Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you are required to read one quoted blog and the commentson it. The blog and comments are followed by questions or unfinishedstatements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose thebest answer and mark your answer onthe Answer Sheet

　　One of the central principles of raising kids in America is that parents should be actively involved in their children's education: meeting with teachers, volunteering atschoolhelping with homework, and doing a hundred other things that few workingparents have time for. These obligations are so baked into American values that fewparents stop to ask whether they’re worth the effort.

　　Until this January, few researchers did, either. In the largest-ever study of howparental involvement affects academic achievement, Keith Robinson and Angel L.Harris, two sociology professors at Duke, found that mostly it doesn’t. The researcherscombed through nearly three decades' worth of surveys of American parents and tracked63 different measures of parental participation in kids' academic lives, from helpingthem with homework, to talking with them about college plans. In an attempt to show whether the kids of more-involved parents improved over time, the researchers indexedthese measures to children's academic performance, including test scores in reading and math.

　　What they found surprised them. Most measurable forms of parental involvement seem to yield few academic dividends for kids, or even to backfire(適得其反) -regardless of a parent's race, class, or level of education.

　　Do you review your daughter's homework every night? Robinson and Harris's data show that this won’t help her score higher on standardized tests. Once kids enter middle school, parental help with homework can actually bring test scores down, an effect Robinson says could be caused by the fact that many parents may have forgotten, or never truly understood, the material their children learn in school.

　　While Robinson and Harris largely disproved that assumption, they did find ahandful of habits that make a difference, such as reading aloud to young kids (fewerthan half of whom are read to daily) and talking with teenagers about college plans. Butthese interventions don't take place at school or in the presence of teachers, wherepolicymakers have the most influence - they take place at home.

　　Comment 1:

　　Basically the choice is whether one wants to let kids to be kids. Persistent parentalinvolvement and constantly communicating to the kids on what the parents wantconsciously or unconsciously would help the kids grow up or think like the parentssooner than otherwise.

　　Comment 2:

　　It also depends on the kid. Emotional and social maturityhave a lot to do withsuccess in college and in life. Some kids may have the brains and are bored by highschool, but that doesn't mean they are ready for college or the work place.

　　Comment 3:

　　The article doesn't clearly define "helping," but I understood it as actually assistingchildren in the exercises (e.g. helping them to solve a math problem) and/or reviewingtheir work for accuracy rather than simply making sure they've completed their work. Ithink the latter is more helpful than the former. I would also certainly hope that no studywould discourage parents from monitoring their children's performance!

　　41. The word "they" (Para. l) refers to .

　　A. studies

　　B. principles

　　C. values

　　D. obligations

　　42. What is the main conclusion of the Robinson and Harris’s study?

　　A. The kids of more-involved parents improve over time.

　　B. Parental involvement may not necessarily benefit children.

　　C. Parental involvement works better with low-achievers.

　　D. Schools should communicate with parents regularly.

　　43. Comment1 suggests that

　　A. parents should leave their children alone

　　B. kids should be kids after all

　　C. parents may influence children's thinking

　　D. persistent parental involvement is a must

　　44. The writer of Comment 2 would probably agree that

　　A. high intelligence does not guarantee success

　　B. getting ready for college is an emotional process

　　C. social maturity is sufficient to achieve success in life

　　D. high school is often boring in the U.S.

　　45. Which of the following parental helps will the writer of Comment 3 consider proper?

　　A. Reviewing kids' homework for accuracy.

　　B. Monitoring kids' class performance.

　　C. Assisting kids in their exercises.

　　D. Making sure kids have finished their work