Ridgewood is a small, quiet town 20 miles from Manhattan. It is a typical suburban town, perfect for raising children away from the fast pace of the city. However, some Ridgewood kids feel as upset as if they were on the city’s busy streets. In addition to hours of homework, Ridgewood’s children are occupied with afterschool activities — from swimming to piano to religious classes.
Out of desperation one day, the town decided to schedule another activity. This one was called “Ridgewood Family Night — Ready, Set, Relax!” Instead of schedules filled with sports, music, or overtime at the office, some of the town’s 25,000 residents decided to take the night off and stay home. For a few months before Family Night, a mittee of volunteers worked hard to spread the word. Younger students took “Save the Date for Me” leaflets home to their parents. The mayor issued a statement, and schools and clubs agreed to cancel homework and meetings so families could relax and be together.
The tension between a hope for a more relaxed lifestyle and the knowledge that the benchmark for success has been raised in recent years weighs heavily on the minds of the townspeople. Some parents like to recall a different kind of childhood, one without so many scheduled afterschool activities. However, these same parents feel obliged to make sure their children are prepared to survive in today’s high-pressure work environment. They are afraid that any gap in their children’s physical or intellectual development might mean they won’t be admitted to the “right” universities and won’t succeed in a more and more petitive world.
Nevertheless, it seems that Family Night worked, at least to a point. Cars moved easily around Ridgewood’s normally busy downtown streets, and stores and restaurants saw a drop in business. Some families ate supper together for the first time in months.
Initially, there was great hope of taking back their lives. But sadly, few families believe that one night will change their lives. Many are sure that they will fall back into the habit of over-scheduling their children to be overachieving adults.
【小题1】The writer describes Ridgewood as a town where .A．residents take little notice of educationB．children are stressful and over expectedC．parents are concerned about children’s safetyD．children lead a life of relaxed, ordinary rhythms【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the Family Night?A．Schools assigned no homework.B．Fewer people ate in the restaurants.C．The streets were less crowded.D．People enjoyed meeting each other.【小题3】According to the passage, the parents in Ridgewood .A．have conflicting desires about what experiences to offer their childrenB．are happy with the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves and the childrenC．believe that it is their duty to make a change for the stressful life styleD．are worried about their children’s lacking of big ambition【小题4】We may get the conclusion from the passage that .A．the concept of Family Night will bee a regular part of life in RidgewoodB．Ridgewood people believe the Family Night will change their way of livingC．Family Night is not as popular as people have originally thoughtD．schools are worried about students being given too much free timeB
网友回答
(答案→)B
解析：文章介绍因为学习和就业的压力，Ridgewood的孩子除了做作业，还要上课外的课程，有人建议事项Ridgewood Family Night，这样学校没有作业，人们呆在家里，享受和家人的时光，但是这个想法不像人们远离想象的那么受欢迎。
【小题1】细节题：从第一段的句子：However, some Ridgewood kids feel as upset as if they were on the city’s busy streets. In addition to hours of homework, Ridgewood’s children are occupied with afterschool activities — from swimming to piano to religious classes. 可知Ridgewood的孩子除了做作业，还要上课外的课程，所以有压力，选B
【小题2】细节题：从第二段的句子：This one was called “Ridgewood Family Night — Ready, Set, Relax!” Instead of schedules filled with sports, music, or overtime at the office, some of the town’s 25,000 residents decided to take the night off and stay home.和第四段的句子 Cars moved easily around Ridgewood’s normally busy downtown streets, and stores and restaurants saw a drop in business. Some families ate supper together for the first time in months.可知实行family night后，学校没有作业，人们呆在家里，不出去吃饭了，街道上不那么拥挤了，D表达错误。
【小题3】细节题：从第三段的句子：Some parents like to recall a different kind of childhood, one without so many scheduled afterschool activities. However, these same parents feel obliged to make sure their children are prepared to survive in today’s high-pressure work environment. 可知这里的父母对提供什么经验给孩子想法是有冲突的，选A
【小题4】推理题：从最后一段的句子：Initially, there was great hope of taking back their lives. But sadly, few families believe that one night will change their lives. 可知Ridgewood Family Night 不像人们远离想象的那么受欢迎，选C