Today's world is not an easy adjustment for young adults. Key skill set for success is persistence (毅力), a characteristic that researchers say is heavily influenced by fathers. Researchers from Brigham Young University discovered that fathers are in a unique position to help their adolescent children learn persistence.
BYU professors Laura Padilla-Walker and Randal Day arrived at these findings after following 325 American families over several years. And over time，the persistence gained through fathers led to higher achievement in school.
"There are relatively few studies that stress the unique role of fathers，"Padilla-Walker said. "This research also helps to prove that characteristics such as persistence-which can be taught-are key to a child's life success.”
Researchers determined that dads need to practice an "authoritative" parenting style. Authoritative parenting is not authoritarian:rigid，demanding or controlling. Rather，an authoritative parenting style includes some of the following characteristics:children feel warmth and love from their father；responsibility and the reasons behind rules are stressed children are given an appropriate level of autonomy(自主权).
In the study，about 52 percent of the dads exhibited above-average levels of authoritative parenting. A key finding is that over time，children raised by an authoritative father were significantly more likely to develop persistence，which leads to better outcomes in school.
This particular study examined 11 to 14-year-olds living in two-parent homes. Yet the researchers suggest that single parents still may play a role in teaching the benefits of persistence，which is an avenue of future research.
1.What is special about the BYU professors' study?
A.It centered on fathers' role in parenting.
B.It was based on a number of large families.
C.It analyzed different kinds of parenting styles.
D.It aimed to improve kids' achievement in school.
2.What would an authoritative father do when raising his children?
A.Ignore their demands. B.Make decisions for them.
C.Control their behaviors. D.Explain the rules to them.
3.Which group can be a focus of future studies according to the researchers?
A.Single parents.
B.Children aged from 11 to 14.
C.Authoritarian fathers.
D.Mothers in two-parent homes.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.Three Characteristics of Authoritative Fathers.
B.Key Skills for Young Adults to Succeed in Future.
C.Children Tend to Learn Determination from Father.
D.Family Relationship Influences School Performance.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is road testing a new way to keep winter roads ice-free – by spreading on them cheese brine, the salty liquid used to make soft cheese, like mozzarella.
Wisconsin, also called "America's Dairyland," is famous for its cheese. The state produced 2.8 billion pounds of cheese last year! a result, there was a lot of leftover cheese brine. Disposing of(处置)the brine can be expensive. So what should cheese makers do with the waste?
Normally, towns use rock salt to de-ice streets. The salt lowers waters' freezing point, causing ice to melt(融化). But using cheese brine could help both cheese producers and cities save money, while keeping roads safe. Cheese brine has salt in it, which, like the rock salt, helps lower water's freezing point.
In addition to saving money, cheese brine could also be a more environment-friendly option. Many people suspect that all the rock salt used every winter is harming the environment.
Rock salt is made of sodium chloride, the sane con-pound (化合物)in ordinary table salt. Sounds harmless, right? But while you probably add only a small amount of salt to your food, road crews spread about 20 million tons of salt on U.S. Roads every year!
The chemical washes off roads and goes into the ground. There it can pollute drinking water, harm plants. and eat away soil. By spreading cheese brine on streets before adding a layer of rock salt, Milwaukee may be able to cut its rock salt use by 30 percent.
Cheese brine has a downside too – a shell similar to that of bad milk. "I don't really mind it," Emil Norby told Modern Farmer magazine. He works for one of Wisconsin's county highway commissions and came up with the idea of using cheese brine. "Our roads smell like Wisconsin!" he said.
1.Why can cheese brine help keep winter roads ice-free?
A.It is soft. B.It contains salt. C.It is warm. D.It has milk in it.
2.What is a benefit of using cheese urine on roads?
A.Improving air quality. B.Increasing sales of rock salt.
C.Reducing water pollution. D.Saving the cheese industry.
3.Milwaukee's new way to de-ice streets may be an example of_______________.
A.barking up the wrong tree B.putting the cart before the horse
C.robbing Peter to pay Paul D.killing two birds with one stone
I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing；I would do anything to read.
My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself, She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.
Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you`d taken it out；it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.
My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of "Little Red Riding Hood" with my brother's two daughters. She'd just look up at the right time, long enough to answer– in character –"The better to eat you with, my dear," and go back to her place in the magazine article.
1.Which of the following best described Mrs. Calloway?
A.diet. B.Strict. C.Humorous. D.Considerate.
2.What do the underlined words "this feeling" refer to in the last paragraph?
A.Desire to read. B.Love for Mrs. Calloway.
C.Interest in games. D.Fear of the library rules.
3.Where is the text probably from?
A.guidebook. B.an autobiography. C.a news report. D.book review.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the purpose of the talk?
A.To present a prize. B.To introduce a lecturer. C.To recommend a book
2.Where is Russel working now?
A.In Oxford B.In Chicago C.In Virginia
3.What does Russel think of sleep?
A.It’s seldom studied B.It’s just a waste of time C.It’s of great importance
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the man doing?
A.Placing an order. B.Selling insurance C.Conducting an interview
2.What did Leaney study for a degree?
A.Finance B.Education C.Public Relations
3.What is an advantage of a smaller business according to Leaney?
A.Greater contributions to the neighborhood
B.Closer employer-employee relationship
C.More flexibility in providing services
4.What is Leaney’s plan for the next two weeks?
A.To visit her parents B.To call her relatives C.To finish her work
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does Jessica make the call?
A.To look for her passport. B.To apply for a credit card. C.To ask for the manager.
2.Where will Jessica go right after the phone call?
A.The bank B.Her home C.The supermarket
3.How does the man sound?
A.Helpful B.Nervous C.Surprised
