阅读理解 Is This A Senseless Notion? "There is a senseless notion that children grow up and leave home when they are 18 , and the truth is far from that," sociologist Larry Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin says. Today, unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents. " There is a major shift in the middle class," declares sociologist Allan Schnailberg of Northwestern University, whose son, 19, moved back after an absence of eight months. Analysis cite a variety of reasons for this return to the nest. The marriage age is rising, a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people. A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are making economically pressed and emotionally hurt survivors back to parental shelters. For some, the expense of an away-from home college education has become so excessively great that many students now attend local schools. Even after graduation, young people find their wings clipped by the skyrocketing housing costs. Living at home, says Knighton, a school teacher, continues to give her security and moral support. Her mother agreed. "It''s ridiculous for the kids to pay all that money for rent. It makes sense for kids to stay at home. "But sharing the family requires adjustments for all. There are the hassles over bathrooms, telephones and privacy. Some families, however, manage the delicate balancing act. But for others, it proves too difficult. Michelle Del Turco, 24, has been returned home three times and left three times. " What I considered a social drink, my dad considered an alcohol problem," she explains. "He never liked anyone I dated, so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends’ houses. " Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on? Most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake. Children, struggling to establish separate identities, can end up with " a sense of inadequacy, defeat and failure. " And aging parents, who should be enjoying some financial and personal freedom, find themselves stuck with responsibilities. Many agree that brief visits, however, can worked beneficially.

单选题 There was apparently a trend in the U. S. ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】推断题。本题涉及全篇主旨的一个前提。文章第一段说，孩子长到18岁就应离家独立生活是个荒唐的(senseless)概念，而且实际情况并非如此；又说中产阶级中情况有根本的改变：即年轻人不再像过去那样离家独立生活；文章还说“现今，比想象中多得多的年轻人与父母住在一起，有些离开父母的人又回到父母家中”。由此可知，A)是过去美国人的流行做法。

单选题 Which of the following does not account for young adults returning to the nest?

单选题 One of the disadvantages of young adults returning to stay with their parents is that______.

单选题 The word "hassles"in the passage (Para.3)probably means______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】本题需通过上下文来推测词义。上文说：“生活在一起要求所有家庭成员作些调整”，下文则说“有些家庭巧妙地设法使各方都满意。”可见，hassles是需要调整、需要平衡协调来解决的。因此，它不可能是“一致”A)、“担心”B)、“不利”C)的意思，而只能是“争吵”D)。通过以上分析可看出，adjustment，balancing是展开推测的线索词。