Are you shy? If you are. you are not alone. In fact, close lo 50 percent of people are shy Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days. shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.
Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.
Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied said children. They found that 66 percent of them had elder brothers and sisters. The scientists said that these children were often bullied by their elder brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.
You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel (以色列),only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed they feel bad about themselves. They blame (责备)themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.
For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversations. And don't forget if you are shy. You are not the only one.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Happiness B.Shyness. C.Kindness D.Loneliness.
2.What does the underline word "genetic" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.父母传下来的 B.向朋友学的 C.老师教的 D.兄弟俩编的
3.What can be learned from the passage?
A.Most little babies are born shy and quiet.
B.If you are shy now, you will be shy forever.
C.Many shy children have older brothers and sisters.
D.Most Israeli people are shy of expressing opinions.
4.We can learn from the passage that may cause shyness.
A.genetics. grownups and birthplace B.genetics. family size and birthplace
C.family size. grownups and failure D.genetics, family size and freedom
5.Scientists suggest that shy people can get over the shyness by .
A.blaming their failure on outside reasons B.trying new things and practicing conversations
C.getting themselves away from their shy parents D.trying to underhand reasons for their shyness
An old man went to India. When he got there, he saw a lot of fruit for sale, but much of it was very expensive. Only a big basket of red fruit was cheap.
“How much per kilo?” the old man asked.
“Two rupees (卢比),” the shopkeeper answered. Two rupees in India is almost nothing. So the old man bought a kilogram and started eating them.
However, as soon as he started eating, his mouth began to burn, his eyes began to water and his whole face became as red as the fruit. As he coughed and struggled to breathe, he jumped up and down, screaming (尖叫), “Ah! Ah! Ah!”
And then he continued to eat the “fruit”!
Some people saw him and said, “Those are chili peppers (红辣椒)! You can’t just eat them by the handful (一大把)!”
The old man said, “I paid for them, so I must eat them.”
This old man must seem pretty stupid. But are we a lot smarter? In our life, all of us have put money, time and effort into something—maybe a relationship or a job—and sometimes, even if we know there’s no hope that things will get better, we still continue with it. Why? Because we’ve put in all that money, time and effort.
What we can learn from the old man is this: if you’ve lost a lot for something that doesn’t work, let it go and move on. It’s better than continuing losing.
根据短文内容判断对错，对的为“T”，错的为“F”。
1.The old man bought a kilogram of chili peppers because of the beautiful color.
2.Two rupees doesn’t mean a lot of money in India.
3.The old man continued eating because he was too hungry to stop.
4.The writer compares something in our life like a relationship or a job to the chili peppers in the story.
5.The story wants to tell us that sometimes we need to give up wisely.
Mr. Li was a teacher in a middle school in a big city. He had a_________and had a garage （车库)under his apartment. However, someone often parked their cars in front his garage._________ , he couldn't drive his car out of his garage. This made him quite_______ .When he found others write "No Parking" on the door of their garages, he _______ to write them on his own garage, too.
Mr. Li was good at writing, and his handwriting is very _______. He bought some _________paint and a paint brush, and then he wrote. "No Parking" on the door of his garage. The red words were so beautiful and great that many people said great to him. They said, "It shows that you are a _______ man."
He thought there would be _______ parking his car in front of his garage. He realized, however, that he was _______ the next morning. Someone still parked his car there like before Mr. Li was very angry with the man. Mr. Li went up to him at once when the man ________ his car in front of Mr. Li's garage as usual. “Why do you park your car here? Can't you see the words here?" asked Mr. Li.
"I saw it But I thought the words are so beautiful. Then you must be a knowledgeable man. You can't break or draw anything on my car. I believe in you. "The man said happily.
1.A.car B.bike C.motorbike
2.A.and B.but C.so
3.A.excited B.mad C.happy
4.A.allowed B.agreed C.decided
5.A.poor B.strange C.cool
6.A.black B.blue C.red
7.A.rude B.knowledgeable C.ugly
8.A.somebody B.anybody C.nobody
9.A.right B.wrong C.correct
10.A.stopped B.started C.broke
—Can I help you carry the big box?
—No, thanks. It looks big but very light. I can carry it with wet finger.
A.with a little help B.without any difficulty C.easy D.without my finger
—Working hard can lead to success
—You said it. And it can help us have a happy life in the future.
A.That’s all right B.That's all C.You are right D.Don't say so
—At this special time of the COVID-19, we have to wear masks (口罩)if we go out.
—________. It is responsible for ourselves and others.
A.Never mind B.I agree C.Sorry D.Not at all
