After muting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions remended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who missioned the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”
【小题1】The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .A．discussB． municateC． understandD． bine【小题2】According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents .A．can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every dayB．spend their daytime muting, cooking dinner and doing household choresC．worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enoughD．fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week【小题3】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?A．I will be glad to listen.B．I will be very interested.C．I will listen carefully.D．I will call your teacher at school.【小题4】Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?A．Where are you off to with your friends this weekend?B．Who played the best in your football match today?C．What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it?D．What are the names of the toys you played with today?【小题5】What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?A．It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children.B．It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids.C．It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills.D．It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores.B
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(答案→)B
解析：本文讲述的是很多工作的父母亲担心自己不能和孩子有很好的交流沟通，作者在本文中提出了几个好的建议。
【小题1】B 推理题。根据本句However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions.可知专家认为只需要12分钟，父母亲就可以和孩子进行有效的交流，只要父母亲的问题是正确合理的问题。故该词是指B项交流。
【小题2】D 细节题。根据文章第一段最后一句One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.可知有一半的工作的父母亲担心专家做得不够好，因为他们没有足够的时间和孩子交流。故D正确。
【小题3】C 推理题。根据本句“I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”句义：我已经讲了一个很好的故事，现在轮到你了。告诉我你们学校的事情，我洗耳恭听。既然是让孩子说学校里的事情，那么该词组表示的是要认真听。故C正确。
【小题4】D 推理题。根据下句Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”可知这个问题是给那些年龄较大的孩子的问题。说明之前的问题是给那些年龄较小的孩子。其中What are the names of the toys you played with today?你玩的玩具叫什么？这个问题的对象应该是年龄较小的孩子。故D正确。
【小题5】B 主旨大意题。根据文章最后一句parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”可知父母亲不要过于担心因为工作而不能陪伴孩子，只要我们运用正确的方法就可以了。也就是说工作的父母亲没有太多的时间和孩子交流是很正常的事情。故B正确。