Your kids learn a lot from their friends—things you can't teach them，no matter how much you want to.
Probably the most important thing kids learn is how to have peer relationships.As a parent，you can't do this，because you and your child aren't equals.
For example，when you're sitting on your family room floor and your very young child asks you to pass him the blocks，you probably hand them right over.If your child is sitting with a peer and asks the same thing，though，he might not get what he wants.
To succeed，your child will need to learn strategies for getting what he wants.For example，he might simply yank(猛拉)the toy out of his friend's hand.If he does that，he may learn that it's not the best way of getting what he wants because it leads to fighting and time－outs.The successful child will learn that he needs to negotiate a trade，to wait patiently，or to find something else equally fun to play with.
Friends also provide emotional support，something that is part of the foundation of healthy adulthood.You can't be with your child on the elementary school playground or at the high school dance.Your child's friends will be the ones to stick_up_for her，to include her in games，and later，to tell her she looks great even if her lousy prom(糟糕的舞会)date wanders off instead of dancing with her.
Friends also help your children learn.Friends solve problems together，imitate each other，and pass on knowledge.
Some experts believe that the single biggest predictor of your child's success later in life is her ability to make friends.In fact，they claim it's even more important than IQ and grades.
This doesn't mean that the kids who are most popular in school do the best later on in life.What matters is not the number of friends a child has but rather the quality of the relationships.
This is good news for those of us who hate to think that popularity really is the Holy Grail of childhood and adolescence.While it's true that popularity has many advantages，and that many popular kids really are nice people—and not just the best dressed or best looking—it's better to have a few good friends than to have the admiration of the masses.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇议论文。孩子们会从和朋友的相处中学到许多大人怎么教都教不会的事，所以真正的好朋友对一个人的成长至关重要。
1．By giving the example in paragraph 3，the author wants to show that ________.
A．kids can learn how to deal with the relationships when they stay with their peers
B．parents should spend more spare time playing with their kids
C．kids should learn how to be polite when they ask their parents for help
D．parents can teach their kids how to be good members in the modern society in their daily life
【答案】 A 推理判断题。一般而言，在议论文中，举例都是为了证明作者的观点。由此可知，第三段所举例子是为了证明第二段作者的观点，即“Probably the most important thing kids learn is how to have peer relationships.”。故选A。
2．What does the underlined phrase “stick up for” in the fifth paragraph mean?
A．Envy. B．Oppose.
C．Support. D．Ignore.
【答案】 C 词义猜测题。根据本段第一句中的“Friends also provide emotional support”可知，此处将家长与同龄朋友进行比较是为了说明同龄朋友会给孩子们以情感上的支持。由此可知，画线词意为“支持”。故答案选C。
3．In the author's opinion，________ is more important than being popular for kids.
A．getting high grades
B．having some real friends
C．developing a good habit
D．knowing how to dress themselves up
【答案】 B 细节理解题。根据文章最后三段可知，朋友的质量比朋友的数量、智商、分数和外表都重要。故选B。
4．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．How to Bridge the Generation Gap
B．What It Takes to Be a Good Friend
C．Why Friends Are Important
D．How to Be Popular in School
【答案】 C 标题归纳题。文章的中心段是第一段，由此结合全文内容可知，文章主要说明了同龄朋友对孩子成长的重要性。故选C。
