When Joan gave birth to the first boy in her family in three generations, she and her husband were overjoyed. So were her parents. Joan expected her elder sister, Sally, to be just as delighted as them. Joan had always admired Sally--the beauty and the star of the family--and felt happy about her achievements.
But since the baby's arrival, the sisters have become distant. Joan feels hurt for Sally seems completely uninterested in her baby. Sally, who has no children, claims that her younger sister "acts as if no one ever had a baby before."
Neither Sally nor Joan understands that the real cause of the current coldness is that their family roles have suddenly changed to the opposite. Finally Joan seems to be better than her elder sister--and Sally doesn't like it! Their distance may be temporary, but it shows that childhood competition don't fade easily as ages grow. It can remain powerful in relationships throughout life.
In a study of the University of Cincinnati, 65 men and women between ages 25 and 93 were asked how they felt about their brothers and sisters. Nearly 75 percent admitted having hidden competitive feelings. In a few cases, these emotions were so strong as to have affected their entire lives.
Many adult brothers and sisters are close, supportive--yet still tend to compete. Two brothers I know turn into killers when on opposite sides of a tennis net. Off the court, they are the best of friends. My own younger sister can't wait to tell me when I've put on weight. However, she's a terrible cook and that pleases me; I tease her when she comes to dinner. Happily, despite these small failings, we have been an important resource for each other.
In between the very competitive and the generally supportive children lie those who say that no friendship should survive. Some brothers and sisters stay at arm's length, but never give up competition completely. Why do these puzzling, unproductive, often painful relationships continue to exist?
小题1:When Joan's son was born, Sally .
A．felt very happy
B．felt not delighted
C．moved away
D．admired her a lot小题2:What happens to children's desire to compete with their brothers and sisters?
A．It sometimes will disappear when they grow up.
B．It will never disappear throughout life.
C．It will improve their relationships when they grow up.
D．It will never harm their relationships when they grow up.小题3:Why does the author's sister often tell her when she's put on weight?
A．Because she wants the author to go on a diet.
B．Because she wants the author to stop calling her a bad cook.
C．Because she wants to make fun of the author's weight.
D．Because she wants to be honest with the author.小题4:The underlined sentence means that although some brothers and sisters .
A．live near each other, they still have competitions
B．live away from each other, they stop their competitions
C．live together, they often think of ending their competitions
D．live within a big family, they often try to end their competitions
