B
What do you want to be when you grow up? Would you like to be a scientist or an artist? If you have brothers or sisters, the order in which you were born may affect your choice of jobs. The birth order can affect people and their personalities.
A group of British scientists studied 500 people from 11 different job groups. They found that older children are more likely to become astronauts (宇航员) and scientists. NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong and British scientist Stephen Hawking were both the oldest children in their families.
That is probably because parents usually treat older children more strictly than younger children. This gives them a more disciplined (遵守纪律的) personality.
The scientists also found that middle children are 30 per cent more likely to become CEOs than their brothers and sisters.
The scientists said that this could be because middle children need to do more to get attention from their parents. This makes them more competitive (有竞争力的), flexible (灵活变通的) and good at communicating. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, for example, is a middle child.
Younger children, on the other hand, are more likely to be the “softest”. They get
attention by learning to pay attention to other people’s thoughts. This makes them sensitive (敏感的).
Therefore, younger children are more likely to become musicians. German musician Johann Sebastian Bach and Austrian composer (作曲家) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were both the youngest children in their families.
The study results also showed that only children are more likely to become artists. They get full attention from their parents and are freer to develop themselves. This makes them more creative and confident.
() 41. According to the passage, who is more likely to become a scientist?
A. The youngest child.
B. The oldest child.
C. The middle child.
D. The only child.
() 42. What does the underlined word “this” refer to in paragraph 5?
A. Middle children work harder to get their parents’ attention.
B. Parents treat older children more strictly than others.
C. Mark Zuckerberg is the middle child.
D. The only child gets full attention from their parents.
() 43. What may a musician be like according to the passage?
A. Strict with themselves.
B. Competitive and flexible.
C. Sensitive to others’ feelings.
D. Clever and confident.
() 44. What does the writer use most in this passage?
A. Numbers.
B. Famous people’s words.
C. Questions.
D. Examples.
() 45. What can we know from the passage?
A. Parents give each of their children full attention in their family.
B. Children can be what they want to be when they grow up.
C. Parents treat their children in different ways in their family.
D. Children can develop themselves on their own in their family.