大学英语六级考试模拟试卷七十六（带答案）

大学英语六级考试模拟试卷七十六

（总分：710.00,做题时间：130分钟）

PartIWriting（总题数:1,分数：0.00）

1.Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybased

onthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthe

pictureandthendiscusstheimportanceofgrammarinEnglishlearning.Youshould

givesoundargumentstosupportyourviewsandwriteatleast150wordsbutno

morethan200words.

（分数：106.50）

正确答案：（［范文］

GrammarorGrandma

Thepicturedepictsascenewhereagirlaskshergrandmatohelpherwith

Englishwhilecallingher"grammar",awordsimilarto"grandma"inpronunciation.

ClearlythegirlisbadlyinneedofhelpwithherEnglishgrammar.Nowadayssome

peopleadvocatethatgrammarisnotimportantinEnglishlearning.However,asfar

asIamconcerned,grammarstillplaysavitalroleinthelearningofEnglish.

Foronething,grammarisofgreatimportanceinreadingandlistening

comprehension.Onlywhenyouunderstandthestructureofacomplicatedsentence

canyougetholdofitsmeaning.Otherwise,youcannotunderstandthesentence

evenifyouknowallthewords.Foranother;grammarisalsoveryimportantin

speakingandwriting.Yourintentionsmaynotbeproperlycomprehendedwithout

correctgrammar;whichmayleadtoconfusionorperhapsevenconflicts.Therefore,

whenexpressingyourself,youshouldusenotonlycorrectwordsbutalsocorrect

grammar.

Tosumup,grammarisusefulandcrucialinbothreceivinganddelivering

messages.Youshouldexertyourselftomastergrammarinordertohaveabetter

commandofEnglish.）

解析：

PartIIListeningComprehension（总题数：0,分数：0.00）

SectionA（总题数：8,分数：0.00）

.Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.（分数：28.40）

A.Yourheartrateislowered.

B.ltbecomeshardertorelax.V

C.Youbecometootiredtosleep.

D.SIeeprhythmsaredisrupted.

解析：［听力原文］

W:Mr.Kim.Lotsofpeoplearesufferingfrombeingunabletosleep,including

me.

M:Well,youmustbefeelingbad,twistingaround,andtryingtofinda

comfortableposition.Butyou'reprobablyonlymakingmattersworse.

W:Really.Ithoughtchangingpositionswouldhelp.

M:That'snotright.Whathappensisthatyourheartrateactuallyincreases,

makingitmoredifficulttorelax.Youmayalsohavesomebadhabitsthatcontribute

totheproblem.

W:Really?Likewhat?

M:Doyourestfrequentlyduringtheday?Doyougetvirtuallynoexercise,or

doyouexercisetoomuchlateintheday?Doyousleepalotorsleeplateon

weekends?

W:You'retalkingaboutme!I'mleadingalifelikethat.Iguesslotsofpeople

dolikethis.

M:Haha!Anyofthesefactsmightbeleadingtoyourinsomniabydisrupting

yourbody'snaturalrhythm.

W:Whatshouldwedothenonthosesleeplessnights?Shouldwetakesome

sleepingpills?

M;Don'tbotherwithsleepingpills;theycanactuallycauseworseinsomnia

later.

W:Ithoughtsleepingpillswouldhelp.What'reyoursuggestionsforour

audiences?

M:Thebestthingtodoistodrinkmilkoreatcheeseortunafish.Theyareall

richinaminoacidthathelpsproduceasubstanceinthebrainthatinducessleep.

Thissubstancewillhelpyourelax.Andyou'llbeonthewaytogetagoodnight's

sleep.

W:I'msoexcitedtohearallthis.Iguessmanyofuswillchangeourwayoflife

sincetheyhavelistenedtoourtalk.

M:Yoursleepingwillbecomebetterandbetterifyouinsist.

W:I'msureIwill!Thankyoumuchforyouradviceandthanksforjoiningus

thisevening!

M:It'smypleasure.

Accordingtotheman,whathappenswhenyouturnandtwisttoget

comfortable?

.Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.（分数：28.40）

A.Amovie.7

B.Abook.

C.Apoem.

D.Adrama.

解析：［听力原文］

W:Whatdoyouthinkaboutthemovie?

M:Well...IthinkHarryPotterVisanexcellentpieceofwork.Butitisnotas

goodasthepreviousones.

W:Really?Idon'tagree.Ithinkitisincredible!

M:Whydoyouthinkso?

W:Well,oneofthemostspectacularthingsaboutitisthespecialeffects.

M:You'reright.Thespecialeffectscreatesomanyfantasticsettingsand

mysteriouscostumes,weaponsandcreatures.Theyarevitaltothesuccessofthis

movie.

W:It'skindofcoolthattheystillusethethemesongforthismovie.

M:Yeah!Itremindsmeofthepreviousscenes.

W:Iknowexactlywhatyoumean!Hearingthatsongmakesmefeel

homesick.

M:Ithinktheoverallplotofthemovieisveryinteresting.ButIdon'tthinkthe

characterdevelopmentisthatstrong.Theyjustdon'thavealotoffunnyor

meaningfuldialogues.Thewritingisalittleboringandthismaybetheonlyone

weaknessofthismovie.

W:Well,maybe.ButIlikethelittlekidwhoplaysyoung'AnakinSkywalker."I

can'timagineanyoneelseplayingthatrole.

M:Ilikehim,too.He'ssocute!Youknow,eventhoughIamslightly

disappointed,Ican'twaitforthenextepisode.Iwonderwhenthey'regoingtostart

makingitandwhenit'sscheduledforrelease.

W:Ihavenoidea.ButIhopeit'llbeevenbetterthanthisone.

M:Ihopeso,too.

Whatarethetwospeakerstalkingabout?

SectionB（总题数：7,分数：0.00）

.Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

1.（分数：21.30）

A.lmprovethemselves.V

B.Getridofemptydreams.

C.Followtheculturaltradition.

□.Attemptsomethingimpossible.

解析：［听力原文］

Thenewyearalwaysbringswithitaculturaltraditionofnewpossibilities.We

seeitasachanceforrenewal.Webegintodreamofnewpossibleselves.Wedesign

ouridealselforanimagethatisquitedifferentfromwhatwearenow.Forsomeof

us,werollthatdreamyfilminourheadsjustbecauseit'sthebeginningofanewyear.

Butwearen'tseriousaboutmakingchanges.Wejustmakesomehalf-hearted

resolutionanditevaporatesafteraweekortwo.Theexperiencemakesusfeelless

successfulandleadsustodiscountourabilitytochangeinthefuture.It'snotthat

changeisimpossiblebutthatitwon'tlastunlessourresolutionsaresupportedwith

plansforimplementation.Wehavetomakeourintentionsmanageablebydetailing

thespecificstepsthatwillcarryustoourgoal.Sayyourgoalistoloseweightby

dietingandcuttingoffsweets.Butonenightyoujusthavetohaveacookie.Andyou

knowthere'sabagofyourfavoritesinthecupboard.Youwantone,youeattwo,you

checkthebagandfindoutyou'vejustshot132calories.Yousaytoyourself,"What

thehell!"andpolishoffthewholebag.Thenyoubegintodrawallkindsof

unpleasantconclusionsaboutyourself.Toprotectyoursenseofself,youbeginto

discountthegoal.Youmaythink-"Well,dietingwasn'tthatimportanttomeandI

won'tmakeitanyhow."Soyouabandonthegoalandreturntoyourbadhabits.

Whatdopeopleusuallywishtodoatthebeginningofanewyear?

.Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

4.（分数：28.40）

A.Germany.

BJapan.V

C.TheUS.

D.TheUK.

解析：［听力原文］

Americanssufferfromanoverdoseofwork.Regardlessofwhotheyareor

whattheydo,AmericansspendmoretimeatworkthanatanytimesinceWorldWar

II.In1950,theUShadfewerworkinghoursthananyotherindustrializedcountry.

Today,itexceedseverycountrybutJapanwhereindustrialemployeesload2155

hoursayearcomparedwith1951intheUSand1603intheformerWestGermany.

Between1969and1989,employedAmericansaddedanaverageof138hoursto

theiryearlyworkschedules.Theworkweekhasremainedatabove40hours.But

peopleareworkingmoreweekseachyear.Specificallypay-time-offholidays,

vacations,sickleaveshrankby50%inthe1980s.Ascorporationshaveexperienced

stiff（严酷的）competitionandslowergrowthofproductivity,theyhavepressed

employeestoworklonger.Cost-cuttinglay-offsinthe1980sreducedtheprofessional

andmanagerialranks,leavingfewerpeopletogetthejobdone.Inlowerpaid

occupationswherewageshavebeenreduced,workershaveaddedhoursinovertime

orextrajobstopreservetheirlivingstandards.Thegovernmentestimatesthatmore

than7millionpeopleholdasecondjob.Forthefirsttime,largenumbersofpeople

saytheywanttocutbackonworkinghoursevenifitmeansearninglessmoney.But

mostemployersareunwillingtoletthemdoso.Thegovernmentwhichhasstepped

backfromitstraditionalroleasaregulatorofworktimeshouldtakestepstomake

shorterhourspossible.

Inwhichcountrydoindustrialemployeesworkthelongesthours?

SectionC（总题数：10,分数：0.00）

.Questions16to19arebasedontherecordingyonhavejustheard.

1.（分数：56.80）

A.Trydifferentclassestomakesurewhichmajorfitsyou.J

B.Neverchangemajorsonceyou'vejuststartedthecourse.

C.Changemajorsonceayeartoprepareforyourfuturecareer.

D.Makearightdecisionaboutmajorsbeforeyoustartcollege.

解析：［听力原文］

Thefirstyearofcollegeisoneofthebestandthemostinterestingperiodsof

life.Youshouldbestrongenoughtostepintothenextstageofyourlifewithout

doubtsandhesitations.Ontheonehand,itcanbestressingtoleaveyourtownand

startcommunicatingwiththepeopleyoudon'tknow,butwhenyougetusedtothe

atmosphere,you'llreallyappreciateandlovethetimespentincollege.

Youshouldfindtimetoreflectonyourselfandrealizewhatreallyinterests

you.Taketheresponsibilityforyourselfandchoosethelistofmajorsyouwantto

study.Sure,youhavetherighttochangethemajorsduringthecourseofyour

collegecareer,butit'sdesirabletomakearightdecisionfaster.Ifyou'renotsure

whatsubjectstochoose,thentrytovisitacoupleofclassesinordertounderstand

whatisbetterforyou.

AsfarasIknow,everyrespectedcollegehasarangeofstudentprograms,

competitions,andpart-timecampusjobs.Plus,youcangetacquaintedwithpeople

whowillhelpyoustartasuccessfulcareer.WhenIwasafreshmanIhadachanceto

takea4-weekcourseinEurope.Also,manyofmyfriendsworkedasvolunteersat

localhospitals.

Oneofthehardestthingstodoistoorganizeastudent'slife.Iwantyouto

knowthatthemostimportantthingtodoistofindthebalanceinvariousactivities

ofyourlife.It'sverydifficulttodealwithdifferentsubjectsandstudents'

organizationsatthesametime.Firstofall,youneedtolearnhowtomanageyour

time,becauseitisakeycomponenttoacademicsuccess.Thenyou'llbeableto

organizeyourstudy,socialandprivatelife.

Nowadaysallcollegecampusesofferyouabigvarietyofstudent

organizations.Differentsocialandsportorganizationscanhelpyouexpressyourself

anddiscoveryourinterests.Asastudent,thefirstcourseyouneedistomakefriends

andgetinvolvedindifferentstudentcommunities.Yourmembershipwillimprove

yourreputationincollegeandfillyourbusystudent'slifewithnewemotionsand

adventures.

Yourstudyatcollegecanbetough,butthisperiodoflifeisthemostcolorful.

Duringyourstudy,youdevelopyourpersonalityandmeetnewfriends.Moreover;

youcanhavefun,fallinloveandenjoythegreatestfouryearsofyourlife.

Ihopethisspeechwillridyouofallfearswhichkeepyouanxiousaboutyour

firstyear.Youneedtorememberthatyouaretheonlyonewho'sresponsiblefor

yourstudy.That'swhyyoushouldlearnhowtomanageyourtimeandbalanceboth

collegeandprivatelife.

Whatdoesthespeakersuggestwedowithourmajors?

.Questions20to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

5.（分数：42.60）

A.Practicinginafriendlyenvironment.V

B.Writingarticlesonrelevantsubjects.

C.Givingmembersthechancetopractice.

D.Goingtodifferentweeklymeetings.

解析：［听力原文］

StudentsinAmericanschoolslearnfromanearlyagetogivepresentationsas

partoftheirregularclassroomactivities.Childrenasyoungasfiveyearsoldoften

givebrieftalksaboutobjectstheybringtoschoolcalled"showandtell."This

trainingisabasisforlaterpublicspeaking.

Evenso,manynativeEnglish-speakingadultsareafraidtospeakorgive

presentationsinfrontofalargegroup.SpeakingEnglishinpublicmeetingsis

necessaryformanystudentsandemployees.Thebestwaytoimproveistopractice

publicspeakinginafriendlyenvironment.Learnersneedtoreceivefeedbackabout

whattheyaredoingwellandabouttheirmistakes.Onegroupthatgivesmembers

thechancetopracticeisToastmasters,whichisaninternationalorganizationthat

holdsweeklymeetings.Atthemeetings,memberseachgiveaspeechandgive

othersadviceabouttheirspeechesandspeakingstyle.

CharlesLeBeauisapublicspeakingprofessorandconsultant.Hebeganhis

careerinJapanin1982.Currently,heteachesattwouniversitiesandattheToshiba

InternationalTrainingCentre.Hehasalsowrittenbooksonthesubject.English

languagelearnersaroundtheworldusehisbookSpeakingofSpeech,whichtells

aboutamethodofteachingpublicspeakingfornon-nativespeakers.Mr.LeBeausays

asimpleapproachhelpsEnglishlearners,whichistosimplifyandbreakitdown.First,

therearebasicallythreemessagesthatthepresenterisgivingtheaudience,all

simultaneously.Thefirstisphysicalmessage.Physicalmessageisbasicallybody

language.It'sthewaythatourbody,asaspeaker;istalkingtotheaudience.And

thenthere'salsothevisualmessage.Thevisualmessageistheslidesthatwenow

makeandshowtheaudience.Thethirdmessageisthestorymessage.Thestory

messageisthecontentofourpresentation.Soanotherwaywecanthinkofthestory

messageisthatit'stheverbalmessage;it'swhatwesaytotheaudience.Thestory

messagealsoincludeshowweorganizeourideastopresenttotheaudience.

What'sthebestwaytoimproveEnglishspeaking?

.Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

8.（分数：42.60）

A.Theyaffectallagriculturalproductionworldwide.

B.Theyimpactmostpartofthecropsinthefield.

C.Theydestroyupto22%ofthecropsbeforeharvest.

D.Theydestroyabout10%to16%oftheworld'scropsinthefield.J

解析：［听力原文］

Insectsanddiseasesthatattackfoodcropsaremovingasrisentemperatures

bringchangestotheenvironment.Plantdiseasesalonedestroyanestimated10to

16percentoftheworld'scropsinthefield,expertssay,andplantdiseasesdestroy

another6to12percentafterharvest.

Anewstudyexaminesthemovementofcroppestsanddiseases,andhowit

willaffectagriculturalproductionworldwide.

DanBebberisaseniorresearchfellowattheUniversityofExeterinBritain.

HesaysresearchhasshownthatwildplantsandanimalsaremovingtowardEarth's

NorthandSouthpolesastheplanetwarms.

Mr.Bebberwantedtoknowifthesamethingwashappeningwithorganisms

thatattackagriculturalcrops.Heexaminedreportsoffirstsightingsofnewinsects

anddiseasesaroundtheworld.TherecordscamefromCABI-theCentrefor

AgriculturalBioscienceInternational.Hesaysthegroupbegancollectinginformation

fromdevelopingandindustrializedcountriesyearsago.

DanBebberandhisresearchteamstudied612differentorganisms—from

virusesandbacteriatoinsectslikebeetlesandbutterflies.Theyfoundthatsince

I960,croppestsanddiseaseshavebeenmovingtowardthepolesatanaveragerate

ofabout3kilometerseachyear.Mr.Bebbersaysthisputsthemostproductive

farmlandintheworldindanger.

Asnewspeciesofpestsanddiseasesevolveandpotentiallytheenvironment

forthembecomesmoreamenableathigherlatitudes,thepressureonthe

breadbasketoftheworldisgoingtoincrease.

Farmersfaceotherthreats.Invasivespeciespassedthroughtradearealso

causingproblems.GeneKritskyisanentomologistattheCollegeofMountSt.Joseph

inOhio.Hespecializesinthestudyofinsects.Hesaysclimatechangemayimprove

conditionsforsomeinvasivespecies.Itmeansthatspeciesinotherpartsofthe

worldthatmightdowellinwarmertemperaturescannowdowellinthe

breadbasketofAmerica.

AnotherentomologistChristianKrupkeofPurdueUniversitysaystheeffects

ofthesechangeswilldependverymuchonthecrop,theinsectandthedisease.But

hesaystheresearchisawarningsignthatpeopleshouldcareaboutclimatechange

anddosomethingaboutit.

Howbadareplantdiseasestothecrops?

PartIIIReadingComprehension（总题数：0,分数：0.00）

SectionA（总题数：10,分数：0.00）

.Children'sHealthcareofAtlantawantstomoveGeorgiaoutofthetop10listfor

childhoodobesity（肥胖）,officialssaid.

DoctorsatChildren'sHealthcareofAtlanta,thelargestchildrenhealthcare

organizationintheUnitedStates,saidtheytreatpatientsintheirHealth4LifeClinicas

youngasage3forcomplications（并发症）1toobesity.

Thehealthcaresystem'sofficialssaiditbeganitsStrong4Lifeinearly2011,a

large-scalepublicawareness2,alongwithprogramsandpartnerships

to3kidsandtheirparents.Thefirstphaseofthecampaign,the"warning"ads,

wasdesignedtoraiseawarenessand4conversationaboutchildhoodobesity.

"A5findingintheresearchisthatwhile96percentofrespondents

viewedchildhoodobesityasasomewhatorveryseriousproblem,only28percentof

parentsofanobesechildconsideredtheirchildoverweightorobese,andonly36

percentwere6abouttheirchild'sweight,"Dr.RichardLutzoftheUniversity

ofFlorida'sWarringtonCollegeofBusinessAdministrationsaidinastatement.

"This7disconnect,knownasthe'perceivedpersonalimmunity'

effect,hasbeen8forissuessuchasbeing9affectedbylungcancer,

skincancerandAIDS."

Theprogramalsoincludedtrainingmorethan1000healthcareproviders,

nursesanddietitianstodiscussobesitywiththeirpatients;goingtomorethan100

schoolstosharewithchildrentheimportanceofhealthyeatingand

physical10andeducatingmorethan430daycarecentrestafftouse

Strong4Lifetoolkitstoteachhealthyhabitsatanearlyage.

A.activityF.documentedK.practice

B.apparentG.easilyL.reach

C.campaignH.fatalM.related

D.concernedI.immediatelyN.remarkable

E.contributedJ.interact0.spark（分数:35.50）

1.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：M）

解析：形容诃辨析题。限据句意可知，亚特兰大儿童医疗保健中心的医生

治疗儿童由肥胖引起的并发症，空格处应当是对“并发症”一词的修饰限定，而

空格后又有介词to,故推断应填入形容词或动词的过去分词作后置定语。结合所

给选项，related可以和介词to搭配，意为“和……有关系的"，符合题意。

contributedto意为“致力于，贡献”，不符合句意，故排除。

2.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：C）

解析：名词辨析题。该空格位于一个插入成分中，该插入成分开头为冠词

a,故判断其应为名词短语，因此空格处应填入名词。后面一句提到了Thefirst

phaseofthecampaign,故推断空格处应填入campaign”运动，活动practice

意为“练习；惯例”，不符合句意，故排除。

3.（分数:3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：L）

解析：动词辨析题。该空格位于不定式标志词to之后，因此空格处应填入

动词原形。根据上下文，该中心开展的活动旨在引起人们对儿童肥胖问题的关注，

因此这项活动的参与者必然包括父母和儿童，故应选reach“被听到/看到”。

interact意为“相互影响；交流”，为不及物动词，不符合句意，故排除。

4.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：0）

解析：动词辨析题。该空格位于and之后，从结构上推断该空格和名词

conversation一起与raiseawareness构成并列结构，因此空格处应填入动词原形

和raise保持一致。根据句意可知，该运动的第一阶段为“警示”广告，旨在引

起人们的关注和人们讨论儿童肥胖问题。结合所给动词，spark“激起”

符合题意，故为答案。

5.（分数：3.55）

填空项上（正确答案：N）

解析：形容词辨析题。该空格位于冠词和名词之间，故推断应填入形容词

作定语。此处要表达的是:研究中一个发现是……。结合研究发现的内容，

即由that引导的表语从句的内容可知，此研究发现应该是remarkable“非凡的，

显著的“。apparent”显而易见的”不符合句意，故排除。

6.（分薪：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：D）

解析：形容词辨析题。该空格位于were和介词about之间，故推断应填入

形容词，且该形容词必须能够和about搭配。根据句意可知，此处表达的是：只

有36%的父母孩子的体重。因此，答案为concerned“担忧的”。

7.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：B）

解析：形容词辨析题。由空格前面的This和空格后的disconnect判断，空

格处应填入形容词修饰名词。由上一段可知，96%的受访者认为儿童肥胖是一个

严重问题，但只有36%的家长担心孩子的体重，这是一种明显的脱节，故本题答

案为apparent"显而易见的"。fatal意为“致命的；灾难性的”,与句意不符，故

排除。

8.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：F）

解析：动诃辨析题。该空格位于hasbeen之后，据此判断应填入及物动诃

的过去分词表被动。该被动句的主语是disconnect,因此填入的动词必须能与之

相搭配。备选项中只有documented"记录”符合句意和语法要求，故为答案。

9.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：G）

解析：副词辨析题。该空格位于被动结构beingaffected之间，且句子成分

完整，故判断空格处应填入副词对动词进行修饰。根据句意可知，错误的自我抵

抗力认知会使人患肺癌、皮肤癌和艾滋病。因此，答案为easily"容易地二

immediately意为“立即,马上”，不符合逻辑,故排除。

10.（分数：3.55）

填空项1：（正确答案：A）

解析：名词辨析题。该空格位于形容词physical后，由physical前面的并列

连词and判断，空格处应填入名词和physical搭配，与healthyeating构成并列结

构。根据句意，这一项目包含去学校和孩子们分享健康饮食和体育的重要

性，因此空格处应填入activity“活动”。

SectionB（总题数:10,分数：0.00）

ABestFriend?YouMustBeKidding

A.Fromthetimetheymetinkindergartenuntiltheywere15,Robin

ShreevesandherfriendPennywereinseparable.Theyrodebikes,playedkickballin

thestreet,swamallsummerlongandlistenedtomusiconthestereo.Theytoldeach

othersecretslikewhichboystheythoughtwerecute,asbestfriendsalwaysdo.

B.Today,Ms.Shreeves,ofsuburbanPhiladelphia,isthemotheroftwoboys.

Her10-year-oldhasabestfriend.Infact,heisthesonofMs.Shreeves'sownfriend,

Penny.ButMs.Shreeves'syoungerson,8,doesnot.Hisfavoriteplaymateisaboy

whowasinhispreschoolclass,butMs.Shreevessaysthatthetwodon'tgettogether

veryoftenbecauseschedulingplaydatescanbecomplicated;theyusuallyhavetobe

plannedaweekormoreinadvance."He'llsay,'IwishIhadsomeoneIcanalways

call/"Ms.Shreevessaid.

C.Onemightbetemptedtofeelsomesympathyfortheyoungerson.After

all,fromTomSawyerandHuckFinntoHarryPotterandRonWeasley,thechildhood

"bestfriend"haslongbeenromanticizedinliteratureandpopculture—notto

mentioninthesentimentalmemoriesofcountlessadults.

D.Butincreasingly,someeducatorsandotherprofessionalswhoworkwith

childrenareaskingaquestionthatmightsurprisetheirparents:Shouldachildreally

haveabestfriend?

E.Mostchildrennaturallyseekclosefriends.Inasurveyofnearly3000

Americansaged8to24conductedlastyearbyHarrisInteractive,94percentsaid

theyhadatleastoneclosefriend.Buttheclassicbest-friendbond-thetwospecial

palswhosharesecretsandexploits,whoattracteachotherontheplaygroundand

whoheadoutthedoortogethereverydayafterschool——signalspotentialtroublefor

schoolofficialsintentondiscouraginganythingthathintsatexclusivity,inpart

becauseofconcernsaboutcliques（帮派）andbullying.

F."Ithinkitiskids'preferencetopairupandhavethatonebestfriend.As

adults一teachersandcounselors一wetrytoencouragethemnottodothat,"said

ChristineLaycob,thedirectorofcounselingatMaryInstituteandSt.LouisCountry

DaySchoolinSt.Louis."Wetrytotalktokidsandworkwiththemtogetthemto

havebiggroupsoffriendsandnottobesopossessiveaboutfriends.""Parents

sometimessayJohnnyneedsthatonespecialfriend,"shecontinued."Wesayhe

doesn'tneedabestfriend."

G.Formanychild-rearingexperts,theidealsituationmightwellbethatof

MatthewandMargaretGuest,12-year-oldtwinsinsuburbanAtlanta,whoalmost

alwayssocializeinapack.OnetypicalFridayafternoon,about10boysandgirlsfilled

theGuestfamilybackyard.Kidswerejumpingonthetrampoline（蹦床），shooting

basketsandplayinghide-and-seek.NeitherMargaretnorMatthewhaseverhada

bestfriend."Ijustreallydon'thaveonepersonIlikemorethanothers,"Margaret

said."Mostpeoplehavelotsoffriends."Matthewsaidheconsiders12boystobehis

goodfriendsandheseesmostofthem"prettymucheveryweekend".Theirmother;

LauraGuest,saidtheirschooltriestopreventbullyingthroughworkshopsand

posters.Andextracurricularactivitieskeepherchildrengroup-oriented-Margaretis

ontheswimteamanddoesgymnastics;Matthewplaysfootballandbaseball.

H.Asthecalendarmovesintosummer,effortstomanagefriendshipsdon't

stopwiththeclosingofschool.InrecentyearsTimberLakeCamp,aco-ed

sleep-awaycampinPhoenicia,N.Y.,hasstartedemploying"friendshipcoaches"to

workwithcamperstohelpeverychildbecomefriendswitheveryoneelse.Iftwo

childrenseemtobetoofocusedoneachother,thecampwillmakesuretoputthem

ondifferentsportsteams,seatthematdifferentendsofthediningtableor,perhaps,

haveacounselorinviteoneofthemtoparticipateinanactivitywithanotherchild

whomtheyhaven'tyetgottentoknow.Idon'tthinkit'sparticularlyhealthyfora

childtorelyononefriend,"saidJayJacobs,thecamp'sdirector."Ifsomethinggoes

wrong,itcanbedevastating.Italsolimitsachild'sabilitytoexploreotheroptionsin

theworld."

I.Butsuchanattitudeworriessomepsychologistswhofearthatchildrenwill

bedeniedthestrongemotionalsupportandsecuritythatcomeswithintimate

friendships."Dowewanttoencouragekidstohaveallsortsofsuperficial

relationships?Isthathowwereallywanttorearourchildren?"askedBrettLaursen,

apsychologyprofessoratFloridaAtlanticUniversitywhosespecialtyispeer

relationships."Imaginetheimplicationforromanticrelationships.Wewantchildren

togetgoodatleadingcloserelationships,notsuperficialones."Manypsychologists

believethatclosechildhoodfriendshipsnotonlyincreaseachild'sself-esteemand

confidence,butalsohelpchildrendeveloptheskillsforhealthyadultrelationships——

everythingfromempathy,theabilitytolistenandconsol