It is most difficult for parents to decide whether to have a second child or not. It is often heard that a single child is likely to be a lonely child. There are no other children in the family for the child to talk to or play with. An only child is not able to get along well with children of his age. Some parents feel sad about making the decisions to have only one child.

But the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in many parts of the world. In the US, for example, more than14 percent of women between 18 and 34 plan to have just one child. The same can be seen in the UK. In Japan, the average(平均) number of children born per family had gone down to 1.42 by 1996. For some single-child parents, especially who are busy working every day, time and energy seem to be overwhelming. They don’t have enough time and energy to share with more children. For other people, money is their first consideration. Many couples in Japan choose not to have large families as the cost of supporting a child up to the age of 18 reaches around $160,000.

1.According to the passage, why is a single child likely to be lonely?

A. Because his parents don’t love him.

B. Because he doesn’t have holidays.

C. Because he doesn’t have a brother or a sister to talk to or play with.

D. Because there are other children in the family.

2.What does the underlined word “overwhelming” mean in the last paragraph?

A. 压倒一切的 B. 宽松的 C. 流行的 D. 充足的

3.Why don’t parents choose to have a second child?

A. The cost of supporting a child is so high.

B. Parents are too busy working every day to share their time and energy with more children.

C. Some parents can’t still get their first child’s agreement.

D. Both A and B.

Tom arrived at the New York airport two hours before the flight to Paris. He was wearing three shirts, a jacket, two pairs of socks, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of jeans. He was carrying one small backpack, which was very full, but he didn’t have any other luggage. Tom needed to meet a man named Tony before he checked in for his flight. He found Tony near the Air France counter. Tony gave him a round-trip ticket and a small package.

“Give this package to Jean-Paul at the airport in Paris. He will have a sign with your name on it. I think you can find him easily,” Tony said, ”You don’t have any luggage, right?”

“Only this backpack,” Tom answered. ”You said I could bring one carry-on bag.”

“That’s right. One carry-on bag is fine. Have a good trip.”

“Thanks.”

Is Tom a criminal (罪犯)? Not at all. He is an air-courier(空中信使). And he paid only $110 for the round-trip ticket to Paris. Air couriers get cheap airline tickets because they take important packages and papers to foreign countries. Businesses sometimes need to get packages and papers to people in foreign countries by the next day. Often, the only way they can do this is to use an air-courier company. It is not cheap for a business to send a package with an air courier, but it is quick.

Every year about 80,000 people worldwide travel as air couriers. The number of tickets for courier travel is growing by about 10 percent a year. However, air-courier travel isn’t for everyone. But if you have very little money, can be flexible(灵活的) about your travel plans, and don’t mind wearing the same clothes for a week, it can be a great way to take a vacation!

1.An air courier is a person who_________

A. manages a business company in foreign countries

B. organizes international flights for tourists

C. travels around the world with cheap tickets

D. delivers papers and packages to foreign countries.

2.One of the disadvantages of traveling as an air courier is that he_____.

A. cannot decide when and where to travel B. cannot take any luggage with him

C. has to wear two pairs of shoes D. saves little money from the travel

3.The writer of the text mainly______.

A. describes the activities of a law-breaker

B. suggests an ideal way to everyone for traveling

C. argues against the air-courier travel

D. tells us about a developing business

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网