SynergyPrep Article Assignment 8

Name:________________ SHSAT
DIRECTIONS: Read the articles below and write a 150-word summary for
each article.

Article 1:

If you care about your face, care about tongue

posture
Good tongue posture forces parts of the skull up, against the effects of
gravity. In short, tongue posture leads to sharper cheekbones and a more
aligned face.

You probably never think about your tongue — except right now, after you
read that sentence.
But research shows that tongue placement in the mouth factors greatly into
the shape of the face. Just has how poor spinal posture pulls the shoulders
down, so too does poor tongue posture pull the bones of your face down.
If you care about the perceived appeal of your face, you should think about
how you place your tongue.
When you breathe through your nose and rest the tongue against your
palate, you’re practicing proper tongue posture. There are many reasons
why many of us don’t practice do it regularly. Clogged sinuses or nasal
irritation causes us to breathe through our mouths. Medical reasons may
permanently force the mouth to stay slightly open.
And yet, the weight of gravity on the tongue, jaw, and cheeks impact bone
alignment, and thus how your face looks.
The skull is not comprised of fixed bone. Rather, the skull contains fibrous
joints called sutures that allow the bones of the skull to re-position over
time. The bones of your upper teeth, nose and parts of your cheeks — also
known as the maxilla — are held to the skull with several sutures.
When the tongue is placed against the roof of the mouth, the weight of the
tongue pushes the maxilla up. The teeth, nose, and cheek bones are held up
against the weight of gravity and they maintain their heightened position
rather than be pulled down.
Pushing up on the maxilla raises the cheekbones and forces the face to
grow more pronounced, rather than receded or forward. Since higher
features such as sharp cheekbones and aligned faces typically convey
greater beauty, tongue placement can shape the attractiveness of one’s
face.
There’s secondary benefits to proper tongue posture as well. Closing the
mouth forces nasal breathing, which has been shown to improve oxygen
levels and memory consolidation. Tongue posture is one small adjustment to
lead to major positive changes in people’s lives.
However, people need to adopt proper tongue habits before skull sutures
fuse. Once fusion occurs, the bones of the skull maintain their placement
forever.
Luckily for students, the sutures in our skulls don’t close until we’re about
40, so there’s time to adapt proper tongue posture and achieve better bone
structure as we age.

Proper Tongue Positioning

So what is the right way to hold your tongue? Let’s start with the wrong
way first.
For a lot of people, their tongue rests at the bottom of the mouth, pushing
against the bottom teeth. Is this you? If so, you have improper tongue
positioning. Don’t be alarmed–As we mentioned earlier, almost half of the
population on earth is in the same boat.
Proper tongue positioning is where the tongue rests at the top of the mouth,
sitting about 1/2 inch behind the front teeth. Your entire tongue (including
the back) should be pressing against the roof of the mouth, your lips should
be sealed and your teeth should rest slightly apart. You don’t want any
pressure on your bottom or top front teeth. Even the slightest pressure over
time will move them (this is how orthodontics works!). It is important that
the entire tongue presses against the roof of the mouth–Over time this can
expand the palate, preventing the crowding of your teeth and opening up
your sinuses.

Signs and Symptoms of Improper Tongue Positioning

The tongue is a powerful muscle, impacting many parts of the body beyond
the mouth. As we mentioned earlier, tongue positioning can even affect the
sinuses. Here are some signs and symptoms that could indicate improper
tongue positioning:
 Improper Swallowing – When swallowing, your tongue should move
up and back like a wave moving the food toward the back of your
throat, not forward and down (this is called tongue thrusting). Tongue
thrusting negatively affects the shape of your teeth and jaw.
 Snoring and Sleep Apnea – Again, your palate is connected to the
sinuses. If by improper tongue positioning your palate has narrowed,
your sinuses may narrow, creating complications for your breathing.
 Vision Problems – The palate is connected to your eye sockets as
well as your sinuses, impacting how your eyes rest in your head. If the
palate misshapen is due to improper tongue positioning, your eyes
will not be positioned properly.
 Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (better known as TMJ) –
If you have had orthodontic work, chances are you have TMJ,
especially if your orthodontist does not take a holistic approach to
your teeth. TMJ is where the jaw is slightly out of alignment, causing
inflammation and pain at the hinge. Orthodontic work should consider
tongue positioning and how their work on the teeth affects the jaw
along with the rest of the body.
 Crowded Teeth
 Gap in the Front Teeth
 Dysfunctional Bite – Overbite, underbite or crossbite.
 Teeth Grinding
 Tooth Decay
 Recessed Chin
 Longer, Flatter Face Shape
 Forward Thrust of the Head – Where the head is thrust forward and
chin is lifted. Our heads are meant to sit back with our chins tucked
under. Anything else and we begin to experience neck pain.
  Neck and Shoulder Tension and Pain
 Headaches

Benefits of Proper Tongue Positioning

What are the benefits of holding your tongue the right way? Avoiding all of
the uncomfortable symptoms of improper tongue posture! We’ve broken
these benefits down into four categories:
 Look Better – That’s right! Proper tongue positioning leads to a more
attractive face with higher cheekbones and a stronger jawline
because the muscles in your mouth are where they are supposed to
be. People who hold their tongue correctly are also less likely to have
crowded, crooked teeth.
 Feel Better – When your tongue is in the right place, you can have a
healthy bite, no jaw pain, neck pain or headaches.
 Breath Better
 Sleep Better

Tongue Positioning Exercises

Take advantage of the benefits of proper tongue positioning with these
exercises!
The first exercise helps you get an idea of the shape of your mouth as well
as where your tongue should be. Start by feeling the back of your teeth with
the tip of your tongue. Now slide the tip back to the flat area just behind
your teeth, then to the bumpy, ridged area behind that. You will notice that
the roof of your mouth slopes off behind the ridged area into the cavity of
your palate. It is just before the slope that your tongue should rest–in the
most defined “ridge.” This is called “the spot.”
The second exercise helps you find where the back of your tongue should
rest. Start by making a big, cheezy grin and raising your eyebrows. Now, try
to swallow while keeping your teeth clenched. This may be difficult, but if
you can do it successfully, you will feel the back of your tongue pressing
against the roof of your mouth–This is where you want it to be.
To see results from both of these exercises, practice them several times
throughout the day. If you do so, you should start to notice your muscle
memory kicking-in and your tongue rising to the correct position naturally!
Article 2:

The narrowing, but persistent, gender gap in pay

The gender gap in pay has narrowed since 1980, but it has remained
relatively stable over the past 15 years or so. In 2018, women earned 85%
of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of
median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers in the United
States. Based on this estimate, it would take an extra 39 days of work for
women to earn what men did in 2018.
By comparison, the Census Bureau found that, in 2017, full-time, year-round
working women earned 80% of what their male counterparts earned.
The 2018 wage gap was somewhat smaller for adults ages 25 to 34 than for
all workers 16 and older, our analysis found. Women ages 25 to 34 earned
89 cents for every dollar a man in the same age group earned.

The estimated 15-cent gender pay gap among all workers in 2018 has
narrowed from 36 cents in 1980. For young women, the gap has narrowed
by a similar margin over time. In 1980, women ages 25 to 34 earned 33
cents less than their male counterparts, compared with 11 cents in 2018.
Why does a gender pay gap still persist?
Much of the gap has been explained by measurable factors such as
educational attainment, occupational segregation and work experience. The
narrowing of the gap is attributable in large part to gains women have made
in each of these dimensions.

But other factors that are difficult to measure, including gender

discrimination, may contribute to the ongoing wage discrepancy. In a 2017
Pew Research Center survey, about four-in-ten working women (42%) said
they have experienced gender discrimination at work, compared with about
two-in-ten men (22%) who said the same. One of the most commonly
reported forms of discrimination focused on earnings inequality. One-in-four
employed women said they have earned less than a man who was doing the
same job; just 5% of men said they have earned less than a woman doing
the same job.
Both men and women see
inequalities in the workplace: In a
2014 Pew Research Center survey,
77% of women and 63% of men said
this country needs to continue
making changes to give men and
women equality in the workplace.
Family caregiving responsibilities,
particularly motherhood, can lead to
interruptions in career paths for
women and can have an impact on
long-term earnings. In a 2013
survey, women were more likely
than men to say they had taken
breaks from their careers to care for
their family. Roughly four-in-ten
mothers said that at some point in
their work life they had taken a
significant amount of time off (39%)
or reduced their work hours (42%)
to care for a child or other family
member. Roughly a quarter (27%)
said they had quit work altogether to take care of these familial
responsibilities. Fewer men said the same. For example, just 24% of fathers
said they had taken a significant amount of time off to care for a child or
other family member.
Our 2016 survey of workers who have taken parental, family or medical
leave in the past two years found that mothers typically take more time off
than fathers after birth or adoption. The median length of leave among
mothers after the birth or adoption of their child was 11 weeks, compared
with one week for fathers. About half (47%) of mothers who took time off
from work in the past two years after birth or adoption took off 12 weeks or
more.
Mothers were also nearly twice as likely as fathers to say taking time off
had a negative impact on their job or career. Among those who took leave
from work in the past two years following the birth or adoption of their
child, 25% of women said this had a negative impact at work, compared
with 13% of men.
Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs
traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial
positions, women as a whole continue to be overrepresented in lower-
paying occupations. This may also contribute to gender differences in pay.
Article 3:

Little Public Support for Reductions in Federal

Spending
Low trust in government; little confidence in the public’s
political wisdom

When Americans are asked to

make up the budget for the
federal government, they have
little appetite for austerity
measures. Asked about 13
different government program
areas, from veterans benefits to
foreign aid, no more than about
a quarter favor reducing
spending in any specific area.
The survey by Pew Research
Center, conducted March 20-25
among 1,503 adults, finds that
across all 13 programs, most
either want to increase spending
or maintain it at current levels.
As in the past, there is extensive
public support for increasing
federal funding for veterans
benefits and education (72%
each). About six-in-ten (62%)
support more government
spending for rebuilding the
nation’s highways, bridges and roads, while 55% each favor more funding
for Medicare and environmental protection.
By comparison, only about a third favor increased funding for aid to needy
people around the world (35%) and assistance to the unemployed in the
United States (31%). But for both programs, somewhat fewer want to cut
spending than increase it (28% favor decreased spending on foreign aid,
23% on aid to the unemployed).
In most cases, the public’s views on government spending have changed
little since 2017, but there is considerably more support for increased
spending in several areas now than in 2013. Over the past six years, public
concern about the budget deficit also has declined substantially.
Republicans and Democrats continue
to have deep differences over
increased government spending in
most areas, including health care,
environmental protection, aid to the
unemployed and military defense.
Yet veterans benefits and
infrastructure continue to stand out as
areas in which partisans generally
agree. Identical shares in both parties
(72% of Republicans and Democrats)
say spending on veterans benefits
should be increased. And 64% of
Democrats favor more government
spending on rebuilding highways,
bridges and roads, while a majority of
Republicans (57%) also support this.
While Americans support increased
government spending in a number of
areas, they continue to be divided in
preferences regarding the overall size

of government: 47% say they would

rather have a smaller government
with fewer services, while an
identical share prefers a bigger
government with more services.
These views have changed little
since 2017, but for several years
prior to that, more Americans
preferred smaller government to
bigger government.
Opinions about the optimal size of
government continue to be deeply
 divided along partisan lines: 74% of
Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents
prefer a smaller government with

fewer services, while 67% of

Democrats and Democratic leaners say
they would rather have a bigger
government with more services.
The survey finds that Americans’ trust
in the federal government remains at a historic low: Just 17% say they trust
the government in Washington to do the right thing always or most of the
time; 71% say they trust the government only some of the time and 10%
volunteer that they “never” trust the government.
These attitudes have changed little over the last two administrations. In
fact, it has been more than a decade, during George W. Bush’s second term,
since as many as a third of Americans said they trusted the federal
government at least most of the time. And with the exception of a brief
period following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it has been more than 40 years
since public trust in government surpassed 50%.
As in the past, trust in government is higher among the party that controls
the White House than among members of the opposition party. However,
only 21% of Republicans say they trust the federal government, which is
about as low as at any point during Bush’s presidency (the previous GOP
administration). Just 14% of Democrats say the same, among the lowest
levels dating back more than 60 years.
While Americans have minimal trust in the federal government, they also
are skeptical of their own collective political wisdom. About four-in-ten
(39%) say they have a very great deal (7%) or good deal (31%) of trust and
confidence in the wisdom of the American people when it comes to making
political decisions. A 59% majority says they have not very much confidence
(47%) or no confidence at all (12%) in the public’s political wisdom.
Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to have at least
some confidence in the wisdom of the American people. But the share of
Republicans expressing at least a good deal of confidence in the public’s
wisdom has declined 11 percentage points from a year ago, before the
GOP’s losses in the midterm election.
Little change in views of government spending since 2017, but major
shifts since 2013
Public attitudes about whether government spending should be increased,
decreased or maintained are little changed since 2017 for most of the 13
program areas asked about in the survey. However, there is significantly
more support for increased spending in all 13 areas today than there was in
2013.

Roughly four-in-ten Americans (42%) say they would increase federal

spending for anti-terrorism defenses in the U.S., about the same as in 2017.
But in 2013, only about a third (32%) favored increased spending for anti-
terrorism defense. In early 2002, a few months after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks, a majority (63%) supported increased spending for terrorism
defenses.
The share of Americans who favor increased spending on military defense,
which rose in 2017, has slipped 6 percentage points since then (from 46%
to 40%). Most of the decline has come among Republicans; 56% favor
higher defense spending today, compared with 71% who did so two years
ago. However, the share of Republicans who support cuttingdefense
spending remains low (10%).
More Republicans support maintaining the status quo in defense spending
today than in 2017 (34% now, 20% then).
Just 26% of Democrats favor increased spending for military defense, little
changed since 2017. About three-in-ten Democrats (31%) support decreased
defense spending, nearly three times the share of Republicans who say this.
Increased government spending for veterans’ benefits continues to draw
broad bipartisan public support. About seven-in-ten Americans (72%) – and
identical shares in both parties (72% each) –say spending should be
increased. Two years ago, a similar share (75%) said this, though
significantly fewer Americans (53%) supported increased spending for
veterans benefits in 2013.
As is the case with
veterans benefits,
increased spending for
infrastructure is
supported by majorities
in both parties. Since
2013, the share of
Republicans who favor
higher spending for
rebuilding roads,
bridges and highways
has increased 24
percentage points
(from 33% to 57%), and
there has been a
comparable increase
among Democrats
(from 44% to 64%).
Widening partisan gap in views of spending on foreign aid
As was the case in 2017, the public is divided in opinions about whether
economic assistance for needy people around the world should be increased
(35%), maintained at
its current level (33%)
or decreased (28%).
Since 2013, however,
the share of Americans
who favor increased
spending for needy
people overseas has
risen 14 percentage
points (from 21% to
35%), while the share
who support decreased
spending has declined
20 points (from 48% to
28%).
About half of
Democrats (49%) say
economic aid to needy
people around the
world should be increased, up modestly from 41% in 2017. Six years ago,
just 30% said spending should be increased.
Republicans are much
less supportive of
increased economic
assistance to the needy
around the world – just
15% say spending
should be increased,
and this number has
not changed much
since 2009.
Support for increased
spending on health
care is much higher
than it was in 2013, but
not as high as it was in
the early 2000s. Today,
about half (53%) say they would increase spending on healthcare. In 2013,
about four-in-ten (38%) said this. But in 2001, fully seven-in-ten Americans
(71%) said spending for health care should be increased.
Democrats continue to
be much more likely to
say spending should be
increased than
Republicans – about
seven-in-ten Democrats
(73%) say this,
compared with just
27% of Republicans.
The numbers saying
this in both parties are
largely unchanged
since 2017, though
both parties are more
likely to say this than
they were six years
ago.
More than half of the
public (55%) say they
would increase spending on environmental protection if they were making
up the budget for the federal government this year. This is larger than the
46% who said this in 2017 and much larger than the one-third of Americans
who said they would increase spending in 2013.
The share of Democrats saying they would increase spending on
environmental protection has risen steadily since 2011. And the nearly
three-quarters (73%) who say they would increase spending today is 12-
percentage points higher than it was two years ago.
Republican views are little different than they were in 2017. However, GOP
support for increasing spending for environmental protection is significantly
higher than it was in 2013 (29% say this now, compared with 11% then).
Views of size and scope of government
 The public is split in their general
preferences on the size and scope of
government: 47% say they would
rather have a smaller government
providing fewer services while an
identical share say they would prefer
a bigger government providing more
services.
There are sizable differences in
these attitudes by gender, income
and partisanship.
While more men prefer a smaller
government to a bigger government
(59% to 37%), the balance of opinion
is reverse among women; 58%
prefer a larger government, while
36% say they would rather have a
smaller government.
A majority of those with family
incomes of $75,000 or more (60%)
say they would rather have smaller
government with fewer services. In
contrast, most of those with incomes
of less than $30,000 (62%) prefer a
bigger government providing more
services. Views are about evenly
divided among those with incomes
between $30,000 and $75,000.
Adults ages 50 and older are slightly
more likely than those younger than
50 to prefer smaller government –
though views are relatively divided
among adults across age groups.
There continue to be large partisan differences in views of the size of
government. Nearly three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning
independents (74%) say they prefer a smaller government with fewer
services. Conservative Republicans are more likely than moderate or liberal
Republicans to express this preference (82% to 57%).
In contrast, Democrats are more likely to say they prefer a bigger
government with more services (67%) to a smaller government providing
fewer services (27%). There are no significant ideological differences among
Democrats.
Public trust in the federal government remains low
As has been the case for more than a decade, the public’s trust in the
federal government to do what is right remains historically low. Today, just
17% of adults say they trust the federal government to do what is right “just
about always” (3%) or “most of the time” (14%). A large majority (71%) says
they trust the government “only some of the time”; 10% volunteer that they
never trust the federal government.

Just 21% of Republicans say they trust the federal government at least most
of the time. Trust in government among Republicans is significantly higher
than it was during Barack Obama’s tenure as president, having risen after
the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Still, the share of Republicans
expressing trust in government remains lower than it was during most of
George W. Bush’s years as president.
Democrats are even less likely than Republicans to say they trust the
federal government: Only 14% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning
independents say they trust government most of the time or just about
always. This is much lower than the share who said this during Obama’s
presidency, and among the lowest levels recorded among Democrats since
the question was first asked 60 years ago.
When asked about their feelings toward the federal government, a majority
(57%) say they are frustrated, while 21% say they are angry and 18% say
they are basically content.
Overall, the public’s feelings toward the federal government are roughly the
same as those expressed throughout much of Obama’s presidency. The
current level of anger toward the federal government is similar to levels
seen over the last few years, though lower than it was in October 2013,
during a two-week government shutdown.
Since Trump has taken office, Democrats have been more likely than
Republicans to say they feel angry toward the federal government. Today, a
quarter of Democrats (25%) say this compared with 18% of Republicans.
Levels of anger toward the federal
government have fallen significantly
among Republicans since the end of
Obama’s administration. In early 2016, a
third of Republicans and Republican-
leaning independents (33%) said they
felt angry toward the federal
government. Today, fewer Republicans
express anger at the federal government
(18%). Most say they feel frustrated
(55%), while 24% say they are content.
Over the same period, Democrats have
grown more likely to say they are angry.
In 2016, 11% of Democrats and
Democratic leaners said they felt this way toward the federal government.
Today, more than twice as many Democrats say they feel angry (25%). Still,
frustration remains the predominant feeling toward government among
Democrats: 59% say they feel this way; just 14% say they are basically
content.
Most lack confidence in public’s political wisdom
A majority of adults say they have little or no
confidence in the wisdom of the American
people when it comes to making political
decisions (59%). Fewer say they have a very
great deal or good deal of confidence (39%).
Among the general public, views regarding
the political wisdom of the American people
are largely unchanged over the past year.
Republicans, however, have become less
likely to express trust and confidence in the
wisdom of the American people when it
comes to political decisions. In March 2018,
prior to the Democratic Party winning
control of the House of Representatives, a
narrow majority of Republicans said they
have a very great or good deal of confidence (54%). Today, fewer than half
(43%) of Republicans express confidence.
During that same period, Democrats’ views
have remained mostly unchanged. A year
ago, 32% of Democrats expressed
confidence in the political wisdom of the
American people. Today, 36% say this.
Most Democrats continue to say they have
not very much (50%) or no confidence at all
(11%) in the political wisdom of the
American people.

Article 4:

As College Debt Rises, So Does Interest in Teaching

Financial Literacy

After languishing for a few years, support for teaching money-management

skills to high school students has reignited, financial literacy advocates say.
They attribute much of the newfound interest to worries about
mushrooming student debt.
High school students “are asked to make a consequential decision,” said
Annamaria Lusardi, founder and academic director of the Global Financial
Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University’s School of
Business. “Whether or not to go to college, and how to finance that
decision.”
The Council for Economic Education, which promotes economic and
financial instruction, reported last year that just 17 states required high
school students to complete a course in personal finance — unchanged from
the council’s report published two years earlier.
But a recent flurry of mandates and proposals in more than a dozen states
suggests that efforts to formally include money matters in high school
classrooms are gaining traction.
“There was a lull,” said Nan Morrison, the council’s chief executive. “But
now we’re seeing movement.”
Iowa, for example, passed a law in 2018 requiring all high school students,
beginning with the class of 2020, to complete a half-year personal finance
course as a graduation requirement.
And Kentucky passed a law last year requiring students to take courses or
programs that meet state financial literacy standards as a graduation
requirement, starting with the class of 2025.
This year, laws were proposed in several states to enhance financial
education. They include a bill introduced in Florida that would require high
school students to take a course to learn about credit scores and other
money management topics.
And a measure introduced in Rhode Island would require all public high
schools to offer a class that included personal finance beginning in the
coming school year. The measure would also require students to
demonstrate proficiency in personal finance by the 2021-22 school year.
Ms. Lusardi, at George Washington University, said research showed that
one in five American high school students lacked even basic financial
skills — such as the ability to interpret a pay stub to determine how much
money will be deposited into their bank account or the savvy to avoid being
tricked into sharing an online bank account logon.
The average student debt in 2017 was about $29,000, according to the
Institute for College Access and Success. About a million borrowers
default for the first time on their federal student loans each year, a report
from the Urban Institute found.
The latest steps taken by various states may help their financial literacy
“report cards,” said John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial
Literacy at Champlain College in Vermont. Under Mr. Pelletier’s oversight,
the center compiles a periodic report that assigns each state a letter grade,
based on its commitment to financial literacy instruction.
Just five states earned an A in the center’s most recent analysis, which was
issued early last year and included data as of mid-November 2017. But Mr.
Pelletier said he expected that several states might improve their grades in
his next report, due at the end of this year.
“There’s been movement, for sure,” Mr. Pelletier said, adding that whether
all the proposals become law remains to be seen.
Here are some questions and answers about financial literacy efforts:
How can I find out if my school district offers personal finance
instruction?
The JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a nonprofit group
that promotes financial education in schools, recently started
the Groundswell initiative with the aim of increasing financial literacy
programs by 25 percent by 2025.
The program’s new website, [Link], lets users search by
their school district to see what sort of personal finance instruction is
offered. The program also provides suggestions for parents and families to
push for adoption of new courses.
What topics should a high school personal finance class cover?
Several groups, including the Council for Economic Education, publish
standards along with benchmarks for each grade level. The council’s
benchmarks advise that by Grade 12, for instance, students should be able
to calculate how much a 10-year-old would need to save today to pay one
year of college tuition eight years in the future.
Mr. Pelletier said the instruction should include bedrock financial concepts,
like the effect of compound interest on savings and investments, and lessons
on how your credit score affects borrowing costs over time.
How can parents encourage financial literacy at home?
Many parents are uncomfortable talking about money, advocates say, or
don’t know where to start. Fast Lane, a new initiative of the Global
Financial Literacy Excellence Center that seeks to expand financial
education in high schools, offers free, research-based resources not only for
educators but also for parents of high school students. The site includes
suggestions for online money games that families can play together to help
break the ice.
Also, JumpStart offers a clearinghouse of resources, searchable by age and
topic, to help generate conversation; some are free.