Question

“If you don't behave, I'll call the police” is a lie that parents might use to get their young children to behave. A new psychological(心理學的) study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore suggests that it is connected with harmful effects when the children become adults.

The research team asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children, how much they lie to their parents as adults, and how well they respond(響應) adulthood challenges.

The first questionnaire asked these young adults to recall if their parents told them lies about eating, leaving or staying, spending money and so on. Some examples of such lies are “If you don't come with me now, I will leave you here by yourself” and “I don’t bring money with me today, we can come back another day”. The second questionnaire included questions that could show how often they lie to their parents as adults. Lastly, these young adults filled in two other questionnaires that asked them about their psychosocial problems and tendency (趨勢) to behave selfishly and impulsively(沖動地).

Adults who reported being lied to more as children were more likely to report lying to their parents in their adulthood. They also said they faced greater difficulty in meeting psychological and social challenges.

Lead author Setoh Peipei from NTU Singapore's School of Social Sciences said, “Parenting by lying

can seem to save time, especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something are difficult to explain. When parents tell children that ‘honesty is the best policy’, but display dishonesty by lying, such behavior can send negative (消極的) messages to their children. Parents' dishonesty may finally erode trust and encourage dishonesty in children.”

“Our research suggests that parenting by lying is a practice that has negative influence on children when they grow up. Parents should be aware of these possible risks and consider other ways to replace lying, such as knowing children's feelings, giving information so children know what to expect, offering choices and solving problems together, to encourage children to have good behavior, ”said lead author Setoh Peipe.

But the study has its limitations. Some limitations of the study include depending on what young adults report about their parents' lying. “Future research can explore using many informants(提供信息的人), such as parents, to report on the same thing.” suggested Setoh.

1.What did the research team do during the study?

A.They turned to 379 Singaporean children.

B.They looked for questionnaires on the Internet.

C.They collected answers to some sets of questions.

D.They asked the young adults parents for information.

2.What does the underlined word “erode” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A.建立 B.增進 C.毀壞 D.恢復

3.Which of the following might Setoh Peipei agree with?

A.Parents can sometimes tell harmless lies to their kids.

B.Parents had better explain to their kids why they’ve lied.

C.Parents who like lying are more likely to behave selfishly.

D.Parents should use positive ways instead of lying during parenting.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A.Parents' lying to children can influence them negatively.

B.Parents lie to children to save themselves some trouble.

C.Children's behavior can be affected by their parents.

D.Children may lie more if their parents often lie.

Answer 1