Research shows that childhood friendships are
important indicators of future success and social adjustment. Children's
relationships with peers (同齡人) strongly influence
their success in school, and children with fewer friends are more likely
dropping out of school, becoming sad and other problems.
Making and Keeping Friends Is More Than Child's Play
When 6-year-old Rachel returned to school on a recent
Monday morning, her eyes immediately scanned the playground for her friend
Abbie. Though they were only separated by a weekend, the girls "ran right
into each other's arms and hugged," recalls Rachel's mother Kathryn Willis
of Gilbert. "It was like a scene from a movie."
Most parents instinctively (本能地) know that having friends is good for their child.
Experts agree that friendship is not simply child's play, but a powerful
predictor of social adjustment throughout life.
A Skill for Life
"Childhood friendships serve as a very important
training ground for adulthood," says Dr. Robbie Adler-Tapia, psychologist
with the Center for Children's Health & Life Development.
Researcher William Hartup states, "Peer relations
contribute significantly to both social and cognitive (認(rèn)知的) development." Hartup concludes that the single
best childhood predictor of adult social adaptation is not school grades or
classroom behavior, but rather, how well a child gets along with other
children.
The work of Arizona State University proves that just
as being able to make and keep friends is beneficial to kids, so is the lack of
friends detrimental.
Good Friendships Don't Just Happen
Experts agree that it is basic for children to develop
high-quality friendships. But, researchers warn, these friendships don't
necessarily just happen. Often, a good friendship begins with involved (卷入,牽連)parents.
Valley psychologist Dr. Lynne Kenney Markan believes
kids should be taught social skills in much the same way they are taught math
and reading.
Bad Company
Many parents worry about the quality as well as the
quantity of their child's friendships. "When she was in 1st grade, her
supposed 'best friend' began calling her names and threatening to hurt
her," says Mindy Miller. "My daughter wasn't allowed to talk to or
even look at other girls in her class. It really crushed (壓跨) her spirit. I told my daughter she didn't need a
'friend' like that."
"I'll bend over backwards to help my son get
together with a friend I think is good for him," Adler-Tapia says. "I
don't look at it as manipulation (操縱), just
positive parental involvement. "
1.The example of Rachel and Abbie is used to show that
________.
A.childhood
friendship is of great benefit to their growth
B.a(chǎn) positive
friendship helps children solve emotional and physical problems
C.it is a
proven(被證明的) fact that peer friendship is the most
rewarding experience throughout life
D.Rachel missed
her friend Abbie very much because of their separation of one weekend
2.The underlined word "detrimental" could be
replaced by _______.
A.valuable B.disappointing
C.a(chǎn)ccurate D.harmful
3.We can learn from the passage that high-quality
friendship most probably results from ______.
A.social skills
and good study habits
B.school grades
and classroom behaviors
C.a(chǎn)cademic
success and social adaptation
D.positive
parental involvement and social skills
4.From the last paragraph we can conclude that Dr.
Robbie Adler-Tapia agrees that ______.
A.parents
should regard making friends as something that just happens
B.it's wise for
parents to support and encourage healthy peer relationships
C.parents only
need to help their children to deal with difficult social situations
D.parents are
supposed to encourage their children to make as many friends as they can