单选题 I"m usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today"s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago. Why are America"s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place. Given that we can"t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope. At the top of the list is nurturing (培育) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep. Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It"s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn"t have to ruin your life. (314 words)
单选题 The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people"s state of mind are______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析：本题属于态度判断题。题干意思是：作者对于任何关于人类心灵状态的研究结论的态度是：A“令人惊奇”；B“混淆不清”；C“不合逻辑”；D“值得怀疑”。文中第一句话即表明了作者的态度：“I am usually fairly skeptical about…”，其中“skeptical”意为“怀疑的，倾向于怀疑的”。所以选D。
单选题 What does the author mean when he says, "we can"t turn the clock back" (Line 1, Para. 3)?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析：本题属于细节推断题。根据上下文，随着孩子的长大，他对世间种种的险恶有了越来越多的了解，顺理成章应该选B。孩子们无法改变他们所面对的真实社会，但大人们仍然能做许多事情帮助孩子们勇敢面对。
单选题 According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析：本题属于细节推断题。题干意思是：根据分析，比起现在正常的孩子，50年前被当做精神疾患治疗的孩子可能：A“有较少的身体孤独感”；B“可能不那么以自我为中心”；C“可能遭受较少的焦虑”；D“个人主义色彩略少一些”。文中第一段最后一句“normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mentalillness 50 years ago”表明当今正常儿童比50年前患精神疾病的儿童更焦虑。因此应该选C。
单选题 The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析：本题属于细节题。题干意思是：父母在帮助孩子时最重要的方面应该是：A “为他们提供一个更安全的环境”；B“降低对他们的期待”；C“使他们融人社会”；D“为他们树立可遵循的良好典范”。文章第四段大意表明，作者把培养对个人主义局限性的理解放在首位，强化社会纽带，使之有助于交际，从而使个体免受压力的影响，因此答案应为C。
单选题 What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析：本题属于综合理解题。通常文章的开头或结尾部分渗透一篇文章的主旨。最后两句话“Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable．But it doesn’t have to ruin your life．”告诉了我们答案为C。在父母亲的关照下，孩子们的焦虑可以得到削减。A错在结论太过绝对：压力尽管不可避免，并非绝对不可避免。B、D明显不正确。