Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.
【小题1】According to the passage， there are 　　　　 in the United States.

A recent report found that women graduates are more likely than non-graduates ____ childless throughout their lives.   

In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞) on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的) satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home. He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids.

The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor.

Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research，which isn't surprising. Her findings shake the very foundation of what we've been raised to believe is true. In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels. But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?

Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose—to work the farm, contribute to the household. Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult. Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well. The National Marriage Project's 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations.

As for those of us with kids, all the news isn't bad. Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who've never had kids. And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify.

1..

 What’s the main idea of the book Stumbling on Happiness?

A. Parents are happier shopping than looking after their children.

B. Once they have children, the couples can never be as happy as before.

C. Compared with their childless peers, parents are leading a sad life.

D. The adding of children at home brings down marital satisfaction.

2..

. What can we infer from Para.3?

A. The Newsweek Poll shows that people think Prof. Simon’s finding is right.

B. Many people can’t accept the fact that they are not happy with their children.

C. It isn’t surprising that Professor Simon’s controversial research made her famous.

D. Simon’s findings are based on the belief passed down from generation to generation.

3..

 What can we learn about American’s families in the past?

A. People had very good parents-children relationship in the family.

 B. Having children could be partly out of some practical purposes.

C. Parents loved their children but they still asked them to work a lot.

D. Children had to work very hard to make their parents love them.

4..

 What’s the author’s opinion about having children?

A. The author doesn’t think having children is a good thing to the family.

B. The author feels children make the life of a family happy.

C. The author thinks parenting can still be rewarding in a certain way.

D. The author believes that parents sacrifice a lot for having children.

As I understand, if scientists produced a human clone, there would be a great risk of it having a disease. Nobody seems to understand the ageing process of a clone. It would be terrible if a baby was the age of its parent at     31   . Its cells would grow old fast and it would die young.    32    until the technique is perfectly safe, it should be     33   .
I'd love to have a clone of     34   . I often wish I had a twin sister, someone who    35   me in everything. So why not a clone? Well, the idea    36   be fun but I'm not sure if it would be     37   . I think we would be playing with fire if we let scientists go ahead with     38   cloning. There are so many     39   
involved that all research in this area should be strictly controlled.
There are so many arguments     40    cloning that it is difficult to get anyone to consider the possible benefits. I am     41    that it is a technique which could be beneficial. The most obvious use would be for childless     42   . They would be able to have babies with their own genetic material. I don't see what's wrong with that.
Imagine a child     43    up knowing that his or her mother is really a sister or a brother. The emotional     44    on the child would be     45   . Or a child who was cloned from a dead brother or sister. What kind of emotional pressure would they feel, knowing they were made as a replacement for another? The whole idea
    46    me!
It's all very good to ban human cloning but scientists should be allowed to   47   
research. If they don't, we may     48    important benefits for our society, such as producing body organs. A clone is an     49    copy of a person with the same gene. Therefore, it is the     50    donor for an organ(器官) transplant.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that running after children each day would leave parents in the best shape of their lives.But a study has found that the mothers and fathers of young children are more unhealthy than their childless peers(同龄人）.
Mothers with young children are heavier and eat more calories and fatty foods,and consume more sugary dinks than chidless women,scientists said.And both sexes are less active than those in their age group without children.
Parents often choose quick,easily preparesd foods that are high in fat and calories,and by choosing these foods they may in turn serve them to their children,forming a cycle of unhealthy diet.
Dr.Berge,one of the study authors,said:“This isn't a study about blame,this is about spotting a very high-risk time period for parents that doctors should be aware of ,so they can offer solutions(解决办法）.”
According to the study ,mothers ate more fatty foods and drank about seven sugary drinks weekly,equal to about four chidless women.They also had an average of 2,360 calories daily,368 calories more than women without children,With that many calorise,women that age would need to be active to avoid to avoid gaining weight.
Fathers ate about the same amount of daily calories childless men and both had an average boby-mass index(指数）,but fathersgot less physical activity—about five hours weekly ,compared to almost seven hours among chidless men.
The study has several limitations－there's no data on how many women reccently had babies.Ther's also no information on the number of single parents,who likely face diet and exercise challenges.Sarah Kriger,an American dietician who works with new mothers said some of the mothers may have had postpartum(产后）depression,which might affect their eating and exercise habits.
【小题1】What does the author mainly aim to tell us in the passage?