Question

As any housewives who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis carried out his study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings. Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is nothing.”

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

2.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．are often not allowed to come to the dinner table

D．find it hard to get along well with other children

3.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．It is important to have the right food for children.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.B

3.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文Lewis对于普通的家庭进行了一次调查，结果发现孩子少的家庭，在吃饭时，孩子与父母的交流很积极，但是在孩子多的大家庭，父母主要去维持秩序不让孩子吵闹，在有三四个孩子的家里，最大和最小的孩子容易得到家长的关心，中间的孩子很少得到关心。

1.这是写作意图题。根据Lewis carried out his study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes.通读全文可以看出作者就是告诉大家他的调查的情况进行了陈述，故选C。

2.这是细节理解题。根据文章第三段提到 Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. 可以看出老大和老小都是谈话的焦点，只有中间的孩子是被人忽视的。故选B。

3.这是细节理解题。根据In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores.父母提出的问题越多孩子的智商就越高，自然作者同意让父母多和孩子交流了，故选A。

考点：这是一篇社会调查。

点评：阅读理解题目中的作者意图题目可以包括意图、态度、目的题目， 在考试中出现的比率很大。不同的文章可能有不同的写作意图,但写作意图通常有以下三种：1）to entertain readers（娱乐读者，让人发笑） 2) to persuade readers（说服读者接受某种观点）3) to inform readers（告知读者某些信息）