In the past, American families tended to be quite large. Parents raising five or more children were common. Over the years, the size of the family has decreased. One reason for this is an increase in the cost of living. On the average, children attend schools for more years than they used to, making them financially dependent on their families longer. Moreover, children nowadays are better dressed and have more money to spend on entertainment. The parents usually take the responsibility for all the expenses. Meanwhile, families are less close than they used to be. More and more American mothers work away from home. The break up of the family occurs when the parents divorce. A lot of children in the U. S. live part of their young lives with only one parent. Broken families usually result in problems for children and parents alike. Children blame themselves when their parents separate. They grow up feeling unsettled as they are moved back and forth between parents. Usually one parent is responsible for raising the children. These single parents must care for the children's emotional and psychological needs while also supporting them financially. This is very demanding and leaves very little time for the parent's own personal interests. Single parents often marry other single parents. In this type of family, unrelated children are forced to develop brother or sister relationship. The situations of many American families today are not good. However, recent signs indicate that things are getting better. The divorce rate is declining. The rate of childbirth is rising. Perhaps Americans have learned how important families are. In the past, American families tended to be _ . A) quite small B) medium sized C) quite large D) small
C
Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we've got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings -- whether it's after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it's no surprise that more and more people are taking them. But is _ really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn't. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose . Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose--and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression , they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better. So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch? There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a self-protection strategy, as other primates also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn't show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey -- and that could result in death. In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support. Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s... The author believes sadness is _ . A) a good thing for people's health B) something horrible never to touch C) a necessary function of humans' D) always to be treated as depression
C
Q: This week in our Foreign Student Series,we discuss rules about getting a job while studying in the United States. International students are permitted to work for the college or university they attend or for a business at the school.But the business must directly provide a service to students.You could work at the bookstore,for example,but not for a construction company that is building something on campus .Also,a foreign student cannot displace an American citizen in a job.International students can work twenty hours a week while attending classes;more during school breaks.You can work until you complete your studies. Foreign students normally cannot take a job that has no connection to their school.But the government may give permission if students are suddenly faced with a situation that is out of their control.Examples include large medical bills. The loss of financial aid or an unexpected change in the financial condition of their source of support.Students must also meet other conditions.They must have attended their American school for at least one year.Government approval is given on a case-by-case basis.Students must re-apply after a year if they want to continue all off-campus job. Foreign students who will be attending graduate school can apply for some jobs before they come to the United States.A good example is a university job like a teaching or research assistantship.Some schools pay their assistants.Others provide free education in return. Many do both.Graduate assistants might teach, give tests,grade work, assist professors with research and hold office hours.Many universities now provide language training to foreign teaching assistants to help them improve their English.Some schools require foreign students to pass an English speaking test before they arc permitted to teach. International student offices at schools have to provide information on students each term to the Department of Homeland Security.Students who violate the terms of their visa--for example, By working off-campus without... In general, the international students are permitted to_. A) work in a bookstore near the college campus B) work for three years altogether at most C) work for 20 hours a weak during school days D) take the place of an American citizen for a certain job
A: C
Q: The breaking news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday evening soon aroused public curiosity of the 57-year-old Chinese writer: Why was he favored by the Swedish Academy? Less than half an hour after the announcement from Stockholm, Mo's works turned to "sold out" status at China's major online book sellers. One lucky buyer wrote in an online comment: "Rushed to purchase, but to my shame, I have not read any of his novels." Although Mo was entitled one of the top China's literature awards before the Nobel Prize, he is not the most popular novelist in China, in either the book market or in reputation. Chinese media seemed to be shocked as some journalists were reported to be on their way overnight to Gaomi City of East China's Shandong Province, Mo's birthplace where he stayed with his family. Born in 1955 into a rural family, Mo dropped out of school and became a farmer when he was a teenager. He joined the army and devoted himself to writing. Mo's novels were translated into several languages. For more than a century, Nobel Prize has been regarded by the world as recognition to an individual or even a nation's cultural and scientific advances. "I think the reason why I could win the prize is that my works present lives with unique Chinese characteristics, and they also tell stones from a viewpoint of common human beings, which transcends differences of nations and races," Mo said on Thursday evening to Chinese journalists. Mo also said many folk arts originated from his hometown, such as paper cuts and traditional new year paintings, have inspired and influenced his novels. Mo's prize may give powerful encouragement to the country's writers as the more reflective of Chinese lives their works are, the more possible they arise as world literature. From this passage we know that the news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature was_. A) a shock to online booksellers B) curiosity to the Swedish Academy C) contrary to the belief of the Chinese media D) beyond the expectation of most Chinese people
A: A