Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or slid should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to acplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue bees clearer, the conflict often simply bees smaller. Even if it doesn’t, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75% of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92% of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.
【小题1】This article is mainly about .A．the lives of school childrenB．the cause of arguments in schoolsC．how to analyze youth violenceD．how to deal with school conflicts【小题2】From Paragraph 2 we can learn that .A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtimeB．a small conflict can lead to violenceC．students tend to lose their temper easilyD．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight【小题3】Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?A．To make clear what the real issue is.B．To get ready to try new things.C．To find out who is to blame.D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match.【小题4】After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that .A．more teachers felt better about themselves in schoolsB．there was less student cooperation in the classroomC．there was a decrease in classroom violenceD．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved【小题5】The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to .A．plain about problems in school educationB．teach students different strategies for school lifeC．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violenceD．advocate teaching conflict management in schoolsD
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(答案→)D
解析：文章主要讲述了如何来避免在学校学生们冲突升级为暴力，让学生明白，冲突不可避免但是暴力是可以避免的。同时作者提出了避免暴力的方法，呼吁学校应进行这方面的教育。
【小题1】主旨题。根据第一段及最后一段可知，文章主要围绕校园冲突展开，及如何来避免冲突的方法。故选D.
【小题2】细节推断题。从A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult.及所举得例子可以看出，一场暴力打斗往往是由小的冲突引起的。故选B.
【小题3】细节题。从It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to acplish.学生们应该首先问他们自己，弄清楚整个事情，故选A.
【小题4】细节题。从64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom可知，亚特兰大的报告表明学生在教室里发生肢体冲突的几率下降了，故选C.
【小题5】细节推断题。从Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.可知，作者呼吁学校应该教学生们如何来处理冲突，这是学生应该掌握的基本技能。故选D.