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 that 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.”
【小题1】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

【小题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 kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

【小题3】Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question ______.

A．why TV is important in family life

B．why parents should keep good order

C．why children in small families seem to be quieter

D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

【小题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.

【小题5】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.

Answer 1

【小题1】C
【小题2】B
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
【小题5】C

解析试题分析:本文是一篇说明文，说明了本文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
【小题1】细节题，由最后一段倒数第五行and the youngest, who needs the most attention可以知道答案，故选C。
【小题2】推理题，由最后一句one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.可以推出答案，所以选B。
【小题3】细节题，由第一段第一句As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows,可以知道答案，所以选B
【小题4】推理题，由本文的主要意思可以推出答案，所以选D
【小题5】推理题，由第一段最后一句Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more可以推出答案，所以选C
考点：本篇是一篇说明文
点评：做细节题的关键是找出原文的根据，认真核查题支和原文的异同，常犯错误有：绝对化语言，范围扩大或缩小，以偏概全，张冠李戴等。推断题测试考生在阅读基础上的逻辑推理能力，要求考生根据文章所述事件的逻辑关系，对未说明的趋势或结局作出合理的推断；或根据作者所阐述的观点理论，对文章未涉及的现象、事例给以解释。考生首先要仔细阅读短文，完整了解信息，准确把握作者观点。