According to a new US study, couples who expect their children to help care for them in old age should hope they have daughters because they are likely to be twice as attentive overall.
The research by Angelina Grigoryeva, a sociologist at Princeton University, found that, while women provide as much care for their elderly parents as they can manage, men do as little as they can get away with and often leave it to female family members.
Using data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a study which has been tracking a cross-section of over-50s for the last decade, she calculated that women provide an average of 12.3 hours a month of care for elderly parents while men offer only 5.6 hours.
“Whereas the amount of elderly parent care daughters provide is associated with limitations they face, such as employment or childcare, sons’ caregiving is associated only with the presence or absence of other helpers, such as sisters or a parent’s spouse(配偶),” she explained.
“Sons reduce their relative caregiving efforts when they have a sister, while daughters increase theirs when they have a brother.”
“This suggests that sons pass on parent caregiving responsibilities to their sisters.”
In the UK, the 2011 census(人口普查) showed that there are now around 6.5 million people with caring responsibilities — a figure which has risen by a tenth in a decade.
But many are doing so at the risk of their own health. The census showed that those who provide 50 hours or more of care a week while trying to hold down a full-time job are three times more likely to be struggling with ill health than their working counterparts(相对应的人) who are not careers.
1.Where can you probably find the text?
A. In a popular science journal. B. In a heal care guideline.
C. In a physics textbook. D. In a tour booklet.
2.According to the study we know that ________.
A. American couples are preferring daughters to sons a lot
B. sons are twice likely as daughters to care for parents in old age
C. having a brother makes women less likely to do their fair share
D. men tend to take less care of their parents than women
3.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The number of people providing care has increased by 6.5 million.
B. More people have left behind their work to look after the elderly.
C. Many people who both work and care others can be threatened by health problems.
D. People shouldn’t take much responsibility to care for the old.
4.What’s the attitude of the author in the article?
A. Positive. B. Subjective. C. Objective. D. Negative.
Last week I was riding my special motorbike and then stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. “Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?” I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, “OK, as long as I can follow you.”
He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas.
As we came back to the convenience store, she said, “This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn’t know I could do this.” I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, “Oh Daddy, I’m going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too.” Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, “I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today.” I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer.
1.When the daughter was invited to ride by the author, her father ________.
A. was touched as the author wanted to give her a help
B. felt curious as the author behaved in a strange way
C. was happy as his daughter could be excited by the author
D. felt astonished as he was unfamiliar with the author
2.What can we know about the author?
A. He lived a colorful life in fact. B. He worked in a convenience store.
C. He used to give a hand to people in need. D. He was disabled at an early age.
3.According to the passage, the girl ________.
A. was not good at driving a motorbike B. usually felt down for her suffering
C. didn’t believe in God any longer D. used to be a extremely healthy person
4.What do you think is the best title of this passage?
A. A useful wheelchair. B. A funny ride.
C. A warm hug. D. A special gift.
Educational APP Store
Busuu
Busuu helps you learn English language on the go and the lesson's quality is guaranteed as it is based on CEFR language framework. Lessons range from beginners to advanced learners. Busuu is actually a great English app if you want to improve your spoken English by talking with native speakers.
Duolingo
Duolingo is one of the best English language apps today and highly recommended for English beginners. The system of the app helps you learn English quickly by spending twenty minutes a day. Duolingo structures your lessons that teach you about seven new words based on a topic and skill points being awarded for completing the lessons.
Memrise
Memrise uses some creative and easy ways to remember English words. The focus of this app is to help the users expand their vocabulary by learning English words in an effective way. Memrise also offers an offline mode to continue learning without Internet connection.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is designed differently from average language apps on the marketplace today. It’s trying to teach us English the way we'd learn it if we were children starting to learn the language, it has exercises designed to help you learn basic words. A variety of lessons are offered that Rosetta Stone has been using for years.
1.Which mentions the time for daily study?
A. Busuu. B. Duolingo. C. Memrise. D. Rosetta Stone.
2.Why is Memrise different from the others?
A. It will give learners quick progress. B. It has many vocabulary lessons.
C. It is designed for English beginners. D. It can be applied offline as well.
3.The passage is written to ________.
A. inform new research results B. encourage English beginners
C. advertise its latest products D. introduce ways of learning
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Whose pet dog was the guide dog in 1918?
A. Dorothy's. B. A soldier's. C. A doctor's.
2.Where did Dorothy go to learn about the guide dogs?
A. Germany. B. America. C. England.
3.How long does it take to train a little dog to be a guide dog?
A. 14 months. B. 4 months. C. over 2 years.
4.What will the listeners do next?
A. Teach dogs to be guides. B. Visit the center. C. Introduce their pet dogs.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the man going to do this evening?
A. Host his friends. B. Do some washing. C. Do some reading.
2.What does the woman plan to do in the evening?
A. Hold a dinner party. B. Stay at home. C. Have a drink with the man.
3.What should the woman do on the weekend in the man's opinion?
A. Have a good sleep. B. Take some exercise. C. Have fun.
4.When does the woman usually get up on Saturdays?
A. At 9:00. B. At 10:00. C. At 11:00.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What happened to the man?
A. He was attacked.
B. He was caught by the policemen.
C. He lost his watch.
2.Who is probably the woman?
A. The man's wife. B. The man's workmate. C. A policewoman.
3.How did the man go to work yesterday?
A. By bus. B. By bike. C. By car.
