After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”
The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．discuss

B． communicate

C． understand

D． combine

According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents ________.

A．can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every day

B．spend their daytime commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores

C．worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enough

D．fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week

What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．I will be glad to listen.

B．I will be very interested.

C．I will listen carefully.

D．I will call your teacher at school.

Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?

A．Where are you off to with your friends this weekend?

B．Who played the best in your football match today?

C．What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it?

D．What are the names of the toys you played with today?

What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?

A．It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children.

B．It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids.

C．It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills.

D．It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores.