Question

【题目】Directions: Read the following passage. Sunmarize the main idea and the main points of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

A Father’s Influence Makes for Better Grades

Adolescents from low-income families in particular are more likely than their middle-class peers to underachieve and to drop out of school. Studies have shown that a positive attitude towards school work and the support and encouragement from their parents can help at-risk youngsters to overcome the economic barriers and lack of resources they face. Most of the evidence about the effects of parental involvement comes from research on mothers. Little is known, however, about how adolescents experience their fathers’ warmth and the beliefs and behaviors that are most affected by it.

This new study is part of a larger one focusing on low-income families conducted in four middle schools in the southwestern United States. Data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 183 sixth-graders about how optimistic and motivated they were about their schoolwork, and how they experienced their fathers. The questionnaires were completed primarily by respondents of Mexican American, African American and European American descent. Their maths and language arts grades were also obtained.

Their findings show how fathers can support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism, self-efficacy, and, ultimately, higher achievement at school.

These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, while in different ways. Experiencing their father’s warmth first influences daughters’ sense of optimism, and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better math grades. There is a more direct link between their fathers’ involvement and teenage boys’ belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front. This heightened self-confidence increased their success in English language arts classes.

Suizzo suggests that counselors and educators should encourage fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their children, because of the positive influence these emotions have on their well-being.

Answer 1

【答案】Evidence shows that mothers can help children overcome difficulties, but a recently study finds that fathers also have positive influence. They can help children feel more optimistic and self-confident, which boosts the math score of teenage girls and the language abilities of boys. Therefore, fathers should be encouraged to convey care and recognition to their children.

【解析】

本篇书面表达是概要写作，要求概括有证据表明母亲可以帮助孩子克服困难，但最近的一项研究发现父亲也有积极的影响——可以帮助孩子们感到更加乐观和自信，从而提高少女的数学成绩和男孩的语言能力，因此，应鼓励父亲向子女传达关爱和认可。注意词数要求和使用自己的语言。

1、写之前，需要认真仔细地读几遍原文材料，让理解更深刻。

2、遵循原文的逻辑顺序，对重要部分的主题、标题、细节进行概括，全面清晰地表明原文信息。

3、给摘要起一个好标题，比如：可以采用文中的主题句。

4、尽量使用自己的话完成，不要引用原文的句子，篇幅控制在原文的三分之一或四分之一长。