Looking back on my childhood, I believe that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and my sisters soon gave up their flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do maths well.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I remember clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal clear memory of the dogs, farm animals, local birds, and above all, insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love for the natural world and my passion has led me into varied explorations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something brings these observations together in my mind. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books.
But curiosity, a keen （敏锐的）eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist. A scientist, up to a point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.
小题1:The first paragraph tells us the writer .
A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood
B．lost his hearing when he was a child
C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters
D．was born into a naturalist’s family小题2:The writer can’t clearly remember his relatives probably because .
A．he didn’t live very long with them
B．the family was very large
C．he was too young when he lived with them
D．he devoted himself to observing nature小题3:It can be inferred from the passage that the writer was .
A．a scientist as well as a naturalist
B．not a naturalist but a scientist
C．only a born naturalist
D．first of all a scientist小题4:According to the writer, a born naturalist should first of all be .
A．good at maths
B．full of passion
C．knowledgeable
D．self-controlled
