C

The Entropia Universe

The Entropia Universe is a virtual world on the Internet, which seems very like our real life. It is set in a distant future and based on a planet called Calypso. Entropia was the brainchild of a group of Swedish computer lovers who decided to see if they could create a three dimensional (维度的) virtual world that could be placed on the Internet. They did manage after they received the financial backing they needed.

The game can be played for free, but nearly all in-game activities require personal resources that you have available to use. Although there are various activities to keep you busy on Calypso, what most people do first is to find themselves a profession, such as hunting the fierce animals on Calypso, mining the precious minerals and making tools. Then they can think about buying their virtual house or paying a visit to a virtual nightclub or doing any of the other activities that make life bearable.

Entropia has its very own economy (经济) and its own currency, the PED (Project Entropia Dollars). Players move real world money into PED which they then use to pay for their life on Calypso. However, the virtual things inside Entropia do have a real value in the outside world, and careful business deals mean that players can actually make real money there. PED can be changed into dollars any time at a rate of 10PED to 1US$.

What’s so impressive about The Entropia Universe is the number of players; currently more than 600,000 representing over 220 countries from planet Earth. A number of players insist that it’s a good way to make money. However, the reality of Entropia’s economic system is that most people end up paying more than they earn and it’s not uncommon to find players who are paying up to $200 a month into their PED account. This might not be the most economical way of spending one’s free time. However, some people say that for them the fact that they can escape the realities of the earthbound life and become a different person with a completely different life for a few hours every week is worth the use of money, even if they don’t get any interest rates on it.

63. What can we learn about The Entropia Universe?

A. It costs nothing to join.

B. It focuses on business plans.

C. It is designed for computer lovers.

D. It presents what life is like on other planets.

64. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A. What people do on Calypso.

B. When people buy houses there.

C. How people make life bearable.

D. Why people often find a job first.

65. According to the author, playing on The Entropia Universe ______.

A. may be very annoying B. can be quite expensive

C. is a cheap way to kill time D. is a good way to earn money

66. What can be inferred about The Entropia Universe?

A. It is technical. B. It is satisfying.

C. It is ridiculous. D. It is educational.

D

Being Authoritative (由权威的) Parents

Phrases like “tiger mom” and ‘‘helicopter parent” have made their way into everyday language. Many of us find ourselves drawn to the idea that with just a bit more parental hard work and effort, we might turn out children with bright futures. But is there anything wrong with a kind of “overparenting style”?

Parental involvement has a long history of being studied. Many of the studies, conducted by Diana Baumrind, a famous psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that a good parent is the one who is involved and reacts to her child in a positive way, who sets high expectations but gives her child independence. These “authoritative parents” appear to hit the sweet spot of parental involvement and generally raise children who do better academically, psychologically and socially than children whose parents are not strict and less involved, or controlling and more involved. Why is this parenting style so successful?

Authoritative parents actually help improve motivation in their children. Carol Dweck, a social psychologist at Stanford University, has done research that indicates why authoritative parents raise more motivated children. In a typical experiment, Dr. Dweck takes young children into a room and asks them to solve a simple puzzle. Most do so with little difficulty. But then Dr. Dweck tells some, but not all, of the kids how clever they are. As it turns out, the children who are not told they’re smart are more motivated to solve increasingly difficult puzzles. They also show higher levels of confidence and show greater progress in puzzle-solving.

As the experiment suggests, praising children’s talents and abilities seems to shake their confidence. Dealing with more difficult puzzles carries the risk of losing one’s status as “smart”. Dr. Dweck’s work strongly supports that of Dr. Baumrind, who also found that reasonably supporting a child’s independence and limiting interference (干涉) causes better academic and emotional results.

The central task of growing up is to develop a sense of self that is independent and confident. If you treat your young child who is just learning to walk as if she can’t walk, you reduce her confidence. Allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting. It is easier when they are young. The potential mistakes carry greater risks, and part of being a parent is reducing risk for our children.

67. According to the passage, a “tiger mom” ______.

A. helps her children realize their dreams

B. speaks her children’s everyday language

C. places reasonable expectations on her children

D. pays close attention to her children’s experiences

68. It is implied that controlling style of parenting may _____.

A. face more challenges of children

B. foster independence in children

C. cause more problems in children

D. lead to children’s academic success

69. The example of the children doing the puzzles suggests that ______.

A. a good game plays a big role in training young minds

B. overpraising makes children less motivated and confident

C. puzzle-solving can give children the motivation they need

D. bright children usually show less confidence in difficult games

70. The last paragraph tells us that ______.

A. children should not be given much freedom

B. parents should not increase the risk of challenging

C. parents should allow their children to learn from mistakes

D. children should correct mistakes with the help of their parents