Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.

       Depression（抑郁癥）may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.

       Once a child has an episode of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing another episode in the next 5 years.

       Suicide（自殺）is the 6th leading cause of death for 5―to―15-year-olds.

       If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms（癥狀）for at least 2 weeks, he or she may be experiencing depression or another mental illness.

       Feeling―Does your child demonstrate:

       ①Sadness                 ②Emptiness              ③Hopelessness         ④Guilt

       ⑤Worthlessness        ⑥Lack of enjoyment in everyday pleasures

       Thinking―Is your child having trouble:

       ①Concentrating        ②Making decisions    ③Completing schoolwork

       ④Maintaining grades  ⑤Maintaining friendships

       Physical problems―Does your child complain of：

       ①Headaches             ②Stomachaches        ③Lack of energy

       ④Sleeeping problems（too much or too little）

       ⑤Weight or appetite changes（gain or loss）

       Behavior problems―Is your child：

       ①I(mǎi)rritable                 ②Not wanting to go to school

       ③Wanting to be alone most of the time

       ④Having difficulty getting along with others

       ⑤Cutting classes or skipping school

       ⑥D(zhuǎn)ropping out of sports, hobbies or other activities

       Drinking alcohol or using drugs.

       Suicide risk―Does your child talk or think about:

       ①Suicide                 ②Death                    ③Other morbid（生病的）subjects

       Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. If you think your child may be depressed, it’s important to have your child treated. Discuss your child’s problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children’s psychologist（心理醫(yī)生）or psychiatrist（精神病醫(yī)生）.

       Treatment may include individual and family therapy（治療）， along with an antidepressant medication.

64．This article is particularly written for         .

       A．parents                B．teachers              C．children               D．psychologists 

65．Which statement describes a child who may have physical problems.

       A．The child is always in high mood.

       B．The child always feels tired but sleeps only four hours a day.

       C．The child hates to study.

       D．The child can not concentrate on one thing for a long period.

66．When your child always talks about death or other morbid subjects, he or she         .

       A．may has trouble in thinking                   B．may have suicide risk.

       C．may have behavior problems                 D．may have physical problems

67．What should we do when we find our kids experiencing depression?

       A．Ask for leave to accompany them at home.

       B．Ask them to take antidepressant immediately.

       C．Go to see the doctor

       D．Ask them to have a good rest.

Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily． Consider these facts．

Depression may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children．

Once a child has an episode(一段經(jīng)歷) of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing another episode in the next 5 years．

Suicide is the 6th leading cause of death for 5-to-15-year-olds．

If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms for at least 2 weeks, he or she may be experiencing depression or another mental illness．

Feeling－Does your child demonstrate:

①Sadness                ②Emptiness              ③Hopelessness         ④Guilt

⑤Worthlessness        ⑥Lack of enjoyment in everyday pleasures

Thinking－Is your child having trouble:

①concentrating         ②Making decisions    ③Completing schoolwork

④Maintaining grades  ⑤Maintaining friendships

Physical problems－Does your child complain of:

①Headaches             ②Stomachaches        ③Lack of energy

④Sleeping problems (too much or too little) ⑤Weight or appetite changes (gain or loss)

Behavior problems－Is your child:

①I(mǎi)rritable                 ②Not wanting to go to school

③Wanting to be alone most of the time        ④Having difficulty getting along with others

⑤Cutting classes or skipping school          

⑥D(zhuǎn)ropping out of sports, hobbies or other activities

⑦Drinking alcohol or using drugs

Suicide risk－Does your child talk or think about:

①Suicide                  ②Death                    ③Other morbid(生病的) subjects

Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry． If you think your child may be depressed, it’s important to have your child treated． Discuss your child’s problems with his or her doctor． The doctor may suggest a referral to a children’s psychologist or psychiatrist(精神病醫(yī)生)。

Treatment may include individual and family therapy(治療), along with an antidepressant medication(藥物)．

1．This article is particularly written for ________．

       A．parents                B．teachers              C．children               D．psychologists

2．Which statement describes a child who may have physical problems?

       A．The child is always in high mood．

       B．The child always feels tired but sleeps only four hours a day．

       C．The child hates to study．

       D．The child can not concentrate on one thing for a long period．

3．When your child always talks about death or other morbid subjects, he or she _________．

       A．may has trouble in thinking                   B．may have suicide risk

       C．may have behavior problems                 D．may have physical problems

4．What should we do when we find our kids experiencing depression?

       A．Ask for leave to accompany them at home．

       B．Ask them to take antidepressant immediately．

       C．Go to see the doctor．

       D．Ask them to have a good rest．

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is the formal (正規(guī)的) teaching and care of young children. It primarily focuses on learning through playing to encourage the child’s different kinds of development. 　 71　

Studies with Head Start programs throughout the United States have shown some evidence that there are quite a few advantages to early childhood education, which can produce significant gains in children’s learning and development. Compared to a child who does not attend pre-school, children completing their early education programs are found to be better at math and reading skills. They are excited to learn and have the tools to do so. 　 72　 These children are more competent in their pre-school, kindergarten and school-age years, and they are usually reported as “friendlier” by parents and the children’s peers (同伴).

　 73　 In studies with matched control groups, more students who had early schooling experiences were employed at the age of 19, fewer were on welfare, and fewer were involved with the criminal activity. What’s more, some studies show that children attending pre-school are more likely to graduate and have higher education, and be well integrated (綜合) as an adult.

　 Early childhood education gives most children a jump-start on education for their kindergarten and primary school years. It is clear that early childhood education can have some great benefits for children. 　 74　 If early childhood education is less effective, perhaps the best model is finding strategies for allowing a parent to stay home with his or her child for at least the first two to three years. Also important is considering a child’s own personality. 　 75　

A. The long-term influence of early education is significant as well.

B. They can benefit greatly from encouragement in their early childhood.

C. Yet its quality must be assessed to see what kind of benefits it actually provides.

D. They are also able to relate to others in a superior way and that improves their social skills.

E. Many experts of education have concerned about what early childhood education means today.

F. Individual differences in children mean that not all children will get equal benefits from early childhood education.

G. It consists of activities that serve children in the pre-school years and is designed to improve later school performance.

　   Leo married my mother when I was 1l, two years later we moved into a house in a new suburban development. At first our lawn (草坪) was just a mud pile with a few untidy clumps of grass, but Leo saw bright possibilities. "Your mother wants flowers; she can plant them here, where there's lots of sun," he said, "We'll plant trees over there, to give us shade. And in the backyard, I'd like a barbecue.” Then he smiled. "After so many years of apartment living, now we can have cookouts (野餐)!”

    Weekday mornings when the weather was bad, Leo often drove me to school. Having a father drop you off may have been taken for granted, but I always thought it was wonderful. During dinner, Leo would tell my brother and me stories about his job and we'd talk about our friendship and school-work.. "If you need any help, just ask me," he would say. "But I doubt that you need it. You two are so clever."

   Some people might think that doing errands (差事) and eating meals together are nothing special, but , I , who had spent my childhood watching other families do these everyday activities before, enjoyed them now with great delight. Looking back, I realize that Leo gave me what I needed most--the experience of doing ordinary things together as a family.

   One day, we learned that my "real" father -- who hadn't seen or supported my brother or me for more than five years --- wanted to see us again, on a regular basis. We remembered too well the early years we had spent with him. He had been angry and cruel, violent and unloving. Since my brother was then 17 years old, he didn't have to follow family-court rules. But because I was still a "minor", I had to meet with the judge.

    When Leo, my mother, and I entered the courtroom, my "real" father was already present. I avoided his look and told the judge I was one of a new family now, and that Leo taught me how to make things, that he always listened to me and never raised his voice. I said I didn't want to see my "real" father any more because he had never shown any love for me or even much attention.

  The judge looked at Leo. "How are things going?" he asked.

  "They couldn't be better," Leo answered. "I'm a lucky man to have such a family."

   Aren’t the best parents also good friends to their children, accepting them without reservation and telling them they can be counted on? Step families aren't bound by traditional ties, so the love and friendship they develop is extremely precious. Was Leo "perfect''? He'd deny it if I said so. And that's one reason why he was so "perfect" to me.     

   Soon after we moved to the suburb, one of our new neighbors introduced herself to me. She had already met my mother and Leo. "You know," she remarked, "you look just like your father."

     I knew she was just making conversation---- but even so...

     "Thank you," I said.

     Why tell her anything different?

67. What is the best title for the story?

A. My childhood               B. My “Real father”, My Enemy

C. My Stepfather, My Friend      D. Precious Friendship

68. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Leo had lived in a large house alone in the country before he married my mother.

B. Thanks to Leo, our lawn took on a new look.

C. Before Leo came. I was always picked up by my "real" father when the weather was bad.

D. Leo wouldn’t like to help my brother and me because we were very clever.

69. What was very important to step families according to the writer?

A. Love and friendship                B. Care and respect

C. Wealth and understanding           D. Politeness and kindness

70. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. My "real" father’s request was refused and he was out of my life.

B. My mother and "real" father didn’t separate until my brother was 17.

C. Leo was no one special in my life.

D. Leo and I were so alike that my neighbors couldn’t tell us apart.

One often hears that children should arrive at school “ready to learn.” For most children, the acquisition of reading and math skills starts in the first grade. In states where kindergarten is compulsory, it begins even earlier.
Many parents, teachers, and politicians maintain that preschool is the best way to prepare children to learn. There is no real consensus, however, about how this preparation should be achieved.
For some, early childhood education relates to the development of the whole child. They think that preschool should encourage exploration and discovery. Group activities teach positive social behaviors such as sharing, kindness, and patience. Time spent alone encourages independence. Learning letters and counting is important only for children who show an interest in them. Advocates of this approach stress that each child is unique and should learn at his or her own pace.
Other people refer to research showing that children are ready to absorb basic academic concepts by age 3 or 4. They claim that early introduction to letters and numbers lays the foundation for later academic excellence. Since the 1980s, many people have stressed the value of preschool and point to the success of programs -such as Head Start - that target low-income children.
Is there proof that an academic curriculum in preschool will lead to academic success? Studies have not been conclusive. In the short term, evidence suggests that middle-class children who attend preschool are ahead of their peers in maths and language skills as well as in social skills, when they enter school. However, the same studies show that the gap narrows considerably by the time children reach age 8.
Children living in poverty are a different matter. Those enrolled in programs such as Head Start seem to do better than impoverished children who do not attend a preschool. For instance, youngsters in one group enrolled in the program, tracked until the age of 21, earned higher scores on intelligence tests, were more likely to graduate from high school, and demonstrated more interest in higher education.
The idea of public preschool raises many issues. Providing Head Start for all children would be a financial burden on communities that already struggle to fund current school programs. Also, where would a sufficient number of teachers trained in early childhood development be found?
【小題1】
Advocates of the development of the whole child believe school readiness is______ .