As children face their final month of revision before the exam season starts, many parents are looking for the words to motivate their offspring．But could they be mistakenly praising the value of ability over effort, asks Matthew Syed．

    Take a glance at these expressions of encouragement:

    "You learned that so quickly, you're so smart!"

    "Look at that drawing．Are you -the next Picasso or what?"

They appear as the kind of confidence-boosting statements that should be given to children or, indeed, anyone else．Such phrases are used in homes and classrooms every day, particularly with exams approaching．

Intelligence-based praise leads the receiver towards the fixed thought —it suggests to them that intelligence is of primary importance rather than the effort through which intelligence can be transformed．

Let's take a quick second look into the science of expertise, and ask a question．Where does excellence come from? For a long time, it was thought the answer to this depended, to a large degree, on genetic inheritance．Or, to put it another way, it is all about talent．

It turns out that this is mistaken．Dozens of studies have found that top performers—whether in maths, mi sic or whatever—learn no faster than those who reach lower levels of achievement—hour after hour, they improve at almost the same rates．

The difference is simply that high achievers practice for more hours．Further research has shown that when students seem to possess a particular gift, it is often because they have been given extra tuition at home by their parents．

This is not to deny that some kids start out better than others—it is merely to suggest that the starting point we have in life is not particularly relevant．

Why? Because, over time, with the right, kind of practice, we change so dramatically．It is not just the body that changes, but the brain．The question of talent versus effort would not matter terribly much if it  as merely theoretical．But it is so much more than that．It influences the way we think, feel, and the way we engage with our world．

1.What is the best title of this passage?

    A．The Words That Could Encourage Your Child

    B．Intelligence Says All

    C．High and Low Achievers

    D．Start Early, Learn More

2.Which statement is intelligence-based praise?

    A．"You're so brilliant - you passed that exam without really studying!"

    B．"With more efforts, you can achieve more!"

    C．" You combine study with entertainment so well!"

    D．"You study so hard even when you are so good at it!"

3.The writer thinks the answer to the question of talent versus effort is _____．

    A．simple           B．complicated      C．obvious          D．mysterious

4.Why do some people have higher achievements?

    A．Because they are born with great talent.

    B．Because they start better than others.

    C．Because they spend more of their spare time practicing what they have learnt.

    D．Because they improve themselves at almost the same rates.

As children face their final month of revision before the exam season starts, many parents are looking for the words to motivate their offspring．But could they be mistakenly praising the value of ability over effort, asks Matthew Syed．
Take a glance at these expressions of encouragement:
"You learned that so quickly, you're so smart!"
"Look at that drawing．Are you -the next Picasso or what?"
They appear as the kind of confidence-boosting statements that should be given to children or, indeed, anyone else．Such phrases are used in homes and classrooms every day, particularly with exams approaching．
Intelligence-based praise leads the receiver towards the fixed thought —it suggests to them that intelligence is of primary importance rather than the effort through which intelligence can be transformed．
Let's take a quick second look into the science of expertise, and ask a question．Where does excellence come from? For a long time, it was thought the answer to this depended, to a large degree, on genetic inheritance．Or, to put it another way, it is all about talent．
It turns out that this is mistaken．Dozens of studies have found that top performers—whether in maths, mi sic or whatever—learn no faster than those who reach lower levels of achievement—hour after hour, they improve at almost the same rates．
The difference is simply that high achievers practice for more hours．Further research has shown that when students seem to possess a particular gift, it is often because they have been given extra tuition at home by their parents．
This is not to deny that some kids start out better than others—it is merely to suggest that the starting point we have in life is not particularly relevant．
Why? Because, over time, with the right, kind of practice, we change so dramatically．It is not just the body that changes, but the brain．The question of talent versus effort would not matter terribly much if it  as merely theoretical．But it is so much more than that．It influences the way we think, feel, and the way we engage with our world．
【小题1】What is the best title of this passage?

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
【小题1】What do we learn from the first paragraph?

（共5小题；每小题3分，满分15分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Four Habits to Help You Succeed
We all want to succeed, whether it’s in losing weight or learning the guitar. For those who have tried and failed, success seems difficult to understand. Why does one person succeed where another person fails?   1 
Identify your core values
Finding your core values is in line with creating inner motivation.   2  Pick a handful of things and actually write them down. Remind yourself of your values every day, and reflect on whether you are honoring those values through your work.
Pick a goal and focus on it
Choose one goal to start something large enough that will give you a sense of accomplishment, while adjusting well to your core values. Focus is key here.  3  If you perform many tasks at a time, you might never complete your projects because they will take far too long.
Set a deadline for success
Set a date for success. Identify when you hope to achieve your goal.   4  By setting a time limit, you are making the process more real.
  5
Failure can’t be avoided when you take risks, by its very definition, the desire to succeed means you are risking failure. Many people tend to give up far too early. Don’t fall into this trap! Remember your mindset earlier. Know it will happen. A failure is merely you working out the details, and learning what works and what doesn’t. Use failure. Treat it as a good thing, and march on!