1．A child's place in the family birth order may play a role in the type of occupations that will interest him or her as an adult，new research suggests．In two related studies，researchers found that only children were more interested in intellectual，cognitive careers than later-born children．（51）C，later-born children were more interested in both artistic and outdoor-related careers．
"For example，parents may be extremely （52）B of only children and worry about their physical safety．That may be why only children are more likely to show interest in academic （53）A rather than physical or outdoor activities．An only child will tend to get more time and attention from their parents than children with siblings（兄弟姐妹）．This will often make them feel special but the downside is that they may suffer from （54）B and loneliness when friends discuss their brothers and sisters and family life．"
The first-born is an only child until the second child comes along-（55）D them from being the centre of attention，to then sharing the care of parents．Parents will also expect them to be responsible and"set an example"．The change from being the focus of a family may be quite a （56）C and so shape the first-born's outlook on life．Therefore，first-borns may try to get back their parents'attention and approval by achieving success in their career．It is true that first-borns are （57 ）B more often found as political leaders than any other birth-order position．
Being the youngest in the family can sometimes be a（n）（58）C experience，especially if the child wants to be taken seriously．The last-born is more likely than the other birth-order positions to take up dangerous sports．This may be a （59）D of the last-born's rebellious characteristic-a result of being （60）B up with always being bossed about by everyone else in the family．
Middle children，（61）B，have different issues．"Middle-child syndrome"can mean feeling （62）A between two other"more important"people-an older sibling who gets all the rights and is treated like an adult and a younger sibling who gets all the （63）C and is treated like a spoilt child．Middle-borns have to learn to get on with older and younger children，and this may （64）B them becoming good negotiators-of all the birth-order positions they are most skillful at dealing with both authority figures and those holding （65）D positions．
| 51．A．In other words | B．In addition | C．In contrast | D．In particular |
| 52．A．proud | B．protective | C．positive | D．precious |
| 53．A．pursuit | B．exchange | C．freedom | D．reputation |
| 54．A．regret | B．jealousy | C．sympathy | D．neglect |
| 55．A．prohibiting | B．varying | C．preventing | D．transforming |
| 56．A．disaster | B．tragedy | C．shock | D．tendency |
| 57．A．enormously | B．significantly | C．unexpectedly | D．extremely |
| 58．A．exciting | B．confusing | C．frustrating | D．rewarding |
| 59．A．sample | B．signal | C．symbol | D．sign |
| 60．A．tied | B．fed | C．mixed | D．caught |
| 61．A．therefore | B．however | C．otherwise | D．meanwhile |
| 62．A．sandwiched | B．trapped | C．combined | D．balanced |
| 63．A．honours | B．resources | C．privileges | D．expectations |
| 64．A．insist on | B．contribute to | C．a(chǎn)pprove of | D．result from |
| 65．A．former | B．superior | C．latter | D．inferior |
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