Question

“Reconstituted” families are more and more common in the UK.

Steve and Debbie got married in 2001 and had two children，Lily and Alex.Unfortunately，Steve and Debbie’s marriage didn’t work out and they got divorced in 2006.The children live with Debbie.In 2008，Debbie remarried.Her new husband，Martin，has three children from his previous marriage and they visit Debbie，Martin，Lily and Alex at weekends.In addition，Debbie is pregnant with her third child.She’s expecting a boy who will be a half?brother to Lily and Alex and also to Martin’s three other children.

Confused？Debbie’s family arrangements might have seemed strange 30 years ago but nowadays this kind of “reconstituted” family is increasingly common in the UK.Almost half of all marriages in Britain end in divorce and over 40% of marriages are remarriages.More than 10% of all British children live with one birth parent and a stepparent—a parent who isn’t their biological mother or father.The traditional “nuclear” family of two parents and their children is not so traditional any more.

What does all of this mean for parents in these “reconstituted” families？“There are difficulties and challenges，” says Debbie.“Different families have different routines and it can be difficult for children to move between their two families.Birthdays and holidays can be tricky.Where do the children go？Who should they spend their time with？Also，when my children are naughty it can be difficult for Martin to tell_them_off.Things that might be simple in a traditional family can be a bit more complicated.”

And how about the children？Martin’s eldest child，Ella，is 12.“I like my two families，” she says.“I live with my mum but visit my dad quite often and I’m happy that my mum and dad get along OK.They’re not married any more but it’s good that they can still be friends.” Of course divorce and separation are never easy but many families in the UK are finding ways to make family life work in new ways.

1.Why did Steve and Debbie get separated?

A．They couldn’t support the children.

B．They couldn’t get along well.

C．They were both out of work.

D．They had serious economic problems.

2.We can learn from the text that a “nuclear” family ________.

A．has two birth parents and their children

B．has two birth parents and only one child

C．is traditional but complicated

D．doesn’t have any children

3.What do the underlined words “tell them off” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．make them annoyed B．send them to school

C．let out their secrets D．talk angrily to them

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A．The difference between “marriage” and “remarriage”．

B．More and more people get divorced in the UK.

C．“Reconstituted” families are becoming more and more in the UK.

D．The marriage situation is becoming severe.

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】文章大意：本文介紹了英國出現越來越多的重組家庭這一社會現象。

1.考查細節理解。根據第二段中的“Unfortunately，Steve and Debbie’s marriage didn’t work out and they got divorced in 2006.”可知，Steve和Debbie由于感情破裂而無法維系婚姻，并非因為經濟問題或雙雙失業，更不是因為養不起孩子。

2.考查細節理解。根據第三段最后一句“The traditional ‘nuclear’ family of two parents and their children is not so traditional any more.”可知答案為A項。

3.考查詞義猜測。根據畫線部分前面的“when my children are naughty”和第四段的最后一句“Things that might be simple in a traditional family can be a bit more complicated.”并結合生活常識可推知，由于Martin是孩子的繼父，所以不能夠對他們大聲呵斥。tell sb.off意為“責罵、斥責某人”。

4.考查主旨大意。根據文章首句和全文內容可知，本文意在介紹英國出現越來越多的重組家庭這一社會現象，故答案為C項。