Washington, April 4----- The United States has more than 90 million families for the first time, but each contains fewer people on average than ever, the Census Bureau(统计局) reported today.

The 90,031,000 families in the United States averaged 2.64 members each as of last July 1.“The reason is, in effect, changes in the age structure,” explained Campbell Gibson, a population researcher for the bureau. Most Americans born in the great explosion of births are now in their 20’s and 30’s when they most likely to set up families, he said.

The fact that many are doing so increased the number of families from 80.4 million in 1980 t0 88.8 million in 1986 and past the 90 million mark last summer.

At the same time, the average number of people per family dropped from 2.75 in 1985 to 2.65 in 1986 and then to 2.64, Mr Gibson said.

By comparison, the 1970 Census found the average family contained 3.14 people. Families averaged more than four people in 1939 and more than five in 1880.

The growing number of ever---- smaller families is still going on, but Mr Gibson pointed out that family growth was not the same as population increase in the 1970’s.

The same age factors that are increasing the number of families also happened then, but in the 1970’s the proportion(比例) of families in each age group was also growing.

That hasn’t continued in the 1980’s for a number of possible reasons, Mr Gibson said. For example, in the 1980’s more young people have chosen to remain home with their parents instead of setting up housekeeping on their own, as many did in the 1970’s.

This could be caused by the increasing cost of housing, he said. Delays in marriage while young people go to work and school, have also been widely reported as a factor, but it was not the only factor for the family changes.

1.The smaller figure of families reported here is _________.

2.What’s the reporter’s attitude towards the present situation?

A. People should get married at later age.

2. The average number of family members should be 2.64.
3. It’s not clear in the report.
4. Young people should set up housekeeping on their own, as many did in the 1970’s.

3.From the last paragraph we may infer that________.

A. delay in marriage will not help the number of the families

2. delay in marriage is the major factor of the family changes
3. the writer felt sorry that many young people now delay their marriages
4. there must be some other factors which have led to the slower growth in the 1980’s

4. The underlined word “factor” in the passage means_________.

　　In the United States in the early 1800’s, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal government. States controlled manufacturing, banking, mining and transportation firms and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes（收费关卡）, and railroads. The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways: first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvements; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.

　　In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of direct restricting activity, including extensive licensing and inspection programs. Licensing targets reflected both similarities in and difference between the economy of the nineteenth century and that of today: in the nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing fell especially on drug dealers, innkeepers and retail merchants of various kinds. The goods of trade generally came under state inspection and such important raw material as lumber and gunpowder were also subject to state control. Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by business.

　　Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its goals were the facilitation of western settlement and the development of native industries. Toward these ends the federal government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank to stabilize banking activities in the country and, in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the region, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted access to public western lands on increasing easy term, with a summit in the Homestead Act of 1862, by which title to land could be claimed on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs（关税） that was basically protectionist in effect, although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff rates throughout the nineteenth century.

1.What does the passage mainly discuss？

　　A. States rights versus federal rights.

　　B. The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and turnpike construction.

　　C. The roles of state and federal government in the economy of the nineteenth century.

　　D. Restricting activity by state government.

2.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that in the nineteenth century canals and railroads were ______.

　　A. built with money that came from the federal government

　　B. much more expensive to build than they had been previously

　　C. built predominantly in the western part of the country

　　D. sometimes built in part by state companies

3.According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Homestead Act of 1862？

　　A. It increased the money supply in the West.

　　B. It was a law first passed by state government in the West.

　　C. It made it increasingly possible for settlers to obtain land in the West.

　　D. It established tariffs in a number of regions.

4.Which of the following activities was the responsibility of the federal government in the nineteenth century？

　　A. Control of the manufacture of gunpowder.

　　B. Determining the conditions under which individuals worked.

　　C. Regulation of the supply of money.

　　D. Inspection of new homes built on western lands.

His efforts to raise money for his program were ______ because, no one showed any intention to take a cent out of their pockets.  

A. in place      B. in sight          C. in effect         D. in vain  

In New Britain, Connecticut, a new official in charge of schools named Kelt Cooper wants to end high truancy (逃学) rates among public school students, and he’s suggesting financial punishments to get job done. A plan to fine students up to $75 for each day they skip school is now being considered by New Britain authorities.

The concept of fining kids for skipping school may come as a shock, but it’s not new. In Ohio, the parents responsible for a student guilty of habitual truancy can be fined up to $500 and/or be required to perform up to 70 hours of community service. Until recently, students in Los Angeles could be hit with a $250 punishment for each count of truancy; in early 2012 the law was changed and the heavy fines were removed, though a $20 punishment may still be handed out if a student truants for the third time.

Fines for truancy are also in effect overseas. In the UK, The Guardian reports, parents can be fined ￡50 (about $80) per skipped school day. The punishment doubles if it’s not paid within 28 days.

The question is: Do fines like this work? The vast majority of authorities in the UK said that, indeed, they do. The fines were believed either “very successful” or “fairly successful” by 79% in reducing truancy, according to a survey.

If the plan is passed in Connecticut, it’s unclear how effective the law might be, how to make parents and students obey the law and what might happen if they refuse to pay. However, local officials seem to be willing to give it a shot. According to the Hartford Courant:

“The mayor agrees that truancy is a real issue in New Britain schools, and what’s been done in the past hasn’t been working to reduce truancy.” said Phil Sherwood, assistant to Mayor Timothy O’ Brien.

And what do the students think? In the New Britain Herald, one 17-year-old entering her senior year called the plan “ridiculous” and predicted that the punishments will bring about negative effects on the court system. Besides, “I don’t see the point,” she said. “Kids will just try harder not to get caught.”

1. The passage mainly discusses whether __________.

A．schools have the right to punish students

B．authorities should consider protecting kids

C．students should be fined for skipping school

D．parents are responsible for children’s truancy

2. If a British kid skips two school days and fails to pay fines in a month, the punishment will be __________.

A．two hundred pounds                    B．fifty pounds

C．eighty pounds                          D．a hundred pounds

3. We can learn from the passage that ___________.

A．truancy is a serious problem in New Britain

B．Cooper’s plan has been passed in Connecticut

C．fining kids for truancy is a new idea in America

D．little has been done to reduce truancy in New Britain

4. The underlined part “give it a shot” most probably means _____________.

A．get used to it                           B．help improve it

C．try to carry it out                        D．fight against it

Narayana Hrudayalaya, a complex of health centers based in southern India, offers low-cost, high-quality specialty care in a largely poor country of 1.2 billion people. By thinking differently about everything from the unusually high number of patients it treats to the millions for whom it provides insurance, the hospital group is able to continually reduce costs. Narayana Hrudayalaya’s operations include the world’s largest and most productive cardiac (心脏病的) hospital, where the average open-heart surgery runs less than $2,000, a third or less what it costs elsewhere in India.

Narayana Hrudayalaya’s origins date back to 2001, when it built its massive cardiac center on the outskirts （市郊）of Bangalore. But it has expanded since then into what founder Dr. Devi Shetty calls a "health city," a series of centers specializing in eye, trauma, and cancer care. Narayana Hrudayalaya now manages or owns hospitals in 14 other Indian cities.

Expanding access is paired with a ongoing focus on efficiency. Typically, says Shetty, private hospitals in India focus on patients who can easily afford treatment. "We did it the other way around," he says. "This hospital is for poor people, but we also treat some rich people. We don’t look at people who are sgabbily dressed and have trouble paying as outsiders. "  Narayana Hrudayalaya’s flagship hospital has 3,000 beds and negotiates for better prices and buys directly from manufacturers, cutting out distributors.

In addition to cost-cutting, Narayana Hrudayalaya finds creative ways to make the economics work. The company started a micro-insurance program backed by the government that enables 3 million farmers to have coverage for as little as 22 cents a month in premiums（保险费）. Patients who pay discounted rates are in effect compensated by those who pay full price

Doing something--doing more, actually--is the point. By 2017, Shetty, 58, plans to expand from 5,000 beds throughout India to 30,000. Before becoming one of India’s best-known health-care entrepreneurs, Shetty was its best-known heart surgeon. He was interrupted in surgery one day during the 1990s by a request to make a house call. "I said, 'I don’t make home visits,'?" Shetty says, "and the caller said, 'If you see this patient, the experience may transform your life.'?" The request was from Mother Teresa. Inspired by the her work with the poor, he then set out to create a hospital to deliver care based on need, not wealth.  "One lesson she taught me," he says, quoting a saying he keeps framed in his office, "is 'Hands that sew are holier than lips that pray.'?"

1.Narayana Hrudayalayastarted a micro-insurance to _______.

A．cut down on the cost of the treatment       B．get the support of the government

C．make the company run smoothly            D．attract more people to its hospital

2.We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．the cost of medicine care in India is very low

B．Shetty wouldn’t have succeeded without Mother Teresa

C．Shetty and his colleagues are likely to make home visits now

D．Shetty has expanded his hospitals to most of other cities in India

3.Why did Shetty build the massive cardiac center in 2001?

A．He wanted to build a health city.

B．He was motivated and decided to help more people.

C．He intended to develop his career in different areas.

D．He meant to help more poor people get free treatment.

4.How would you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph ?

A．It’s doing something and doing more that really matters.

B．It’s not easy to take positive action to contribute to society.

C．Healthcare workers are the holiest persons in the world.

D．Praying alone is of no significance in face of difficult situation.