根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

    Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal – or at least many parts of it have．  1  ．Ideas about social class – whether a person is “working - class” or “middle - class” – are one area in which changes have been extremely slow．

    In the past, the working – class tended to be paid less than middle – class people．The trypical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander the rest on beer and betting．

    The old style of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth．He was-and still is - inclined to take a longer-term view．Not only did he regard buying a house as a most important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important．     2    ．Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity （or the education and training） to make such long-term plans．

3   　．In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much as their middle – class supervisors （管理者）．Social security and laws to improve century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about "tomorrow"．Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority（自卑感）．In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position．

4    ．They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary．There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations．   5   ．As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups．

A．Nowadays, a great deal has changed

B．Both of these provided him and his family with security

C．As a result, differences in life – styles and attitudes came into existence

D．However, we still have a wide gap between the well – paid and the low - paid

E．In recent years, the working – class people have begun to design long – term plans

F．In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned

G．The changes in both life – styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people

 

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.

　　A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.

　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

1.What did the author say about her own writing experience?

A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

2. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?

A．She wanted to share her stories with readers.

B．She had won a prize in the previous contest.

C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.

D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

3. The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.

A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer

B．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

D．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing

4. What’s the author’s advice for parents?

A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.

C．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.

D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

 

 In times of economic crisis, Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.

　　We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932, when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929. But this doesn’t mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

　　Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

　　After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities. A 1940 book “The Unemployed Man and His Family”, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work.” He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.

　　The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain. Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.

　　Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.

　　Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we’ll begin to see just how many broken families have been created.

1.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to __________.

A. tear many troubled families apart

B. bring about a drop in the divorce rate

C. contribute to enduring family ties

D. cause a lot of conflicts in the family

2.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose to stick together because_______.

A. starting a new family would be hard

B. they expected things would turn better

C. they wanted to better protect their kids

D. living separately would be too costly

3.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?

A. Mounting family debts

B. A sense of insecurity

C. Falling housing prices

D. Difficulty in getting a loan

4.What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?

A. It will irreparably damage their relationship

B. It will undermine their mutual understanding

C. It will help strengthen their emotional bonds

D. It will force them to pull their efforts together

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate

B. Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships

C. A stable family is the best protection against poverty.

D. Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage