单选题

The United States has many different types of families. While most American families are traditional comprising a father, mother and one or more children, 22.5 percent of all American families in 1983 were headed by one parent, usually a woman. In some families in the United States, there are no children. These childless couples may believe that they would not make good parents; they may want freedom from the responsibilities of child-rearing; or perhaps they are not physically able to have children. Other families in the United States have one adult who is a stepparent. A stepmother or stepfather is a person who joins a family by marrying a father or mother.
Americans tolerate and accept these different types of families. In the United States, people have the right to privacy and Americans do not believe in telling other Americans what type of family group they must belong to. They respect each other's choices regarding family groups.

单选题 Which of the following is NOT the cause of childless couples?
A. They are too busy with their work.
B. They may not be good parents.
C. They want to be free from the family responsibilities.
D. They are physically unable to have children.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】从文章第一段的第四句可以看出，有些美国人不要小孩的原因有三个：害怕自己不能成为好父母；不想承担养育孩子的任务；或者是身体不适合要小孩。只有A项的内容没有被提到。

单选题 How many types of families are mentioned by the writer?
A. Six. B. Two. C. Five. D. Four.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】从文章的第一段可以看出，美国基本有四种家庭类型：核心家庭(a father, mother and one or more children)，单亲家庭(one parent, usually a woman)，丁克族(childless couples)和再婚家庭(joint family)。所以正确答案选D。

单选题 The second paragraph intends to tell us about ______.
A. general traits of the Americans
B. the reason why Americans tolerate and accept different family types.
C. the social customs in American society
D. the result of the social changes.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】文章第二段主要讲美国人能容忍这么多家庭类型存在的原因：一是每个人都有隐私权；二是相互尊重他人的选择。所以正确答案选B。

单选题 What percent did the families headed by one parent account for?
A. 50 percent. B. 40 percent. C. 35 percent. D. 22.5 percent.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】文章第一段第二句指出：“While most American families are traditional comprising a father, mother and one or more children, 22.5 percent of all American families in 1983 were headed by one parent, usually a woman.”即大多数美国家庭传统上由一位父亲，一位母亲，一个孩子或更多的孩子组成，但1983年22.5%的美国家庭是单亲家庭，通常只有母亲。所以正确答案选D。