Question

For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?

Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.

To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause ( our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.

This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them.

“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards.

1.According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______ .

A. they may lose interest in their work

B. they may appear to be well-behaved

C. they may change to another person

D. the results will be worse than usual

2.What can we know from Paragraph 3?

A. Parents should promote certain ideas to help children develop.

B. Children should be responsible for their discipline.

C. Children should help build a good family atmosphere.

D. No children will adapt to society without their parents’ help

3.The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.

A. rewards B. aims

C. apologies D. doubts

4.According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.

A. never pay attention to the way their children do things

B. show their children how to behave by example

C. never punish their children

D. help their children establish good values

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Do you often reward your children?

B. Should parents reward their children?

C. When should parents reward their children?

D. What can parents reward their children with?

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.D

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：本篇文章主要对在培养孩子成长的过程中，父母是否应该多奖励孩子这一话题进行了讨论，并给出了不同人的不同观点。最后指出父母对孩子最好的奖赏是让孩子们自己学会看清世界，自己学会如何自律。

1.由第二段“Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment”可知，当孩子们收到惩罚时，他们会表现得更加安分，更乖顺。故选B。

2.归纳段意题。文中第三段第一句“To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas”指出为了培养孩子的责任心和自律能力，父母应该改善自己的某些想法。接下来这段都是围绕父母改进自己教育孩子的方法展开，所以应选A。

3.词义猜测题。根据“We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them. ” 可知，就算没有这些奖励放在孩子们的面前，我们还是可以培养孩子养成良好的习惯，拥有良好的品质。所以这里的carrot就是指上文中的rewards。所以选择A。

4.理解题。从Alfie Kohn所说的话“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” 和 “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.”中可以看出Alfie Kohn认为奖赏和惩罚只能改变孩子们的外在表现，而不能改变他们的内在行为。而一种优秀的品格是需要从内开始培养的，所以父母是需要从内在出发，培养孩子的内在品质。故选D。

5.

考点：考查议论文阅读