17．It is most difficult for parents to decide whether to have a sencond child or not．
It is often heard that a single child is like to be a lonely child．There are no other children in the family for the child to talk or play with．An only child is not able to get along well with children of his age．Some parents regretted making the decisions to have only one child．
But the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in many parts of the world．In the US，for example，more than 14 percent of women between 18 and 34 plan to have just one child．The same can be seen in the UK．In Japan the average number of children born per family had gone down to 1.42 by 1996．
For some single-child parents，especially who are busy working every day，time and energy seem to be overwhelming．They don't have enough time and energy to share with more children．For other people，money is their first consideration．Many couples in Japan choose not to have large families as the cost of supporting a child up to the age of 18 reaches around US﹩160，000．
66．According to the passage，why is a single child likely to be lonely？C
A．Because his parents don't love him
B．Because he doesn't have holidays
C．Because he doesn't have a brother or a sister to talk or play with．
D．Because there are other children in the family
67．What do people not think about when they choose to have a second child？D．
A．time
B．energy
C．money
D．food
68．What does the underlined word"overwhelming"mean in the last paragraph？A
A．压倒一切的
B．宽松的
C．流行的
D．充足的
69．Which of the following is true according to the passage？A
A．It is not easy to make a decision to have a second child．
B．Many couples in Japan love to have large families．
C．All parents feel confident（自信的）about having a second child
D．Less than 14% of women in the UK plan to have just one child．
70．Parents choose not to have a second child becauseD．
A．The cost of supporting a child is so high．
B．Parents are too busy working every day to share their time and energy with more children．
C．Some parents regretted making the decisions to have only one child．
D．Both A and B．
分析 该短文讲述了当前家庭是否决定生育二胎的情况；常常听说，一个独生子女就像是一个孤独的孩子；他们往往和他的同龄人不能相处好；有些父母后悔当初决定只有一个孩子．但由于教育费用的增加等等因素，选择独生子女的家庭越来越多，如美国、英国、日本等．独生子女的家庭有很多弊端，如没有足够的时间与精力与子女分享等等．
解答 66．答案：C；细节理解题；根据短文内容，It is often heard that a single child is like to be a lonely child．There are no other children in the family for the child to talk or play with．可知，很对孩子没有兄弟姐妹，所以感到孤独；故选C；
67．答案：D；细节理解题；根据短文内容，They don't have enough time and energy to share with more children、money is their first consideration；可知，在二胎问题上，父母考虑的没有"food"问题，故选D；
68．答案：A；词义猜测题；根据所猜词的上一句who are busy working every day可以推测，时间和精力应该是"压倒一切的因素"；故选A．
69．答案：A；细节理解题；根据短文内容It is most difficult for parents to decide whether to have a sencond child or not．可知：决定是否要第二个孩子是不容易的；故选A；
70．答案：D；细节理解题；根据文章内容，They don't have enough time and energy to share with more children和For other people，money is their first consideration．可知，父母不选择生二胎的原因是：费用高和时间少；故选D．
点评 速读全文，抓住中心主旨，在速读的过程中，应尽可能多地捕获信息材料；然后，细读题材各个题目击破．
