Question

[Ngọc Ánh Phùng]

      Why is it that parents are so often egocentric when it comes to matters concerning their children? Although their ______(1) are undoubtedly altruistic, they assume that the choices they make for their offspring are the right ones. Take the _______(2) of colour, for example. Who decides what colour trousers to buy for young Jimmy? Who chooses the colours for his bedroom or bedclothes? _________(3), parents condition their child's _________(4) of colour from a very early age. Choosing a pair of pink trousers for their six-year-old son ________(5) counter to most parents' idea of how to dress a boy, and they would be loath to decorate their daughter's bedroom in brown. In a similar way, a small child seen drawing a red tree may be quietly told that trees should be green. Yet the underlying criticism ___________(6) in that can be detrimental to the child's ___________(7) of the world around them.

      Psychologists believe that allowing children to choose their own colours increases their self-confidence and their ability to express themselves. They use colour as a _________(8) of helping children to identify their feelings and discuss them. For instance, _____________(9) have shown that after listening to a sad story, children tend to draw in dark brown, black or grey, whereas one with a happy ending will evoke a response in yellow or orange. So, a mother should be delighted to see her four-year-old drawing an orange tree or a yellow house, and perhaps be concerned if the child only uses grey.   _________(10) children free rein to choose colours for themselves may help parents to understand them better.

1	A	desires	B	intentions	C	incentives	D	concerns
2	A	question	B	type	C	theme	D	view
3	A	Unerringly	B	Unwillingly	C	Unenthusiastically	D	Unwittingly
4	A	conception	B	perception	C	consideration	D	observation
5	A	plays	B	runs	C	goes	D	comes
6	A	inferred	B	implied	C	inlaid	D	imbued
7	A	thought	B	sense	C	feeling	D	instinct
8	A	means	B	tool	C	method	D	help
9	A	findings	B	reports	C	studies	D	research
10	A	Giving	B	Letting	C	Entrusting	D	Entitling