As any housewives 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 carried out his 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 to 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 nothing.”
【小题1】The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to .A．show the relationship between parents and childrenB．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner tableC．report on the findings of a studyD．give information about family problems【小题2】By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children .A．have to help their parents to serve dinnerB．get the least attention from the familyC．are often not allowed to e to the dinner tableD．find it hard to get along well with other children【小题3】Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.C．It is important to have the right food for children.D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.C
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(答案→)C
解析：本文Lewis对于普通的家庭进行了一次调查，结果发现孩子少的家庭，在吃饭时，孩子与父母的交流很积极，但是在孩子多的大家庭，父母主要去维持秩序不让孩子吵闹，在有三四个孩子的家里，最大和最小的孩子容易得到家长的关心，中间的孩子很少得到关心。
【小题1】这是写作意图题。根据Lewis carried out his study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes.通读全文可以看出作者就是告诉大家他的调查的情况进行了陈述，故选C。
【小题2】这是细节理解题。根据文章第三段提到 Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. 可以看出老大和老小都是谈话的焦点，只有中间的孩子是被人忽视的。故选B。
【小题3】这是细节理解题。根据In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores.父母提出的问题越多孩子的智商就越高，自然作者同意让父母多和孩子交流了，故选A。