C
Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions, manage their environment, and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson, a Year One student, “operates under the theory of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine,” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabres(剑). Later, I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”
“Examine the extended family, and you’ll probably find a bossy grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin in every generation. It’s an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance(支配地位) when they sense their parents are weak, hesitant, or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it’s inborn nature or developed character at work, too much control in the hands of the young isn’t healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behaviour, says family psychologist John Taylor. Children, he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation, “have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe.” It’s the parents’ role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches, for example, or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behaviour for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious.”
46．Bossy children like Stephen Jackson        
A．make good decisions                                   B．show self-centeredness
C．lack care from others                                  D．have little sense of fear
47．The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means        
A．inborn nature                                             B．developed character
C．accepted theory                                             D．particular environment
48．The study on bossy behaviour implies that parents         .
A．should give more power to their children
B．should be strict with their children
C．should not be so anxious about their children
D．should not set limits for their children
49．Bossy children may probably become         .
A．relaxed                   B．skillful                   C．hesitant                   D．lonely
50．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How bossy behaviour can be controlled.
B．How we can get along with bossy children.
C．What leads to children’s bossy behaviour.
D．What effect bossy behaviour brings about.