Warning: reading too much Cinderella to your daughter may damage her emotional h

Warning: reading too much Cinderella toyour daughter may damage her emotional health in later life. A paper to bedeveloped at the international congress of cognitive psychotherapy inGothenburg suggests a link between the attitudes of women abused by theirparents and early exposure to the wrong sort of fairy tales. It says girls whoidentified with Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast weremore likely to stay in destructive relationships as adults.

The theory was developed by Susan DarkerSmith, a psychotherapist at the University of Derby. She interviewed 67 femaleabuse survivors and found that 61 put up with severe abuse because theybelieved they could change their partners with patience, composition and love.The same view was taken by male survivors who had been abused as children.Hardly any of the women in a control group, who had not experienced abuse,thought they could change their partners in this way.

These women and men said they would leave arelationship rather than put up with abuse from a partner. Ms Darker Smithfound the abused women were much more likely to identify with Cinderella andother submissive female characters in fairytales, who were later rescued by astranger prince or hero.

Although most girls heard the stories,damage appeared to be done to those who adopted the characters as role models.“They believe if their love is strong enough they can change their parents’behaviors,” she said. “Overexposure in children to stories that emphasize thetransformational qualities of love may make women believe they can change theirpartners.” For example, they might never have understood the obvious flaw in thestory of Rapunzel, who remained locked in a high tower until rescued by aknight on a white horse, who broke the door down. “The question,” said MsDarker Smith, “is why she did not break the door down herself.”

1. The passage is especially intended for ______.

A. parents with young daughters                                         B.girls who like reading fairy stories

C. girls who think they can change theirpartners           D. parentswith grown-up daughters

2. Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty inBeauty and the Beast are similar in that ______.

A. they all married some princes                                 B.they all changed their partners with love

C. they were all abused by their partners                 D.they all put up with abuse

3. Which of the following statements istrue of the women in a control group?

A. They don’t believe in fairy tales.

B. They don’t believe in thetransformational qualities of love.

C. They have also experienced abuse.

D. They survived abuse.

4. What does the underlined word“submissive” in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?

A.kind-hearted        B. passive       C. gentle        D. easy-going

试题答案

【答案】

 A

 D

 B

 B

【解析】