C
Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions, manage their environment, and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson, a Year One student, “operates under the theory of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine,” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers. Later, I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”
“Examine the extended family, and you’ll probably find a bossy grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin in every generation. It’s an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance when they sense their parents are weak, hesitant, or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it’s inborn nature or developed character at work, too much control in the hands at the young isn’t healthy for children or the family. “Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior,” says family psychologist John Taylor. Children, he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation, “have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe”. It’s the parents’ role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches, for example, or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious.”
28. Bossy children like Stephen Jackson _______.
A. make good decisions B. show self-centeredness
C. are very considerate D. always think about other persons
29. The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means .
A. inborn nature B. developed character
C. accepted theory D. particular environment
30. The study on bossy behavior implies that parents ____________ .
A. should give more power to their children
B. should be strict with their children
C. should bend before their children
D. should not set limits for their children
31. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How bossy behavior can be controlled.
B. How we can get along with bossy children.
C. What leads to children’s bossy behavior.
D. What effect bossy behavior brings about.
D
A research team from Finland, the United States, China and Scotland is hopeful about the future of forests. Six experts in forestry science and economics say forest growth is on the increase in some countries and the number is rising. Professor Kauppi says the findings suggest the world may be able to reach a turning point away from deforestation (毁林). Many experts have considered that impossible. But the researchers say it may be possible to expand the world’s forests by ten percent, or an area about the size of India, by 2050.
They used information released last year by the Food and Agriculture Organization. The new study looked at the fifty nations with the most forests. The researchers used a new way to measure forest resources. They considered more than just the amount of land covered by trees. They also considered forest density, tree sizes, biomass (生物量) and the amount of atmospheric carbon captured in forests. The biomass represents all plants and tree growth.
The researchers say growing stock increased in twenty-two of the fifty countries. And, in about half of the fifty countries, biomass and carbon storage also increased. The researchers say forest areas and biomass are still being lost in such important countries as Brazil and Indonesia. But they found gains in others, including the world’s most populous nations. They say China and the United States have had the greatest gains. And they say India has reached the right balance between forested and non-forested land.
In percentage terms, though, the study says that forest areas have expanded fastest in the last fifteen years in Vietnam, Spain and China. And they have shrunk fastest in Nigeria and the Philippines. Professor Kauppi says the main obstacle to forest growth is fast-growing poor populations that burn wood for cooking fuel, or sell it for quick money or clear forest for crops. But a number of scientists criticized the use of information that came from governments. They said some governments didn’t keep good records about their forests, and might not tell the truth.
32. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The research team is made up of experts from four countries.
B. By 2050, India’s forest will have expanded by 10%.
C. Professor Kauppi says it is possible to stop deforestation on the Earth.
D.The Food and Agriculture Organization has provided some useful information for the research.
33. Which of the following statements did the researchers consider when measuring forest resources?
A. The amount of land covered by trees.
B. Forest density, tree sizes and biomass.
C. The amount of atmospheric carbon captured in forests.
D. All of the above.
34. From the third paragraph, we learn that ________.
A. in about 50% of the fifty countries, biomass and carbon storage increased
B. forest areas and biomass are still being lost in China
C. Brazil is one of the world’s most populous nations
D. Indonesia has reached the right balance between forested and non-forested land
35. What delays forest growth?
A. Some people in developing countries burn or sell wood from forests.
B. There are too many people in the world.
C. Forests are being lost in 22 countries.
D. Some governments don’t tell the truth.
