Question

Since it was founded a year ago, the babysitting pool has become increasingly popular in the United States. More and more mothers have joined it and have benefited from it. What attracts them most is the idea that you pay your babysitter not in cash, but in paper cards. When you join the babysitting pool, you are given thirty cards, which are worth 30-minute babysitting time each. For each half an hour while you are gone, the babysitter gets paid one card.

There are rules regulating this service. You should not watch more than three kids at a time including your own. On big holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, the babysitter should be paid twice as much, which means two cards for every half an hour. When you leave the babysitting pool, you should return all the cards. If you are out of cards, you cannot use money instead. You should have to baby-sit for others to earn enough cards so that you will have them handy when you yourself need a babysitter.
Many mothers think highly of this service. It keeps children in constant touch with one another, and makes life easier for the mothers. Since in most cases, the babysitter is the mother who watches other kids at her own home, it is still possible for her to do her own things while the kids play with each other. In fact most mother babysitters find that their own kids are less of a monster and easier to watch when they are around other playmates. Moreover, since the babysitting pool service does not involve money, it will not be a financial loss to the family.

In the past year, the babysitting pool has helped so many mothers with their work that they all think that it is indeed a good community service worth keeping.

Answer 1

1.The Babysitting Pool

2.30 minutes

3.Rules

4.paid twice / double pay

5.Babysitting for others

6.Advantages

7.To children

8.Making life easier

9.No financial loss

10.Conclusion

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要考查学生对文章大意和文章结构的把握。做题时需要从文中查找相关信息，还要对文中的信息进行适当的概括。

1.Since it was founded a year ago, the babysitting pool has become increasingly popular”和最后一段“In the past year, the babysitting pool has helped”及第二三两段的首句可知，文章主要讲的是the babysitting pool这项服务，故填The Babysitting Pool。

2.thirty cards, which are worth 30-minute babysitting time each”可知，每张卡相当于三十分钟照看婴儿的时间，故填30 minutes。

3.There are rules regulating this service. You should not watch more than three kids at a time...”可知，第二段讲的是相关的规则，故填Rules。

4.On big holidays,...the babysitter should be paid twice as much”可知，在重大的节日，父母需要支付双倍的费用，即每三十分钟需要两张卡片，故填paid twice / double pay。

5.You should have to baby-sit for others to earn enough cards”可知，父母应该帮他人照看孩子来获得足够的卡片，注意与上面几条保持一致，都用动名词形式，故填Babysitting for others。

6. It keeps children in constant touch with one another, and makes life easier for the mothers.”可知，这里讲的是这项服务的优点，孩子可以一直有人照看，妈妈们的生活也能变得轻松一些，故填Advantages。

7.t keeps children in constant touch...makes life easier for the mothers... it will not be a financial loss to the family”可知，本段主要提到了三个优点，分别是对孩子本身、孩子妈妈和家庭来说的，而且根据“To mothers...To the family”可确定填To children，故填To children。

8.and makes life easier for the mothers”可知，这项服务让妈妈们的生活变得轻松，故填Making life easier。

9.it will not be a financial loss to the family”可知，对家庭来说没有金钱上的损失，故填No financial loss。

10.it is indeed a good community service worth keeping”可知，这是一项值得继续开展下去的社区服务，这是对文章的总结，故填Conclusion。

考点：联系上下文；提取有效信息；总结概括能力