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 bee a violent adult. About two-thirds to three-quarters of violent youth grow out of it. “They get more self-controlled.”
【小题1】What does the underlined word “irrational” in the 2nd paragraph mean?A．Quick.B．Crazy.C．Careful.D．Correct.【小题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.【小题3】How does Laurence explain the influence of peer pressure on teens’ behavior?A．By paring it with how a car works.B．By paring it with an accident.C．By showing research findings.D．By giving examples.【小题4】According to the text, with peers around them, teenagers are more likely to . A．use more self-controlB．perform better than when they are aloneC．bee more careful about what they doD．care about winning without thinking about dangerB
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(答案→)B
解析：试题分析：文章大意：你家有孩子处于青少年阶段吗？有人认为家里有个青少年是件令人头疼的事。青少年吸烟、喝酒甚至打架，他们经常做一些危险的事情。但不必担心，研究表明暴力青少年并不一定会成为暴力成年人。
【小题1】B词义猜测题。承接第一段青少年的消极表现，再根据句意：早期的研究表明青少年很有可能比其他人群作出更疯狂的（crazy）决定。故B正确。
【小题2】D 细节理解题。根据第四段and also they care more about what they think of them. 他们在意别人对他们的看法，这很可能就是他们会做出错误决定的原因，所以D正确。
【小题3】A 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段可推知答案为A，Laurence把青少年的大脑比喻成油门好而刹车差的汽车，由此来解释来自同龄人的压力对他们行为的影响。所以答案选A。
【小题4】D 细节理解题。根据第五段they took more chances and drove more carelessly because that would increase their possibility of winning. 因为他们想赢所以就很冒险，开起来很粗心。所以答案选D。