Question

People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are too many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of our shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.

Look at one of the most famous shy people of them all, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.

I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we grow up and become adults, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul.

1.In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as　　　.

A. a not very normal mental condition

B. a disease that can be easily cured

C. something we pick up after birth

D. a kind of emotional disability

2.From the passage, we know that Johnny Carson　　　.

A. has dealt with shyness very successfully

B. has done away with his shyness carefully

C. is described as a hero in some legend books

D. failed to become a good talk show host

3. The passage tells us that Sally Fields was　　　.

A. proud all the time

B. close to Jane Fonda

C. impolite when young

D. shy in her early years

4.The author thinks that our shyness is there because　　　.

A. we are not open enough

B. we don’t feel secure at heart

C. we try to reach out to others all the time

D. we lack some social skills

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

【文章大意】羞怯是一种天生的人性, 然而羞怯并不意味着无法参加社会生活中的交际, 作者用名人的例子证明了这一点。

1.选D。细节理解题。根据第一段中的I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. 可知作者认为害羞是一种情绪障碍, 故选D项。

2.2】选A。细节理解题。根据第二段中的Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, 可知虽然Carson未能除掉害羞这一障碍但他还是成功地找到了解决这一困难的方法, 故A项正确。

3.3】选D。细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句中的yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her. 可知选D项。

4.4】选B。推理判断题。根据最后一段中的I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. 可知作者认为人们之所以羞怯是因为他们天生缺乏某种安全感。故选B项。