64. According to the passage, the American family is now threatened by 　　　.

A. poverty 　B. having few children　 C. poor living conditions　　 D. separation

63. Which is the most suitable title of this story?

A. Sam and the Lottery Game　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. How to Win a Lottery Game

C. It’s Better to Be Unlucky 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Good Luck Doesn’t Come Easy

C

In this century the traditional American family is constantly faced with the threat of breakdown. Some sociologists suggest that one little – noticed cause may be the introduction of the TV dinner.

Before the appearance of television seats, the American dinner was a big event for the family. In many homes dinner time may be the only time when everyone got together. A typical dinner was usually in three stages. In the preparation stage, the children and Father frequently helped with setting while Mother put the last touches on the roast. In the eating stage, family members shared the day’s experiences and more than food was consumed. In this stage families got to know one another and made joint decisions around the dinner table, and thus the family solidarity(团结)was strengthened. In the cleaning – up stage, children or Father again gave their hands, so that their significance to the home community was clear. Unfortunately, all of these have been erased by a product-the television set.

By the beginning of the 1980s, the typical American family dinner was just twenty minutes long. The speed – up of this once – leisurely experiences is clearly connected to the overall pace of modern life and maybe a model of the modern life is the TV dinners-meals designed to be consumed between the opening and closing credits of a half – hour program. The once family affair has now become nothing more than the use of a fork and knife.

62. What is true about Sam?

A. He was a sixty-year-old man with a job to tune pianos for others.

B. He picked the first number by using a coin to help him make the decision.

C. He was hit by a little sports car when he was going out of the lottery studio.

D. His big prize was hardly enough to cover all the expenses after his accident.

61. In order to win “the Big Cube”, a person must ______________.

A. guess the correct number on the cube　　　　　　 B. guess two selected variables

C. accomplish two tasks assigned to him　　　　　　 D. select between two variables

60. According to the passage, “the Big Cube” is ________.

A. a TV program　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a lottery game

C. a quiz show　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a real-life show

59. Which of the following is NOT true about the couple?

A. They thought English food was bad.

B. They will visit London again.

C. They visited London last October.

D. They didn’t take their umbrella last year.

B

Sam, an unemployed piano tuner, said it was only the second thing he had ever won in his life. The first thing was an Afghan blanket at a church raffle(抽奖)when he was 25 years old. But this was much bigger: it was $120,000! He had won the Big Cube, a state lottery game. To win, a contestant must first guess which number a spinning cube will stop on. The cube has six numbers on it: 1X, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X. If he is correct, the contestant must then guess which of two selected variables(变量)is going to be greater. So, just guessing which number appears on the cube does not guarantee that you will win any money.

Sam correctly guessed 1000X, but he still had to choose between two variables. One variable was the number of cars that would run the stop sign at Hill Street and Lake Avenue in six hours. The other variable was the number of times that a teenage boy would change TV channels in a three-hour period. This was a tough decision.

Finally, Sam flipped(掷)a coin. It came up heads, so Sam picked the teenager. He picked right. The stop sign was run only 76 times, but the teen clicked 120 times. Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had just won 1000 times 120, or $120,000. Sam dreamily left the lottery studio. Talking excitedly on his cell phone while crossing the street, he got hit by a little sports car.

Sam is slowly getting better. He was in the hospital for a month. His hospital bill was $109,000. And the insurance company for the little sports car’s owner charged Sam for $10,000 worth of repairs. Also, Sam still has to pay federal taxes on his winnings. Sam doesn’t play the state lottery any more. He says it’s better to be unlucky.

58. Generally speaking, the couple _________the trip to London.

A. were satisfied with　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. disliked

C. were a bit unhappy about　　　　　　　　 D. regretted

57. The couple had some difficulty in ________.

A. booking in the hotel　　　　 　　　　　　 　B. finding the bus routes

C. going sightseeing on foot　 　　　　　　 　D. having meals

56. The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _________.

A. taxis were too expensive　　　　　 B. they could go sightseeing on foot

C. the underground made the wife feel sick

D. all the above