For years we have been told that encouraging a child’s self-respect is important to his or her success in life. But child experts are now learning that too much praise can lead to the opposite effect. Praise-aholic kids who expect it at every turn may become teens who seek the same kind of approval from their friends when asked if they want to go in the backseat of the car.

The implication (含义) of saying “You are the prettiest girl in class,” or talking about the goals she scored but not her overall effort, is that you love her only when she looks the best, scores the highest, achieves the most. And this carries over to the classroom.

Social psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, tested the effects of over praise on 400 fifth graders while she was at Columbia University. She found that kids praised for “trying hard” did better on tests and were more likely to take on difficult assignments than those praised for being “smart”.

“Praising attributes (品质) or abilities makes a false promise that success will come to you because you have that quality, and it devalues effort, so children are afraid to take on challenges,” says Dweck, now at Stanford University. “They figure they’d better quit while they’re ahead.”

1.The underlined words “Praise-aholic kids” refer to kids who are ______.

A. tired of being praised

B. extremely fond of being praised

C. very proud of being praised

D. worthy of being praised

2.The author quoted Dr. Dweck’s words in the last paragraph in order to make the article ________.

A. more persuasive B. better-organized

C. better-known D. more interesting

3.We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. praise for results works better than praise for efforts

B. praise for efforts should be more encouraged

C. praising a child’s achievements benefits his or her success in life

D. praising a child’s abilities encourages him or her to take on challenges

The time may soon come when we say goodbye to most of the world’s languages. Today humans express themselves in over 6,000 different languages. But that is quickly changing. Many scientists say that over half of these languages will disappear within the next 50 years. After 100 years, the languages used in the world will not be more than 20.

Why? It is because people from different cultures live and work together much more often than before. This brings changes. The languages of the world’s main culture are replacing the languages of the smaller cultures. Most international trade takes place in world languages such as English. People respect their own cultures and traditions, but when it comes to getting a job, knowing a world language is often necessary. It may mean the difference between success and failure.

Technology works on the change of languages in an even more amazing way. Modern media such as radio and television give young people in developing countries much knowledge about the world. But this knowledge doesn’t come in words from the mouths of their parents or the elders in their neighborhood. It usually comes in the language of a different culture.

People in different cultures think it good for them to share a popular language. They can quickly share ideas and work together. Knowing the same language means easier communication and is a basis for trust.

Is the death of a small local language such a terrible thing? The answer is maybe. Many cultures may have words for many useful things we know nothing about. If their languages die, their valuable wisdom may be lost forever. The future of the world’s language depends on our actions now. Will we protect endangered languages or allow them to quietly disappear?

Time will have the last word.

1.Scientists say that within 50 years, perhaps, there will be only _______languages in the world.

A. around 3,000 B. over 3,000

C. 6,000 D. less than 20

2. In “the languages of the world’s main cultures are replacing the languages of the smaller cultures.” the underlined word “replace” means “_______”.

A. to put something back into a correct place

B. to find good place for something

C. to take the place of something.

D. to decide how important something is

3.The passage says that if all the people in the world knew a popular world language, _______.

A. it would be easier for them to share their ideas

B. people would have no trouble in learning language

C. lessons at schools would be taught in the language

D. people would respect their own culture more

4.According to the passage, if nobody spoke the languages of smaller cultures, _______.

A. many of the words for things we do not know would be lost

B. knowledge would come from the mouths of the elders

C. people would have difficulty in working together

D. there would be no smaller cultures

完形填空

My mom died when I was two years old. She died in an accident when ______ to visit her parents. I was in the backseat, and I wasn’t______ .I don’t remember anything about her. The only few things I know are from the ______ my dad tells me. I ______ with only my dad and myself. I love my dad, but sometimes it was ______,like being in elementary school when Mothers’day was coming, kids would decorate cards, and so on. To make it ______ , there was “tea party with mom ” day for 2nd and 3rd grade when kids and their ______ would come during the school day and have ______ and snacks. Except that my dad would let me ______ those days, we would do something ________together like going to Disneyland. I never exactly felt ______ even though I didn’t have a mom.

My dad worked very hard. My mom died right as he______ from Harvard law, and he tried to be both a good_______ and a great dad ,but also he tried to play both ______ as dad and mom . I remember all the other girls in my 2nd grade class had hair braided (辫子), and I ______ that too. So my dad would braid my hair every morning before ______ . It makes me smile just to______it.

I think about not having mother occasionally, and ______ it does bother me ,like the ________ that on Mothers’ day my dad and I visit my moms’ grave , and bring her ______ yellow roses .

Maybe I don’t have exactly what I want, but I have what I need .

1.A. walking B. flying C. running D. driving

2.A. saved B. deserted C. hurt D. interrupted

3.A. stories B. decisions C. experiences D. adventures

4.A. set off B. grew up C. pulled up D. settled down

5.A. useless B. impossible C. dangerous D. difficult

6.A. worse B. less C. closer D. slower

7.A. friends B. moms C. classmates D. neighbors

8.A. meal B. lunch C. beer D. tea

9.A. spend B. forget C. end D. name

10.A. easy B. important C. fun D. similar

11.A. brought up B. shown off C. lifted up D. left out

12.A. returned B. failed C. graduated D. stopped

13.A. lawyer B. guide C. actor D. businessman

14.A. games B. roles C. tapes D. tricks

15.A. wanted B. understood C. started D. accepted

16.A. weekends B. lunch C. school D. games

17.A. turn to B. ask for C. look for D. think about

18.A. always B. sometimes C. recently D. again

19.A. schedule B. plan C. fact D. thought

20.A. favorite B. available C. actual D. common

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

My health is the only thing I really have in the world. You can take away my money, my house or my clothes, and I can survive. 1. That is why I eat healthily, exercise regularly, and keep up my social life.

2. I try to avoid foods high in fat like French fries or cookies. I also try to limit the amount of animal protein (蛋白质) I eat. I never eat more than a few ounces of fish or chicken a day and I rarely eat meat. I eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruits which are full of fiber and vitamins.

3. Your muscles(骨骼) must continue to be strong to support your body as it grows older. A regular exercise program of cardiovascular ( 心血管的 ) training and weight training is an important part of keeping you healthy.

Friends are an important part of one's health. Studies have shown that people with a lot of social activities get fewer colds and have fewer complaints(抱怨) than those who don't. 4. I like to laugh with my friends and I always feel better when I am with them than when I am alone.

By eating properly and exercising regularly, I can keep my body at an proper weight and can keep my health. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy. 5.

A. I try to eat a lot of healthy foods.

B. It's all parts of my recipe (秘诀) for healthy living.

C. But you take away my health and I will die.

D. Eating healthily is important to keep one's health.

E. Laughing is also an important part of health.

F. Hiking is also an important part of health.

G. Exercise helps increase bone-density and helps me maintain my posture.

What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili(辣椒) in their dinner while others can’t get enough of it.

Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love chili and others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chili is related to childhood experiences, and cultural influences affect our taste buds, too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality more than anything else, CBC News reported.

“We have always assumed that liking drives intake---we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect these personality traits with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.

But before you look at the study, you should first know that “spicy” is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty. It is, in fact, a burning sensation that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people’s longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.

In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about certain traits of their personality, for example. Whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given cups of water with capsaicin(辣椒素), the plant chemical that makes chili burn, mixed into them.

By comparing the answers to questionnaires and what participants said they felt about the spicy water. Researchers found that those who most tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.

Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason some people can withstand spicy food is that their tongue have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. It’s not that it doesn’t burn as badly, it’s that you actually learn to like the burn,” Hayes explained.

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “loathe” in the second paragraph?

A. dislike B. fear

C. put up with D. adapt to

2.What did Professor John Hayes and his team discover from their study?

A. what we eat actually helps to develop our personalities.

B. Males are more likely to enjoy spicy food than females.

C. Those trying to avoid risks tend to be less interested in spicy food.

D. People are wrong to treat spicy as a kind of taste rather than a feeling.

3.Why do some people like spicy food according to the recent study?

A. Because their taste buds have become less sensitive.

B. Because they love the burning sensation.

C. Because they want to challenge themselves.

D. Because the more they try spicy food, the less it burns.

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. What he or she likes to eat mainly decides on his or her personality.

B. That a person enjoys spicy food depends largely on the personality.

C. His or her childhood experiences decide on his or her personality.

D. His or her cultural background decides on his or her personality.

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