Students who date(约会) in middle school have significantly worse study skills. They are four times more likely to drop out of school and report twice as much alcohol and tobacco use as their single classmates, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

“Romantic relationships are a trademark of adolescence, but very few studies have examined how adolescents differ in the development of these relationships,” said Pamela Orpinas, study author and professor in the College of Public Health and head of the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior.

Orpinas followed a group of 624 students over a seven-year period from 6th to 12th grade.

Each year, the group of students completed a survey indicating whether they had dated and reported the frequency of different behaviors, including the use of drugs and alcohol. Their teachers completed questionnaires about the students’ academic(学术的) efforts. He found that some students never or hardly ever reported dating from middle to high school, and these students always had the best study skills according to their teachers. Other students dated infrequently in middle school but increased the frequency of dating in high school.

“At all points in time, teachers considered the students who reported the lowest frequency of dating as having the best study skills and the students with the highest dating as having the worst study skills,” according to the journal article. Study skills refer to behaviors that lead to academic success such as doing work for extra credit (学分), being well organized, finishing homework, working hard and reading assigned chapters.

“Dating a classmate may be as complicated as dating a co-worker,” Orpinas said, “when the couple break up, they have to continue to see each other in class and perhaps see the ex-partner dating someone else. It is reasonable to think this could be linked to depression and could divert (转移) attention from studying.”

“Dating should not be considered a ceremony of growth in middle school,” Orpinas concluded.

1.According to the passage, students who date in middle school may_____

A. have poorer academic performances

B. be more likely to hurt others

C. enjoy better school lives

D. be less likely to use alcohol and tobacco

2.When doing his study, Orpinas ________________.

A. followed a group of students of 6th and 12th grade

B. completed a survey and a report each year

C. found that the students’ study skills have connection with their frequency of dating

D. completed questionnaires about the students’ academic efforts

3.What can possibly happen to the school couples after they break up?

A. They don’t want to see each other any longer.

B. They will think it’s reasonable to get depressed.

C. They will miss their ex-partners sometimes.

D. Their attention to studying will be affected.

4.Orpinas’ attitude towards dating in middle school is_____

A. supportive B. negative

C. positive D. Unconcerned

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

Love, Amy

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Content. When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it wound be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the “News Sentinel”. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.

Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who truly cared about each other.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to hold her head high.

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.

That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially declared December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. “Everyone,” he said, “wants to and should be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.”

1.Amy’s letter showed that______.

A. she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest

B. she is more independent than before

C. she is often ignored in and out of class

D. her schoolmates can’t understand her disability

2.The postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house because ____.

A. he went to encourage Amy frequently

B. he was quite curious about Amy

C. he had to send letters to Amy daily

D. he was moved by Amy’s story

3.We may infer from Amy’s story that_____.

A. the disabled hate those who laugh at them

B. the news media played a key role in helping Amy

C. Amy will still be made fun of by her classmates

D. there are few disabled people in Amy’s country

4.The mayor officially declared Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _______.

A. to tell how bad teasing can make others feel

B. to encourage people to hold their heads high

C. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish

D. to call on the public to treat everyone properly

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