much anxiety or stress for young athletes. 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 about 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 fault 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 support should be provided regardless of the outcome. Research indicates that positive support motivates (激发) and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.

　　语篇解读：对从事运动员生涯的孩子，家长和教练往往只注重结果，而对他们过多地批评和指责，以至于对他们产生了消极的影响。

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

　　A．make sports less competitive

　　B．increase their sense of success

　　C．reduce their mental stress

　　D．make sports more challenging

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据第一段的"Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout."可知，紧张会导致burnout (激情耗尽，撒手不干)，所以阻止这种现象发生的有效方法就是减少他们的思想压力。

　　2．According to the passage, sport is positive for young people in that it________.

　　A．can help them learn more about society

　　B．enables them to find faults in themselves

　　C．can provide them with valuable experiences

　　D．teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves

解析：选C　细节理解题。根据第二段的"The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place."可知在运动过程中能获得宝贵的经历，故C项正确。