Passage 5
While traveling for various speaking engagements，I frequently stay overnight in the home of a family and am invited to one of the children’s bedrooms.In it，I often find so many playthings that there’s almost no room.And the closet is usually so tightly packed with clothes that I can barely squeeze in my jacket.I’m not complaining，only making a point.I think that the tendency to give children an overabundance（过多）of toys and clothes is quite common in American families，and I think that in far too many families not only do children come to take their parents’generosity for granted，but also the effects of this can actually be somewhat harmful to children.
Of course，I’m not only thinking of the material possessions children are given.Children can also be overindulged with too many privileges—for example，when parents send a child to an expensive summer camp that the parents can’t really afford.Why？
One fairly common reason is that parents overindulge their children out of a sense of guilt.Parents who both hold down full-time jobs may feel guilty about the amount of time they spend away from their children and may attempt to compensate by showering them with material possessions.
Overindulgence of a child also happens when parents are unable to stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands.Such parents vacillate between saying no and giving in—but neither response seems satisfactory to them.If they refuse a request，they immediately feel a wave of remorse for having been so strict or ungenerous.If they give in，they feel regret and resentment over having been a pushover.This kind of vacillation not only impairs the parents’ability to set limits，it also sours the parent-child relationship to some degree，robbing parents and their children of some of the happiness and mutual respect that should be present in healthy families.
But overindulging children with material things does little to lessen parental guilt（since parents never feel that they’ve given enough），nor does it make children feel more loved（for what children really crave is parents’time and attention）.Instead，the effects of overindulgence can be harmful.Children may，to some degree，become greedy，self-centered，ungrateful and insensitive to the needs and feelings of others，beginning with their parents.When children are given too much，their respect for their parents would be undermined.
1.The writer uses the example of his staying overnight in a family’s home to____.
A.make a point that the American kids have many toys
B.complain the kids are given too much by their parents
C.illustrate the fact of overindulgence in America and its harmful result
D.prove the difficulty to squeeze in anything due to an overabundance of toys
2.According to the text，overindulgence of the children refers to____.
A.overabundance of toys and clothes
B.generosity of the parents taken for granted
C.expensive gifts that parents cannot afford
D.excessive material possessions and privileges
3.Parents overindulge their children out of a sense of guilt because they____.
A.cannot earn enough money to provide children with material possessions
B.use the material things to make up for the shortage of time with children
C.cannot stand up to their children’s unreasonable demands
D.vacillate between feeling guilty and being too strict
4.Which of the following best defines the word“resentment”（Line 5，Para.4）？
A.Reset. B.Resistance. C.Bitterness. D.Hurt.
5.From the text，we can conclude that overindulging children may____.
A.lessen parental guilt but cannot make children feel more loved
B.make children greedy and not crave for parents’attention and love
C.let parents feel less regretful for not having been so strict or ungenerous
D.result in children’s inconsideration of others，starting from their parents
Words&Expressions
squeeze v. 挤；压榨，挤榨
overabundance n. 过多(https://www.daowen.com)
overindulge v. 溺爱，过度放纵
summer camp 夏令营
out of 由于，出于
compensate v. 偿还，补偿；付报酬
stand up to 勇敢地抵抗
remorse n. 懊悔，自责；同情，怜悯
pushover n. <俚>容易打败的对手
vacillation n. 摇摆游移不定，踌躇，不果断
文章大意
在我应邀到各地演说时，经常在别人家过夜，往往被安排到这家孩子的一间卧室。在他们的卧室里，到处都是玩具，几乎没有空余的地方了。而且衣橱一般也是挂满了衣服，我连一件夹克也塞不进去了。我并不是抱怨，只是表明一个看法。我觉得给孩子过多的玩具和服装是美国家庭普遍的倾向。我还认为，在太多太多的家庭里，这样做的结果不仅让孩子们认为父母对他们的大方理所当然，而且实际上还会对孩子产生一定程度的负面影响。
当然，我并不是只从家长给孩子过多的物质这个角度去考虑。孩子们往往享受过多的特殊待遇，比如家长把孩子送到实际上超越他们的经济能力的、收费过高的夏令营。为什么呢？
一个非常普遍的原因就是父母因感到内疚而过分地溺爱孩子。都要全日上班而且还要努力保住工作的父母，会因为许多时间不在孩子的身边而可能感到内疚。于是他们给孩子买大量东西，作为补偿。
父母顶不住孩子们的无理要求也是娇惯了孩子。这类家长举棋不定，对孩子们的无理要求，不知道是该回绝还是该满足，觉得这两者都不理想。如果他们拒绝了孩子的要求，就马上会因自己的严格和吝啬而感到懊悔。如果他们屈服了，就会因为自己是个易于屈服的人而深感遗憾和愤恨。这种举棋不定的态度使家长下不了决心给孩子们规定界限，同时也在一定程度上影响家长和孩子之间的关系，使他们享受不到健康家庭本身应有的欢乐和相应的尊重。
可是过分满足孩子的物质要求并不能减轻家长的内疚感（因为有的家长认为他们从没有给孩子过多的东西），孩子们也不会因此就感到父母对他们爱得深（因为他们真正渴望的是父母的时间和关注）。相反，娇宠反而有害，孩子们可能会变得贪婪，以自我为中心，忘恩负义，对他人（首先是父母）的需要和感情毫不在乎。对孩子给予太多，会减弱他们对父母的尊敬。
答案、考点及解析
1.【答案】C
【考点】理解论点和论据之间的关系
【解析】本文第一段作者先讲述了他到外地演讲，住在别人家里的情况。孩子的壁橱里装满了玩具和衣服，让他无从塞进自己的夹克。然后作者总结这个例子说明的问题，指出：I’m not complaining，only making a point（我没有抱怨，只是表明一个看法），所以B项“抱怨家长给孩子的太多”是错误的。那么作者要表明的看法是什么呢？他接着写道：美国家庭给孩子过多玩具和衣服的现象很普遍，然后指出这样做的恶果是：孩子把父母的慷慨视作理所当然，这样对孩子不好。所以A项说明的问题与原文不符，D项并没有指出作者举例的真正意图，只有C项符合原文，为正确答案。
2.【答案】D
【考点】局部理解
【解析】本题的难点在于考生如何找到答题的相关信息。文章第二段开头指出：我并不只想到给孩子物质方面的东西，Children can also be overindulged with too many privileges（孩子因各种特殊的待遇而受宠），然后作者举例说明什么是特殊的待遇。由此可以推出，在拿什么来宠孩子的这个问题上，作者指出了两点，一是物质，二是特殊的待遇，所以D项为正确答案。A项只是物质方面的宠爱，缺少特殊待遇；而C项只是特殊待遇，缺少物质方面；B项与题目无关。
3.【答案】B
【考点】因果类细节理解
【解析】根据题干中的关键词overindulge their children out of a sense of guilt可以在第三段第二句话中找到相应的答案。这是一个长句，主语是Parents，后接了一个定语从句，谓语是并列的两个动词短语，一个是may feel guilty about，一个是may attempt to compensate，整句话的意思是：因为全职的工作，家长们因为不能多陪伴孩子而感到内疚，就试图用物质的东西来补偿。B项与这句话的内容相符，为正确答案。A项错在原文并没有提到家长不能赚钱这点；C项讲述了家长宠孩子的另一个原因，与题干内容是并列的，而不能解释题干内容；D项也与题干所问的内容不符。
4.【答案】C
【考点】根据上下文猜测词义
【解析】考生可采取结构法和代入法答题。首先根据结构法，由regret and resentment可知resentment是regret的近义词，由此可以排除A项reset（重新安排）和B项resistance（抵制，抵抗）两项。再代入C、D两项进行比较，对于自己是个易于屈服的人，家长们感受到的是痛苦，而不是受伤害，所以C项为正确答案。
5.【答案】D
【考点】多项题
【解析】本题考查了最后一段有关娇纵孩子的恶果的诸多细节，考生可采用排除法答题。根据A项中的关键词lessen parental guilt，可以在第五段第一句话中找到相应信息。原文指出：does little to lessen parental guilt，little表示否定，也就是不能减轻家长的负疚感，所以A项与文章内容不符。B项错误，因为第五段第一句话的小括号中指出：孩子们真正渴望的是父母的时间和关注，而B项与此论述正好相反。C项的错误和A项一样。D项符合原文倒数第二句的论述：被娇宠的孩子们insensitive to the needs and feelings of others，beginning with their parents（对他人，首先是父母的需要和感情毫不在乎），为正确答案。