Question

How Many Lies Do the Children Tell You?

Mothers who feel their children don't appreciate them can add another grievance to the list: half the time, their children are lying to them．A study designed to expose the truth about lying shows that undergraduates lie to their mothers in 46% of their conversations．Still, mums should feel better than total strangers, who are told lies an astonishing 77% of the time．

Bella Depaulo and a team of psychologists from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, asked 77 undergraduates to keep a record of all their conversations for a week, and write down whether they lied at any time．DePaulo named lying broadly, as "when you intentionally try to mislead someone", so she would catch the smallest of lies.

The students told an average of two lies a day．They said they had been studying when they had been out drinking．One told his parents that a textbook cost $50 rather than $20 so that they would send him extra money．Female students constantly told their plain-looking roommates that they were pretty．"They are everyday lies," says DePaulo．

DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to. College students lied to their best friends 28% of the time but lied to acquaintances 48% of the time．In close relationships, people were more likely to tell "kind-hearted" lies, designed to protect feelings, rather than self-serving lies．

Students lied to romantic partners about a third of the time．DePaulo thinks that unmarried lovers can expect less honesty than best friends because of the insecurity that comes with romance．

Mothers can take heart from one other finding．They may have been lied to, but at least their children talked to them．The students were recorded telling few lies to their fathers because they had little interaction with them．

1.What is the meaning of the underlined word "grievance" in Paragraph 1?

A. complaintB. opinionC. beliefD. difficulty

2.According to the passage, college students felt closest to ________．

A. motherB. acquaintances

C. best friendsD. romantic partners

3.Female students lied to their roommates to ________.

A. make them happyB. offer them the services

C. gain more securityD. get money from them

4.What is the purpose of this article?

A. To explain a theory.B. To argue an idea.

C. To tell a story.D. To present a fact.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析: 文章通过调查介绍了关于孩子撒谎的一些事实，调查表明大学生经常和家人撒谎，但是和亲密的朋友撒谎不多，有的也是善意的谎言，在家里孩子和母亲撒谎比和对父亲多，因为和父亲的互动少。

1.A 词义猜测题。从冒号后面的内容：half the time, their children are lying to them. 可知，孩子会对父母撒谎，这是父母对孩子的抱怨的话，"grievance" 相当于complaint，选A。

2.C 推理判断题。从第三段的句子：DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to. College students lied to their best friends 28% of the time but lied to acquaintances 48% of the time.可知，研究表明，人们倾向于和亲近的人讲更少的谎言，大学生与最好的朋友讲谎言的时间只有28%，而和熟人是48%，故推断大学生与最好的朋友最亲近。故选C。

3.A 推理判断题。从第三段的句子：Female students constantly told their plain-looking roommates that they were pretty. "They are everyday lies,"可知，女学生经常和长相一般的室友说她们很漂亮，是因为想让她们高兴。故选A。

4.D 推理判断题。从第一段的句子：A study designed to expose the truth about lying shows that undergraduates lie to their mothers in 46% of their conversations. 可知，这篇文章就是为了陈述事实。故选D。

考点：考查社会现象类短文阅读。

【名师点睛】

关于细节理解题

用细节定位法：细节理解题属直接解答性问题，是阅读理解题中最简单的一种，多数属中低难度的送分题。但由于高考所占的比例很大，应特别引起注意。事实和细节题的命题特点是：把某词语、某个句子或某具体事实用不同于原文的另一方式或句型表达，即同义改写。解答这类题的窍门是：A)注意掌握英语的多种表达法；B)正确分析词语在句中的作用；C)熟练运用英语的句型转换；D)读懂题干所提出的问题，并准确地找到文中涉及该问题的句子。

比如文章第29题，就需要快速定位在文章的第三段的句子：DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to. College students lied to their best friends 28% of the time but lied to acquaintances 48% of the time. 可知，研究表明，人们倾向于和亲近的人讲更少的谎言，大学生与最好的朋友讲谎言的时间只有28%，而和熟人是48%，故推断大学生与最好的朋友最亲近。故选C。