When your child is supposed to be doing homework, are they chatting with their friends on Facebook or playing games? Many studies have shown that multitasking doesn’t   (1)  ,   (2)   your child is probably proudly claiming they can do ten things   (3)  ! Many people believe that they can   (4)   two or more tasks at the same time, but Dr. Edward Hallowell says this is   (5)  . The reality is that multitasking   (6)   poor job performance.

    New hand-held   (7)   such as smartphones, iPads, games and social networking sites make it very easy to multitask and “attention   (8)  ” leading to difficulty focusing on the task   (9)  , such as listening in the classroom or doing homework. “  (10)  , the brain actually   (11)   kids for multitasking even if performance on every task gets worse and worse. Kids don’t know they’re doing   (12)   because they feel better when they multitask,” says Dr. Edward Hallowell.

      (13)   the appearance of hand-held devices and social networking sites, teachers have noticed a difference in   (14)   performance, critical thinking skills and how information is   (15)  . “Multitasking prevents people from gaining a deep understanding of the information they are trying to learn,” says Dr. Edward Hallowell. Kids have a difficult time sticking with a “difficult to understand” topic and   (16)   to allow themselves to be distracted（分散的）, to tune out and switch   (17)   to Facebook or using their cell phones   (18)   working harder at understanding a difficult subject or problem. In the long   (19)  , multitasking affects grades, One study showed that kids that use the Internet while in class did   (20)   on tests resulting in lower grades.

One important event during the pre-Christmas rush at our house was the arrival of mydaughter’s kindergarten report card. She got high __(1)__ for her reading, vocabulary and overall enthusiasm. On the other hand,we learnt that she has work to do on her numbers and computer skills, __   (1)   __ her report is absent of any words that might be interpreted(解读) as __   (2)   __．A number system __(4)__ how she’s measuring up in each area without any mention of passing or failing, all of which seems to make my daughter’s school neither fish nor fowl（不伦不类）.
    The benefits are often __   (3)   _when it comes to giving formal __   (4)   _ to kids. At one level, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious. A grade system provides a straightforward standard by which to measure how your child is __   (5)   __ at school and how they are __   (6)   __ compared to other children. __   (7)   __ as writer Sue Ferguson notes, "Grades can deceive.（欺骗）" The __   (8)   _ should be "to measure learning, not simply what a student can remember on a test."
　　If you’re old enough, you’ve lived through this debate before. At one time, it was considered unfair to put children in _   (9)   _competition with one another if it could be avoided. The _   (10)   _ behind that may have been good, but it _   (11)   _ the fact that competition, and the willto come out on top, are   (12)  parts of the human condition．
　　This time around, educators working with a no-grades __   (13)   _ are emphasizing(强调) different reasons. The thing is that the method is much more common in the adult workplace than in the traditional pass-fail system we place on our children. Many workplaces __   (14)   __ regular employee evaluations. There are usually fairly strict _   (15)   _ to what an employer can tell an employee in those evaluations. And even then, negative evaluations can be __   (16)   _ by the employee. No matter where you stand in the debate _   (17)  the grade system, then, the real question is this: if it’s so good for kids, why isnˈt that also _   (18)   _ for adults?

Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words. Time  __  (1)  _   in many ways.

Consider the different parts of the day, for example. The time of the day when something is done can give a   __  (2)  __ _  meaning to the event. It is not a  _   (3)  ___  to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day,  _  (4)  ___   he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that something is urgent and __  (5)  __   immediate attention.

The same meaning is   _  (6)  _____  telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think it is a  __  (7)  _____ of life or death. The time chosen for the call  ___  (8)  __   its importance.

In social life, time plays a very   ___  (9)  __ _  part. In the United States, guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the ___  (10)  ___  to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is not   _  (11)  _____  in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far   (12)  ____  because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be   __  (13)  ___ .

The meaning of time  __  (14)  ___  from place to place in the world. _  (15)  ______, misunderstandings often arise between people from different cultures that __  (16)  ___ _  time differently. For example, promptness (准时) is  __  (17)  ____ greatly in American life. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as  _  (18)  _____  or not fully responsible. In the US, no one would think of keeping a business partner  __  (19)  ____  for an hour; it would be too rude. A person who is five minutes late is ____  (20)  ​__  to make a short apology.