Question

As any homemaker 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 and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping (录像) 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 (兄弟姐妹). 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 a non-event.”

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.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because _________.

A.they are busy serving food to their children

B.they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C.they have to pay more attention to younger children

D.they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3.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 kept away from the dinner table

D.find it hard to keep up with other children

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

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

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

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

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

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题本文是一则研究报告，通过对餐桌时间对话的研究发现吃饭时候的交流对孩子有很大的影响。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一段As any homemaker 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.可知Michael Lewis和他的同事对餐桌时的家庭对话进行了研究，后面两段中对这次的研究结果进行了说明。因此文章的目的是报道一项研究结果。故C项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段第三句But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents' efforts to control the loud noise they make.可知孩子多的家庭在吃饭的时候，父母亲要忙于管理秩序，和孩子们之间的对话就少了很多。故B正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段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.可知在多个孩子的家庭里，第一个孩子和最后一个孩子经常会得到最多的关注，而中间的孩子经常被忽视。故B项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据第二段后两句“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.”可知父母亲和孩子交流越多 ，孩子的智商更高。那么父母亲应该和孩子做更多的交流。故C项正确。