Passage Two

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

　　Sport is not only physically challenging, but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism from coaches, parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create an excessive amount of anxiety or stress for young athletes (運動員). Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological, and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.

　　The early years of development are critical years for learning abut oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a flaw (缺陷) in themselves.

　　Coaches and parents should also be cautious that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngsters’ performances. Positive reinforcement should be provided regardless of the outcome. Research indicates that positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect

　　on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.

　　16. An effective way to prevent the burnout of young athletes is ________.

　　A) to make sports less competitive

　　B) to make sports more challenging

　　C) to reduce their mental stress

　　D) to increase their sense of success

　　17. According to the passage sport is positive for young people in that ________.

　　A) it can help them learn more about society

　　B) it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves

　　C) it enables them to find flaws in themselves

　　D) it can provide them with valuable experiences

　　18. Many coaches and parents are in the habit of criticizing young athletes ________.

　　A) without realizing criticism may destroy their self confidence

　　B) in order to make them remember life’s lessons

　　C) believing that criticism is beneficial for their early development

　　D) so as to put more pressure on them

　　19. According to the passage parents and coaches should ________.

　　A) help children to win every game

　　B) pay more attention to letting children enjoy sports

　　C) enable children to understand the positive aspect of sports

　　D) train children to cope with stress

　　20. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is ________.

　　A) to persuade young children not to worry about criticism

　　B) to stress the importance of positive reinforcement to children

　　C) to discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement

　　D) to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout

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