Part ⅡReading Comprehension
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
Helicopter Moms vs. Free-Range Kids
Would you let your fourth-grader ride public transportation without an adult? Probably not. Still, when Lenore Skenazy, a columnist for the New York Sun, wrote about letting her son take the subway alone to get back to her Manhattan home from a department store on the Upper East Side, she didnt expect to get hit with a wave of criticism from readers.
Long story short: My son got home, overjoyed with independence, Skenazy wrote on April 4 in the New York Sun. Long story longer: Half the people Ive told this episode to now want to turn me in for child abuse. As if keeping kids under lock and key and cell phone and careful watch is the right way to rear kids. Its not. Its debilitating -for us and for them.
Online message boards were soon full of people both applauding and condemning Skenazys decision to let her son go it alone. She wound up defending herself on CNN and on popular blogs like the Huffington Post, where her follow-up piece was ironically headlined More From Americas Worst Mom.
The episode has ignited another one of those debates that divides parents into vocal opposing camps. Are Modern parents needlessly overprotective, or is the world a more complicated and dangerous place than it was when previous generations were allowed to wander about unsupervised?
From the shes an irresponsible mother camp came: Shame on you for being so careless about his safety, in comments on the Huffington Post. And there was this from a mother of four: How would you have felt if he didnt come home? But Skenazy got a lot of support, too, with women and men writing in with stories about how they were allowed to take trips all by themselves at seven or eight. She also got heaps of praise for bucking the helicopter parent trend: Good for this Mom, one commenter wrote on the Huffington Post. This is a much-needed reality check.
Last week, encouraged by all the attention, Skenazy started her own blog-Free Range Kids-promoting the idea that modern children need some of the same independence that her generation had. In the good old days nine-year-old baby boomers rode their bikes to school, walked to the store, took buses-and even subways-all by themselves. Her blog, she says, is dedicated to sensible parenting. At Free Range Kids, we believe in safe kids. We believe in car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school-age children go outside, they need a security guard.
So why are some parents so nervous about letting their children out of their sight? Are cities and towns less safe and kids more vulnerable to crimes like child kidnap and sexual abuse than they were in previous generations?
Not exactly. New York City, for instance, is safer than its ever been; its ranked 136th in crime among all American cities. Nationwide, stranger kidnaps are extremely rare; theres a one-in-a-million chance a child will be taken by a stranger, according to the Justice Department. And 90 percent of sexual abuse cases are committed by someone the child knows. Mortality rates from all causes, including disease and accidents, for American children are lower now than they were 25 years ago. According to Child Trends, a nonprofit research group, between 1980 and 2003 death rates dropped by 44 percent for children aged 5 to 14 and 32 percent for teens aged 15 to 19.
Then theres the whole question of whether modern parents are more watchful and nervous about safety than previous generations. Yes, some are. Part of the problem is that with wall-to-wall Internet and cable news, every missing child case gets so much airtime that its not surprising even normal parental anxiety can be amplified. And many middle-class parents have gotten used to managing their childrens time and shuttling them to various enriching activities, so the idea of letting them out on their own can seem like a risk. Back in 1972, when many of todays parents were kids, 87 percent of children who lived within a mile of school walked or biked every day. But today, the Centers for Disease Control report that only 13 percent of children bike, walk or otherwise get themselves to school.
The extra supervision is both a city and a suburb phenomenon. Parents are worried about crime, and theyre worried about kids getting caught in traffic in a city thats not used to pedestrians. On the other hand, there are still plenty of kids whose parents give them a lot of independence, by choice or by necessity. The After School Alliance finds that more than 14 million kids aged 5 to 17 are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. Only 6.5 million kids participate in organized programs. Many children who have working parents have to take the subway or bus to get to school. Many do this by themselves because they have no other way to get to the schools, says Dr. Richard Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the New York University Child Study Center.
For those parents who wonder how and when they should start allowing their kids more freedom, theres no clear-cut answer. Child experts discourage a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. Whats right for Skenazys nine-year-old could be inappropriate for another one. It all depends on developmental issues, maturity, and the psychological and emotional makeup of that child. Several factors must be taken into account, says Gallagher. The ability to follow parent guidelines, the childs level of comfort in handling such situations, and a childs general judgment should be weighed.
Gallagher agrees with Skenazy that many nine-year-olds are ready for independence like taking public transportation alone. At certain times of the day, on certain routes, the subways are generally safe for these children, especially if they have grown up in the city and have been taught how to be safe, how to obtain help if they are concerned for their safety, and how to avoid unsafe situations by being watchful and on their toes.
But even with more traffic and fewer sidewalks, modern parents do have one advantage their parents didnt: the cell phone. Being able to check in with a child anytime goes a long way toward relieving parental anxiety and may help parents loosen their control a little sooner. Skenazy got a lot of criticism because she didnt give her kid her cell phone because she thought hed lose it and wanted him to learn to go it alone without depending on mom-a major principle of free-range parenting. But most parents are more than happy to use cell phones to keep track of their kids.
And for those who like the idea of free-range kids but still struggle with their inner helicopter parent, there may be a middle way. A new generation of GPS cell phones with tracking software make it easier than ever to follow a childs every movement via the Internet-without seeming to interfere or hover. Of course, when they go to college, they might start objecting to being monitored as theyre on parole .
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. When Lenore Skenazys son was allowed to take the subway alone, he_________.
A) was afraid that he might get lost B) enjoyed having the independence
C) was only too pleased to take the risk D) thought he was an exceptional child
2. Lenore Skenazy believes that keeping kids under careful watch _________.
A) hinders their healthy growth B) adds too much to parents expenses
C) shows traditional parental caution D) bucks the latest parenting trend
3. Skenazys decision to let her son take the subway alone has met with _________.
A) opposition from her own family B) official charges of child abuse
C) approval from psychologists D) somewhat mixed responses
4. Skenazy started her own blog to _________.
A) promote sensible parenting B) share parenting experience
C) fight against child abuse D) protect childrens rights
5.According to the author, New York City _________.
A) ranks high in road accidents B) is much safer than before
C) ranks low in child mortality rates D) is less dangerous than small cities
6. Parents today are more nervous about their kids safety than previous generations because _________.
A) there are now fewer children in the family
B) the number of traffic accidents has been increasing
C) their fear is amplified by media exposure of crime
D) crime rates have been on the rise over the years
7. According to child experts, how and when kids may be allowed more freedom depends on _________.
A) the traditions and customs of the community
B) the safety conditions of their neighborhood
C) their parents psychological makeup
D) their maturity and personal qualities
8. According to Gallagher and Skenazy, children who are watchful will be better able to stay away from _________.
9. Being able to find out where a child is anytime helps lessen parents _________.
10. Nowadays with the help of GPS cell phones, parents can, from a distance, track their childrens _________.
【指点迷津】
这是一篇摘自Newsweek 08年4月21日的文章。题目很有意思，但实际话题我们都很熟悉，不过由于这篇文章内部没有小标题，给考生定位带来了一定的困难。快速阅读遵循同义替换的定位原则，包括词汇替换及句型改写两个部分。考生在答题时，一定要优先锁定大写字母、数字和专有名词，用这类词汇可以快速定位原文及排除部分干扰选项。
【试题精讲】
【原题】1. When Lenore Skenazys son was allowed to take the subway alone, he_________.
A) was afraid that he might get lost B) enjoyed having the independence
C) was only too pleased to take the risk D) thought he was an exceptional child
【快速解题】1.B)考生在答题时要首先锁定人名Lenore Skenazy，题干和原文第1段第3句when Lenore Skenazy...wrote about letting her son to take subway alone...相对应，原文的主动句在题干中变成了被动式，考生可以顺着这句话在第2段的首句找到hve对这件事的反应：My son got home, overjoyed with independence，而选项B正与此意相符，其他选项均为干扰项。
【原题】2. Lenore Skenazy believes that keeping kids under careful watch _________.
A) hinders their healthy growth B) adds too much to parents expenses
C) shows traditional parental caution D) bucks the latest parenting trend
【快速解题】2.A)此题可根据人名Lenore Skenazy和短语keeping kids under careful watch定位到原文第2段最后3句：As if keeping kids under lock and key and cell phone and careful watch is the right way to rear kids. Its not. Its debilitating -for us and for them.选项A中的hinder与原文debilitate是同义替换，故为正确答案。
【原题】3. Skenazys decision to let her son take the subway alone has met with _________.
A) opposition from her own family B) official charges of child abuse
C) approval from psychologists D) somewhat mixed responses
【快速解题】3.D)根据题干中的Skenazys decision，可定位到原文第3段的首句Online message boards were soon full of people both applauding and condemning Skenazys decision to let her son go it alone.考生据此不难判断，读者对这一事件的反应不一，有赞成，也有反对，选项D中的mixed responses即是原句中applauding and condemning的同义替换，是正确答案。
【原题】4. Skenazy started her own blog to _________.
A) promote sensible parenting B) share parenting experience
C) fight against child abuse D) protect childrens rights
【快速解题】4.A)这道题有点难度，考生可能会有些踌躇，选项A和B可能会成为最后的PK对象，但是根据原文第六段中的 ...promoting the idea that modern children need some of the same independence that her generation had以及后文Her blog, she says, is dedicated to sensible parenting.两句可以推知，Skenazy宣扬的是一种很新很有争议的教育方式，所以可以由此判断promote sensible parenting是正确答案。
【原题】5.According to the author, New York City _________.
A) ranks high in road accidents B) is much safer than before
C) ranks low in child mortality rates D) is less dangerous than small cities
【快速解题】5.B)考生在锁定关键词New York City后，可找到原文中第8段 New York City, for instance, is safer than its ever been; its ranked 136th in crime among all American cities.选项B中的much safer than before是safer than its ever been的同义替换，故为正确答案，其他选项为干扰项。
【原题】6. Parents today are more nervous about their kids safety than previous generations because _________.
A) there are now fewer children in the family
B) the number of traffic accidents has been increasing
C) their fear is amplified by media exposure of crime
D) crime rates have been on the rise over the years
【快速解题】6.C)题干与原文第9段的首句...modern parents are more watchful and nervous about safety than previous generations 相对应，此段的第3句紧接着给出了这道题的答案 Part of the problem is that with wall-to-wall Internet and cable news, every missing child case gets so much airtime that its not surprising even normal parental anxiety can be amplified.考生可以发现选项C的意思与此句是一致的，而其他选项在原文中均未提及。
【原题】7. According to child experts, how and when kids may be allowed more freedom depends on _________.
A) the traditions and customs of the community
B) the safety conditions of their neighborhood
C) their parents psychological makeup
D) their maturity and personal qualities
【快速解题】7.D)考生在锁定关键词child experts, how and when后，要迅速找到原文第11段，第4句 It all depends on developmental issues, maturity, and the psychological and emotional makeup of that child，可以判断出选项D符合题意，选项C是干扰项，原文中提到的是makeup of that child，不是parents。
【原题】8. According to Gallagher and Skenazy, children who are watchful will be better able to stay away from _________.
【快速解题】8.unsafe situations题干中提到了Gallagher and Skenazy两个人名，考生要把答案锁定在原文第12段，再根据关键词watchful可找到最后一句 ...and how to avoid unsafe situations by being watchful and on their toes.考生不难看出，题干中的stay away from是原文中avoid的同义替换，故正确答案为unsafe situations。
【原题】9. Being able to find out where a child is anytime helps lessen parents _________.
【快速解题】9.anxiety根据题干我们定位到原文的第13段第2句 Being able to check in with a child anytime goes a long way toward relieving parental anxiety and may help parents loosen their control a little sooner.但是题目中的lessen一词可能会导致部分考生误填为control，因为与原文中的loosen较为相似。但是考生如果知道relieve和lessen是同义替换，就可以很快填出正确答案。
【原题】10. Nowadays with the help of GPS cell phones, parents can, from a distance, track their childrens _________.
【快速解题】10. every movement考生可根据题干中的关键词GPS找到原文最后一段的第2句 A new generation of GPS cell phones with tracking software make it easier than ever to follow a childs every movement via the Internet-without seeming to interfere or hover.此题与第9题颇为相似，由于原文中出现了track一词，考生极易误填software，但with tracking software是GPS cell phones的修饰语，题干中的track与原文中的follow才是意义相同的词，故正确答案为every movement。
【全文精译】
直升机妈妈VS自由放养的孩子
你会让自己读四年级的孩子单独坐公交吗?大概不会吧。不过，当《纽约太阳报》的专栏作家勒诺斯堪纳兹写到让儿子从上东区的一家百货商场自己坐公交回到位于曼哈顿的家时，她没想到会遭到读者潮水般的批评。
斯堪纳兹4月4日在《纽约太阳报》中写道，长话短说：我儿子回到家，很得意于自己的独立。 长话长说：我讲了这件事后，现在一半的人指责我虐待儿童，好像把孩子关起来、用手机监控、仔细看管着就是养育孩子的正确做法。不，这只会使我们和孩子变弱。
在线留言板很快就挤满了人，对斯堪纳兹决定让儿子自己回家的行为，赞许者有之，谴责者亦有之。结果，她在CNN和热门博客上为自己辩护，她的后续文章被讽刺地冠以更多来自美国最差妈妈的消息的大标题。
这一事件引发了另一辩论，把父母们分为了两大阵营。是现代父母的保护意识过强，还是现在的世界太复杂、太危险，不比前代人可以获准在外随意游荡?
她是个不负责任的妈妈阵营在哈芬顿邮报的评论中说：你对他的安全太大意了，真羞耻。一位有4个孩子的母亲说：如果他没回家你会怎么想?不过，斯堪纳兹也得到了很多的支持，男女读者都写了他们七、八岁时如何被允许独自旅行的。她同时得到了很多赞誉，引领了直升机父母的潮流。一位评论者在哈芬顿邮报中说这对这位母亲很好，这是一个急需进行的现实性实验。
上周，倍受鼓舞的斯堪纳兹开始撰写自己的博客自由放养的孩子，宣传现代父母应该给孩子自己这一代曾享有的独立。在过去的好时光里，婴儿生育高峰期的九岁大的孩子独自骑车上学，步行去商场，坐公交车，甚至坐地铁。她说，她的博客致力于引导合理的养育子女的方式。在自由放养的孩子博客中，我们相信安全的孩子，相信汽车座椅和安全带。我们不认为学龄儿童每次外出都需要保镖。
那么，为什么一些父母如此紧张孩子不在自己的视野内呢?是否现在的城市比上辈人所处的时期安全性小了，孩子们更易遇到像儿童绑架和性侵犯这样的犯罪行为呢?
不尽然。比如纽约，它比以前更安全，在所有美国城市中犯罪指数排在136位。全国的斯特林格绑架极为少见。司法部称，儿童被陌生人带走的可能性仅为百万分之一。在90%的性侵犯案例中，犯人都是儿童认识的人。包括疾病和事故原因造成的美国儿童死亡率低于25年前的数字。非营利的研究机构儿童倾向称，1980至2003年间，5岁-14岁的儿童死亡率下降了44%，15岁-19岁的少年死亡率下降了32%。
那么问题是，是否现代父母比上辈人对安全更警惕、更紧张了呢?是的，一些人是这样的。部分原因是，随着墙到墙的互联网和有线资讯的出现，对失踪儿童案件的报道太多了，因此父母正常的担心被扩大化也就不足为奇了。很多中产阶级的父母已经习惯于安排孩子的时间，使他们穿梭于各种活动中，所以让孩子独立出门似乎很冒险。回到1972年，在今天的为人父母者还是孩子的时候，有87%的人住在距学校一英里内，每天步行或骑车上学。但是现在，疾病控制中心报道说，只有13%的孩子骑车，步行或用其他方式独自去上学。
过度监控是市郊的普遍现象，父母们担心犯罪，担心孩子会出交通事故，因为现在的城市道路不是用于行人的。另一方面，也有很多孩子的父母因凑巧或必要给他们很多独立的空间。学后联盟发现，1400多万的5-17岁的孩子在放学后能照顾自己，仅有650万孩子参加有组织的活动。纽约大学儿童研究中心育儿协会的主任理查德加拉格尔博士说，很多父母有工作的孩子不得不乘地铁或公交车上学，这样做是因为别无它法。
对于那些对何时、如何开始给孩子自由空间感到疑惑的父母来说，并没有明确的答案。儿童专家不赞成一刀切的育儿方法。适合斯堪纳兹九岁儿子的方法并不一定适合他人，这完全取决于孩子的发育、成熟、心理和情感结构。加拉格尔说，要综合考虑几方面的因素，要权衡孩子听从父母教导的能力，处理类似情况的水平和整体判断力。
加拉格尔赞同斯堪纳兹的观点，很多九岁的孩子能单独坐公交。在特定的时候，特定的路线，孩子坐地铁一般是安全的，尤其是在他们长大的城市，他们已学会如何才能安全，如何在需要时获得帮助，如何保持警觉以避免非安全情况。
然而，即便是车多、人行道少，现代父母却拥有他们的父辈不具备的优势：手机。可以在路远时随时了解孩子的情况缓解了父母的忧虑，多少可以让父母放松对孩子的监控。斯堪纳兹受到严厉的指责是因为她没有让孩子带手机，认为他会弄丢，想让他学会不依赖妈妈独立出门，这是自由放养式育儿的主要原则。但是多数父母还是很乐意用手机与孩子保持联络。
对于那些赞成自由放养孩子主张却仍然在内心挣扎的父母，这可能是个折衷的办法。新一代有追踪功能的GPS手机让父母更方便地通过网络跟踪孩子的一举一动，而且看来不是妨碍或干涉。当然，孩子上大学时，可能会开始反对这种如同处于假释期的监控了。
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