11．Children's lives have changed greatly over the last 50years．But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did？
It's difficult to look back on one's own childhood without some element of nostalgia（怀旧的）．I have four brothers and sisters，and my memories are all about being with them．Playing board games on the living room floor，or spending days in the street with the other neighborhood children，racing up and down on our bikes，or exploring the nearby woods．My parents scarcely appear in these memories，except as providers either of meals or of severe blame after some particularly risky adventure．
These days，in the UK at least，the nature of childhood has changed dramatically．Firstly，families are smaller，and there are far more only children．It is common for both parents to work outside the home and there is the feeling that there just isn't time to bring up a large family，or that no one could possibly afford to have more than one child．As a result，today's boys and girls spend much of their time alone．Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home，inside．More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers，so they wouldn't dream of letting their children play outside by themselves．
Finally，the kind of toys children have and the way they play is totally different．Computer and video games have replaced the board games and more interesting activities of my childhood．The irony（令人啼笑皆非的事情） is that so many ways of playing games are called"interactive"．The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today．
Do these changes mean that children today have a less relaxing childhood than I had？I personally believe that they do，but perhaps every generation feels exactly the same．
56．What is the purpose of the direct question given in the first paragraph？D
A．To show who the passage is written for．
B．To gather people's opinions on childhood．
C．To compare the childhood lives of two generations．
D．To get people's attention and lead in the topic．
57．Which is NOT a reason for the changes？C
A．Families are smaller today．
B．Toys can be played by children alone at home．
C．It's too dangerous to play outside．
D．Parents worried too much about their children．
58．What has the writer focused on in the fourth paragraph？A
A．Some games that young people play today aren't really good．
B．Computer and video games have replaced the board games．
C．Young people today shouldn't play electronic games．
D．Board games are much more interesting than computer games．
分析 文章中作者陈述了现在孩子童年发生了变化和产生变化的原因，问题是现在的孩子是否更快乐应该受道家长们的关注．
解答 56 D 推断题．由后文作者论述随着时代发展，不同时代的人的童年也在发生变化可知作者在第一段提出"But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did？"这个问题是为了主导全文的话题并引起读者注意，D正确．
57 C 细节题．由第三段第二句"Firstly，families are smaller，and there are far more only children．"和第五、六句"Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home，inside．More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers"可知变化产生的原因中没有涉及到"在户外玩耍太危险"，所以四个选项中只有C项不是变化产生的原因，故正确答案为C．
58 A 由第四段最后一句"The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today．"可知作者写第四段的目的是证明现在的一些游戏有很多缺点，因此对于青少年并没有什么好处，所以A项正确．
点评 本文是人生感悟类阅读理解．做这类题材阅读理解时要求考生对文章通读一遍，做题时结合原文和题目有针对性的找出相关语句进行仔细分析，结合选项选出正确答案．推理判断题也是要在抓住关键句子的基础上合理的分析才能得出正确答案，切忌胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据
