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Having an older brother comes with plenty of benefits. Big brothers tend to look out for their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹),and despite the occasional rocky moment here and there, many siblings enjoy life-long close relationships. However, a new study finds an interesting downside: children with older brothers take longer when it comes to developing language skills.

The study, conducted by a group of researchers in Paris, France, builds upon earlier research that had already established that having older siblings is associated with poor linguistic(语言的)development. Now, researchers say they have come to a more specific conclusion: only children with an older brother exhibit these linguistic difficulties.

One would assume that children with older brothers would grow up around more conversation on a daily basis, thus speeding up their language development. Yet researchers say such children actually take longer than their older brothers to begin developing these skills.

Researchers studied more than 1,000 children from birth to the age of five-and-a-half years old. Each child’s language skills were tested at ages 2,3,and 5.5,using tests specially designed to measure numerous aspects of language development such as vocabulary, syntax, and verbal reasoning.

What the research team discovered was significant: children with an older brother had, on average, a two-month delay in their language development compared to those with an older sister.

As far as explaining this phenomenon, researchers have proposed two hypotheses(假设).The first is that older sisters tend to talk more often than older brothers, which would compensate for parents potentially being less present than they were for their first child. The second hypothesis is that older sisters usually compete with their siblings less than older brothers for their parents’ attention.

As of now, the study’s authors say they can’t say for certain why children with older brothers have a harder time developing language skills. In the future they would like to investigate if culture or location affects the results of these studies.

1.What does the underlined word“downside”in paragraph 1 mean?

A.difficulty B.drawback C.mistake D.burden

2.What does the previous research suggest about older siblings?

A.Having older siblings will affect the younger one’s language development.

B.Many children prefer having brothers and sisters.

C.Older brothers may have something to do with the linguistic difficulties.

D.Children with older siblings would grow up around more conversation.

3.Why do children with older brothers experience the delay in language development?

A.Parents tend to focus more on the first child.

B.Older sisters are more caring than older brothers.

C.Older brothers always seek to get more attention from their parents.

D.Younger children are always ignored by their older brothers.

4.What will further research of the study focus on?

A.The reasons for children’s delay in language development.

B.Other aspects that may influence the outcomes of the study.

C.More assumptions to explain the phenomenon.

D.The effect of culture on children’s language learning.

高三英语阅读选择中等难度题

少年,再来一题如何?
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