听力训练 Exercise
1. What theories was Adler best known for?
2. What did Adler's theory stress？
3. List two characteristics of firstborns from the passage.
4. Alder was with the effects of birth order on . Adler had a successful older brother, but Adler a child and thus was most likely affected with the desire to himself and prove his worth.
5. Adler felt that each position in the order, whether first or last, had characteristics. For example, he hypothesized that firstborns are problem children and that only children be spoiled due to parental .
6. , children born later in the birth order tend to be more , flexible, and rebellious. Only children, being firstborn themselves, tend to traits more similar to those of other firstborn children. However, only children seem to have better and are higher achievers than children who have siblings.

Background Information背景信息
科学家在对生育顺序的研究中发现，在教育孩子方面，父母对年龄大一点的孩子更为严格，而对较晚出生的孩子较纵容。这或许可以解释，为何许多家庭中最小的孩子总是不听话。

来自美国约翰•霍普金斯大学的研究者表示，家长对长子女严格的背后有一种潜在动机，那就是保持长幼有序的家庭状态，同时也是为了避免小一点的孩子效仿大孩子的反抗行为。当年幼的子女长到十几岁而长子女已经长大成人离开家庭后，家长便失去了严格教导孩子的动力，因而对最小孩子的宠爱容易导致其产生不听话、不感恩、不谨慎的行为。研究者甚至担心，随着美国家庭的规模越来越小，孩子被惯坏的可能性也越来越大。

Words & Phrases
词汇与短语

Words
academically 学术上，学理上
ambition 有雄心的，野心勃勃的
conforming 顺从的；一致性的
conscientious 尽责的
conservative 保守的，守旧的
consistency 一致，连贯性
conversely 相反地
determinant 决定因素，决定物

flexible 灵活的，柔韧的
hypothesize 假设
inclined 倾向……的
leadership 领导能力，领导阶层
oriented 导向的
overindulgence 过分溺爱，过分放纵
rebellious 反叛的；难对付的
respectful 尊敬的，恭敬的
rivalry 竞争，敌对状态

Phrases
be concerned with 关注
contend with… 与......竞争
have impact on 对……有影响
similar to… 与……相似

听力答案
参考答案
1. Theories regarding striving for superiority.
2. The social aspect of personality development.
3. Conscientious, ambitious, academically oriented, conforming, conservative, inclined toward leadership, and respectful of their parents.（任选两个即可）
4. also concerned，personality，was weak as，assert
5. distinct, are likely to, overindulgence
6. Conversely, unconventional, exhibit, self-esteem

听力原文

Birth Order and Its Influences

Adler, best known for his theories regarding striving for superiority, was also concerned with the effects of birth order on personality. Adler had a successful older brother, but Adler was weak as a child and thus was most likely affected with the desire to assert himself and prove his worth.

Adler's theory stressed the social aspect of personality development and therefore proposed the possibility of birth order and its significance in the interpersonal relationships of family life. He felt that each position in the order, whether first or last, had distinct characteristics. For example, he hypothesized that firstborns are problem children and that only children are likely to be spoiled due to parental overindulgence.

Studies have shown that environment is not the sole personality determinant. However, environment is not trivial and should be considered, especially because studies regarding birth order have been shown to have some consistency. Firstborns have been shown to be more conscientious, ambitious, academically oriented, conforming, conservative, inclined toward leadership, and respectful of their parents than their later-born siblings. Conversely, children born later in the birth order tend to be more unconventional, flexible, and rebellious. Only children, being firstborn themselves, tend to exhibit traits more similar to those of other firstborn children. However, only children seem to have better self-esteem and are higher achievers than children who have siblings.

Children who have siblings must also contend with something that does not affect only children, namely sibling rivalry. Children who have siblings must compete for parental attention and familial resources. Only children do not have to deal with this kind of competition. Not having siblings allows for greater variance of personality types among only children; however, lack of siblings has impacts on the only child's later social interactions.

参考译文
长幼顺序及其影响
阿德勒以他争取优势的理论而闻名，他也关注长幼顺序对人格的影响。阿德勒有一位很成功的哥哥，但他自己曾经是一个比较弱的孩子，所以渴望显示自己的权威，证明自己的价值。

阿德勒的理论强调了人格发展的社会性，从而肯定了长幼顺序及其重要性可能在家庭人际关系中发挥的重要作用。他认为，长幼顺序上的每一个位置，无论是最长或最幼，都有其明显的特征。比如，他假定第一个孩子为问题孩子，而独生子女可能因父母的过度溺爱而被宠坏。

研究表明环境不是个性的唯一决定因素。但是，环境因素不容忽视，必须纳入考虑，特别是有关长幼顺序的研究已经呈现出一定的一致性。研究显示，第一个孩子更有责任心和野心，专心学术，顺从、保守，具有做领导的倾向，并且比弟弟妹妹更加尊敬自己的父母。相反，较晚出生的孩子往往更加不守常规，更为灵活和反叛。独生子女自身作为第一个出生的孩子，容易呈现与其他头胎出生的孩子更为接近的特征。但独生子女似乎有更强的自尊心，而且比非独生子女更成功。

有兄弟姐妹的孩子还必须应付独生子女不会遇到的一个问题，即手足竞争。有兄弟姐妹的孩子必须为得到家长的关心和家庭资源而展开竞争。独生子女不需要应付这样的竞争。没有任何兄弟姐妹，使独生子女存在更为丰富的性格类型。但是，缺少兄弟姐妹对独生子女以后的社会交际有一定的影响。