“Oh, you must have been a spoiled (宠坏的) kid. You must be really bossy. I wonder what you’re going to be like to deal with?” That’s often the response Angela Hult gets when people find out she’s an only child, she told ABC News. Despite such negative (消极的) remarks, Hult has decided to have only one child herself. And she’s not alone.

According to the US’ Office for National Statistics, women approaching the end of their childbearing years had an average of 1.9 children in 2004,compared with 3.1 for their counterparts in 1976.The percentage of one­child families in Britain had risen from 18 percent in 1972 to 26 percent in 2007.

But even though only children are becoming increasingly common，the traditional view that they’re selfish, spoiled and lack social skills holds strong. Even parents of only children, like Hult, are made to feel guilty about having only one child. Worried that they’re being selfish and endangering their child’s future, they flock to online discussion forums seeking advice. Soon, however, they ask themselves: is this social prejudice really reasonable?

“There have been hundreds and hundreds of research studies that show that only children are no different from their peers (同龄人), ” Susan Newman, a social psychologist at Rutgers University in the US，told ABC News.

This raises another question：why are only children still viewed with such suspicion?

“There is a belief that’s been around probably since humans first existed that to have just one child is somehow dangerous, both for you and for the continuation of your race, ” Toni Falbo, a professor of educational psychology, told the Guardian.“In the past a lot of children died. You’d have had to be crazy to only have one.”

Times, of course, have changed and infant mortality (婴儿死亡率) has largely reduced. So what do only children themselves say?

Kayley Kravitz, a blogger for The Huffington Post, grew up as an only child and highly recommends the experience.“Being an only child taught me the most valuable skill of all: the ability to be alone,” she said.

D-16．Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A
Are only children lonely?

B
Are only children common?

C
Are only children dangerous?

D
Are only children different?

正确答案：D学生答案：D
老师点评：
答案解析：
标题概括题。本文主要讨论了独生子女是否就是英国传统观念中的自私、娇气，缺少社交技能的人，所以D项最适合做文章的标题，故选D。

题型：单选题客观题分值2分难度：较难得分：2
17
阅读D-16题干中Passage One材料，完成本题。

D-17．What does Susan Newman mean?

A
Only children are as good as their peers.

B
Only children are more selfish and spoiled.

C
Parents feel guilty about having only one child.

D
Parents will endanger their only child’s future.

正确答案：A学生答案：A
老师点评：
答案解析：
细节理解题。根据第四段Susan Newman所说的话可知，成百上千的研究表明独生子女和别的孩子没有什么区别，故选A。

题型：单选题客观题分值2分难度：较难得分：2
18
阅读D-16题干中Passage One材料，完成本题。

D-18．What is the common belief since human existed?

A
The infant death rate always stays high.

B
People are crazy to have only one child.

C
It’s easy for only children to earn their living.

D
It’s hard to continue the family line with only one child.

正确答案：D学生答案：D
老师点评：
答案解析：
细节理解题。根据文章第六段中的“There is a belief that’s been around probably...both for you and for the continuation of your race”可知，自从人类存在以来，人们就认为只生一个孩子不论对你自己还是对种族的延续来说都是很危险的，故选D。

题型：单选题客观题分值2分难度：较难得分：2
19
阅读D-16题干中Passage One材料，完成本题。

D-19．An only child like Kayley ________.

A
must be difficult to persuade

B
can possibly learn to be alone

C
should value special skills

D
need ignore bad experience

正确答案：B学生答案：B
老师点评：
答案解析：
细节理解题。根据文章最后一段中“Being an only child...the ability to be alone”可知，选B。

题型：单选题客观题分值2分难度：较难得分：2
20
阅读D-16题干中Passage One材料，完成本题。

D-20．What’s the author’s attitude towards having only one child?

A
Neutral.

B
Negative.

C
Positive.

D
Doubtful.

---