Question

    Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B.C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population(人口) is left-handed.

Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person’s two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person’s hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.

No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged when they are born. However, this doesn’t happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因) for right-handedness, he/ she may become either right-handed or left-handed according to the chance and the people they work or live with.

Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no more think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don’t have to.

1.How many people in the world are left-handed now?

A.Less than one sixth. B.More than a half.

C.About 40%. D.The passage doesn’t tell us.

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A.No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed.

B.Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness.

C.Today children are not made to use their right hands only.

D.Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed.

3.The best title for this passage is _______

A.Scientists’ New Inventions B.Left-handed People

C.Which Hand D.Different Brains, Different Hand

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

【解析】

短文叙述了全世界大多数人都是右撇子。历史上似乎也是如此，1799年，科学家研究从公元前1500年到1950年代的艺术作品。展示的大多数是右撇子的作品，因此科学家们猜测，右撇子一直是常见的。如今，只有约10%至15%的世界人口是左撇子。现在虽然右撇子比左撇子更常见，但是人们不再认为左撇子是奇怪的或不寻常的。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句“Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population(人口) is left-handed.”可知，如今只有约10%至15%的世界人口是左撇子，也就是不到六分之一。故选 A

2.推理判断题。根据文章第3段“No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed”可知，没有人真正知道是什么原因，让一个人使用右手而不是左手，故选项A正确；根据最后一段“A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don’t have to”可知，现在孩子们不用必须用右手，故选项C正确。根据第三段“so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed.”可知科学家们认为有人变成左撇子一定有另外的原因，故选项D正确；唯独文章没有提到左撇子比使用右手的人更聪明，故选项B错误。故选B。

3.主旨大意题。本文主要讨论的是左撇子还是使用右手的话题，从古到今，作者都做了详细地阐述。故选C。