Should parents consider any real value in kid humor? And should the sounds of armpit farts(咯吱打响) be encouraged?

“Absolutely. Not during a math test, necessarily, but there are too many places in our world right now where children have to be serious,” said Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist. “We forget that humor, laughter and play are important to our existence.”

“Kids learn to build relationships through humor and laughter,” said Ed Dunkelblau. “There are ways to play and be humorous that don’t cost anybody self-esteem.”

Research shows that children respond to humor long before they can fully understand language or develop long-term memory.

Two top funny guys from American Greetings, Pat Sandy and Brain Cleary, see kid humor as a victory of language and one of the earliest acts of defiance(违抗), both of which should be celebrated as necessary and healthy.

“We do the same thing as grown-ups. We show off our vocabularies,” said Cleary. Sandy said parents should consider a good sense of humor a benefit to their children. “A kid who is really good at humor shows a sign of intelligence at an early age,” he said. “Armpit farts show an ability to take incongruent(不一致的) devices and bring them together.”

Social worker Devra Renner said parents tend to forget what made them laugh—and how good it felt—when they were young.

“Consider how many times you have heard a parent ask a laughing child, ‘What’s so funny’” said Renner. “But if we give up the adult definition of what‘fun’is and remember what was fun when we were kids, I think many parents would be amazed at their newfound ability to once again discover just what it is that’s so funny.”

67. What’s Dunkelblau’s attitude towards kid humor?

　 A. Disapproving. B. Critical. C. Skeptical. D. Supportive.

68. In the opinion of Sandy, kid humor _______.

　 A. shows children are creative

　 B. helps children develop a good memory at an early age

　 C. reflects children’s desire to show off their intelligence

　 D. is a kind of way to show off kids’ big vocabularies

69. According to Renner, what can we know?

　 A. Parents usually know how to make their kids laugh.

　 B. Parents sometimes can’t understand kid humor.

　 C. Parents can discover fun from what makes kids laugh.

　 D. Parents tend to tell their funny stories from childhood to their kids.

70. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ______.

　 A. encourage parents to teach kids how to be humorous

　 B. remind kids to avoid being hurt by bad humor

　 C. expect parents to realize the importance of kid humor

　 D. explain what humor brings to parents and kids

 Stop wasting time. There is no        repeating that again and again.

A. point   B. value   C. importance   C. benefit

Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance, the music arts are   50   at the bottom of the list. Too often, music is viewed as mere entertainment, but certainly not an education which should be first taken into account. This view is   51  . In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students.

    Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it    52   their thinking and values, as well as the social   53   it came from. Rock music   54   a lifestyle just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical   55  . Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity as a society.

    Music provides a kind of feeling that cannot be   56   any other way.   57   can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts explore the emotional meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and   58   to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.

    The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human being “talk” to each other. They are the   59   of civilization through which we express our fears, our curiosities, our hungers, our discoveries, our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be   60    others. When we do not give children   61   to an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we   62   from them the meanings that music expresses.

    Science and technology do not tell us what it means to be human. The   63   do. Music is an important way we express the meaning and value of peace and love.

    So music education is far more   64   than people seem to realize.

50. A. embarrassedly       B. doubtfully          C. unavoidably              D. unexpectedly

51. A. aggressive          B. shortsighted       C. reasonable             D. instructive

52. A. reflects              B. promotes                  C. dominates           D. changes

53. A. position                       B. benefit                  C. standard                 D. environment

54. A. takes in           B. stands for           C. makes up               D. looks through

55. A. instruments           B. families                C. traditions                D. seasons

56. A. acquired            B. understood         C. abandoned              D. noticed

57. A. Music                   B. Entertainment    C. Mathematics             D. Science

58. A. stick                   B. refer                     C. lead                         D. respond

59. A. means               B. languages           C. features                D. achievements

60. A. compared with      B. imposed on        C. shared with            D. drawn from

61. A. solution                     B. access                   C. entrance                   D. direction

62. A. take away          B. set aside             C. draw up                        D. work out

63. A. musicians              B. teachers                C. courses                     D. arts

64. A. enjoyable         B. wasteful            C. necessary                  D. negative

A motivational strategy that parents can employ with their kids, is to frame tasks and responsibilities in the context of what the end benefit is for them．I call this strategy WIIFM （"What's in it for me?" ）．
When a teen can combine an understanding of WIIFM with a sense of passion about achieving a goal, barriers will start to fall away．At our teen summer camps, we arrange an event near the end of the 10-day session that helps campers identify an important life goal and mentally break through their biggest barrier to achieving the goal． We pass around 12-by-12-inch pine boards．We tell campers that this activity is not about breaking a piece of wood．It's about how you can get what you want in your life．It's about breaking
barriers to grab on to your goals．
They have the power to break through any barrier．It has nothing to do with body size or physical condition．The skinniest, smallest teens will break through the board almost as easily as the big ones．
We talk to the campers about the reasons they might have had for not reaching their goals in the past．Maybe they got lazy and decided it wasn't worth the effort．Maybe they failed and let their fear of failure hold them back．But this exercise is about putting the past where it belongs．Today is about making new choices．
By this point in the program, we ask them to think of the goal they've set or themselves and write their goals on the boards．Then they write the possible obstacles which may hold them back on the opposite sides．An inch of pine now stands between them and their dreams．
The facilitators and their teammates gather around．The support is strong．One by one, they break through the barriers and grab their goals! All around us teens are laughing, crying, hugging, and holding up the broken pieces of their boards．The confidence shown on their faces is beautiful．
While arranging such an activity in one's home is almost unrealistic for parents, the value of helping a teen break through a personal hairier simply by being there as moral support can not be overestimated．More help for parents in the form of videos and articles is available at our website, in our blogs and in a monthly e-newsletter．
【小题1】The 12-by-12-inch pine boards are used as ______．

A．materials to test one's muscles	B．signs of goals in one's life
C．assessments to show one's progress	D．symbols of barriers in one's life

【小题2】We can learn from the passage that through the event the campers ______．

A．become hard-working	B．get moral support
C．gain confidence	D．set right goals

【小题3】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．The Power of WIIFM	B．What's in It for Me
C．The Importance of Goals	D．Motivational Strategies

【小题4】The passage is intended for ______．

A．teens

B．parents

C．campers

D．tutors

A motivational strategy that parents can employ with their kids, is to frame tasks and responsibilities in the context of what the end benefit is for them. I call this strategy WIIFM

(“What’s in it for me?”).

When a teen can combine an understanding of WIIFM with a sense of passion about achieving a goal, barriers will start to fall away. At our teen summer camps, we arrange an event near the end of the 10-day session that helps campers identify an important life goal and mentally break through their biggest barrier to achieving the goal.

We pass around 12-by-12-inch pine boards. We tell campers that this activity is not about breaking a piece of wood. It’s about how you can get what you want in your life. It’s about breaking barriers to grab on to your goals.

They have the power to break through any barrier. It has nothing to do with body size or physical condition. The skinniest, smallest teens will break through the board almost as easily as the big ones.

We talk to the campers about the reasons they might have had for not reaching their goals in the past. Maybe they got lazy and decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe they failed and let their fear of failure hold them back. But this exercise is about putting the past where it belongs. Today is about making new choices.

By this point in the program, we ask them to think of the goal they’ve set for themselves and write their goals on the boards. Then they write the possible obstacles which may hold them back on the opposite sides. An inch of pine now stands between them and their dreams.

The facilitators and their teammates gather around. The support is strong. One by one, they break through the barriers and grab their goals! All around us teens are laughing, crying, hugging, and holding up the broken pieces of their boards. The confidence shown on their faces is beautiful.

While arranging such an activity in one’s home is almost unrealistic for parents, the value of helping a teen break through a personal barrier simply by being there as moral support can not be overestimated. More help for parents in the form of videos and articles is available at our website, in our blogs and in a monthly e-newsletter.

1.The 12-by-12-inch pine boards are used as _________________.

A. materials to test one’s muscles

B. signs of goals in one’s life

C. assessments to show one’s progress

D. symbols of barriers in one’s life

2.We can learn from the passage that through the event the campers _________.

A. become hard-working               B. get moral support 

C. gain confidence                    D. set right goals

3.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. The Power of WIIFM              B. What’s in It for Me

C. The Importance of Goals             D. Motivational Strategies

4.The passage is intended for _____________.

A. teens                      B. parents                      C. campers                    D. Tutors