Question

When Joan gave birth to the first boy in her family in three generations, she and her husband were overjoyed. So were her parents. Joan expected her elder sister, Sally, to be just as delighted as them. Joan had always admired Sally--the beauty and the star of the family--and felt happy about her achievements.

But since the baby's arrival, the sisters have become distant. Joan feels hurt for Sally seems completely uninterested in her baby. Sally, who has no children, claims that her younger sister "acts as if no one ever had a baby before."

Neither Sally nor Joan understands that the real cause of the current coldness is that their family roles have suddenly changed to the opposite. Finally Joan seems to be better than her elder sister--and Sally doesn't like it! Their distance may be temporary, but it shows that childhood competition don't fade easily as ages grow. It can remain powerful in relationships throughout life.

In a study of the University of Cincinnati, 65 men and women between ages 25 and 93 were asked how they felt about their brothers and sisters. Nearly 75 percent admitted having hidden competitive feelings. In a few cases, these emotions were so strong as to have affected their entire lives.

Many adult brothers and sisters are close, supportive--yet still tend to compete. Two brothers I know turn into killers when on opposite sides of a tennis net. Off the court, they are the best of friends. My own younger sister can't wait to tell me when I've put on weight. However, she's a terrible cook and that pleases me; I tease her when she comes to dinner. Happily, despite these small failings, we have been an important resource for each other.

In between the very competitive and the generally supportive children lie those who say that no friendship should survive. Some brothers and sisters stay at arm's length, but never give up competition completely. Why do these puzzling, unproductive, often painful relationships continue to exist?

1.When Joan's son was born, Sally .

A. felt very happy B. felt not delighted C. moved away D. admired her a lot

2.What happens to children's desire to compete with their brothers and sisters?

A. It sometimes will disappear when they grow up.

B. It will never disappear throughout life.

C. It will improve their relationships when they grow up.

D. It will never harm their relationships when they grow up.

3.Why does the author's sister often tell her when she's put on weight?

A. Because she wants the author to go on a diet.

B. Because she wants the author to stop calling her a bad cook.

C. Because she wants to make fun of the author's weight.

D. Because she wants to be honest with the author.

4.The underlined sentence means that although some brothers and sisters .

A. live near each other, they still have competitions

B. live away from each other, they stop their competitions

C. live together, they often think of ending their competitions

D. live within a big family, they often try to end their competitions

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：文章主要講述的是兄弟姐妹之間存在的相互競爭的現象。兄弟姐妹之間的相互競爭現象不會輕易消除，甚至還會伴隨他們一生。

1.But since the baby's arrival, the sisters have become distant. Joan feels hurt for Sally seems completely uninterested in her baby.”可知，Sally對新生兒的到來不敢興趣，她不是很開心，故選B。

2.but it shows that childhood competition don't fade easily as ages grow. It can remain powerful in relationships throughout life.”可知，童年時期兄弟姐妹間的競爭不會輕易消退，甚至會伴隨終生。故選B。

3.Many adult brothers and sisters are close, supportive--yet still tend to compete... My own younger sister can't wait to tell me when I've put on weight.”可知，許多成年后的兄弟姐妹間，依然存在競爭，作者體重增加時，她妹妹就會拿她的體重開玩笑，故選C。

4.Some brothers and sisters stay at arm's length, but never give up competition completely.的意思是“一些離得很近的兄弟姐妹，也不可能完全消除競爭。”與A項意思相符，故選A。

考點：家庭類短文閱讀