Youngest Child Tends to Be Parents' Favourite

It's long been debated whether parents can in fact show favouritism (偏袒) towards their children.

Those who claim to have “middle child syndrome”—a very real phenomenon that leads to the middle child feeling neglected and unloved in comparison to their siblings —would agree that it isn't out of the question for parents to show bias.

It would seem that their suspicions (怀疑) have been confirmed, as a survey revealed that parents tend to favour their youngest child.

Last year, Mumsnet conducted a survey of 1,185 of its users that are parents, while Gransnet carried out a survey of 1,111 of its users that had at least one grandchild. It was discovered that nearly a quarter of the Mumsnet users admitted to having a favourite child, while 42 per cent of the Gransnet users confessed (承认) to showing preference to one of their grandchildren. More than half of the parents with a favourite child revealed that it was their youngest child, with 61 per cent saying that they find the other siblings more “tricky or demanding”. On the other hand, 26 per cent of the parents said that their favourite child was their eldest. Of the parents who confessed to having a preferred child, 41 per cent stated that the favourite reminded them of themselves, while more than half said that the child made them laugh more than their other offspring.

While the children who don't receive special treatment may feel disregarded (忽视) at times, the majority of parents believe that it's wrong to show preference.

More than half of both Mumsnet and Gransnet users were of the opinion that having a favourite child is absolutely “awful”, with more than three quarters of the parents commenting that they believe doing so can have a damaging effect on the other siblings.

“Favouritism is one of the last taboos and can provoke a lot of guilt, so it's important to say that feeling a greater affinity for a particular child—often, whichever one is willing to put their shoes on—is fairly common, and doesn't have to be disastrous,” said Justine Roberts, founder of Gransnet. “Toxic favouritism, where siblings become aware of being treated unfairly over the long term, is a whole other ball game. The distilled (精炼的) Mumsnet wisdom on this issue is that lots of parents like their children differently: the crucial thing is to love them all wholly (完全地).”

Reading Comprehension

Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. What can we learn about “middle child syndrome”?

A. It is a phenomenon that the middle child is preferred.

B. It makes the middle child feel neglected and unloved.

C. It means that the youngest child receives most care.

D. It makes middle children feel less confident in life.

2. About how many Mumsnet users admitted to having a favourite child in the survey?

A. 466.

B. 296.

C. 1,111.

D. 1,185.

3. What percentage of parents said that their favourite child was their eldest?

A. 61 per cent.

B. 41 per cent.

C. 26 per cent.

D. 20 per cent.

4. Which of the following information is NOT mentioned in the article?

A. Mumsnet conducted a survey of 1,185 parents.

B. Gransnet carried out a survey of 1,111 grandparents.

C. More than half of the participants think that having a favourite child is “awful”.

D. Parents love their children equally.

5. In line 2 of the second paragraph, what does “siblings” mean?

A. Brothers and sisters.

B. Children.

C. Parents.

D. Cousins.

答案：ABCDA

Vocabulary 基础词

confirm [kənˈfɜːm]

vt. (尤指通过提供证据)证实；证明；批准；确认

记 词根记忆：con(表加强)+firm(坚定)→十分坚定→证实

例 Our results confirmed his observation. 我们的结论证实了他的观察。

reveal [rɪˈviːl]

vt. 揭示；揭露；显露

英 to make sth known to sb

记 词根记忆：re(相反)+veal(=veil，盖上)→不盖上→揭露

例 Further investigation revealed that the mayor was guilty. 进一步调查显示，市长是有罪的。

favour [ˈfeɪvə(r)]

n. 恩惠；善意的行为；赞同；喜爱；偏爱 vt. 更喜欢；偏袒

搭 ask/do sb a favour 请某人帮忙/帮某人的忙 in favour of... 支持…

discover [dɪˈskʌvə(r)]

vt. 发现，找到

英 to find sb/sth that was hidden or that you did not expect to find

记 联想记忆：dis(去掉)+cover(盖子)→拿掉盖子→发现，找到

preference [ˈprefrəns]

n. 喜爱；偏爱

记 词根记忆：prefer(喜爱)+ence(表名词)→喜爱

搭 have a preference for 偏爱…

tricky [ˈtrɪki]

adj. 难对付的，棘手的

英 difficult to do or deal with

majority [məˈdʒɒrəti]

n. 大部分，大多数

记 词根记忆：major(主要的)+ity(表名词)→大多数

absolutely [ˈæbsəluːtli]

adv. 当然；绝对地；完全地

记 词根记忆：ab(表加强)+solut(松开)+e+ly(表副词)→放开思想去接受→完全地

awful [ˈɔːfl]

adj. 可怕的；糟糕的；【口】非常

英 very bad or unpleasant

派 awfulness(n. 威严；可怕)

willing [ˈwɪlɪŋ]

adj. 愿意的，乐意的；自愿的

英 not objecting to doing sth; having no reason for not doing sth

记 词根记忆：will(意愿)+ing(…的)→愿意的

搭 be willing to do sth 乐意/愿意做某事

wisdom [ˈwɪzdəm]

n. 智慧

记 联想记忆：wis(看作wise，聪明的)+dom(表状态)→智慧

Vocabulary 进阶词

syndrome [ˈsɪndrəʊm]

n. 综合征；典型特征

英 a set of physical conditions that show you have a particular disease or medical problem

phenomenon [fəˈnɒmɪnən]

n. 现象；非凡的人/事物

搭 natural phenomenon 自然现象

comparison [kəmˈpærɪsn]

n. 比较，对比；对照；比喻，比拟

记 词根记忆：com(共同)+par(相等)+ison→放在一起看看是否相等→比较

搭 by comparison 相比之下 in comparison with 与…相比

make a comparison 进行对比

bias [ˈbaɪəs]

n. 偏见；偏心 vt. 使有偏见；使偏心

记 词根记忆：bi(两)+as→两者只取其一→偏心

demanding [dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ]

adj. 苛求的；难满足的；要求高的；费力的

记 来自demand(vt. 要求；需要)

offspring [ˈɒfsprɪŋ]

n. 子女；后代

comment [ˈkɒment]

n. 评论；意见 v. 评论；发表意见

记 词根记忆：com(共同)+ment(思考)→共同进行思考→评论

搭 comment on/about 评论…

taboo [təˈbuː]

n. (文化或宗教习俗方面的)禁忌，忌讳；禁止；避讳 adj. 忌讳的

搭 taboo words 禁忌词 break/violate a taboo 触犯禁忌

provoke [prəˈvəʊk]

vt. 激怒；挑衅；引发，引起

记 词根记忆：pro(向前)+vok(叫喊)+e→在别人面前喊叫，煽风点火→激怒；挑衅

例 Don’t provoke the dog, or it will bite you. 不要去招惹那条狗，否则它会咬你。

affinity [əˈfɪnəti]

n. 密切关系；喜爱

英 a strong feeling that you understand sb/sth and like them or it

disastrous [dɪˈzɑːstrəs]

adj. 灾难性的；极糟糕的

记 词根记忆：dis(分离)+astr(星星)+ous(…的)→古人认为星位发生偏离就预示有灾难发生→灾难性的

toxic [ˈtɒksɪk]

adj. 有毒的；引起中毒的

记 词根记忆：tox(毒)+ic(…的)→有毒的 nzjE75vYqQ8pIbioQ44ybUU/tbz/q5GKXGTg1iIhoRgBJX5iwgfK9NRwUgSviMh5