Normally when I pop in to see my parents, my mum bursts out of the house with a big smile. Not today. "Your brother," she says, "he's showered twice this afternoon. Does he know how much it costs to run this house?" Are we limiting water now? I didn't think the recession(萧条) had got that bad. My poor brother is a boomerang kid. Like 60 percent of guys immediately after university, he's back at home. Graduating ￡15,000 in debt and faced with unpaid internships(实习期) or low wages thanks to the flooding of the market with graduates, a lot of twenty some things simply don't have the necessary income or parental support to live independently.
Three years after getting their degree, most graduates are still not earning above the average salary. They have a near 50 percent tax burden, thanks to student loan repayments and council tax on top of income tax and national insurance. Unless you have parents who can afford to finance what is effectively a second home for them, returning to the parental nest is often the only affordable option.
The boomerang effect is becoming even more pronounced thanks to the recession. One in four of those losing their job during the downturn is under 25. Only 13 percent of final-year students have jobs. Home is the only place many are going: 111,000 16-29 year olds moved back home in 2008, five times the average of previous years.
Boomeranging is bad news. It poses serious problems for parents' finances. They've already supported their children through university, topping up loans with handouts, averaging ￡12,300 in total, to keep twenty somethings afloat. Now their retirement savings are being eaten away by continuously dependent children.
It’s bad for the returning kids too. Ambitious young people will be left frustrated, seeing their university peers from more wealthy backgrounds excel only because parents' money was there to support them through the initial period of poverty wages. Those living in rural areas are further disadvantaged by lack of access to cities where most new jobs are located. Half of all young people now feel they will not achieve their goals. Research by the Prince's Trust reveals that one-quarter of all 16-25 year olds are regularly down or depressed. And depression does not help self-motivation, the very trait needed to seek out job opportunities.
【小题1】In paragraph 1, the mother’s criticizing her son for showering too often shows _________.

I fell in love with music from a young age and often sat down making a few songs of my own.What would life be like, I wondered, without a beautiful song? In 1992, I made two love songs to my darling wife and watched tears run down her face as I sang."Sam," she said earnestly, "Your songs should be heard by more people."
She got my ballads and started bothering various media people about me, her singing barber husband.Two radio stations took an interest and played the songs.After the programme was aired, I became known in our community as the Singing Barber.
The biggest surprise, however, was still to come.I received a call from a music promoter who offered me a long-term recording contract.He explained that he would be investing a lot of money to market my songs.I needed to be wholly focused on selling my records all over Australia.
But I hesitated.
My friends all told me to go for it.And Mary also thought I should do."Go, Sam.I'll manage with the family...it'll be OK."
I watched my daughter and son playing in the backyard.Soon they would both be in high school...and where would I be? I was so used to my family turning to me for love and support.If I were to start a singing career, I would not only miss them terribly, I'd also certainly miss out on watching them grow up.Signing this contract would put a huge gap between my family and me...and I couldn't bear it.My family was my life.So I refused the music promoter's offer.I'm still making music, I'm rich in love and I have no regrets.

1. 1.

   When the author was offered the contract, most of his friends _____.

   1. A.
      envied him
   2. B.
      laughed at him
   3. C.
      encouraged him
   4. D.
      didn't believe him
2. 2.

   Why did the author give up the contract?

   1. A.
      Because his wife was strongly against it.
   2. B.
      Because the pay was not attractive enough.
   3. C.
      Because he wanted to care about his two kids.
   4. D.
      Because he didn't want his family life damaged.
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we can infer the author _____.

   1. A.
      used to be a country singer
   2. B.
      preferred his present life
   3. C.
      went on the road to fame
   4. D.
      regretted giving up his contract
4. 4.

   What does the author mainly intend to tell us?

   1. A.
      One should know himself.
   2. B.
      Interest is the best teacher.
   3. C.
      Family should come first.
   4. D.
      Every dog has its day.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work，especially when you're a thin 14-year-old．That was me in 1940the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City's Pennsylvania Railway Station．

　　After just a few r days on the job，I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers．I'd like to join them，thinking，“Everyone else is doing it．”

　　When I got home that night，I told my dad what I wanted to do．“You give an honest day's work，” he said，looking at me straight in the eye “They're paying you．If they want to do that，you let them do that．”

　　I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since．

　　Of all the jobs I've had，it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me．Now l teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions．Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience．If one person steals，it destroys trust and hurts everyone．I can put up with many things，but not with people who steal．lf one of my Players were caught stealing，he'd be gone．

　　Whether you're on a sports team，in an office or a member of a family, if you can't trust one another，there's going to be trouble．

1．What can be inferred about the baggage boys？

[　　]

A．They could earn much，but they had to work hard．

B．Many of them earned money in a dishonest way．

C．They were all from poor families．

D．They were all thin，young boys．

2．What does the father's advice imply？

[　　]

A．It is wrong to give more pay to the passengers．

B．Don't believe them if they are paying you more．

C．Don't follow others to overcharge the passengers．

D．It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy．

3．The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that________．

[　　]

A．it is a totally shared experience

B．it is considered as the most dangerous

C．it does great harm to human relationship

D．it may lead to the loss of his sports team

4．It can be concluded from the text that________．

[　　]

A．his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up

B．working in the sports team was his most important experience

C．he learnt much from his shared experience with his team members

D．his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his later life