Question

【题目】 Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure (失败). In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame (责备) themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk (风险) taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

For shy people, it can be difcult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversation. And don't forget — if you are shy, you are not the only one.

【1】What can you learn from the passage?

A.Most little babies are born shy and quiet.

B.If you are shy now, you will be shy forever.

C.Most Israeli people are shy of expressing opinions.

D.Many shy children have older brothers and sisters.

【2】What can cause shyness according to the passage?

A.Genetics, grow-ups and birthplace.B.Family size, grow-ups and failure.

C.Genetics, family size and birthplace.D.Genetics, family size and failure.

【3】What is the writer's main purpose in writing this passage?

A.To encourage people to study shyness more.B.To introduce the reasons why people are shy.

C.To explain why scientists study shyness.D.To show why shyness makes people fail.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】C

【3】B

【解析】

文章大意：本文主要说明害羞的原因。主要包括一下内容：文章首先说明害羞是一种普遍现象。文章分别介绍了害羞的三种原因：遗传原因、家庭大小、出生地。文章最后对克服害羞给出了一些建议。指出，要多尝试新事物，要多讲话。

【1】细节理解题．根据Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children．They found that 66percent of them had older brothers and sisters．可知，哈佛科学家对害羞的孩子进行了研究，结果发现66%的害羞孩子都有哥哥或姐姐，故答案为D。

【2】细节理解题。根据As a result，scientists think that some shyness is genetic．可知，害羞可能是遗传过来的，即genetic；根据Family size might cause people to be shy as well．可知，家庭大小也会造成孩子的害羞，因此family size正确；根据You may also be shy because of where you were born．可知，你可能因为你出生的地方而害羞，因此birthplace也会导致害羞，因此应该是genetics、family size和birthplace；可知，故答案为C。

【3】推理判断题。作者写这篇文章的主要目的是主要说明害羞的原因，首先说明害羞是一种普遍现象。文章分别介绍了害羞的三种原因：遗传原因、家庭大小、出生地。可知，故答案为B。