Question

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping (录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A. show the relationship between parents and children

B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C. report on the findings of a study. 

D. give information about family problems

2. Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because _________.

A. they are busy serving food to their children

B. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C. they have to pay more attention to younger children

D. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3. By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.

A. have to help their parents to serve dinner

B. get the least attention from the family

C. are often kept away from the dinner table

D. find it hard to keep up with other children

4. Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A. It is important to have the right food for children.

B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一则研究报告，通过对餐桌时间对话的研究发现了很多的信息。

1.C 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.可知Michael Lewis和他的同事对餐桌时的家庭对话进行了研究，后面两段中对这次的研究结果进行了说明。故C项正确。

2.B 细节理解题。根据第二段第三句But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make.可知孩子多的家庭在吃饭的时候，父母亲要忙于管理秩序，和孩子们之间的对话就少了很多。故B正确。

3.B 推理判断题。根据第三段Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention.可知在多个孩子的家庭里，第一个孩子和最后一个孩子经常会得到最多的关注，而中间的孩子经常被忽视。故B项正确。

4.“In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”可知父母亲和孩子交流越多 ，孩子的智商更高。那么父母亲应该和孩子做更多的交流。故C项正确。

【名师点睛】

本文5. 即在自然段少的时候串串线，串线法解不出来时，大帽子、小帽子摘一下。

①主旨题的标志：mainly about, mainly discuss, the best title

②串线法：抓首段和其余各段的第一句话，把其意思连接成一个整体。要注意总结性的提示词和转折词，特别要注意中心句。（主要针对自然段少的文章；针对自然段多的文章，主旨题最好联系中心句。找一个和中心句最贴近的）

③小心首段陷阱。

④主旨题错误选项的干扰特征经常是：

⑴局部信息，即选项的内容小于文章的内容；

⑵范围过宽，即选项的内容大于文章的内容。

⑤逆向思维法、快速作文法：在两个选项看上去都十分正确无法选择时，试着从选项出发，想象一下如果自己以此选项来写文章会有那些内容，然后把它与文章的内容比较，接近的即为正确选项。

考点：考查说明文阅读