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 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 seven or eight years old , replied , “ To tell the truth , I’ve been feeling a little depressed (壓抑) lately . ”

       His words 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 .

       The evidence of 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 it once was no longer exists . Why ?

       Human development is based not only on innate (天生的) biological states ,. But also on patterns of access to social knowledge . Movement from one social role to another usually involved learning the secrets of the new status . Children have always been taught adults secrets ,but slowly and in stages : traditionally ,we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden form fifth graders .

       In the last 30 years , however , a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has come into 98 percent of American home . It is called television . Television passes information , and indiscriminately (無(wú)區(qū)分) , to all viewers alike , be they children or adults . Unable to resist the temptation , many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging , more vivid moving pictures .

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

1．According to the author , feeling depressed is _______

       A．a(chǎn) sure sign of a psychological problem in a child

B．something hardly to be expected in a young child

C．a(chǎn)n inevitable period of children’s mental development

D．a(chǎn) mental state present in all humans , including children

2．Traditionally a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _________ .

       A．through contact directly with society    

B．gradually and under adults’ guidance

C．naturally and by biological instinct               

D．through exposure to social information]

3．The phenomenon that today’s children seem adult-like is explained by the author as the result of ________

       A．the widespread influence of television          

B．the poor arrangement of TV programs

C．the fast development of human’s intelligence 

D．the constantly rising of standard of living

4．Why is the author 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 remember and practice more knowledge

D．It can control what children are to learn at a proper age

5．What does the author think of the change in today’s children ?

       A．He feels amused by their behaviors and thoughts

B．He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note

C．He considers it a positive and good development

D．He seems to be upset about these strange behaviors

Answer 1

1．B       2．B       3．A       4．D      5．B