Question

For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.

Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys, it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.

She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact(影响) working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.

The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it at high volume. It’s hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.

1.The main idea about “latchkey children” is that they _______.

A．are growing in numbers

B．are also found in middle-class neighborhoods

C．watch too much television during the day

D．suffer problems from being left alone

2.Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?

A．We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.

B．A lot of kids had chains around their necks.

C．I was constantly telling them to put inside their shirts.

D．They were house keys.

3.The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is _______.

A．tiredness

B．freedom

C．loneliness

D．fear

4.We may draw a conclusion that _______.

A．latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone

B．latchkey children try to hide their feeling

C．latchkey children often watch TV with their parents

D．it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.D

4.D

【解析】文章介绍了现在美国教育遇见的新情况，孩子回家以后独自一人在家，父母都上班了，这样的情况对孩子有很大的影响。

1.猜测词义题。根据第一段第4行内容They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work.可知D正确。

2.段落大意题。第2段通过一个小事件告诉我们孩子们挂着脖子上的是家里的钥匙。D能反应段落大意。

3.细节题。根据第三段第3行Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone.

4.细节题。根据文章最后两句It’s hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.