16．Life for Ron and Joanne Wickham used to be full of soccer games，birthday parties，school plays，and parent-teacher conferences．For most of the past 20 years，they spent their evenings reminding their children to do homework and helping them complete it．Now the evenings are empty except for TV，and the weekends seem to last forever．The children whose activities used to fill their time have moved away and have left empty spaces．The Wickham parents have what is usually called Empty-Nests Syndrome．
Ron and Joanne both work for the Heritage Insurance Company in Ukiah，California．In their mid-50s，they have two children，Anne and Josh．Anne just graduated from California State University-Fullerton and is looking for a banking job in the Bay Area．Josh is still a junior at Claremont McKenna College near Los Angeles，but he can only rarely make the 460-mile trip home to visit his parents．Back in Ukiah，Ron and Joanne often feel the house is too big．"It doesn't really echo，"says Ron，"but it feels like it should．Where is everybody？"
Empty-nesters everywhere know the feeling．They are entering a new stage of life，but they remain tied to their former stage．They are typically between the ages of 48 and 60-still working，still involved in their communities，still rooted．This means they aren't free to travel for entertainment or to pull up stakes and move elsewhere．Generally，they live in the homes where they raised their children．Their daily routines may still echo their full-nest days，with wake-up times meant for driving kids to school or meals that include the children's favorite foods．Therapists point out that Empty-Nest Syndrome doesn't last forever．"Eventually，a so-called empty nest starts to feel normal and new routines develop，"says UCLA psychology professor Jaswant Singh．"Most parents complete this journey just fine，but it usually feels pretty lonely．"
66．Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ron and Joanne？D
A．Their house is so big that it echoes when their children are not at home．
B．Their health condition doesn't allow them to eat steak and move elsewhere．
C．They can now do nothing to kill time but help Josh complete his homework．
D．Their son，a college student，occasionally travels a long distance to visit them．
67．The underlined word"This"in paragraph 3 refers toD．
A．having entered middle age B．their former stage
C．their community D．being tied to a place
68．People with Empty-Nest SyndromeB．
A．usually feel fine when they are on a journey
B．usually lead a normal life but feel quite lonely
C．need psychologists'help to develop new routines
D．can hardly recover from it without taking medicine
69．Which of the following is the best title of the passage？C
A．Ungratefulness of Grown-up Children
B．Adjustment to Brand New Life
C．Emptiness of Empty-Nesting
D．Sacrifice Made for Children．
分析 本文属于说明文阅读，作者通过这篇文章向我们举例介绍了Ron和Joanne 这对空巢老人的生活，他们的儿女离他们都很远，只有很少的机会会回家看他们，而他们虽然过着正常的生活却觉得自己很寂寞，作者用这篇文章呼吁子女们多回家陪陪老人，不要让他们感到孤独．
解答 66．D 细节理解题，根据第二段Josh is still a junior at Claremont McKenna College near Los Angeles，but he can only rarely make the 460-mile trip home to visit his parents．可知他们的儿子在大学时偶尔会走很长的距离去看他们，因此D正确；误解分析：由第二2段Back in Ukiah，Ron and Joanne often feel the house is too big．孩子们走后他们的房子是空的，只是他们觉得自己的房子太大了，因此A错；B选项在文章中没有提及；文中没有提及他们消磨时间是帮Josh完成作业，因此C错；故选D．
67．D 理解推断题，根据第三段This means they aren't free to travel for entertainment or to pull up stakes and move elsewhere．可知这意味着他们不能自己旅行或搬到新的环境中，因此"this"指的是他们被绑在了这个地方，故选D．
68．B 细节理解题，根据第二段Back in Ukiah，Ron and Joanne often feel the house is too big．"It doesn't really echo，"says Ron，"but it feels like it should．Where is everybody？"Empty-nesters everywhere know the feeling．They are entering a new stage of life，but they remain tied to their former stage．可以推断空巢老人一般过着正常的生活，但是他们会觉得很寂寞，故选B．
69．C 主旨大意题，通读全文可发现本文主要向我们介绍了空巢老人的情况，他们虽然过着正常的生活却会感觉很寂寞，故选C．
点评 考查学生的细节理解和推理判断能力．做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确选择．在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
