Left-Handedness左撇子
Before You Read  阅前思考
Answer the following questions.
1. Are you left-handed? How many left-handed people do you know?
2. Do you know any famous people who are left-handed?
3. What percentage of people do you think are left-handed?
Target Vocabulary 目标词汇
Match each word with the best meaning.
1. abnormal    a. to make a plan for something
2. architect    b. feelings or ideas about someone or something.
3. attitude    c. (verb) change something for the worse; (noun) injury; harm
4. damage    d. related to the body (rather than the mind)
5. mental    e. related to the mind
6. mild    f. job
7. occupation g. not serous; gentle
8. physical h. a trained professional who draws plans for buildings
9. (to) design i. someone who never eats animals
10. vegetarian j. unusual; not normal
Reading Comprehension 阅读理解
What do Leonardo da Vinci, Paul McCartney, and Albert
Einstein have in common? They were all left-handed, along with
other famous people including Pablo Picasso, Prince William,
and Marilyn Monroe. In fact, an estimated 11 percent of
Americans and Europeans are left-handed.
Most people around the world are right-handed. This fact
also seems to have held true throughout history. In 1977,
scientists studied works of art made at various times in history starting with cave drawings from 15,000 B.C. and ending with paintings from the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works of art are right-handed, so scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common.
Many researchers claim to have found relationships between left-handedness and various    1 and    2 characteristics, such as blond hair, blue eyes,    3 , and sleep difficulties. Other studies have found a higher-than-normal level of left-handed people in certain 4 , including professional baseball and tennis players,    5 , lawyers, as well as prisoners. However, some of these connections are very weak, and others haven’t been proven.
What makes a person become right-handed rather than left-handed? As yet, no one really knows for sure. One simple idea suggests that people normally get right-handedness form their parents. Studie
s have found that two right-handed parents have only a 9.5 percent chance of having a left-handed child, whereas two left-handed parents have a 26 percent chance of having a left-handed child. Another common theory is that left-handed people suffer    6 brain 7
during birth, which makes them left-handed. However, if this theory were true, it wouldn’t explain why the percentage of left-handed people is so similar in every society, when birth conditions vary so much form society to society.
Whatever the reasons behind it, people’s 8 toward left-handed have changed a lot over the years. Statistics show that although 13 percent of young people(10-20 years old) are left-handed, only 6 percent of the elderly are left-handed. Left-handed children used to be punished until they began using their right hand like other children, but today people who are left-handed are no longer looked down on nor are they considered 9 . For most people today either case is perfectly acceptable. There are even a number of shops now that specialize in selling products 10 for left-handed people, such as left-handed scissors, can openers, guitars, and even a left-handed camera.
In 1976, Left-Handers International, group of left-handed people in Topeka, Kansas, in the United States, decided to start an annual event in order to clear up misunderstandings about left-handednes
s. They decided that August 13th is International Left-Handers Day, and to this day groups of left-handed people around the world celebrate their own special day.
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. From studying works of art, scientists have learned that…
a. left-handed people are better artists    c. most people in history were right-handed
b. most artists are left-handed    d. cave drawings were drawn using both hand
2. What does the third paragraph describe?
a. why people with certain characteristics are better at certain jobs
b. reasons why left-handed people are better at some jobs
c. links between left-handedness and certain occupations and characteristics
d. why people are left-handed
3. What makes a person right-handed?
a. the person’s parents
b. the person’s birth
c. society
d. The season is uncertain
4. What can be assumed about the children of two left-handed parents?
a. Most of them are left-handed    c. Most of them use both hands equally
b. Most of them are right-handed    d. Very few of them are right-handed
5. Today, only 6 percent of the elderly are left-handed because left-handed people…
a. can be treated by doctors today
b. are though of as abnormal
c. die younger
d. were often forced to become right-handed
Idioms 习语
Find each idiom in the story.
1. Look down on/up to—think that someone is less/more important
You shouldn’t look down on others. All people should be treated equally.
Tom admired his older brother, and really looked up to him.blond
2. as well as—and (used to mention another thing connected to the thing you are talking about)
Please write your phone number here, as well as your name and address.
Many foreign web sites, as well as newspapers, are banned in that country.
3. along with—together with, in addition to
If you’re not happy with your new clothes, you can return them, along with your receipt, and get your money back.
When the company closed, the managers lost their jobs along with the regular workers.
Vocabulary Reinforcement 词汇强化
A. Circle the letter of the word or phrase that best complete the sentence.
1. He has his own company that web sites.
a. designs
b. damages
c. honors
d. neighbors
2. After her accident, she was left with terrible injuries, and never walked again.
a. occupation
b. vegetarian
c. physical
d. mental
3. The plans for his house were drawn by famous .
a. vegetarian
b. architect
c. archaeologist
d. lawyer
4. Experts predict that people born today will change many times during their life.
a. reputations
b. conditions
c. parents
d. occupations
5. tigers, lions are one of the most popular animals in the zoo.
a. Despite
b. One the other hand
c. Along with
d. Whereas
6. Don’t forget, Mick is so don’t serve meat for dinner tonight.
a. an architect
b. a vegetarian
c. a lawyer
d. a prisoner
7. Although my body feels fine, I am very tired.
a. artificially
b. mentally
c. abnormally
d. physically
8. The teacher had to speak to the student about his bad .
a. shock
b. route
c. ally
d. attitude
Although there have been some famous people who were left-handed, lefties (people who use their left hands more) used to be considered (1) . In fact, not only were lefties (2) in the past, they also trained to stop using their left hands and use their right instead. Today, (3) have changed, and most people think that left-handedness is not wrong; it is just different. Some say left-handedness is genetic while others say it is caused by (4) brain (5) , but (6) nobody has found the real answer to this question.
What Do you Think?你怎么想
1. What do you think causes left-handedness?
2. What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed?
Quiz小测验
Part 1: Complete the sentences 完成句子
Decide which words are best for the spaces. Circle the letter of your choice.
1. My sister is a(n) who doesn’t eat meat or fish.
a. statue
b. vegetarian
c. alien
d. riddle
2. When Peter finished his engineering exam, he was tired form the activity of thinking.
a. mental
b. physical
c. visible
d. shocking
3. Kate is studying to become an . She wants to design buildings.
a. archaeologist
b. astronaut
c. ally
d. architect
4. Fortunately, the earthquake didn’t do a lot of because it was so mild.
a. benefit
b. potential
c. damage
d. environment
5. I think that someone who really enjoys doing overtime at work is .
a. abnormal
b. humble
c. notorious
d. regular
Part 2: Complete the sentences 完成句子
Use idioms form the box to complete the passage. Write the words in the spaces. Two idioms are extra.
About one person in ten is left-handed, but right-handed people tend to overlook the problems “lefties”face. For example, right-handed people (1) many simple everyday tasks such as using scissors, computer keyboards, and driving a car, These activities are so natural that right-handed people don’t even think about them. They certainly don’t (2) the fact that all these things are designed to benefit right-handed ways of doing things. There are big problems for left-handed people at work (3) at home. Many machines can be operated safely only with the right hand. Perhaps this gives right-handed people (4) in being hired for some occupations. In addition, there’s problem of dis
crimination. In the past, some people (5) left-handed people. These days, attitudes have changed, but the design problems of inventing products that can be used with either hand still have not been solved.
Answer Key
Target V ocabulary: 1.j; 2.h; 3.b;4.c;5.e;6.g;7.f;8.d;9.a;10.i
Reading Passage
1. physical
3.vegetarianism
5.architects
6. mild
7.damage
8. attitudes
9. abnormal 10.designed Reading Comprehension: 1.c; 2.c; 3d; 4.b; 5.d;
V ocabulary Reinforcement;
A)1.a;    2.c;    3.b;    4.d;    5.c;    6.b; 7.b; 8.d;
B)1.abnormal;    2.looked down on;    3.attitudes;    4.mild;    5.damage;    6.so far
Quiz
Part 1: 1.b;    2. a;    3. d;    4. c;    5. a
Part 2: 1.take for granted;    2.take into account;    3.as well as;    4 .an advantage; 5.looked down on

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