1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 115及答案与解析 Section B 0 Family Sociology A)The structure of the family and the needs that the family fulfills vary from society to society. The nuclear family two adults and their children is the main family unit in most Western societies. In others, especially in Asian societies, i
2、t is a subordinate part of an extended family unit, which also consists of grandparents and other relatives. A third type of a family unit, which is becoming more prevalent, is the single-parent family, in which children live with an unmarried, divorced, or widowed mother or father. B)Anthropologist
3、s(人类学家 )and social scientists have developed several theories about how family structures and functions evolved. One theory is that, in prehistoric hunting and gathering societies, two or three nuclear families, usually linked through bonds of kinship, banded together for part of the year but disper
4、sed into separate nuclear units in those seasons when food was scarce. The family unit began primarily as an economic unit; men hunted, while women gathered and prepared food and tended children. Infanticide(杀婴 )and expulsion(逐出 )infirm who could not work were common. Later, with the advent of Chris
5、tianity, marriage and childbearing became central concerns in religious teaching. However, after the Reformation, which began in the 1500s, the purely religious nature of the family ties was partly abandoned in favor of civil bonds. Today, most Western countries now recognize the family relationship
6、 as primarily a civil matter rather than a religious one. C)Historical studies have indicated that family structure has been less changed by urbanization and industrialization than was once supposed. As far as is known, the nuclear family was the most prevalent pre-industrial unit and is still the b
7、asic unit of social organization in most modern industrial societies. The modern family differs from earlier traditional forms, primarily in its functions, composition, and life cycle and in the roles of husbands and wives. Many of the functions that were once performed by or within the traditional
8、family unit are now performed by or within community institutions, e.g., economic production work, education, and recreation. In the modern family, members now work in different occupations and in location away from the home. Education is provided by the state or by private groups. Organized recreat
9、ional activities often take place outside the home. The family is still responsible for the socialization of children. Even in this capacity, however, the influence of peers and of the mass media has assumed a larger role. D)Family composition in industrial societies has also changed dramatically. T
10、he average number of children born to a woman in the United States, for example, fell from 7. 0 to 2. 0 by the early 1990s. Consequently, the number of years separating the births of the youngest and oldest children has declined. This has occurred in conjunction(联合 )with increased longevity. In earl
11、y times, marriage normally dissolved through the death of a spouse before the youngest child left home. Today husbands and wives potentially have about as many years together after the children leave home as before. E)During the 20th century, extended family households declined in prevalence. This c
12、hange is associated particularly with increased residential mobility and with diminished financial responsibility of children for aging parents, as pensions from jobs and government-sponsored benefits for retired people became more common. F)By the 1970s, the typical nuclear family had yielded somew
13、hat to modified structures including the one-parent family, the step-family, and the childless family. One-parent families in the past were usually the result of the death of a spouse. Now, however, most one-parent families are the result of divorce, although some are created when unmarried mothers
14、bear children. In 1991, more than one out of four children lived with only one parent, usually the mother. Most one-parent families, however, eventually became two-parent families through remarriage. Between 1971 and 1991 the proportion of lone-parent households with dependent children doubled, from
15、 3 to 6 percent. The proportion remained at around this level in 2002. At the end of the 20th century, a total of around 3 million children nearly a quarter of children-lived in a single-parent family. Almost one in five dependent children live in lone-mother families, while lone-father families acc
16、ounted for around 2 percent of all families with dependent children in 2000. G)A step-family is created by a new marriage of a single parent. It may consist of a parent and children and a childless spouse, a parent and children and a spouse whose children live elsewhere, or two joined one-parent fam
17、ilies. In a step-family, problems in relations between non-biological parents and children may generate tension; the difficulties can be especially great in the marriage of single parents when the children of both parents live with them as siblings(兄弟姐妹 ). In 2001 step-families accounted for 8 perce
18、nt of the total number of families with dependent children in the United Kingdom. Eighty-eight percent of these step-families consisted of a couple with one or more children from the previous relationship of the female partner only. H)Childless families may be increasingly the result of deliberate c
19、hoice and the availability of birth control. For many years, the proportion of couples that were childless declined steadily as venereal(性病的 )and other diseases that cause infertility were conquered. In the 1970s, however, the changes in the status of women reversed this trend. Couples often elect t
20、o have no children or to postpone having them until their careers are well established. I)Since the 1960s, several variations on the family unit have emerged. More unmarried couples are living together, before or instead of marrying. Some elderly couples, most often widowed, are finding it more econ
21、omically practical to cohabit without marrying. J)All industrial nations are experiencing family trends similar to those found in the West. The problem of unmarried mothers especially very young ones and those who are unable to support themselves and their children is an international one, although
22、improved methods of birth control and legalized abortion have slowed the trend somewhat. Divorce is increasing even where religious and legal impediments(阻碍 )to it are strongest. Unchecked population growth in developing nations threatens the family system. The number of surviving children in a fami
23、ly has rapidly increased as infectious diseases, famine, and other causes of child mortality have been reduced. Because families often cannot support so many children, the reduction in infant mortality has posed a challenge to the nuclear family and to the resources of developing nations. 1 The tren
24、d of the single-mother family has been slowed to some extent by methods of birth control and legalized abortion. 2 According to a theory, when food was in shortage, the big family would be divided into nuclear units to tide over the crisis. 3 Compared with the family, peers and mass media play a lar
25、ger role in the socialization of children in most industrial societies nowadays. 4 The increased residential mobility and childrens decreasing financial responsibility for aging parents contributed to the decline of extended family. 5 In industrial societies, the age difference between the youngest
26、and oldest children in a family has been reduced. 6 An extended family is composed of grandparents and other relatives in addition to parents and children who live in the same household. 7 Presently, most Western countries perceive the family relationship as a civil matter more than a religious one.
27、 8 Childless families may result from the popularization of birth control and peoples personal choice. 9 In modern society, some elderly couples are living together without marrying due to economic consideration. 10 The family structure has undergone less changes in the process of urbanization and i
28、ndustrialization than expected. 10 Four Ways to Be Happier A)If there were a Dr. Happiness, would you rush to get in line to see him, especially if his prescriptions were for things like joy, inner peace, and contentment(no side effects identified)? Of course you would! And the really joyful news is
29、 that hes not imaginary. Dr. Happiness is a nickname given to Ed Diener, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. OK, he doesnt give you joy, but he has studied it, plus other positive emotional states were all capable of. And research shows that their benefits include boosting our imm
30、une system and defenses against illnesses ranging from colds and flu to cancer and heart disease. Heres a look at the emotions that can actually help your body perform its best and why. More laughter B)Have a chuckle(低声笑 ) and your blood vessel will thank you. A March 2005 study at the University of
31、 Maryland showed for the first time that happiness may promote heart health by making blood vessels work more efficiently. Twenty healthy, non-smoking male and female volunteers watched two movies selected to provoke opposite emotional extremes the disturbingly violent opening scene of 1998s Saving
32、Private Ryan and a merry sequence from Kingpin, a 1996 comedy. The effect on an artery in the arm was measured before and after by ultrasound(超声波 ). The two films produced dramatically different effects. Viewing the Saving Private Ryan scene caused the volunteers blood flow reduce by an average of 3
33、5 percent. Laughing over the comedy, however, increased the subjects blood flow by 22 percent an improvement similar to the effect of having exercises. Although they arent sure why laughter has such a powerfully positive effect, the experts think that either the movements of the organs in the body a
34、s we laugh, or possibly the release of feel-good chemicals, may be the explanation. Love of your spouse C)Love of your spouse can also help keep your heart healthy, according to a September 2003 study. The study found that women who were satisfied with their romantic relationship had fewer risk fact
35、ors of heart disease. Not only did the happily married women have a higher level of good cholesterol(胆固醇 )and a lower one of bad cholesterol, but their blood pressure was also lower, compared to single or unhappily married women, who tended to show a blood pressure increase. Why would the state of y
36、our spouse have any effect on your cholesterol levels? First, a loving relationship means less stress, which means that fewer hormones(荷尔蒙 )are released. Less weight gain, in turn, helps decrease the threat of heart disease, the number-one killer of American women. Indeed, the study, which made a su
37、rvey about 500 women aged from 42 to 50 over a 13-year period, found that happy wives typically avoided weight gain, even during middle age, a time when women often gain extra pounds, while those who were single or unhappily married usually got heavier over the years. Thats dangerous, because being
38、overweight brings more risk for cancer and heart disease. D)Support from your spouse can also boost your motivation to get rid of heart-harming habits, such as smoking or a high-fat diet. Consider Glynis Buschmann, in California. Until her marriage, in 2002, she didnt like sports at all whose only e
39、xercise was an occasional walk. After marriage, her husband added her to his gym membership and since then, she started working out three to five times a week with exercise machines. “My husband has commented on how much healthier I look. My posture is better, I feel more confident, and I sleep bett
40、er knowing that Im beside someone who loves me. “ says the 42-year-old wife. Strong determination E)Weve all heard the expression “when the going gets tough, the tough get going. “ It turns out those tough types may boast better health than those who shrink from misfortune. Researchers are looking f
41、or a link between a hardy spirit and a healthy body. A 1998 study conducted by UCLA followed 40 women who had suffered loss of relatives. Those most determined to find meaning in their loss also showed improved immunity to illness. “Literature is full of stories about people who make much life chang
42、es after a tragedy, but nobody has really looked at this medically,“ says Julienne Bower, assistant professor at UCLA. Dr. Bower followed women who had lost a relative usually their mother and evaluated their immune functions. Those who placed the greatest importance on setting and achieving emotion
43、ally significant goals, such as improving relationships, had the highest level of activity in their “natural killer“ cells, the immune-system soldiers that attack viruses. F)Theres already some evidence, but no hard proof, that determination may make a difference for cancer patients, according to an
44、 Arizona State University review. Drawing on past studies, researchers report that “active coping“, attacking the problem through direct action instead of escaping, is linked to better immune system function and hormonal balance, factors that play a role in combating the spread of the disease. This
45、suggests that coping style may influence the patients outcome. Expressiveness of feelings G)Women who control their feelings are making a potentially fatal mistake, found a February 2005 Boston University study of about 4 000 people. Although the study was originally designed to see the role marital
46、 happiness plays in heart-disease risk, the doctors were amazed to discover that expressing emotions during arguments actually helps wives but not husbands live longer. Married women, who usually control their feelings to avoid conflict with their mate, were more than four times more likely to die o
47、f all causes than those who let their feelings fly during fights. “Ironically, taking control of their feelings may have helped preserve the womens relationships, but it definitely didnt preserve their lives.“ says Elaine D. Eaker, lead investigator of the study. Although men were actually more like
48、ly than women to keep quiet during disputes, doing so had no impact on their health or life span. The reasons for this -gender gap are currently a mystery, but what we do know is that men and women are physiologically stressed by different aspects of marriage, so we need to dig deeper to find out wh
49、y. 11 Happy wives in their middle age were inclined to avoid gaining weight. 12 Ed Diener, who is nicknamed Dr. Happiness, is a professor at the University of Illinois. 13 A Boston University study found that wives can live longer by expressing emotions during arguments. 14 A 1998 study conducted by UCLA showed that those most determined to find meaning in their loss of relatives would get higher resistance to illness. 15 Laughter has such a powerfully positive effect, probably because our bodies release feel-good chemicals when we lau
