In any family with more than one child, children seem to naturally compete for their parents' love and attention. Parents say they love every child equally. But is that true? Susan, founder of a consulting firm in Chicago, interviewed 216 women and found that even though none of her questions asked directly about a parent favoring one child over another, about two-third of the women said there was a favored child. And they also remembered their experience when they were young. One of the women said, "My mother always liked my brother better, and he got to summer camp in 1968 and I didn't. Plumez, who interviewed parents with both biological children ( ) and adoptive children for an adoption book in 2008, found that what matters most is whether your temperaments ( ) are pleasing. "In some cases, parents would say they felt closer to their adopted children, "she says. "Some parents like the children with characters similar to theirs. Two people who are shy and withdrawn might get along well, unless the shy parent doesn't like that aspect of themselves and they try to push the naturally withdrawn child to be more _ ." It could be a result of gender, birth order or how easy or difficult a child's temperament may be, but a parent's different treatment has far-reaching effects. Studies have found that less-favored children may suffer emotionally, with decreased self-esteem and behavioral problems in children. Favoritism is a reason for the next generation not to like each other. Experts say it's not realistic to say everyone should be treated equally, because no two people are the same and they related differently to others. "It does not mean the parent loves or likes one child more. It has to do with which one of them is independent," says psychologist Lauriet Kramer of the University of Illinois. What can we infer from the passage? A) Favoritism is not beneficial to the development of children B) Parents' favoritism to a certain child can't be avoided in families. C) Parents may be favorite one of their children and don't realize it. D) People are very much shaped by how they were treated by their parents.
D
(Question)
A new word has suddenly become wildly popular in China - "tuhao" - which loosely translated means "nouveau riche". There have been more than 100 million references to the word "tuhao" on social media since early September. It's being used to describe everything from the new People's Daily building, to expensive celebrity weddings full of bling, and the new gold-coloured iPhone. In Chinese "tu" means earth and "hao" means rich. To say someone is tuhao is to imply they come from a poor peasant background, and have made it rich quick - but don't quite have the manners, or sophistication to go along with it. It's like the term "nouveau riche", says Professor Steve Tsang at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies in Nottingham - but has even more negative meanings, suggesting a certain vulgarity . "Tuhao" is actually an old word - dating back perhaps as far as the Southern Dynasty 1,500 years ago - but it has always meant something rather different. During the communist revolution, from the 1920s to early 1950s, it was widely used to refer to landholders and gentry who would bully those beneath them. This new usage of the term took off in September after a widely-shared joke about a rich, but unhappy man, who goes to a Buddhist monk for advice, expecting to be told to live a more simple life. The monk replies instead with the phrase: "Tuhao, let's be friends!" Chinese internet users are highly creative in their use of language, and are constantly inventing, and re-inventing words as a way of getting past censorship rules. But in this case, its popularity seems to be down to the fact that it expresses China's changing society so well - many people sneer at those with wealth, but are secretly jealous. Which of the following may NOT be considered "tuhao"? A) A vulgar nouveau riche B) A bully landholder C) A quick-rich peasant without proper manners D) A Buddhist monk.
(Answer)
D
Ques: When I got up, Mom was already awake. I could hear her doing something in the kitchen. It's was my birthday, and I was afraid. What if my husband had neglected to take Mom shopping for a card? Once Mom found it was my birthday, she would be sad that she had forgotten and had nothing to give me. She even can't remember what we did two hours ago because of dementia . Birthdays are not a big deal to me. I hate growing older. I don't mind if Mom forgets my birthday as long as she still remembers me. That someday she might not recognize me has been my biggest fear ever since Mom got dementia. I can't imagine anything more devastating than being forgotten by my own mother. When Mom was diagnosed with vascular dementia seven years ago, I was told she did not have Alzheimer's disease . I hoped that meant she would never forget her family. But as Mom's dementia progressed, I realized that I had no idea whether vascular dementia could be as bad as Alzheimer's. I really didn't understand the difference. The sleeping house was quiet except for the sound of Mom washing the bowls left last night in the kitchen. Will Mom live long enough to forget me? Will the day come when she no longer worries about remembering my birthday because she no longer knows that I exist? In the kitchen, Mom heard me come near. She hurried to the door, face ringing with smiles. "Happy birthday to you," she sang. We laughed as I hugged her tightly, and both of us were very surprised that she had remembered. Moments later she said, "Oh, there seems to be something here for you." She brought me her card. My husband did, after all, take her shopping. The birthday-for-a-daughter card was filled with expressions of love in pink. When it was time for her birthday, the writer was afraid _ . A) her Mom would forget her B) her birthday had been forgotten C) her mother would be sad D) she would be growing older
Ans: C
Question: You need to be of a certain age to understand why so many people in Hollywood are caring about the possible closing down of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .For the past 40 years, its output has been good, but now it is on the ropes, with debts of $ 3.7 billion and will have to sell off its most valuable assets. In its golden time, MGM stood for something.If Warner Brothers meant social dramas and gangster movies, and Disney meant cartoon films, then MGM was healthy fantasy.This business model found its most glorious expression in its musicals of the post-war era.It also featured such many famous stars as Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. But MGM had always put its hopes on the quality of stars it could attract.From the time MGM became a company in 1924, the studio and his associate proved themselves good at creating big names. For 35 years, this worked well enough, but the growing power of television disturbed Hollywood.MGM continued to throw money into making gorgeous-looking musicals, but despite some big successes audiences gradually started to drift away.Throughout the sixties, MGM's decline set in.Things went from bad to worse.In 1973, MGM stopped distributing its own films.Since then, the Lion's roar has been reduced to a whimper . How far MGM has fallen can be shown by its recent releases.This was a studio that for years offered a reliable supply of first-class films.Yet last year its total output was three.To make it worse, all were co-produced with other studios.And this year? Only one so far, and maybe the last. What now? MGM will probably be sold, though recent buyers have been cautious about a price thought to be around $ 2 billion. What's the main idea of the text? A) The past glories of MGM. B) The musicals made by MGM. C) The decline of MGM. D) A historical decision by MGM
Answer:
C