Recently, we've been talking about how we need better teachers. There's no doubt that a great teacher can help in a student's achievement but here's what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Every three years, the organization called O.E.C.D. organizes exams as part of the Program for International Student Assessment , or PISA, which tests 15-year-olds on their abilities to solve real problems. America's 15-year-olds have not done as well as students in Singapore, Finland and Shanghai in the PISA exams. To better understand the reasons, the PISA team, starting with four countries in 2006, and then adding 14 more in 2009, went to the parents of 5,000 students. They interviewed them about how they raised their kids and then compared it with the test results for each of those years. Two weeks ago, the PISA team published the main findings of its study: Fifteen-year-olds whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school get much higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents don't often read with them or not at all. Parents' concern for their children is strongly connected with better results in PISA. According to Schleicher, the leader of the team, just asking your children how their school day was and showing great interest in their learning can help a lot. It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level. The study found that getting parents concerned about their children's learning at home is more powerful than parents attending parent-teacher meetings, volunteering in classrooms, taking part in money-raising, and showing up at back-to-school nights. To be sure, nothing can replace a good teacher. But let's stop putting the whole responsibility on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make teaching more effective . It is suggested in the study that parents should _ . A) try to search for better teachers B) put the whole duty on teachers C) care about their children's school life D) ask their children to read more books
C
Certain people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you've known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once you know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves. How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you to put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly. First of all, good talkers have asked questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters ----sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go. Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen for the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your question should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he is really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to the tone of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then it's time for you to change the subject. Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm shakehand and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you." If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their lives. If you want to see that person again, _ when parting. A) let him know what you feel B) giving them a firm shakehand C) asking proper questions and being a good listener D) keeping talking to others to them in the conversation
A
Q: Who are the elders in your family? The most common answer is that they are your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and elder cousins ------in a word, any who is older than you. But that doesn't really answer the question, does it? In a normal family, there is a big difference between being elderly and being an elder. Elders are the storytellers, the cooks, the historians, the authorities, the knitters, and the workhorses. They are the people we respect and turn to for answers or help when we are in trouble, because of their many years of life experience. Most of all, they are the people who raised you and your loved ones and helped you growing into the people you are. For many years, they carried the burden of caring for your family and leading it to better times. Now it's your turn to dote on them. Ensuring the welfare of your elders should come as naturally to us as raising our children. Unfortunately, too many people take their parents' and grandparents' ability to care for them for granted. And in a country where so many of us live hundreds of miles from our families, looking after loved ones can be difficult. Even so, you should make sure your loved ones are taken care of no matter where they live, and try to look after the seniors living alone in your neighbor, too. Taking responsibility for the elders in our society in an important thing that all citizens should do. Which of the following opinions doesn't the author agree with? A) naturally that the elders should take care of themselves B) It's our duty to take care of the elders when they are old C) We should take care of the elders even if a long distance separates us from them D) Looking after the elders is as important as raising our children
A: A
Every athlete,from Tiger Woods(a golf player)to a high school quarterback ,uses a form of self-hypnosis to move their game to the next level Use the Olympics to 1earn how to use the amazing power of your subconscious to do the same with your sport. Here are some examples of how to best use the power of the mind: During the 2004 Olympics,one of the swimmers told of how she would fall asleep each night with the picture of a clock in her mind. It was the timer's clock she would see at the end of her Olympic swim and it always had her world-record-breaking time on it. In his pre-shot routine, Tiger Woods never varies the number of practice swings or intensity of his concentration.The pre-shot routine is always the same so that the stroke will always be the same. Michael Phelps,American Swimming Gold Medalist, always stretches out his back and arms by swinging both arms three times before his event. Not 2,not 4: always 3. He is anchoring in his winning state of mind and state of body as well as stretching. In athletics, an anchor is a gesture or series of gestures that put you into the frame-of mind(and body)you want to be in to win.Repetition is what makes it work .That means practice,practice,practice ---- with your body as well as your mind. Begin right now creating a ritual before you exercise.Visualize yourself doing whatever you do faster, longer, higher--whatever adverb works best for your particular activity. Then begin to mentally practice it. See or imagine yourself-----with your ideal body ---- doing your activity better, faster, longer, etc. Using both the power of your brain and the activity of your body, soon you will be better and fitter as you use the Olympics to help you create a happier and healthier you. The example of Tiger Woods shows that _ . A) golf players always do the same pre--shots before events B) Tiger Woods attaches great importance to mind power C) Tiger Woods doesn't want to give away his skills before events D) golf players never change their habits
B