12． One summer night in a seaside house，I was asleep.Suddenly，I felt myself lifted from bed and carried in my father's arms out on to the beach.Overhead the stars were shining."Watch!"As my father spoke，one of the stars flashed across the sky.And before the wonder of this could disappear，another star flashed，then another "What is it？"I asked."Falling stars.They come every year on a certain night in August.I thought you would like to see the show，" said my father.
Many years have passed，but I still remember that night，because I was the lucky seven-year-old boy whose father believed that a new experience was more important for a small boy than an unbroken night's sleep.
Once my father gave me Zuleika Dobson，Max Beerbohm's classic story of undergraduate life at Oxford.I liked it，and told him so."Why don't you think about going there yourself？"he said.A few years later，with luck and a scholarship （獎學(xué)金），I did.My father had the gift of opening doors for his children，of leading them into areas of newness.
Children are naturally curious and love to try new things.But someone must offer them the choices.Years ago，when the Quiz Kids were surprising American radio audiences with their brilliance （才華），a writer set out to discover what common characters there were in the backgrounds of these children.He found that some were from poor families，some from rich，some had been to super good schools，and some had not.But in every case there was at least one parent who shared something that the child was interested in，who gave encouragement and praise for achievement，who made a game of searching out the answers to questions.
The most valuable thing parents can pass on to the next generation is not money or house，but a capacity（能力） for wonder and gratitude（感激），a sense of aliveness and joy.
（1）What does the author do in the first two paragraphs？
A.He shows how his father educated him.
B.He looks back on the night when the stars fell.
C.He describes his love for the seaside house.
D.He expresses how much he missed his father.
（2）What does the author think of his father？
A.He loves to try new things.
B.He is good at guiding him.
C.He does so much for the family.
D.He has a rich knowledge of literature.
（3）What does the author mainly try to show through a writer's discovery？
A.Excellent children have some similar characters.
B.Smart children have their own way of learning.
C.Parents' personality can affect their children greatly.
D.Parents of excellent kids have something in common.
（4）What could be a suitable title for the text？
A.Parents are good teachers for their kids
B.Childhood experiences can change one's life
C.Children can learn new skills from daily life
D.Parents' encouragement is important for a child
