I am a psychologist. I first met Timothy, a quiet, overweight eleven-year-old boy, when his mother brought him to me to discuss his declining grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his self-esteem(自尊) and general happiness were falling right along with them. I asked about Timothy’s typical day. He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could reach his school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or a lesson with his math tutor. He finished dinner at 7 pm, and then he sat down to do homework for two to three hours. Quickly doing the math in my head, I found that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day at a writing desk.
What if Timothy spent thirteen hours a day at a sewing machine instead of a desk? We would immediately be shocked, because that would be called children being horribly mistreated. Timothy was far from being mistreated, but the mountain of homework he faced daily resulted in a similar consequence —he was being robbed of his childhood. In fact, Timothy had no time to do anything he truly enjoyed, such as playing video games, watching movies, or playing board games with his friends.
Play, however, is a crucial part of healthy child development. It affects children’s creativity, their social skills, and even their brain development. The absence of play, physical exercise, and freefrom social interaction takes a serious toll on many children. It can also cause significant health problems like childhood obesity, sleep problems and depression.
Experts in the field remend the minutes children spend on their homework should be no more than ten times the number of their grade level. As a fifthgrader, Timothy should have no more than fifty minutes a day of homework (instead of three times that amount). Having an extra two hours an evening to play, relax, or see a friend would soundly benefit any child’s life quality.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph probably refer to?A．Timothy’s parents.B．Timothy’s grades.C．Psychologists.D．The students.【小题2】What did the writer think of Timothy after learning about his typical day?A．Timothy was very hardworking.B．Timothy was being mistreated.C．Timothy had a heavy burden.D．Timothy was enjoying his childhood.【小题3】Which of the following statements best describes the writer’s opinion?A．Children should be allowed enough time to play.B．Playing board games works better than playing video games.C．The more they play, the more creative children will bee.D．The depression caused by homework makes children unwilling to play.【小题4】According to the passage, how long should a thirdgrader spend a day doing homework?A．About ten minutes.B．No more than twenty minutes.C．No more than thirty minutes.D．About fifty minutes.B
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(答案→)B
解析：文章关注的是孩子沉重的作业负担，除了大量的作业，还有各种补习班。学习占用了孩子大量的时间，以至于玩耍的时间太少，这不利于孩子的身心发展。
【小题1】根据“to discuss his declining grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his self-esteem(自尊) and general happiness were falling right along with them.”可知，和Timothy聊了几分钟，作者就了解到了Timothy的自尊和开心随着成绩一起下降。故选B。
【小题2】根据第一段“He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could reach his school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or a lesson with his math tutor. He finished dinner at 7 pm, and then he sat down to do homework for two to three hours. Quickly doing the math in my head, I found that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day at a writing desk.”可知，Timothy4:30放学后，吃点快餐，就去上钢琴课或数学课，从7:00开始做作业做三到四个小时。Timothy每天平均花13小时在学习上。学习负担重。故选C。
【小题3】根据倒数第二段“Play, however, is a crucial part of healthy child development. It affects children’s creativity, their social skills, and even their brain development...”可知，玩耍在童年扮演者重要的角色，缺少玩耍的时间不利于儿童的身心发展。故选A。
【小题4】根据最后一段“the minutes children spend on their homework should be no more than ten times the number of their grade level”可知，做作业的分钟数不应超过所在年级数的十倍，三年级的学生，做作业的时间在30分钟以内。故选C。