Question

About six years ago , I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table . I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation . At one point the woman asked , “So, how have you been ?” And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied , “Sorry, to tell you the truth , I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”

This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing . As far as I can remember , my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school .

Undoubtedly a change in Children has increased steadily in recent years . Children don’t seem childlike anymore . Children speak more like adults , dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to .

Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say , but it certainly is different . Childhood as once was no longer exists . Why ?

Human development is dependant not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge .Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the social positions . Children have always been taught adult secrets , but slowly and in a stage ; traditionally  we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders .

In the last 30 years , however , a secret-revelation machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes . It is called television . Television passes information to all viewers alike , whether they are children or adults . Unable to resist the temptation (诱惑), many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging but more attractive moving pictures .

Communication through print as a matter of fact allows for a great deal of control over the social information children have gained . Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced . Children must read books before they can read complex materials .

1．The underlined word “depressed” in the 1st paragraph may have the same meaning as       .

       A．very satisfied      B．a little frightened C．in low spirits        D．extremely excited

2．According to the writer ,feeling depressed is        .

       A．a kind of mental disease

       B．a mental state of humans , including children

       C．something that can not be avoided in children’s mental development

       D．something hardly to be expected in a young child

3．According to the writer , the fact that today’s children seem adult like results from        .

       A．the widespread influence of television

       B．the poor arrangement of teaching content

       C．the fast pace of human scientific development

       D．the rising of living standards

4．What does the writer think of the change in today’s children ?

       A．He feels their adult like behavior is so funny .

       B．He thinks the change deserves particular attention .

       C．He considers it a rapid development .

       D．He seems to be confident about it .

5．Why is the writer in favor of communication through print for children ?

       A．It enables children to gain more social information .

       B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing .

       C．It helps children to memorize and practice more .

       D．It can control what children are to learn .

Answer 1

1.C   2.D   3.A   4.B   5.D