Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I'll let them fail．
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is, my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now. It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews.
【小题1】Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）出可以填入空白的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

More than I realized, Dad has helped me keep my balance.

When I was growing up, I was embarrassed to be seen with my father. He was severely disabled and very   31  , and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for    32  , people would stare. I would inwardly feel uncomfortable at the unwanted   33  . If he ever noticed or was    34  , he never showed that he knew.

    It was difficult to coordinate our steps — his hesitant, mine   35   － and because of that, we didn’t say much   36   we went along. But as we started out, he always said, “You set the pace. I will try to follow you.”

    Our   37   walk was to or from the subway, which was   38   he got to work. He went to work despite illness and nasty weather. He almost never missed a day, and would   39   it to the office even if others could not. A matter of   40  .

He never talked about himself as an object of pity, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or   41  . What he looked for   42   others was a “good heart,” and if he found one, the   43   was good enough for him.

Now that I am older, I believe that his idea is a proper   44   by which to judge people, even though I   45   don’t know exactly what a “good heart” is.   46   I know the times I don’t have one myself.

    He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he   47   I was unwilling to be seen with him during our   48  . Now that I am older, I’m sorry that I never told him how sorry I was for my feeling   49   to be with him in public and how unworthy I felt to be his daughter. I think of him when I complain about trifles (something unimportant), when I am envious of another’s good fortune, and when I don’t possess a “good heart”.

    At such times I put my hand on his arm to   50   my balance, and say, “You set the pace. I will try to follow you.”

31．A. weak    B. depressed   C. short             D. cautious

32．A. balance        B. strength       C. comfort        D. courage

33．A. care     B. attention     C. situation      D. friendship

34．A. puzzled         B. confused      C. amazed        D. bothered

35．A. delighted     B. impatient     C. sympathetic         D. determined

36．A. before B. since    C. as         D. once

37．A. common       B. ordinary       C. average        D. usual

38．A. how      B. why      C. when   D. where

39．A. get       B. make   C. take     D. walk

40．A. joy        B. faith     C. belief   D. pride

41．A. rich       B. successful    C. able      D. hardworking

42．A. on         B. in C. at          D. with

43．A. owner  B. keeper C. winner D. other

44．A. method        B. value    C. standard               D. level

45．A. yet        B. also      C. ever     D. still

46．A. And      B. But       C. Now     D. Then

47．A. sensed          B. smelled        C. agreed          D. recognized

48．A. walks   B. talks     C. stays    D. visits

49．A. afraid   B. proud   C. ashamed      D. disappointed

50．A. find       B. keep     C. refill     D. regain

Most recently, it's very common in students that they need a parent present for job interviews．     

Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us．We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them．As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live without me．So, I'll let them fail．

    I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow．Although failure comes along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc, these will be part of growth for them．And leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today．From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish．

    My children now are becoming little masters of compromise(妥协），but they try to negotiate （协商） everything now．It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews．

1.Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?

    A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties．

    B．Because they think they can help them on the questions．

    C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews．

    D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so．

2.According to the author, what is beneficial to kids' development?

    A．Sheltering them．                     B．Keeping them safe．

    C．Leaving them alone．                  C．Blaming them．

3.Why does the author stress failure in kids' life?

    A．To make them stronger than other kids．

    B．To help them grow in this tough world．

    C．To help them develop all social skills．

    D．To make them learn to compromise．

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

    A．Never Shelter Your Kids                B．Let Your Kids Fail

    C．Be Eager to Grow Up                  D．Live Without Parents

Most recently, it’s very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews.

Naturally, it’s easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to protect our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself all the time that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I’ll let them fail.

I’ll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure—along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism (恐怖主义) and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.

My children are faced with hard situations in their own life almost each day, but they try to negotiate (协商) everything now. It’s a small price to help them learn a skill they’ll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don’t come with them on job interviews. 

1.Why do parents go along with their kids on job interviews?

A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties.

B．Because they think they can protect them from being hurt.

C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews.

D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so.

2.According to the author, what is helpful to kids’ development?

A．Protecting them.                        B．Keeping them safe.

C．Leaving them alone.                     D．Blaming them.

3.The author believes experiencing failure in life can make kids ___________.

A．become healthier than other kids

B．grow in this challenging world

C．develop all social skills

D．escape from natural disasters

4.If the writer’s boy goes to a job interview, she probably will ___________.

A．go with him to protect her kid from difficulty

B．stay home but give him directions over telephone

C．wait outside and talk with other parents

D．let him go to the interview by himself

5.Which of the following might be the best title of the text?

A．Never help your kids                     B．Let your kids fail

C．Go to the interview with your kids           D．Live without parents

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。

Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, and you are speaking quite fluently.  _ _1.

First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible. _ 2.   The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated （受阻）by limited understanding. __ 3.__

Here is some of the advice I give my students:

●Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.

●Stay relaxed when you do not understand, and try listening to the material for more times.

● Do not translate everything into your native language.

● __4.___ Don’t concentrate on details before you have understood the main ideas.

● Listen to something you enjoy.

I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn’t understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion.  5.  Firstly, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that even if I didn’t pay much attention I could usually understand what the speaker had said.

A.  But you can’t follow a native English speaker at all!

B.  What should you do?

C.  But listening is a problem for most of the beginners!

D.  However, after several weeks, I got used to the new environment in Germany.

E.  So, what you need to do is to find listening resources.

F.  Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts.

G.  Listen for the general idea of the conversation.