-
专题
20
阅读理解说明文
【母题来源
1
】
【
2020
?
贵州省安顺市中考】
【母题原题】
In the
town of Lampang in northern Thailand, there is an
unusual group of musicians. They play many
different kinds of music—from
traditional Thai songs to music by Beethoven. Both
children and adults love this
group.
What makes them so popular? Is it their music?
Their looks? Yes, it's both of these things, but
it's also
something
else
：
they're
elephants.
These musical
elephants are from the Thai Elephant Conservation
Center
（
TECC
）
in Lampang. The TECC
protects
elephants. It teaches people to understand and
care for these huge, but gentle, animals. And,
like many zoos
around the world, the
TECC encourages elephants to paint.
Richard Lair works with the TECC. He
knew that elephants hear better than they see. So
he had an idea
：
if
elephants are intelligent and they have
good hearing, maybe they can play music. To test
his idea, Lair and a friend
started the
Thai Elephant Orchestra. During a performance, the
elephants play a variety of instruments, including
the drums and the xylophone. The
animals also use their voices and trunks to make
sounds.
But can elephants
really make music properly? Yes, says Lair.
they’re very creative. Humans may encourage
the animals to play instruments, but
the elephants make their own
songs
；
they don't just copy
their trainers or other
people. There
are now CDs of the group's music, which make money
for the TECC. And the music these artists
create is pretty amazing.
46. What can be the best title for the
passage?
A. Musical
Elephants
B. An Introduction
to the TECC
C. Richard
Lair's Achievements
47. What
does the underlined word
A.
Musicians.
B.
Children.
C.
Adults.
48. What can be
inferred
（推断）
from
the passage the passage ?
A.
Richard Lair started the Thai Elephant Orchestra
by himself.
B. The elephants
in the TECC can only play traditional Thai
songs.
C. The CDs of the Thai Elephant
Orchestra are popular with people.
49. The writer wrote this passage to
_______.
A. ask people to
save the elephants
B. invite
more people to join the TECC
C. introduce the elephants' special
talents to people
50. Where
can we most probably read this passage?
A. A medical newspaper.
B. An animal magazine
C. A story book
【
文章大意】本文介绍了在泰国北部一个非常受欢迎的大象乐队。它们演奏不同种类的音乐。大象非常聪
明，它们也会画画。它们非常有创造性，会创作自己的音乐。
46.A
【解析】
最佳标题。
根据第一段最后一句
“they're elephants.”
< br>以及第二段到第四段对大象乐队的介绍可知，
本文主要介绍的是大象乐队，因此<
/p>
A
选项最符合本文标题。故选
A
。
47.A
【解析】
词义推断题。
them
指代的复数人称，
them
以及第一段第二句中的
they
指代内容相同，指代的
是文章第一句
“In
the
town
of
Lampang
in
northern
Thailand,
there
is
an
unusual
group
of
musicians.”
中的
musi
cians“
音乐人
”
。故选
A
。
48.C
【解析】推理判断题。根据
“There are now CDs
of the group's music, which make money for the TEC
C.”
可
知大象乐队有自己的
CD
，这些
CD
让
TE
CC
赚钱，因此可推测，它们的
CD
是
很受欢迎的。故选
C
。
49.C
【解析】推理判断题。根据
“…there
is an unusual group of
musicians.”
和
“And the music
these artists create
is pretty amazing.
”
可知全文围绕大象的音乐才能展开的，因此文章主要是向人们介绍大象在音乐方面的特
殊
才能。故选
C
。
50.B
【解析】推理判断题。
A
医学报纸；
B
动物杂志；
C
故事书。本文介绍的是大象特殊的音乐才能，因
此
B
选项最符合。故选
B
。
【母题来源
2
】
【
2020
?
贵州省黔东南州中考】
【母题原题】
The summer
vacation is coming. During the vacation, you can
do what you like and prepare yourself well for
the future. You'll enjoy your summer
vacation with the help of the following
suggestions.
▲
Take exercise.
After studying hard for months, you must be bored
and tired. Taking exercise is the best way
to get energy again. Swimming and
walking are perfect choices for you. All kinds of
exercise are good for your
health.
▲
Master some basic life
skills
. You will live an independent
life one day. Therefore, you should learn some
necessary and useful basic life skills
such as washing clothes and cooking. At the same
time, you should help your
parents with
housework to express thanks to them.
▲
Go travelling
.
The world is a book. Those who don't travel only
read one page. Travelling is so interesting.
Have you made your own plan? If not, do
it at once. During the trip, you will have a
chance to get more knowledge.
While
learning about different cultures and customs, you
will also make a lot of friends.
▲
Enjoy the time with family
members
. Family members play an
important role in your life. They give you
love, care and support all the time.
Don't forget to spare some time together with
them. You will find it great to stay
with them, talking about dreams,
hobbies or anything you like.
As long as you follow the suggestions
mentioned above, you will have a wonderful
vacation.
61. How many
suggestions are mentioned in the
passage?
A.
Three.
B. Four.
C. Five.
D.
Six.
62. Which is the best
way to get energy according to the
passage?
A.
Swimming.
B.
Walking.
C. Taking
exercise.
D. Rum
63. Why should we learn basic life
skills?
A. Because we will
live an independent life one day.
B. Because we like to share housework
with our family.
C. Because
we don't want to express our thanks.
D. Because doing housework is difficult
for us.
64. How does the
writer think of travelling?
A. He thinks it's tiring.
C. He thinks it's terrible.
65. The material mainly tells us
________.
A. the suggestions
about basic life skills
C.
the suggestions about summer vacation
B. the suggestions about taking
exercise
D. the suggestions
about travelling
B. He
thinks it's interesting.
D.
He thinks it's boring.
【文章大意
】
这是一篇说明文。
主要介绍了几种充分享受美好暑假时光的建
议，
包括锻炼身体、
掌握一些基
本的生
活技能、旅游和陪伴家人。
61.B
【解析】细节理解题。根据
“▲Take exercise.
”
，
“▲Master some
basic life skills.
”
，
“▲Go
travelling.
”
，
“▲Enjoy the
time with family members.”
可知，文中给出了
4
条建议，故选
B
。
62.C<
/p>
【解析】细节理解题。根据
“Taking exercise
is the best way to get energy again”
锻炼
是恢复精力的最好方
法，可知，
C
符合
题意，故选
C
。
63.A
【解析】细节理解题。根据
“You
will
live
an
independent
life
one
day. Therefore,
you
should
learn
some
necessary and useful
basic life skills…”
总有一天你会过上独立的生活。因此，你应该
学习一些必要和有用的基
本生活技能，可知，学习基本的生活技能的原因是因为总有一天
我们会独立生活。故选
A
。
64.B
【解析】细节理解题。根据
“Trav
elling is so interesting”
旅行是如此有趣，可知，作者
认为旅行很有趣，
故选
B
。
65.C
【解析】主旨大意题。根据
“
You'll enjoy your
summer vacation with the help of the following
suggestions.”
在以下建议的帮助下，你会享受你的暑假，可知，本文主
要讲的是享受美好暑假时光的建议。故选
C
。
< br>
【母题来源
3
】
【
2020
?
湖南省常德市中考】
【母题原题】
Things You Can Do In One
Second To Make Your Life Happier
One second. That’s all it takes to make
your life happier.
△
Then check out
this list of things you can
do in a
single second. That will bring more happiness into
your life every day.
Give a
great big smile.
Look for an
easy way to make your life happier. Smile more.
Smiling can help you feel better instantly. And it
can be
contagious
. So give a smile
to a total stranger on the street. Or if you’re
sad, angry, or annoyed about
something,
choose to smile and laugh it off
instead.
Take a deep
breath.
Deep breathing is
one of the best ways to reduce stress and bring
balance back into your life. And it only takes
a second. Take some time out each day
to focus on nothing except your breath. You’ll
find your life becomes
happier,
healthier, and less stressful.
Take a sip of water.
It’s no
surprise that drinking water is good for your
health. Try keeping a water bottle with you
wherever you
go, and take a second to
drink water a couple times every hour. Drinking
water can help keep you hydrated, control
calories, filter your kidneys, and keep
healthy skin.
Give
thanks.
Happy people have
this in common: They are grateful for all the good
things in their lives. This means that to
make your life happier, take a few
minutes each day and count your blessings. Say
“Thank you” more often. Show
your
appreciation when good things come your way.
instantly
立刻
balance
平衡
focus
集中
hydrated
含水的
calorie
热量
filter
过滤
kidney
肾脏
skin
皮肤
grateful
感激
blessing
福分
appreciate
感激
9.
Which can best replace “
△
” in the passage?
A. Do you think so?
B. Don’t believe it?
C. Am I right?
10. What does the word
“
contagious
” mean in
Chinese?
A.
充满希望的
B.
滑稽的
C.
有感染力的
11. What
can you do to keep healthy skin?
A. Take deep breath.
B. Drink some water.
C. Give thanks.
12. Which
“
second
” in the following
has the same meaning as in the passage?
A. Downstairs, on the second floor,
Michael served Mona breakfast.
B. The gun was fired and Beaton was
wounded a second time.
C.
Can you just lift the table for a
second?
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了一秒
钟内做的事情就能让生活更快乐的方法。
9.B
【解析】题意：填入文中空格处的最佳选项是什么？
推理判断题。根据上文
One second. That’s
all it takes to make your life happier
可
知，根据常识可知，一秒钟
通常做不了什么事情，故此处说的一秒钟就能让生命更快乐，
这一说法让人很难相信。
B
选项
Don
’t
believe it?“
不相信吗？
< br>”
符合题意，故选
B
。
10.C
【解析】题意：单词
“contagious”
的中文意思是什么？
词句猜测题。根据第二段中
可知微笑能让你
立即感觉很好，根据
下文
“And it can be
contagious. So give a smile to a total stranger on
the street.”
可知，笑容是会传染
，所以在
街上遇到陌生人也应该多笑一笑。
C
选项
“
有感染力的
”
符合题意，故选
C
< br>。
11.B
【解析】题意：你
能做什么来保持皮肤健康？
细节理解题。根据原文
“Drinking water
can help keep you hydrated, control calories,
filter your kidneys, and keep
healthy s
kin.”
可知，喝水可以保持皮肤健康。
B
< br>选项
Drink some water“
喝水
”
符合题意，故选
B
。
12.C
【解析】题意：本文中
“second”
的意思与下列哪一项的
“
second”
意思相同？
词句猜测
题。原文中
“second”
的意思是
“
一秒钟
”
，
C
选项
Can you just lift the
table for a second?“
你能把桌子
抬一下
吗？
”
其中，
second
意为
“
一秒钟
”
，故选
C
。
【母题来源
4
】
【
2020 ?
山东省德州市中考】
【母题原题】
How did
people tell the time before clocks were
invented?
At first, the
ancient people looked up at the sun and could tell
it was the middle of the day when the sun was
directly overhead in the sky. They also
knew when it was morning or evening.
Later, the Egyptians used sticks. These
sticks measured (
测量
) time
during the day. The sun shone on the tall
stick and the stick made a shadow
(
阴影
). As the sun moved
across the sky, the position
(
位置
) of the shadow
changed. This would let people tell
what time it was.
Over time,
the Chinese first used sundials instead of shadow
sticks. The sundial has a type of shadow stick on
it. As the sun shines on it, a shadow
appears on the numbers. Each number stands for an
hour of the day. But
sundials don't
work at night or on a cloudy day! There are no
shadows unless the sun is out.
Water clocks used water to measure time
at night. Water dripped (
滴落
)
slowly from one bowl into another.
The
level of the water in the bowls showed the
time.
People also used sand-
glasses. You may have seen one. Some games still
use sand-glasses. The sand falls from
the top of the sand-glasses to the
bottom. It measures short amounts of the time. The
more sand falls, the more time
has
passed. When the sand has finished falling, you
have to turn the sand-glasses over.
11. At first, the ancient people told
the time by looking at ________.
A. the stick
B.
the shadow
C. the
sun
D. the moon
12. Which picture can be a
A.
B.
C.
D.
13. Sundials can be used to tell the
time when it is ________.
A.
sunny
B. rainy
C. cloudy
D.
snowy
14. Which is right
according to the passage?
A.
Sticks measured time in Egypt day and
night.
C. Sand-glasses
usually measure a long time.
bowls.
15. What's
the main idea of the passage?
A. Something about sundials.
C. How to tell the time in the
past.
B. How to tell the
time by looking at the sun.
D. Some inventions in China.
B. Sundials were first used in ancient
Egypt.
D. The water clock
told the time by the water level in the
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了在钟表发明出来之前，人们都是利用什么来计时和看时间
。
11.C
【解析】细节
理解题。根据
“At first, the ancient people
looked up at the sun and could tell it was the
middle
of the day when the sun was
directly overhead in the sky”
可知起初古代人是通过
看太阳来计算时间的，故选
C
。
12.B
【解析】推理判断题。根据
“Th
e sundial has a type of shadow stick on it. As the
sun shines on it, a shadow
appears on
the numbers”
，可知日晷有一根阴影棒，太阳照射后阴影会出现在数字上，
根据图片所示，可判断
是
B
图，故选<
/p>
B
。
13.A
【解析】细节理解题。根据
“But sundials
don't work at night or on a cloudy day! There are
no shadows unless
the sun is out”
，可知必须要有太阳，故选
A
。
14.D
【解析】判断正误题。根据
“These sticks measured (
测量
) time during the day”
，可知小棍子只在白天测量
时间，晚上不行，
A
选项表述错误，排除；根据
“Over time, the
Chinese first used sundials instead of shadow
sticks”
，可知是中国人率先使用日晷，而不是埃及人，
B
选项表述错误，排除；根据
“The
sand falls from the
top of the sand-
glasses to the bottom. It measures short amounts
of the time”
，可知沙漏只能测量短的时间，而不
是长的时间，
C
选项表述错误，排除；根据
“The level of the water in the bowls showed the time”
，可知水时钟
是通过水平面来展示时间的，
D
选项表述正确，故选
D
。
15.C
【解析】文章主旨题。
通读全文，可知文章主要介绍了在钟表发明出来之前，人们都是利用什么来计时
和看时间
的，故选
C
。
的
【母题
来源
5
】
【
2
020?
新疆维吾尔自治区
(
建设兵团
)
中考】
【母题原题】
Beijing Opera is one of the Chinese
traditional drama art forms and the largest
Chinese opera form. Having a
history of
about 200 years, it is developed from many other
drama forma, mostly from the local drama
was especially popular in south China
during the 18th century.
Theatrical (
喜剧的
)
art forms in many other countries do not have
singing, dancing and spoken parts together
in one single drama. An opera singer,
for example, neither dances nor speaks on stage;
there are no singing or
dancing parts
in a modern play; in a dance drama, the dancer
doesn't speak or sing. Traditional Chinese drama,
including Beijing Opera, is a kind of
entertainment. It includes spoken parts, singing
and dancing.
Beijing Opera
has spread to many other places. Mei Lanfang, one
of the most famous performers of all, was
the first to introduce Beijing Opera to
foreigners and made highly successful tours to
foreign countries.
attracted to Beijing Opera,
even if you know nothing about the drama
background.
described his first
experience in watching Beijing Opera.
Beijing Opera is China's national opera
and it is full of Chinese cultural traditions.
Welcome to China and
enjoy Beijing
Opera!
36. Beijing Opera
is________.
A. unpopular in
north China
C. a much larger
Chinese opera form
B. only
developed from the local drama
D. a Chinese traditional drama art
form
37. After watching
Beijing Opera for the first time, the traveler
felt________.
A.
busy
B. nervous
C. interested
D.
uneasy
38. The underlined
word
A. Beijing Opera
C. an opera singer
B. local dramas
D. a modern play
39. According to the passage, which of
the following statements is NOT true?
A. Beijing Opera is a kind of
entertainment.
B. An opera
singer neither dances nor speaks on stage
usually.
C. Only old people
are interested in Beijing Opera.
D. Mei Lanfang was the first one to
introduce Beijing Opera to foreigners.
40. The main purpose of writing the
passage is to ________.
A.
ask young people to learn Beijing Opera
C. show why Beijing Opera is popular in
Europe
B. tell us something
about Beijing Opera
D.
introduce everything about foreign
Opera
【文章大意】
本文介绍了
京剧。
京剧是中国传统戏剧艺术形式之一，
也是中国最大的戏曲
形式。
它有着近
200
年的历史，
是在许多其他戏剧形式的基础上发展起来的。
京剧，是一种娱乐。<
/p>
它包括说部分，
唱歌和跳舞。
梅兰芳是第
一个把京剧介绍给外国人。
36.D
【解析】细节题。根据第
1
段第
1
句
“Beijing Opera is one of the
Chinese traditional drama art forms and the
largest Chinese opera form.
（
京剧是中国传统戏剧艺术形式之一，也是中国最大的戏曲形式。
）
”
可知
“
京剧是
一种中国传统的戏剧艺术形式。
”
故选
D
。
37.C
< br>【解析】细节题。根据第
4
段
“
gradually. You will be strongly
attracted to Beijing Opera, even if you know
nothing about the drama background.
This
is how one traveler described his first experience
in watching Beijing Opera.
（
“
你会怀疑，有时会有点无聊，
但你会逐渐感兴趣。即使你对京剧
一无所知，你也会被京剧深深吸引。
”
一位旅行者这样描述他第
一次看京
剧的经历。
）
”
可知
“
第一次看京剧后，这位旅行者很感兴趣。
”
故选
C
。
38.A
【解析】
词义推断题。
此句
“Beijing Opera is
China's national opera and it is full of Chinese
cultural traditions.”
句意是：京剧是中国的民族歌剧，它充满
了中国的文化传统。根据句意可知
“it”
指代
“
京剧
”
，故选
A
。
39.C
【解析】细节题。根据第
2
段第
< br>3
句
“Traditional
Chinese
drama,
including
Beijing
Opera,
is
a
kind
of
entertain
ment.
”
可知
A
< br>正确。
（
中国传统戏剧，
包括京
剧，
是一种娱乐。
）
根据第
2
段第
2
句中
“An opera singer,
for example,
neither dances nor speaks on stage;
（例如，
一个歌剧演员在舞台上既不跳舞也不讲话；
）
”
可知
B
正确。根据第
3
段第
2
句
“Mei
Lanfang, one of the most famous performers of all,
was the first to introduce Beijing
Opera to foreigners and made highly
successful tours to foreign countries.
（
梅兰芳是最著名的演员之一，他第一
”
可知
D
正确。
个把京剧介绍给外国人，
并在国外进行了非常成功的巡回演出。
）
根据第
4
段描述
“
你会怀疑，
有时会有点无聊，但你会逐渐感兴趣。即
使你对京剧一无所知，你也会被京剧深深吸引。
”
一位旅行者这
样
描述他第一次看京剧的经历。
）
”<
/p>
可知
“
第一次看京剧后，这位旅行者很感
兴趣。
”
可知
“
一些外国人对京剧感
兴趣，只有老年人对京剧感兴趣是错误的
”
，故选
C
。
40.B
【解析】主旨题。本文主要内容：京剧是中国传统戏剧
艺术形式之一，也是中国最大的戏曲形式。它
有着近
200
年的历史，是在许多其他戏剧形式的基础上发展起来的。京剧，是一种娱乐。它包括说部分，
唱歌和跳舞。梅兰芳是第一个把京剧介绍给外国人。可知
“
写这篇文章的主要目的是告诉我们一些京剧的
事情。
”
故选
B
。
< br>
【母题来源
6
】
【
2020
?
四川乐山中考】
【母题原题】
Services >
Using your Card
Library
Cards are free to all people in California. They
allow you to borrow books, magazines, CDs, and
DVDs from our library. They also allow
you to use the computers at the
library.
Click here to apply
for
（申请）
a Card.
★
You must show your photo ID
in person at the library.
★
You must come to the
library to receive a Card or change an
expired
（到期的）
Card yourself.
Library
Cards expire after four
years.
★
You can
always update
（更新）
your
address, phone number and email online.
★
Tell us immediately if your
Card is lost or stolen.
Cards for kids and teens
The
signature
（签名）
of a parent is
needed for children
（
aged 13
and under
）
. The parent must
also provide
a photo ID.
Teens
（
aged 14 to
17
）
use the
process
（流程）
. However, teens
who already have their own photo ID
can
apply without a parent's signature.
Borrowing
materials
（材料）
A
Library Card allows you to borrow 25 things at
most. You can keep each borrowed thing for more
than 60
days.
If
things are not returned in 60 days
you should pay for them. The fine for
books and magazines is $$1.00
each per
day. The fine for CDs and DVDs is $$2.00 each per
day.
31. Where can you
probably find the passage?
A. In a magazine.
B. On a website.
,
C. In a story
book.
32. You
don't have to go to the library when you want to
____________.
A. receive a
Card
B. borrow a
magazine
C. update your
information
33. If you
receive your Library Card on July 21, 2020, when
will the Card be out-of-date?
A. On November 21, 2020.
B. On July 21, 2023.
C. On July 21, 2024.
34. If you are over 17 years old, what
do you need to apply for a Card?
A. Your own photo ID.
B. The Card of your parent.
C. Your parent's signature.
35. If you fail to return the borrowed
CDs within 60 days, how much should you pay for
them every day?
A. $$1.00
each.
B. $$2.00
each.
C. $$3.00
each.
【文章大意】这是一说明文，本文介绍了申请图书
证的方法以及使用图书证借书所遵循的规则。
31.B
【解析】
推理判断题。
文章主要介绍了申请图
书证的方法以及使用图书证借书所遵循的规则，
根据
“Clic
k
here”
点击此处，可知这篇文章来自某个网站。故选<
/p>
B
。
32.C
【解析】
细节理解题。
根据
“You must come to the library to receive a Card or change an expired Card yourself”
，
可知你必须自己到图书馆去接收图书证或更换到期的图书证，排除
< br>
A
选项。根据常识，借杂志也是必须要
去图书馆，排除
B
选项。文中并未提及必须要到图书馆
更新信息，更新信息在线即可完成。故选
C
。
33.C
【解析】
推理判断题。
根据
“Libr
ary Cards expire after four years”
，
可知，
图书证四年后到期。
如果在
2020
年
7
月
21
日收到了图书证，这张图书证会在
2024
年
7
月
21
日到期。故选
C
。
34.A
【解析】细节理解题。
根据
“The signature of a parent is needed
for children (aged 13 and under). The parent
must also provide photo ID. Teens (aged
14 to17) use the same process”
可知，超过
17
岁想申请一张图书证，只
需自己带照片的证
件，而不需要父母的证件。故选
A
。
35.B
【解析】细节理解题。根据最后
“The fine for CDs and DVDs is $$2.00 each per day.
”
如果在
60
天以内没
有归还借的
CD
，每天需要付
2
美元。故选
B
。
【考试方向】
＂英语说明文＂，
顾名思义，
就是一种以＂说明、<
/p>
解释＂为主要表达方式的英语文体。
它是对客观事物
的性状、
特点、
功能和用途等作科学解说的。
它既不像故事那样重在情节的叙述和描写，
也不像议论文那样，
重在阐明主张和论点论据；
更不像科幻作品那样富于想象和虚构夸张。
说明文是通过解说事物、
阐明事理，
使
人们增长知识和技能。
说明文是高考英语阅读理解题中的重点内容之一。
说明文具有与自己特点相适应的
说明方法，
因此说明文
结构复杂，专业术语多，易于拉开考生分数档次，便于高校分层次选拔人才。
然而对
于考生来说说明文抽象度高，
解题难度大。
高考对说明文的考查多为科普知识，
动植物特性、
自然现象和新
产品、新工艺介绍以及人文地理、
风土人情等方面的说明文，文中解释性、定义性、说明性的句子居多。因
此考生要掌握说
明文的命题特点，
叙述方式，
以冷静的心态阅读原文，
重点突破长句结构特点和逻辑关系，
以便对其做出准确的语意理解。
【得分要点】
说明文阅读理解的特征
一般说来，英
语说明文与其他文体一样，文章所涉及的内容不外乎以下几个方面，即
who
→
what →
when →
where → how → why
。
1.
who
：问的是这篇文章的主体是谁？（即所要说明和描述的人或事物）
2.
what
：问的是主体做了什么事情？（即主体表现出的特性、功能和用途）
3.
when
和
where
：是在何时何地
发生的？（即何时何地所表现出的特性、功能和用途）
4.
how
：通过什么方式表现出来的？
5.
why
：这种特性功能用途的原因是什么？
做说明文阅读理解题的时候，一定要记住上面的
wh-
word
。边阅读，边搜记，牢记要点，把握全文。
【母题
1
】
【来源】<
/p>
【
2020 ?
北京市昌平区初三年级二模】
Have you ever gone to a fast-food
restaurant to eat and gotten a kid's meal that
came with a toy? Sometimes
those meals
have different toys for boys and girls —maybe a
truck for the boys and a toy bear for the girls.
Who
decides that boys like to play with
trucks and girls like to play with stuffed
animals? I know many boys who like
stuffed animals and lots of girls who
play with trucks. When we decide what someone will
like or how they will act
just because
they are boys or girls, we are
stereotyping
（形成模式化观念）
.
A stereotype is a group
that we put people into. Our human brains do this
all the time; it's one of the ways that
our brain has learned to deal with the
world. We see someone and put that person into a
group—for example, the
old or the
young, a boy or a girl. Is that a bad thing? No,
it's not.
One advantage of
a stereotype is that it enables us to deal with
situations rapidly because we may have had a
similar experience before. The use of
stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify
our social world; since they
cut down
the amount of
processing
（
i.e.
thinking
）
we have to do when
we meet a new person.
Although grouping itself isn't bad, it
can be harmful sometimes. It makes us
ignore
differences between
each
single person, that is, we usually
think all the people in one group are the same but
that might not be true.
When we stereotype, we think of a group
and give everyone in that group certain
characteristics. For example,
the fast
food restaurant believed that all boys like to
play with vehicles and all girls prefer toy
animals. They did