Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the

All children are【B1】______of having friends, although high selfesteem really helps them【B2】______, says Kathy Noll. Noll is the author of Taking the Bully by the Horns, which offers help to both bullies and their victims.

How can you tell whether your child may be having trouble friends? Noll lists several warning signs to watch for: depression,【B3】______to go to school, difficulty concentrating, poor grades, doesn't bring other kids home to play, seems to get a long better with【B4】______.

To help your child make friends, you' need to show that you【B5】______and can be trusted. Focus on the【B6】______, Noll says. Instead of pointing out what is causing your child's failure, talk about what he can do to succeed.

Noll points out that the【B7】______of success improve with better basic【B8】______skills. The advice to "hold your head high" isn't just figurative in this case. Your child could look like an easy target if she walks with her head and shoulders down, speaks meekly, or doesn't make eye contact.【B9】______. If he tells you he's fearful about a new situation because he won't know anyone, remind him of times he's triumphed in similar situations. If your daughter comes home from Valentine's Day at school crushed because she didn't get any cards, talk to her about those feelings. Don't dismiss them; the hurt is very real. Talk about possible reasons why she didn't get valentines. Maybe her friends didn't make them. Maybe they didn't have enough for everyone, or maybe they forgot to bring them.

Experiences like this do happen to kids, and they're very painful blows to a child's selfesteem and confidence.【B10】______. The time you spend on this is an investment in your child's wellbeing.【B11】______, Noll says. "But all children are capable of—and deserving of—love and friendship."

【B1】