Question

Having a teenager at home can be a real headache. Many teenagers smoke, wear strange hairstyle and even fight. Basically (基本上) , they are often taking risks.

Earlier studies have shown that teenagers are more likely 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 (同龄人) 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 (油门) but a weak brake (刹车). 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 often taking risks 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 influence on teens’ behavior?

A. By using a metaphor (比喻).

B. By giving examples.

C. By presenting research findings.

D. By performing an in-depth analysis (分析).

4.According to the text, with peers around them, teenagers tend to (倾向于) ______.

A. use more self-control

B. become more careful about what they do

C. perform better than when they are alone

D. focus more on short-term benefits（利益）

5.What can we learn from the text?

A. Teenagers are easy to have traffic accidents.

B. Peer influence is bad on teenagers.

C. Most of the teenagers become less violent when they grow up.

D. Teenagers shouldn’t spend all the free time with their friends.

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.D

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：短文大意：先前的研究已经表明，青少年比任何其他年龄组的人更容易做出非理性的决定，这是青少年太年轻不能明辨是非？不完全是。那么是什么原因？根据劳伦斯的研究原因是青少年关心同龄人如何看他。但好的消息是，暴力青少年不一定成为一个暴力的成人。大约三分之二到四分之三的暴力青年长大后能自我控制。

1.词义猜测题。根据后面的句子Is it that teenagers are too young to tell right from wrong?可知划线词所在句子句意为：先前的研究已经表明，青少年比任何其他年龄组的人更容易做出非理性的决定，所以该选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段末the reason is that teenagers care a lot about how their peers (同龄人) view them—that is “peer influence”.可知该选D。

3.细节理解题。根据第七段第一句As Laurence sees it, a teenager’s brain is like a car with a good accelerator (油门) but a weak brake (刹车).可知该选A。

4.推理判断题。根据短文内容可知青少年更加关注注重短期效益，所以该选D。

5.细节理解题。根据短文最后About two-thirds to three-quarters of violent youth grow out of it. “They get more self-controlled.可知该选C。

考点：日常生活类阅读。