Question

It’s official. Denmark---as well as being the world’s best country to live in for women with the second-happiest people and one of the best healthcare systems in Europe---has the most contented babies. Or, at least, the ones who cry the least. According to research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Danish, German and Japanese babies cry the least, while British, Canadian and Italian babies cry the most.

“I’m not surprised,” Danish parenting expert and co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting Jessica Alexander tells me. “The first year of a child’s life is considered so important in Denmark. Danish parents are much less stressed because they get good maternity and paternity leave (孕产假). The atmosphere is much calmer and, if mothers are getting more time off, that goes hand in hand with less stress, more contact, more routines and less crying.” She pauses before throwing in a final tip: “Oh, and Danish babies sleep outdoors a lot.”

In Denmark, a woman is given four weeks pregnancy leave followed by 52 weeks of paid leave that can be shared between parents. And Alexander thinks there is another important reason why Danish babies cry less: breastfeeding. “It’s just the done thing in Denmark,” she says of a country that has the world’s highest breastfeeding rates. “In other countries, there are continual discussions about whether you should or shouldn’t breastfeed. In Denmark, breastfeeding has never gone out of style. And everyone does it for a year.”

For Iben Sandahl, Alexander’s co-author, it comes down to the Danish attitude to life in general. “We are an honest and pure people,” she tells me. “We are surrounded by social support and are less likely to become angry, sad or annoyed when our babies are crying. And we are good at embracing (拥抱) all kinds of feelings, so we aren’t scared. Instead, we try to connect with the babies when they cry. It’s how babies communicate and it’s about trying to understand it.”

1.Which of the following can make a baby cry less?

A. An effective healthcare system.

B. More company from a parent.

C. An energetic busy mother.

D. More chances to meet fellow babies.

2.It can be learned from the text that ________.

A. something in the milk from breastfeeding can keep babies happy.

B. Demark is second to none in protecting its females’ rights.

C. Danish parents’ attitudes to a baby’s first year vary considerably

D. breastfeeding is a common and accepted practice in Denmark

3.When babies cry, Danish parents will probably ________.

A. try to figure out what they want

B. put them outdoors for a good sleep

C. seek social support for guidance

D. wait a moment for them to calm down

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

【解析】本文主要向我们说明，根据官方数据，丹麦是世界上最适合人们居住的国家，妇女第二幸福的人和在欧洲有最好的医疗保健系统和最知足的孩子。根据发表在《儿科学杂志》上的研究，丹麦、德国和日本的婴儿哭得最少，而英国、加拿大和意大利的婴儿哭得最多。本文向我们剖析了丹麦孩子哭得少的原因。

1.细节理解题。由“ Danish parents are much less stressed because they get good maternity and paternity leave (孕产假). The atmosphere is much calmer and, if mothers are getting more time off, that goes hand in hand with less stress, more contact, more routines and less crying.”丹麦的家长更强调因为他们得到好的产假和陪产假（孕产假）。气氛平静多了，如果妈妈们有更多的休息时间，那会伴随着更少的压力、更多的接触、更多的习惯和更少的哭泣。可知丹麦的孩子哭得少是因为有母亲更多的陪伴时间。故选B。

2.细节理解题。由“ And Alexander thinks there is another important reason why Danish babies cry less: breastfeeding. “It’s just the done thing in Denmark,” she says of a country that has the world’s highest breastfeeding rates. “In other countries, there are continual discussions about whether you should or shouldn’t breastfeed. In Denmark, breastfeeding has never gone out of style.”亚力山大认为丹麦婴儿少哭的另一个重要原因是：母乳喂养。“这只是在丹麦做的事情，”她说，一个拥有世界上最高的母乳喂养率的国家。“在其他国家，有关于是否应该或不应该母乳喂养的持续讨论。在丹麦，母乳喂养是永不过时的风格。可知母乳喂养是丹麦常见的和接受的做法。故选D。

3.细节理解题。由“ we try to connect with the babies when they cry. It’s how babies communicate and it’s about trying to understand it.”当婴儿哭的时候，我们试图将自己和孩子连接起来。这是婴儿的交流方式并且尝试理解它。可知当孩子哭得时候，丹麦的父母会试着了解孩子想要什么，故选A。

【名师点睛】：

细节理解题:

细节题的发问具体，涉及内容五花八门，通常采用以疑问词开头的特殊疑问句或不完全句的形式，有时即便不是以what，which，how many (much，long，etc.)等疑问词引导的问句，也是以变相的问句对这类事实或细节进行提问。如：本文的第三题：

3. When babies cry, Danish parents will probably ________.

A. try to figure out what they want

B. put them outdoors for a good sleep

C. seek social support for guidance

D. wait a moment for them to calm down

解题方法： 

1、整体感知，确定文体，根据文体特点寻找主题句。 

2、如果文中没有现成的主题句，则需依靠衔接过度词、句际关系等把握文章逻辑结构，分辨主题与细节，总结段落大意。 

3、对比选项，谨防常见病症：以偏概全、所概括的内容与文章不相关、概括太笼统等

本文第二题是以what，which，how many (much，long，etc.)等疑问词引导的问句，是对这类事实或细节进行提问。由“ we try to connect with the babies when they cry. It’s how babies communicate and it’s about trying to understand it.”当婴儿哭的时候，我们试图将自己和孩子连接起来。这是婴儿的交流方式并且尝试理解它。可知当孩子哭得时候，丹麦的父母会试着了解孩子想要什么，故选A。