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 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. Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most 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 _________.

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

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

4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.

Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.

One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.

Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applications waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease (油腻物) on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.

Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.

“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.

1.Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?

A. He was out of work                                                     B. He was bored with his job

C. He wanted a higher position                                 D. He hoped to find a better boss

2.What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?

A. A friend’s car had a flat tyre                                 B. a wild man was pushing a car

C. a terrible accident happened                                    D. an old man’s car broke down

3.Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?

A. He was also to be interviewed                                  B. He needed a traveling companion

C. He always helped people in need                        D. He was thankful to Jimmy

4.How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?

A. He was sorry for the other applicants

B. There was no hope for him to get the job

C. He regretted helping the old man

D. The interviewer was very rude

You’d sound a lot more polite if you make a request ______ a question.

A. in search of                      B. in the form of

C. in need of                        D. in the direction of

1.What can we learn from the answer to the first question?                          

A. Some equipment is able to read human minds.

B. Some progress has been made in mind reading.

C. Test subjects have been used to make decisions.

D. Computer programs can copy brain processes.

2.People laugh when tickled by others because the feeling is _______.                 

A. unexpected        B. expected        C. comfortable        D. uncomfortable

3.Who has got a little child according to the text?                                  

A. Ms. Leon          B. Mr. Lewis        C. Mr. Moeller        D. Dr. Jeffers

4.According to the text, Jeffers is probably _______.                               

A. a computer programmer                B. a test subject

C. a human brain expert                   D. a medical doctor

Nowadays, a cellphone service is available to everyone, everywhere. Probably thousands of people have already been using it, but I just discovered it, so I'm going to claim it and also name it: Fake Foning.

The technology has been working well for me at the office, but there are infinite(无限的） applications. Virtually in any public space.

Say you work at a big university with lots of talky faculty members buzzing about. Now, say you need to use the restroom. The trip down the hall will take approximately one hour, because a person can't walk into those talky people without getting pulled aside for a question, a bit of gossip, a new read on a certain line of Paradise Lost.

So, a cellphone. Any cellphone. Just pick it up. Don't dial. Just hold that phone to your face and start talking. Walk confidently down the hall engaged in fake conversation, making sure to tailor both the topic and content to the person standing before you whom you are trying to avoid.

For standard colleague avoidance, I suggest fake chatting about fake business:

"Yes, I'm glad you called, because we really need to hammer out the details. What's that? Yes, I read Page 12, but if you look at the bottom of 4, I think you can see the problem begins right there."

Be engaged in your fake fone conversation. Make eye contact with the people passing, nod to them, gesture keen interest in talking to them at a later time, point to your phone, shrug and move on.

Shoppers should consider fake foning anytime they spot a talky neighbor in the produce department pinching (用手捏) unripe peaches. Without your phone at your face, you'd be in for a 20-minute speech on how terrible the world is.

One important caution about fake foning. The other day I was fake foning my way past a colleague, and he was actually following me to get my attention. I knew he wanted to ask about a project I had not yet finished. I was trying to buy myself some time, so I continued fake foning with my doctor. "So I don't need the operation? Oh, doctor, that is the best news."

And then: Brrrrrrng! Brrrrrmg! Brrrrrmg! My phone started ringing, right there while it was planted on my face. My colleague looked at me, and I at him, and naturally I gasped. "What is the matter with this thing?" I said, pulling the phone away to look at it, and then putting it back to my ear.

"Hello? Are you still there?"  Oops.

1.According to the passage Fake Foning is _______________________.

A．a strategy to avoid people                 B．a device newly produced

C．a service provided everywhere             D．a skill of communication

2.In the author's opinion, in order to make fake foning look real one has to__________________.

A．talk about interesting matters              B．behave politely to people passing by

C．hold the phone while walking              D．appear absorbed in conversation

3.What does the last example show?

A．One effective way is to fake fone one's doctor.

B．One has to be careful while fake foning.

C．Fake foning may not cheat people.

D．Fake foning is always quite successful.

4.After his phone suddenly began ringing, the author___________________.

A．immediately started talking to the caller

B．immediately started talking to his colleague

C．put the phone away and stopped talking

D．continued with his fake conversation

5.What is the tone of the passage?

A．Critical.           B．Humorous.         C．Serious.           D．Unclear.