of _____ for them. This may account for the _____ the government faced in 2010 when it sought to sell off publicly owned woods, and for the wide support that the Woodland Trust (a tree-protecting charity) _____.
Trees need _____, which is why I, a city-resident, bought my Somerset woodland in 1999. At that time, climate change was already well proved, _____ my hopes of planting long-lived oaks and pines gradually developed into anxiety about their _____. Tree diseases new to the UK, wind, drought and flood were all _____ against them.
But I did not _____ things to move so fast. The woodland is still good, the new trees are growing like mad, but the creatures are _____. The rabbits have disappeared and the owl has moved. The bees and butterflies are _____ there but in smaller numbers. How can this happen on land _____ pesticides (杀虫剂)？Surely, it indicates we need to give nature the chance to restore its own _____. Meanwhile, I love my wood, and so do many of its visitors. And tree-planting has done wonders for restoring my balance town and country.
1.A. replacing B. restoring C. recycling D. returning
2.A. rich B. weak C. alone D. social
3.A. apply for B. wait for C. make for D. long for
4.A. filmed B. tracked C. reflected D. discovered
5.A. holy B. young C. mature D. mysterious
6.A. raise B. watch C. ignore D. abuse
7.A. honor B. good C. credit D. justice
8.A. use B. spirit C. life D. hope
9.A. trust B. sadness C. betrayal D. affection
10.A. approval B. opposition C. option D. dilemma
11.A. wins B. rejects C. requires D. withdraws
12.A. space B. time C. company D. nutrition
13.A. since B. for C. yet D. so
14.A. benefits B. chances C. location D. appearance
15.A. piling up B. speeding up C. keeping up D. mixing up
16.A. wish B. intend C. allow D. expect
17.A. in place B. in order C. in decline D. in question
18.A. even B. still C. ever D. once
19.A. short of B. sick of C. free of D. full of
20.A. glory B. function C. impact D. balance
--- I’ll take the blue one. This is twenty dollars.
--- Here’s the change. .
A. Best wishes B. My pleasure
C. Have a nice day D. Let’s call it a day
