【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[听力原文] The family is changing in the US as in many other countries in the world. About fifty years ago in the traditional families the father was boss. Now in a modem family both the father and the mother are equal partners. There are some great differences between the traditional family and the modem family. The first important difference is in the man's role. The traditional husband was the head of the household, because he was the only one who worked outside the home. If the wife worked for pay, then the husband was not considered to be a good provider. In many families today, both husband and wife work for pay. Therefore, they share the role of head of household. In addition, the traditional husband usually made the big decisions about spending money. However, the modem husband shares these decisions with his working wife. Also, the traditional husband did not help his wife with the housework or meal preparation. Dinner was ready when he came home. In contrast, the modem husband helps his working wife at home. He may do some of the household jobs, and it is not unusual for him to cook. The second difference is in the woman's role. In the traditional family, the woman may have worked for pay during her first years of marriage. However, after she became pregnant, she would usually give up her job. Her primary role was to take care of her family. In contrast, in many families today, the modem woman works outside the home even after she has children. She's doing two jobs instead of one, so she is busier than the traditional mother was. The traditional wife learned to live within her husband's income. However, the modem wife does not have to live within her husband's income because the family has two incomes. The final difference is in the role of the children. In the traditional family, the children were taken care of by the mother because she did not work outside the home. However, today preschool children may go to a child care centre or to a baby-sitter regularly because the mother works. The school-age children of a traditional family were more dependent. Their mother was there to help them to get ready for school and to make their breakfast. In contrast, modem children are more independent. They have to get up early in the morning and get ready for school. Their mother is busy getting ready for work, so they may even have to make their own breakfast. In conclusion, the American family today is quite different from the family of fifty years ago. In the modem family, the roles of the father, mother, and children have changed as more and more women work outside the home. The next century may bring more important changes to the American family structure. Which of the following is the feature of a modern family? 本题考查的是现代家庭的特征。讲话中提到：“相比之下，现在很多家庭里，现代女性即使在有了孩子以后也在外面工作。所以，她是在做两份工作而不是一份，因此要比以前的传统女性更忙。”由此可知，妻子不仅外出工作，还要完成带孩子的工作，即承担了两种工作，故选D。其他三项都不是现代家庭的特征，应排除。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] Why were the school-age children of a traditional family more dependent? 本题考查的是传统家庭的学龄儿童为什么更具依赖性。讲话中提到“传统家庭里的学龄儿童更具依赖性。他们的母亲为他们做好上学准备，帮他们做早餐”，可知答案为A。其他三项都没有提及，应排除。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[听力原文] Why is the American family today so different from that of fifty years ago? 本题考查的是导致当今的美国家庭和50年前的美国家庭间差异大的原因。讲话的最后部分提到：“总而言之，现在的美国家庭和50年前的传统家庭已经不同了。在现代家庭里，父亲、母亲和孩子的角色改变了，因为更多女性在外面工作。”据此可知差异出现的原因是越来越多的女性在外面工作，故选B。讲话中提到的“在现代家庭里，父亲、母亲和孩子的角色改变了”只是差异的表现，并非原因，同样C项也只是差异的表现，而D项在讲话中并未提及，所以这三项都应排除。