Question

Picky eaters may have good reasons for their behaviour. No matter why your child has become picky, how you handle the situation can affect his or her future. Therefore, you should know the following reasons for picky children first of all.

Neophobia is common in children; it often happens at the dinner table. Some children just refuse to try new food because they don’t know what it will taste like, while others dislike new food before even smelling it. Some children take it to the extreme(极端) and will only eat a few foods that they like. Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Capaldi says that, by the time children reach the age of two, they have formed their own eating habits that they don’t want to be disturbed by new offerings at the table.

A newly published study led by Dr. Lucy Cooke of University College London showed that picky eating in children results from genetic(遗传的) and environmental causes. The research, which followed the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between the ages of 8 and 11, found that about 75% of the neophobia in the children was from their parents, while 25% was due to the influence of environment.

Children grow at a high speed during their first year, but that fast-paced growth tends to slow down by their second year. When children are not experiencing one of those fast growth periods, their body needs less energy; and that results in a smaller appetite(胃口). When children are not hungry, they tend to enjoy only food they like. They refuse new food and food that is not their favourite. Some children will limit the amount of food to only one kind, like hamburgers or pancakes, leaving all the other foods untouched.

In some cases, many real reasons why a child behaves as a picky eater exist. About 5% of children who are 10 years of age or younger have some type of neurological dysfunction(神经机能障碍) that influences their eating habits. These children may be easily hurt by some special smells, or their brain may not be able to process such sensory information properly.

1.The underlined word “Neophobia”in Paragraph 2 probably means_________.

A．the fear of something new or unknown

B．the worry about the amount of new food

C．the feeling of eating at the dinner table

D．the fear of eating tasty food

2.What can we learn about the study led by Dr. Cooke?

A．It paid more attention to the environmental effects on children’s eating habits.

B．It followed the eating habits of 5,390 children aged between 8 and 11.

C．It showed that genetics greatly affect children’s eating habits.

D．It suggested that parents should have good eating habits.

3.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that_______.

A．children’s growth speed stays the same in the first two years

B．children develop their own diet when they grow up

C．children tends to eat less when they grow up

D．children’s growth has an effect on their diet

4.The reason mentioned in the last paragraph has something to do with a child’s_______.

A．exercise B．sense C．habit D．Interest

Answer 1

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章主要对孩子们挑食的各种原因进行了说明，可能是孩子们的厌新症，也可能是遗传因素；有可能是受环境的影响，还有可能是神经技能障碍引起的。

1. children just refuse to try new food because they don’t know what it will taste like, while others dislike new food before even smelling it.可知一些孩子们不愿意去尝试一些新的食物，这个词主要表达的是对新鲜事物的恐惧，故选A。

2. newly published study led by Dr. Lucy Cooke of University College London showed that picky eating in children results from genetic(遗传的) and environmental causes.可知该研究表明遗传因素对孩子的饮食习惯有很大影响，故选C。

3. children are not experiencing one of those fast growth periods, their body needs less energy; and that results in a smaller appetite(胃口).和第四段的大意可知孩子们的成长对于他们的饮食需要也有影响，故选D。

4. children may be easily hurt by some special smells, or their brain may not be able to process such sensory information properly.可知有些受到神经机能障碍影响的孩子们，需要对感官进行矫正，故选B。

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