Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winter.” And their report cards sounded more positive(正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years．Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent(才能) is genetic—you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego(自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.
【小題1】What does the author think about the present generation?

A．They don’t do well at school.

B．They are often misunderstood.

C．They are eager to win in sports.

D．They are given too much praise.

【小題2】A fixed mind-set person is probably one who              .

A．doesn’t want to work hard

B．cares a lot about personal safety

C．cannot share his ideas with others

D．can succeed with the help of teachers

【小題3】What does the growth mind-set believe?

A．Admitting failure is shameful.

B．Talent comes with one’s birth.

C．Scores should be highly valued.

D．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.

【小題4】What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?

A．Encourage them to learn from failures.

B．Prevent them from making mistakes.

C．Guide them in doing little things.

D．Help them grow with praise.

Where have all the boys gone? You may be able to find them in the gym, at work or hanging out, but there is one important place where boys are under-represented, and the problem seems to be getting worse. These days, at high school graduation ceremonies, there are a lot more girls than boys.

In fact, every year, 10 percent more girls graduate from high school than boys. “I think that there’s a tendency to focus on boys as problems at this point, rather than recognizing that boys have problems,” says Joanne Max, PhD. Experts say the problems start in grade school, where there’s often an emphasis on sports instead of reading, for example. “I think that with boys there’s some idea that it’s not masculine(男子漢的)to read,” says Rob Jenkins, an English professor.

There’s also a shortage of male teachers as role models. “I think boys need role models, so if you’re a boy and you don’t have a dad in your home and then you have one male teacher and he’s your athletic coach, then I don’t think you have a message that education is very important,” says Carol Carter, another expert. In addition, classrooms often have too little activity and too much passive listening, which is not conducive (有益的) to boys’ learning.

Experts say parents can fight back in many ways. Read to your sons early and often; show by your action that you value their education. Ask them about their schoolwork, offer help, drop by their classroom and, finally, appeal to their competitive spirit, challenge them to do better and help them understand that their future depends on it.

60. According to the passage, boys have the problem that they think _____________.

A. reading is more important than sports           B. it is shameful for boys to read

C. boys should not work as a teacher              D. boys lack the gift for reading

61. Carol Carter’s words in the third paragraph implies that ______________.

A. parents play an important role in education

B. athletic coaches contribute a lot to education

C. lack of role model affects boys’ attitudes to school work

D. classrooms lack enough activities that are suitable for boys

62. The passage is written mainly for _____________.

A. parents               B. boys              C. teachers             D. experts

 

David felt ________of the foolish thing he had done in the classroom.

A．shameful       B．a(chǎn)shamed          C．shamed         D．shaming

 

   Arguing with your parents is totally natural for teens. From your hairstyle to your friends, to your marks at school, to your television habits, to your future plans, it might just seem like you argue with your parents about everything. While this is not generally a pleasant state of affairs, it is normal and it will most likely pass.

Argue fairly

Arguments between teens and parents generally come about when both parties believe that they know what is best for the teen. Parents have been caring for their teens for over a decade, but teens are quickly becoming adults and believe that they are able to take care of themselves. If you must agree with them, argue fairly by: Allowing each person to speak their mind. Refusing to interrupt others when they are speaking. Sticking only to the topic at hand.

Argue respectfully

No matter how heated things may get during an argument, try to remember that your parents still are worthy of your attention, respect and love. During arguments, be respectful by: Keeping your voice lowered at all times and refusing to shout. Sitting still and staying calm. Refusing to engage in angry actions such as kicking, throwing or hitting anything. Reasonably explaining the reasons for your opinions.

_________

There is a thin line between having a discussion and engaging in an argument, but smart teens know that keeping their interactions with their parents at the discussion level practically guarantees that they will be taken more seriously. No one likes to argue, and the parents of teens can be especially weary of it, so keeping things at the discussion level will work to everyone's advantage.

Arguing with parents is practically a sign of the teenaged years, but out-of-control arguments don't serve anyone well. Before arguing with your parents, decide what type of teen you want to be and what compromises (??Э)you are willing to make in order to achieve your goals. You never know, you might just avoid an argument all together.

60.This passage mainly tells teens______.

A. arguments don't solve any problem

B. arguing with parents may hurt them

C. some tips on arguing with parents

D. how to avoid arguing with parents

61. When arguing with your parents, you should______.

A. make up your mind not to give in

B. show your respect for them

C. express your opinions through actions

D. make full preparations for it

62. Which of the following is proper for the blank in the passage?

A. Take discussion seriously                  B. Argue seriously

C. To be smart teens                     D. Argue only when needed

63. The underlined phrase "be weary of "in the passage probably means_  ___.

A. be proud of   .                      B. be interested in

C. be tired of                      D. be satisfied of

64.It seems that the author thinks teens' arguing with parents is_______

A. normal        B. practical         C. shameful          D. impolite

 

Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.

In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “l(fā)ow” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…

In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.

1. The writer of the passage thinks that _______.

A. education can settle most of the world’s problems

B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world

C. free education won’t help to solve problems

D. all the social problems can’t be solved by education

2. The writer wants to prove that _______.

A. our society needs all kinds of jobs

B. our society needs free education for all

C. a farmer is more important than a professor

D. work with hands is the most important

3.The purpose of education is _______.

A. to choose officials for the country

B. to prepare children mainly for their future work

C. to let everyone receive education fit for him

D. to build a perfect world

4. The passage tells us about _______ of the education.

A. the means            B. the system           C. the value               D. the type