Question

    Nicole Eisenberg’s older son has wanted to be a star of the stage since he was a kid. He took voice, dance and drama lessons and attended the well-known Stagedoor Manor summer camp for half a dozen years. “I had to take him on 20 auditions (试演) for musical theater. But he did it with me. I did not helicopter parent him. I was co-pilot.” Ms Eisenberg said.

Helicopter parenting is a term that become popular in the 1980s and grew out of fear about children’s physical safety. It is the practice of hovering anxiously near one’s children, monitoring their every activity. In the 1990s, it meant not just constantly monitoring children, but also always teaching them.

Or was she a snowplow parent? Snowplow parenting is an even more obsessive (强迫性的) form, which keeps their children’s futures obstacle-free, so they don’t have to come across failure, frustration or lose opportunities.

It’s a parent’s job to support the children, and to use their adult wisdom to prepare for the future when their children aren’t mature enough to do so. It’s painful for any parent to watch their child mess up, or not achieve their goals. Now, however, the stakes (赌注) are so much high. “Increasingly, it appears any mistake could be very serious for their class outcome,” said Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland.

“The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid.” Ms Lythcott-Haims said. “You have made a role for yourself of always being there to handle things for your child, so it gets worse because your child is ill-equipped to manage the basic tasks of life.” Learning to solve problems, take risks and overcome frustration are important life skills.

However, snowplowing has gone so far that many young people are in crisis, lacking these problem-solving skills and experiencing anxiety. Many snowplow parents know it’s problematic, too. But because of privilege or peer pressure or anxiety about their children’s futures, they do it anyway.

1.What do helicopter parents and snowplow parents have in common?

A.They teach their children everything.

B.They do everything for their children.

C.They care too much about their children.

D.They only fix their eyes on their children.

2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined part in Paragraph 5?

A.A thousand miles begins with a single step.

B.All things are difficult before they are easy.

C.Good company on the road is the shortest cut.

D.Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

3.What is the important effect of snowplowing on children?

A.The shortage of problem-solving ability.

B.The decrease of their anxiety.

C.The satisfaction of learning.

D.The pressure from their friends.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Helicopter Parents and Their Children

B.Parents Develop Problem-solving Skills

C.Parents Prepare for Children’s Future

D.Parents Rob Children of Adulthood

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍两种类型的父母太关注孩子的成长，这样就剥夺了孩子成长的机会。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的Helicopter parenting is a term that become popular in the 1980s and grew out of fear about children’s physical safety. It is the practice of hovering anxiously near one’s children, monitoring their every activity. In the 1990s, it meant not just constantly monitoring children, but also always teaching them.(直升机父母一词在20世纪80年代开始流行，最初是出于对孩子人身安全的担忧。这是一种习惯，焦急地在孩子身边徘徊，监视他们的一举一动的做法。在20世纪90年代，这意味着不仅要持续监控孩子，还要一直教育他们)和第三段的Snowplow parenting is an even more obsessive (强迫性的) form, which keeps their children’s futures obstacle-free, so they don’t have to come across failure, frustration or lose opportunities.(扫雪机式的教育方式甚至更有强迫性，让孩子的未来没有障碍，这样他们就不会遇到失败、挫折或失去机会)由此判断出，直升机父母和扫雪机父母的共同点是他们太关心孩子了。故选C。

2.词义猜测题。根据划线句子及其后面的The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid. You have made a role for yourself of always being there to handle things for your child, so it gets worse because your child is ill-equipped to manage the basic tasks of life.可知，关键是让孩子为道路做准备，而不是为孩子准备道路。你已经为自己创造了一个角色，总是在那里为你的孩子处理事情，所以情况变得更糟，因为你的孩子没有能力处理生活中的基本任务。结合选项可知，D. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.(授人以鱼，不如授人以渔)与划线句子意思最接近。故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段中的However, snowplowing has gone so far that many young people are in crisis, lacking these problem-solving skills and experiencing anxiety.可知，然而，扫雪机式的教育已经走得太远了，许多年轻人陷入危机，缺乏这些解决问题的技能，并经历焦虑。由此可知，扫雪机式的教育使孩子缺乏解决问题的能力。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。本文主要介绍两种类型的父母太关注孩子的成长，这样就剥夺了孩子成长的机会。由此可知，选项D. Parents Rob Children of Adulthood(父母剥夺孩子的成人期)适合做本文最佳标题。故选D。