积极参加家务劳动，能让孩子学习更成功！

Kids can boost their brainpower by cooking, gardening and cleaning around the house, according to new research from La Trobe University.

Researchers studied 207 children who are regularly involved in household tasks, like making meals and caring for plants. Researchers found that they are associated with better planning, self-regulation and remembering instructions. Also, researchers said the study’s results suggest household chores could have benefits for children’s executive functioning(执行功能).

Collected from children aged 5 to 13 in mid-2020, the results show 86 percent of kids put their dirty clothes for a wash in a hamper and clean up after playing, but only 59 percent make their own bed. Older children are more likely to do chores than younger ones and girls do more chores than boys. For example, only 49 percent of boys but 70 percent of girls make their own bed.

Loading the dishwasher is a job for 55 per cent of children, including 50 per cent of boys and 61 per cent of girls. Only 34 per cent of five to seven-year-olds do this task, rising to 64 per cent of those aged 11 to 13. “Parents may be able to use age- and ability-appropriate chores to promote the development of executive functions,” said Ms Tepper, the lead researcher of the study. “Children who often cook a family meal or help in the garden may be more likely to excel in other aspects of life—like schoolwork or problem solving. ”

Ms Tepper said making a meal or cooking for others was linked to better working memory and the ability to think before acting. “Typically, these skills begin to develop in early childhood and continue to develop into late adolescence and early adulthood,” Ms Tepper said. “Impairments(缺陷) or delays in executive functioning development can lead to difficulties in the ability to self-regulate, plan and solve problems as adults, which would possibly have bad effects later in life on reading performance and mathematical ability, as well as predicting overall academic achievement in later childhood.”

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1.Which word best describes researchers’ opinion about children involved in housework?

A Unattractive.

B Beneficial.

C Confidential.

D Demanding.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第一段的“Kids can boost their brainpower”以及第二段的“they are associated with better planning”“have benefits for children’s executive functioning”可知，做家务对儿童有好处。故选B。

2.What percentage of surveyed children make their own bed?

A 86%.

B 70%.

C 59%.

D 49%.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第三段的“but only 59 percent make their own bed”可知，只有59%的孩子自己整理床铺。故选C。

3.Which has the closest meaning to the underlined part “excel in”?

A Give up.

B Head to.

C Catch up with.

D Be good at.

解析：选D。D 词义猜测题。前文“Parents may be able to use age- and ability-appropriate chores to promote the development of executive functions”说到让家长帮助孩子促进执行功能的发展，结合划线部分所在句可推断，执行功能发展得好对于孩子在生活的其他方面有好处，比如他们更擅长学习功课以及解决问题。由此推断excel in表示“在……方面擅长，做得好”。故选D。

4.What can we know from the last paragraph?

A Ms Tepper suggests kids make family meals every day.

B Cooking skills couldn’t be developed before adulthood.

C Poor executive function discourages kids’ success at school.

D Age seems to be a factor in which kids load the dishwasher.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据最后一段中Ms Tepper所说的话可知，执行功能发展的障碍或延迟会导致成年后的一系列问题，并最终对阅读和数学以及整体学业成绩产生不良影响，由此可见执行功能差会阻碍孩子在学校学习方面取得成功。故选C。