Traditional fairy tales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study has found. A research has discovered one in five parents has given up old classics such as Snow Whiteandthe Seven Dwarves and Rapunzelin favour of more modern books. One third of parents say their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details ofLittle Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to readRumplestiltskinto their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing. Similarly,Goldilocks and the Three Bearsis also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents feel it forgives stealing. The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairy tales. The survey has found a quarter of parents polled will not consider reading a fairy tale to their children until they have reached the age of five, as they have to face too many awkward questions from their children. Steve Hornsey, General Manager, Watch, said, "Bedtime stories are supposed to _ children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see inGRIMM, some fairy tales can be dark and dramatic tales so it' s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children. As adults, we can see the innocence in fairy tales, but a five-year-old child would take them too seriously. Despite the dark nature of some classic fairy tales, as we see inGRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story." The study also shows two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares. However, half of parents think traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillarand theMr. Menbooks. What's the author's attitude towards traditional fairy tales? A) Optimistic. B) Not mentioned. C) Casual. D) Disapproving.
B
Although in 1947 we were still very new to the atomic age, we knew about mushroom clouds. A huge crack spread across the library wall upstairs, sending teachers and students screaming down the hall. Had a new world war started? Pale-faced, our young science teacher quickly organized us for a fire drill. We huddled in little groups on the beach side of the school grounds and watched the spreading cloud darken the bright spring sky. Rumors flew every which way, although two hours would pass before we got the full story.One rumor we heard was that the Texas City Monsanto Chemical plant had blown up; children whose parents worked there began to weep. I froze--that was where my father was working that day. The school bell called us back inside, and we were dismissed to find our way home the best way we could. I-d walked a quarter of the three-mile trip to my home when a car horn startled me to attention. My Uncle Barney pulled up alongside me in his old Ford. The instant I saw him, I knew my father was gone. Otherwise, Papa would have come for me himself. As if in slow motion from a great distance, Uncle Barney motioned for me to get in. Numb with grief, I crawled into the back seat. I barely took notice of the man sitting there, and didn't recognize him until he reached for me. When Papa put his strong arms around me, I forgot for a moment that Cherokees aren't supposed to cry. Many of my fellow students lost their parents in the explosion. Tragedy would one day come to our family, as it inevitably comes to all, but on the day Texas City blew up, it miraculously passed us by. Because he lost his keys on that April morning, as he explained, my father lived for another 32 years-we were to have a second lifetime forever. How did the science teacher react to the accident? A) He was sad. B) He acted quickly. C) He panicked. D) He felt helpless.
B
Q: Kids will often ignore your requests for them to shut off the TV, start their chores , or do their homework as a way to avoid following your directions. Before you know it, you've started to sound like a broken record as you repeatedly ask them to do their assignments, clean their room, or take out the trash. Rather than saying, "Do your chores now", you'll be more effective if you set a target time for when the chores have to be completed. So instead of arguing about starting chores,just say, "If chores are't done by 4 p.m, here are the consequences." Then it's up to your child to complete the chores. Put the ball back in their court. Don't argue or fight with them,just say, "That's the way it's going to be." It shouldn't be punitive as much as it should be persuasive. "If your chores aren't done by 4 p.m, then no video game time until chores are done. And if finishing those chores runs into homework time, that's going to be your loss." On the other hand, when dealing with homework, keep it very simple. Have a time when homework starts, and at that time, all electronics go off and do not go back on until you see that their homework is done. If your child says they have no homework, then they should use that time to study or read. Either way, there should be a time set aside when the electronics are off. When a kid wears his iPod or headphones when you're trying to talk to him, make no bones about it; he is not ignoring you, he is disrespecting you. At that point, everything else should stop until he takes the earplugs out of his ears. Don't try to communicate with him when he's wearing headphones--even if he tells you he can hear you. Wearing them while you're talking to him is a sign of disrespect. Parents should be very tough about this kind of thing. Remember, mutual respect becomes more important as children mature . According to the passage,it seldom happens that _ . A) kids turn a deaf ear to their parents' requests B) parents' directions sound like a broken record C) children are ready to follow their parents' directions D) parents are unaware of what they are repeating to their kids
A: C
(Q).
Do you need friends? I'm sure your answer is "Yes,of course. Everybody does! " You need friends when you play and when you work. If you have friends, you will feel happy. If you have no friends. you will feel lonely . Do you know how to make friends? There is only one good way--You make friends by being friendly. A friendly person is interested in other people. He is always helpful If you want to make friends with a new classmate, you can talk with him, tell him about the other classmates in your class and try your best to be helpful to him. A friendly person is _ other people. A) interested in B) worried about C) surprised at D) like them
(A).
A