阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

In the past American families tended to be quite large. Parents   1   five or more children were common. Over the years the   2   of the family has decreased. One reason for this is an increase in the cost of living. On the average children   3   schools for more years than they used to, making them financially dependent on their families   4   . Moreover children nowadays   5   and have more money to   6   entertainment. The parents usually take the  7   for all the expenses. Meanwhile, families are   8   than they used to be. More and more American   9   work away from home.

The break-up of the family occurs  10  the parents divorce（离婚）. A lot of children in the US live part of their lives with only   11   . Broken families usually result   12   for children and parents alike. Children   13   themselves when their parents go away from   14   . And these single parents must   15   the children’s emotional needs while also   16   them financially. This leaves very little time for the parents’ own interests. Single parents   17   other single parents. In this type of family unrelated children are forced to   18   brother of sister relationship. The affairs of many American families today are not good. However, things are getting better. The divorce rate is not rising. The rate of child birth   19   .Perhaps Americans have learnt   20   important families are.

1. A. rose　　　　 B. raised 　　　　 C. rising　　    D. raising

2. A. number　　    B. amount　　  C. size　　    D. wealth

3. A. come to　　  B. take part in　　   C. join　　  D. attend

4. A. long　　     B. longer　　    C. longest　　   D. no longer

5. A. are poorly dressed　　 　　  B. are well dressed

C. are better dressed　　　　　　   D. are dressed more poorly

6. A. spend on　　　　 B. pay on　　    C. cost for　　  D. take for

7. A. responsible　　　　　　   B. chance

C. change　　　　　　　　　　 D. responsibility

8. A. closer　　　　 B. more close　　　　 C. much closer    D. less close

9. A. fathers　　    B. mothers　　  　　 C. parents　　     D. children

10. A. when　　    B. while　　　　 　　 C. where　　     D. until

11. A. their parents   B. both parents　　　　 C. one parent　　 D. a parent

12. A. looking　　   B. searching　　　　   C. from questions  D. in problems

13. A. sorry　　     B. happy　　 　　    C. love　　 　　  D. blame

14. A. each other　　 B. other 　　　　　　 C. the others　　  D. all

15. take care　　   B. care of　　　　 C. care for　　     D. mind

16. A. support　　  B. supported　　   C. supporting　　  D. to support

17. A. marry with   B. marry to　　    C. are married with  D. marry

18. A. develop　　   B. increase　　   C. produce　　     D. improve

19. A. is raising　　  B. is rising　　    C. developing　　  D. in reducing

20. A. very　　     B. such　　  　　 C. what　　 　　  D. how

In the past American families tended to be quite large. Parents   1   five or more children were common. Over the years the   2   of the family has decreased. One reason for this is an increase in the cost of living. On the average children   3   schools for more years than they used to, making them financially dependent on their families   4   . Moreover children nowadays   5   and have more money to   6   entertainment. The parents usually take the  7   for all the expenses. Meanwhile, families are   8   than they used to be. More and more American   9   work away from home.

The break-up of the family occurs  10  the parents divorce（离婚）. A lot of children in the US live part of their lives with only   11   . Broken families usually result   12   for children and parents alike. Children   13   themselves when their parents go away from   14   . And these single parents must   15   the children’s emotional needs while also   16   them financially. This leaves very little time for the parents’ own interests. Single parents   17   other single parents. In this type of family unrelated children are forced to   18   brother of sister relationship. The affairs of many American families today are not good. However, things are getting better. The divorce rate is not rising. The rate of child birth   19   .Perhaps Americans have learnt   20   important families are.

1. A. rose　　　　 B. raised 　　　　 C. rising　　    D. raising

2. A. number　　    B. amount　　  C. size　　    D. wealth

3. A. come to　　  B. take part in　　   C. join　　  D. attend

4. A. long　　     B. longer　　    C. longest　　   D. no longer

5. A. are poorly dressed　　 　　  B. are well dressed

C. are better dressed　　　　　　   D. are dressed more poorly

6. A. spend on　　　　 B. pay on　　    C. cost for　　  D. take for

7. A. responsible　　　　　　   B. chance

C. change　　　　　　　　　　 D. responsibility

8. A. closer　　　　 B. more close　　　　 C. much closer    D. less close

9. A. fathers　　    B. mothers　　  　　 C. parents　　     D. children

10. A. when　　    B. while　　　　 　　 C. where　　     D. until

11. A. their parents   B. both parents　　　　 C. one parent　　 D. a parent

12. A. looking　　   B. searching　　　　   C. from questions  D. in problems

13. A. sorry　　     B. happy　　 　　    C. love　　 　　  D. blame

14. A. each other　　 B. other 　　　　　　 C. the others　　  D. all

15. take care　　   B. care of　　　　 C. care for　　     D. mind

16. A. support　　  B. supported　　   C. supporting　　  D. to support

17. A. marry with   B. marry to　　    C. are married with  D. marry

18. A. develop　　   B. increase　　   C. produce　　     D. improve

19. A. is raising　　  B. is rising　　    C. developing　　  D. in reducing

20. A. very　　     B. such　　  　　 C. what　　 　　  D. how

Fun is, in fact, a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past, when "duty’’ and "responsibility" were often the words used.
Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It’s great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We’re definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, ’I have to focus on making my child happy’, as opposed to ’I have to act as a parent most appropriately’."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow.  Time-short parents encourage children’s independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They’ll say, ’We trust you to make the right decisions’ (whether they’re ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child’s self-esteem

1. 1.

   What’s the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?

   1. A.
      Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children
   2. B.
      More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport
   3. C.
      Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children
   4. D.
      The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children’s thoughts more
2. 2.

   Which of the following has NOT contributed to the change in the parent-child relationship?

   1. A.
      Younger parents
   2. B.
      Parent effectiveness training
   3. C.
      More working mothers
   4. D.
      The self-esteem movement
3. 3.

   What’s Billingham’s attitude towards parents who make children more responsible for themselves?

   1. A.
      He supports them
   2. B.
      He admires them
   3. C.
      He disagrees with them
   4. D.
      He thinks they’re unreasonable
4. 4.

   What will probably be discussed following the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      The effect of more working mothers on children’ s education
   2. B.
      The benefits of the new relationship between parents and children
   3. C.
      The importance of self-esteem and ways to develop children’s self-esteem
   4. D.
      The risks of setting no rules and some suggestions on how to have a balanced attitude
5. 5.

   What’s the best title for the text?

   1. A.
      Parents and Children as Friends
   2. B.
      Parents and Professors as Debaters
   3. C.
      Growing Mutual Understanding
   4. D.
      Disappearing Responsibility

Fun is, in fact , a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past , when “duty”and “responsibility ”were often the words used.Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It's great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We're definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, 'I have to focus on making my child happy', as opposed to 'I have to act as a parent most appropriately'."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow.  Time-short parents encourage children's independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They'll say, 'We trust you to make the right decisions' (whether they're ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child's self-esteem

1. 1.

   What's the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?

   1. A.
      Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children
   2. B.
      More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport
   3. C.
      Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children
   4. D.
      The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children's thoughts more
2. 2.

   Which of the following has NOT contributed to the change in the parent-child relationship?

   1. A.
      Younger parents
   2. B.
      Parent effectiveness training
   3. C.
      More working mothers
   4. D.
      The self-esteem movement
3. 3.

   What's the best title for the text?

   1. A.
      Parents and Children as Friends
   2. B.
      Parents and Professors as Debaters
   3. C.
      Growing Mutual Understanding
   4. D.
      Disappearing Responsibility

Fun is, in fact , a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past , when “duty”and “responsibility ”were often the words used.Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.

     For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It's great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We're definitely closer."

     A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."

     On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.

     But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, 'I have to focus on making my child happy', as opposed to 'I have to act as a parent most appropriately'."

     Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow.  Time-short parents encourage children's independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They'll say, 'We trust you to make the right decisions' (whether they're ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.

     The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child's self-esteem.

1.What's the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?

A. Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children.

B. More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport.

C. Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children.

D. The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children's thoughts more.

2.Which of the following has NOT contributed to the change in the parent-child relationship?

A. Younger parents.                   B. Parent effectiveness training.

C. More working mothers.              D. The self-esteem movement.

3.What's the best title for the text?

A. Parents and Children as Friends.

B. Parents and Professors as Debaters.

C. Growing Mutual Understanding.

D. Disappearing Responsibility.