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 "Long story short :my son got home from a department store on the Upper East Side, she didn’t 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 I’ve told this episode to now want to turn on 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. It’s not. It’s debilitating (使虚弱)—for us and for them.”
　　Online message boards were soon full of people both applauding and condemning Skenazy’s decision to let her son go it alone. She wound up defending herself on CNN (accompanied by her son) and on popular blogs like the buffing ton post, where her follow-up piece was ironically headlined “More From America’s 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 “she’s an irresponsible mother” camp came: “Shame on you for being so careless about his safety,” in Comments on the buffing ton post. And there was this from a mother of four: “How would you have felt if he didn’t 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 them selves 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 buffing ton 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 it’s ever been; it’s ranked 36th in crime among all American cities. Nationwide, stringer kidnaps are extremely rare; there’s 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 there’s 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 it’s not surprising even normal parental anxiety can be amplified. And many middle-class parents have gotten used to managing their children’s 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 today’s 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 t themselves to school.
　　The extra supervision is both a city and a suburb phenomenon. Parents are worried about crime, and they are worried about kids getting caught in traffic in a city that’s 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, there’s no clear-cut answer. Child experts discourage a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. What’s right for Skenazy’s nine-year-old could be inappropriate for another one. It all depends on developmental issue, 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 child’s level of comfort in handling such situations, and a child’s 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 didn’t: 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 didn’t give her kid her cell phone because she thought he’d 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 child’s 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 they’re on parole (假释).
　　

    The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems called mnemonics. The name is (1) ________ from their Goddess of memory “Mnemosyne”. In the ancient world, a trained memory was an (2) ________ asset, particularly in public life. There were no (3) ________ devices for taking notes, and early Greek orators(演说家) delivered long speeches with great (4) ________ because they learned the speeches using mnemonic systems.
    The Greeks discovered that human memory is (5) ________ an associative process—that it works by linking things together. For example, think of an apple. The (6) ________ your brain registers the word “apple”, it (7) ________ the shape, color, taste, smell and (8) ________ of that fruit. All these things are associated in your memory with the word “apple”.
    (9) ________________________. An example could be when you think about a lecture you have had. This could trigger a memory about what you’re talking about through that lecture, which can then trigger another memory.
    (10) ________________________. An example given on a website I was looking at follows: Do you remember the shape of Austria, Canada, Belgium, or Germany? Probably not. What about Italy, though?
    (11) ________________________. You made an association with something already known, the shape of a boot, and Italy’s shape could not be forgotten once you had made the association.

    Leading doctors today weigh in on the debate over the government’s role in promoting public health by demanding that ministers impose “fat taxes” on unhealthy food and introduce cigarette-style warnings to children about the dangers of a poor diet.
    The demands follow comments made last week by the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, who insisted the government could not force people to make healthy choices and promised to free businesses from public health regulations.
    But senior medical figures want to stop fast-food outlets opening near schools, restrict advertising of products high in fat, salt or sugar, and limit sponsorship of sports events by fast food producers such as McDonald’s.
    They argue that government action is necessary to curb Britain’s addiction to unhealthy food and help halt spiraling rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that the consumption of unhealthy food should be seen to be just as damaging as smoking or excessive drinking.
    “Thirty years ago, it would have been inconceivable to have imagined a ban on smoking in the workplace or in pubs, and yet that is what we have now. Are we willing to be just as courageous in respect of obesity? I would suggest that we should be,” said the leader of the UK’s children’s doctors.
    Lansley has alarmed health campaigners by suggesting he wants industry rather than government to take the lead. He said that manufacturers of crisps and candies could play a central role in the Change4life campaign, the centrepiece of government efforts to boost healthy eating and fitness. He has also criticised the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s high-profile attempt to improve school lunches in England as an example of how “lecturing” people was not the best way to change their behaviour.
    Stephenson suggested potential restrictions could include banning TV advertisements for foods high in fat, salt or sugar before 9 pm and limiting them on billboards or in cinemas. “If we were really bold, we might even begin to think of high-calorie fast food in the same way as cigarettes—by setting strict limits on advertising, product placement and sponsorship of sport events,” he said.
    Such a move could affect firms such as McDonald's, which sponsors the youth coaching scheme run by the Football Association. Fast-food chains should also stop offering “inducements” such as toys, cute animals and mobile phone credit to lure young customers, Stephenson said.
    Professor Dinesh Bhugra, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "If children are taught about the impact that food has on their growth, and that some things can harm, at least information is available up front.”
    He also urged councils to impose “fast-food-free zones” around schools and hospitals—areas within which takeaways cannot open.
    A Department of Health spokesperson said: “We need to create a new vision for public health where all of society works together to get healthy and live longer This includes creating a new ‘responsibility deal’ with business, built on social responsibility, not state regulation. Later this year, we will publish a white paper setting out exactly how we will achieve this.”
    The food industry will be alarmed that such senior doctors back such radical moves, especially the call to use some of the tough tactics that have been deployed against smoking over the last decade.

    Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a (1) ________ dangerous one. People can fall; they may also become ill. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very (2) ________ climbers.
   Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 or 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don't get enough oxygen, they often begin to (3) ________.They may also (4) ________ and light-headed. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and (5) ________ may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a (6) ________ daze (恍惚). This state of mind can have an (7) ________ effect on their judgment.
    A few (8) ________ can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high too fast. If you climb to 1 0,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to an even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink (9) ________ liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do light activities rather than sleep too much. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen.
   The most important warning is this: if you have (10) ________ symptoms and they don't go away, go down! Don't risk injury or death because of overconfidence or lack of knowledge.

 Universities Branch Out 

    As never before in their long history, universities have become instruments of national competition as well as instruments of peace. They are the place of the scientific discoveries that move economies forward, and the primary means of educating the talent required to obtain and maintain competitive advantage. But at the same time, the opening of national borders to the flow of goods, services, information and especially people has made universities a powerful force for global integration, mutual understanding and geopolitical stability.
    In response to the same forces that have driven the world economy, universities have become more self-consciously global: seeking students from around the world who represent the entire range of cultures and values, sending their own students abroad to prepare them for global careers, offering course of study that address the challenges of an interconnected world and collaborative(合作的)research programs to advance science for the benefit of all humanity.
    Of the forces shaping higher education none is more sweeping than the movement across borders. Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, from 800,000 in 1975 to 2.5 million in 2004. Most travel from one developed nation to another, but the flow from developing to developed countries is growing rapidly. The reverse flow, from developed to developing countries, is on the rise, too. Today foreign students earn 30 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded in the United States and 38 percent of those in the United Kingdom. And the number crossing borders for undergraduate study is growing as well, to 8 percent of the undergraduates at America's best institutions and 10 percent of all undergraduates in the U.K. In the United States, 20 percent of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born, and in China many newly hired faculty members at the top research universities received their graduate education abroad.
    Universities are also encouraging students to spend some of their undergraduate years in another country. In Europe, more than 140,000 students participate in the Erasmus program each year, taking courses for credit in one of 2,200 participating institutions across the continent. And in the United States, institutions are helping place students in summer internships(实习)abroad to prepare them for global careers. Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity -- and providing the financial resources to make it possible.
    Globalization is also reshaping the way research is done. One new trend involves sourcing portions of a research program to another country. Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai's Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools. The Shanghai center has 95 employees and graduate students working in a 4,300-square-meter laboratory facility. Yale faculty, postdoctors and graduate students visit regularly and attend videoconference seminars with scientists from both campuses. The arrangement benefits both countries; Xu's Yale lab is more productive, thanks to the lower costs of conducting research in China, and Chinese graduate students, postdoctors and faculty get on-the-job training from a world-class scientist and his U. S. team.
    As a result of its strength in science, the United States has consistently led the world in the commercialization of major new technologies, from the mainframe computer and the integrated circuit of the 1960s to the Internet infrastructure (基础设施) and applications software of the 1990s. The link between university-based science and industrial application is often indirect but sometimes highly visible: Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University, and Route 128 outside Boston has long housed companies spun off from MIT and Harvard. Around the world, governments have encouraged copying of this model, perhaps most successfully in Cambridge, England, where Microsoft and scores of other leading software and biotechnology companies have set up shop around the university.
    For all its success, the United States remains deeply hesitant about sustaining the research-university model. Most politicians recognize the link between investment in science and national economic strength, but support for research funding has been unsteady. The budget of the National Institutes of Health doubled between 1998 and 2003, but has risen more slowly than inflation since then. Support for the physical sciences and engineering barely kept pace with inflation during that same period. The attempt to make up lost ground is welcome, but the nation would be better served by steady, predictable increases in science funding at the rate of long-term GDP growth, which is on the order of inflation plus 3 percent per year.
    American politicians have great difficult recognizing that admitting more foreign students can greatly promote the national interest by increasing international understanding.  Adjusted for inflation, public funding for international exchanges and foreign-language study is well below the levels of 40 years ago. In the wake of September 11, changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U. S. universities, and a corresponding surge in enrollments in Australia, Singapore and the U. K. Objections from American university and business leaders led to improvements in the process and a reversal of the decline, but the United States is still seen by many as unwelcoming to international students.
    Most Americans recognize that universities contribute to the nation's well-being through their scientific research, but many fear that foreign students threaten American competitiveness by taking their knowledge and skills back home. They fall to grasp that welcoming foreign students to the United States has two important positive effects: first, the very best of them stay in the States and -- like immigrants throughout history --strengthen the nation; and second, foreign students who study in the United States become ambassadors for many of its most cherished (珍视) values when they return home. Or at least they understand them better. In America as elsewhere, few instruments of foreign policy are as effective in promoting peace and stability as welcoming international university students.

    Sleep is divided into periods of so-called REM sleep, characterized by rapid eye movements and dreaming, and longer periods of non-REM sleep. (1) ______kind of sleep is at all well-understood, but REM sleep is (2) ______to serve some restorative function of the brain. The purpose of non-REM sleep is even more (3) ______. The new experiments, such as those (4) ______for the first time at a recent meeting of the Society for Sleep Research in Minneapolis, suggest fascinating explanations (5) ______of non-REM sleep.
    For example, it has long been known that total sleep (6) ______is 100 percent fatal to rats, yet, (7) ______examination of the dead bodies, the animals look completely normal. A researcher has now (8) ______the mystery of why the animals die. The rats (9) ______bacterial infections of the blood, (10) ______their immune systems-the self-protecting mechanism against diseases-had crashed.

Directions:
    Study the following set of drawings carefully and write an essay in which you should
    (1) describe set of drawings, interpret its meaning, and
    (2) point out its implications in our life.
    You should write about 200 words neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.

温室花朵经不起风雨

    Many Americans regard the jury system as a concrete expression of crucial democratic values, including the principles that all citizens who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy are equally competent to serve on juries; that jurors should be selected randomly from a representative cross section of the community; that no citizen should be denied the right to serve on a jury on account of race, religion, sex, or national origin; that defendants are entitled to trial by their peers; and that verdicts should represent the conscience of the community and not just the letter of the law. The jury is also said to be the best surviving example of direct rather than representative democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens take turns governing themselves, rather than electing representatives to govern for them.
    But as recently as in 1968, jury selection procedures conflicted with these democratic ideals. In some states, for example, jury duty was limited to persons of supposedly superior intelligence, education, and moral character. Although the Supreme Court of the United States had prohibited intentional racial discrimination in jury selection as early as the 1880 case of Strauder v. West Virginia, the practice of selecting so-called elite or blue-ribbon juries provided a convenient way around this and other antidiscrimination laws.
    The system also failed to regularly include women on juries until the mid-20th century. Although women first served on state juries in Utah in 1898, it was not until the 1940s that a majority of states made women eligible for jury duty. Even then several states automatically exempted women from jury duty unless they personally asked to have their names included on the jury list. This practice was justified by the claim that women were needed at home, and it kept juries unrepresentative of women through the 1960s.
    In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed the Jury Selection and Service Act, ushering in a new era of democratic reforms for the jury. This law abolished special educational requirements for federal jurors and required them to be selected at random from a cross section of the entire community.
    In the landmark 1975 decision Taylor v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court extended the requirement that juries be representative of all parts of the community to the state level. The Taylor decision also declared sex discrimination in jury selection to be unconstitutional and ordered states to use the same procedures for selecting male and female jurors.

    My favorite TV show? “The Twilight Zone.” 
    I (1) _______ like the episode called “The Printer’s Devil.” 
    It’s about a newspaper editor who’s being (2) _______ out of business by a big newspaper syndicate-you know, a group of papers (3) _______ by the same people. 
    He is about to (4) _______ suicide when he is interrupted by an old man who says his name is Smith. 
    The editor is not only offered 5,000 dollars to pay off his newspaper’s (5) _______, but this Smith character also offers his (6) _______ for free. 
    It turns out that the guy (7) _______ the printing machine with amazing speed, and soon he is turning out newspapers with (8) _______ headlines. 
    The small paper is successful again. The editor is amazed at how quickly Smith gets his stories-only minutes after they happen - but soon he is presented with a contract to sign. Mr. Smith, it seems, is really the devil! 
    (9) ___________________________, so he agrees to sign. 
    But soon Smith is reporting the news even before it happens - and it’s all terrible - one disaster after another. 
    (10) ___________________________. 
    I really like these old episodes of the Twilight Zone, because the stories are fascinating. 
    (11) ___________________________.

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Due Attention Should Be Given to the Study of Chinese. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below:
(1) 近年来在学生中出现了忽视中文学习的现象；
(2) 出现这种现象的原因和后果；
(3) 我认为……

Due Attention Should Be Given To the Study of Chinese