Question

Having a teenager at home can be a real headache. Many teenagers smoke, drink and even fight. They often do something dangerous.

Earlier studies have shown that teenagers are more likely (可能) to make irrational decisions than people from any other age group, including children and adults. Is it that teenagers are too young to tell right from wrong? Not really. So what’s the reason?

According to Laurence, a teacher from a US university, the reason is that teenagers care a lot about how their peers (同齡人) view them—that is “peer influence”.

As children enter their teenage years, they spend more time with their friends and classmates, and also they care more about what they think of them. This makes teenagers make decisions without thinking about the costs.

In a test, a group of teenagers were asked to play a video driving game. When they played with their friends watching around them, they took more chances and drove more carelessly because that would increase their possibility of winning. But when they played alone, they drove more safely.

Why do peers have such a big influence on teens’ behavior?

As Laurence sees it, a teenager’s brain is like a car with a good accelerator (油門) but a weak brake (剎車). The “accelerator” is fully developed by teenage years while the “brake” is still not fully developed. When teenagers are watched by their peers, they usually push hard on the accelerator. With their weak brake, it is likely that they are going to end up in an accident.

But the good news is that a violent (暴力的)teenager doesn’t necessarily become a violent adult. About two-thirds to three-quarters of violent youth grow out of it. “They get more self-controlled.”

1.What does the underlined word “irrational” in the 2nd paragraph mean?

A. Quick.B. Crazy.C. Careful.D. Correct.

2.Why are teenagers likely to make wrong decisions according to the text?

A. They like difficult tasks.

B. They don’t care about costs.

C. They are too young to tell right from wrong.

D. They care a lot about what their peers think of them.

3.How does Laurence explain the influence of peer pressure on teens’ behavior?

A. By comparing it with how a car works.

B. By comparing it with an accident.

C. By showing research findings.

D. By giving examples.

4.According to the text, with peers around them, teenagers are more likely to _______ .

A. use more self-control

B. perform better than when they are alone

C. become more careful about what they do

D. care about winning without thinking about danger

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.D

【解析】試題分析：文章大意：你家有孩子處于青少年階段嗎？有人認為家里有個青少年是件令人頭疼的事。青少年吸煙、喝酒甚至打架，他們經常做一些危險的事情。但不必擔心，研究表明暴力青少年并不一定會成為暴力成年人。

1.B詞義猜測題。承接第一段青少年的消極表現，再根據句意：早期的研究表明青少年很有可能比其他人群作出更瘋狂的（crazy）決定。故B正確。

2.細節(jié)理解題。根據第四段and also they care more about what they think of them. 他們在意別人對他們的看法，這很可能就是他們會做出錯誤決定的原因，所以D正確。

3.A 推理判斷題。根據倒數第二段可推知答案為A，Laurence把青少年的大腦比喻成油門好而剎車差的汽車，由此來解釋來自同齡人的壓力對他們行為的影響。所以答案選A。

4.D 細節(jié)理解題。根據第五段they took more chances and drove more carelessly because that would increase their possibility of winning. 因為他們想贏所以就很冒險，開起來很粗心。所以答案選D。

考點：考查調查研究類閱讀。