2005年12月24四级A卷参考答案(北文详解版)

　　Were you the first or last child in your family? Or were you a middle or an only child? Some people think it matters where you were born in your family. But there are different ideas about what birth order means. Some people say that oldest children are smart and strong-willed. They are very likely to be successful. The reason for this is simple: parents have a lot of time for their first child, they give him or her a lot of attention. So this child is very likely to do well. An only child will succeed for the same reason. What happens to the other children in a family? Middle children don’t get so much attention, so they don’t feel that important. If a family has many children, the middle ones sometimes get lost in the crowd. The youngest child, though, often gets special treatment. He or shi is the baby. Often this child grows up to be funny and charming. Do you believe these ideas about birth order too? A recent study saw things quite differently. The study found that first children believe in family rules. They didn’t take many chances in their lives. They usually followed orders. Rules didn’t mean as much to later children in a family. They went out and followed their own ideas. They took chances and they often did better in life.

　　Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　Q14. According to common belief, in what way are the first child and the only child alike?

　　A) They strongly believe in family rules.

　　{B) They are very likely to succeed in life.}

　　C) They tend to take responsibility for themselves

　　D) They are in the habit of obeying their parents.

　　Q15. What do people usually say about middle children?

　　A) They grow up to be funny and charming.

　　B) They often have a poor sense of direction.

　　{C) They get less attention from their parents.}

　　D) They tend to be smart and strong-willed.

　　Q16. What do we learn about later children in a family from a recent study of birth order?

　　{A) They usually don’t follow family rules.}

　　B) They don’t like to take chances in their lives.

　　C) They are less likely to be successful in life.

　　D) They tend to believe in their parent’s ideas.