专题 13 英美文化阅读理解专项：临时保姆 贫困家庭 美国无家可归者-2024年高考英语常考英美文化阅读专练 素材积累.docx

1、11. Baby-sitters临时保姆Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace. Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents. Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chos

2、en their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example. This along with the fact that modern American families do not hav

3、e servants has made the baby-sitter a vital part of the American scene. A sitter is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time-usually relatively short-while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study, for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter

4、 is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the sitter is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For short periods, teenagers, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis.From the point of view of con

5、venience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and see what they are like. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take t

6、hem far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter

7、by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note. (363 words)Helper:occupation职业 Nigeria naidiri 尼日利亚 vit

8、al vaitl至关重要的 mature mtju成熟的 emergency紧急情况 superintendent sju:printendnt管理员Brief Introduction:美国是一个人口迁徙频繁的国度，许多美国人年轻时即选择远离父母，追寻属于自己的生活方式。由于很少有人是和自己的亲人居住在一起，临时保姆便逐渐在美国人的生活中扮演起重要的角色。每当年轻的父母外出参加晚会、社交聚会、学习培训或是度周末时，临时保姆便代为照看幼儿。担当临时保姆的多是一些成熟的女性，有时也会是一些青少年、在校大学生或是护士学校的学生等。从方便的角度来看，雇请一位和你住在同一幢公寓的年轻人作临时保姆是最佳

9、的选择；而最有效的招聘方式是在公寓的邮箱上贴上一份启示当然，这首先需要得到公寓主管的许可。 Exercises:从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。1. According to the passage, which one of the following is wrong? A. Americans like to live in one place during their whole life. B. The baby-sitter is a very important part of the American scene. C. A baby-sitter is some

10、times hired for longer period. D. Its often the best way to find a baby-sitter to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes.2: A baby-sitter is a person who_. A. helps to do housework B. is a cleaning woman C. looks after children while their parents are out D. takes care of babies and cooks

11、for the family3. Who can be a baby-sitter? A. Women. B. Man. C. College student. D. All of the above.4. According to the writer, when you are out for short periods, youd better hire a _ to be baby-sitter. A. motherly woman B. retired person C. young people D. mature woman5. The last paragraph is mai

12、nly about _. A. why most American families need baby-sitters B. the best way to find baby-sitters in the neighborhood in America C. the advantages of hiring young people living close as baby-sitters D. what baby-sitters usually do in America Keys and Explanations: 1-5 ACDCB1. 选A 细节理解题。依据第一段的“Since t

13、he country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal”可得答案。2. 选C。细节理解题。第一段中间部分对baby-sitter的含义作出了解释。3. 选D。推理判断题。短文中没有提到对这一职业性别的限制，所以应该是全部都可以，所以D正确。 4. 选C。细节理解题。根据文章的第一段最后一句及第二段的内容可知此题答案。5. 选B。段落大意题。最后一段主要是谈在美国如何在邻近地区找临时保姆，所以答案是B。33. Poverty贫困In the United States during 1992, any fami

14、ly of four with an annual cash income of less than $14,355 (before taxes) was considered poor. The dollar amount was called the poverty line, all the amount needed to provide the cheapest nutritionally balanced diet. The poverty line is adjusted annually for inflation.While the poverty line in the U

15、nited States was more than $14,000, the average annual per-person income in Bangladesh was $200, in Ethiopia $130, in Haiti $340, and in Mali $265. Anyone in those nations with an income of $14,000 would be considered wealthy. During the Great Depression in the United States, when half the populatio

16、n was considered poor, a family with an income at the 1992 poverty line could afford to buy a house, a car, clothing, and food.The reality of poverty varies with location and social and political conditions. Poverty basically means a lack of the three primary physical needs-food, clothing, and housi

17、ng. But for poverty to be recognized, it must exist alongside prosperity. Before the discovery of the New World, the American Indians would not have considered themselves poor, though they lived with only the bare necessities and a few handmade artifacts. The severity of poverty varies, depending on

18、 the economic vitality of the nation in which it occurs. In the modem industrialized societies of Western Europe, North America, and Japan, there are many government services provided to ease povertyincluding free medical care and housing. The homeless of New York City and Los Angeles can usually fi

19、nd some shelter offering free meals. The homeless of Calcutta, India, live and die in the streets with little assistance offered to them. (276 words)Helper: annual每年的 cash现金 inflation通货膨胀Bangladesh b:glde 孟加拉国 Ethiopia i:iupj 埃塞俄比亚 Haiti heiti海地Mali m:li: 马里 Great Depression经济大萧条时期 prosperity prsper

20、ti繁荣artifacts史前古器物 severity siveriti严重 vitality vaitliti生命力Brief Introduction:这样的一组数据可以体现美国人对于贫困的定义：1992年，一个四口之家，如果一年的现金收入低于14，355美元，就被认为属于贫困之列了。在当时的美国，14，355美元是能提供最低价的具有均衡营养的饮食所需的全部费用。这一数字被称作贫困线，而它也会随着每一年的通货膨胀进行调整。如一些欠发达国家的贫困线相比，如孟加拉国（200美元）、埃塞俄比亚（130美元）、海地（340美元）、马里（265美元），美国的这一数据实在高出了许多。贫困即意味着人们三

21、大基本的物质需求（食物、衣服、住房）的缺乏，但贫困这一事实是会随着地区、社会和政治环境的不同而改变的。从人们认识的角度来说，贫困是繁荣的必然伴随物。贫困的的严重程度取决于一个国家的经济生命力。举例来说，纽约或洛杉矶的一位流浪者可以轻松地找到一家免费供应食物的庇护所，而一个印度加尔各答的流浪者则只能无助地露宿街头，等待死亡。 Exercises:从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。1. You would be considered poor if _. A. you are out of a job B. you earn less than three times the amou

22、nt needed to provide the cheapest diet C. you earn less than $14,335 (before tax) per year D. the amount of money you earn is below the current poverty line2. The purpose of the example of the American Indians given in the third paragraph is to show that poverty is _ A. absolute B. non-existent C. r

23、elative D. never recognized3. Free medical care and housing most probably exist in _to relieve the poor and the needy. A. Bangladesh B. Haiti C. Japan D. India4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. From 1929 to 1933, 50 % of the American population lived in pov

24、erty. B. Where there is prosperity, there is poverty. C. Poverty basically refers to a lack of clothing, housing and food. D. Anyone with an annual income around the 1992 American poverty line would be considered wealthy.5. The passage mainly talks about _. A. poverty in the world B. poverty in the

25、US C. poverty line in undeveloped countries D. the severity of povertyKeys and Explanations: 1-5 DCCDB1. 选D。推理判断题。第一段提到美国的贫困线标准，由此推断一个人的收入如果低于当前的贫困线就会被认为是个“穷人”。2. 选C。推理判断题。第三段第一句话告诉我们“贫困这一事实是会随着地区、社会和政治环境的不同而改变的”，后面再提到美国印第安人在新大陆被发现的前后对于贫穷的看法的改变，从而可知贫困是相对的。3. 选C。事实信息题。根据最后一段中间部分提供的信息可得出此答案。4. 选D。综合判断

26、题。根据一、二两段可知年收入接近美国1992年贫困线在美国被认为是贫穷的，而在孟加拉国、埃塞俄比亚等不发达国家则被当作是富人，因而D项说法有误。5. 选B。主旨大意题。全文主要谈的是美国的贫困概念的问题。34. American homelessness美国的无家可归者Until the 1980s, the American homeless population consisted of mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city surve

27、y by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems, both legal and educational

28、-for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers.Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Similarly, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states

29、 that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of those that do not attend school on a regular basis. But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly. One p

30、art of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the throwaway youths who have been cast off their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in

31、 family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.Federal law, the Stewart McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless chi

32、ldren have the right to a free, appropriate education. (272 words)Helper: transient trnzint居无定所的 legal法律的 estimateestimeit估计 range排列, 范围 radically 完全地 coalition kulin 结合, 合并National Coalition for the Homeless无家可归者全国联盟Brief Introduction: 美国是世界上最富有的国家，也是世界上流浪者最多的国家。直到上世纪80年代，美国的流浪人口多由年老年男性组成。如今，流浪现象已触

33、及社会中的年轻人。根据1987年美国市长协商会对25个城市的调查，有孩子的家庭占据了流浪人口增长最快的部分，众多无家可归的孩子的存在造成了法律、教育的诸多问题，给已经负担过重的城市学校的管理者和教师们带来了更多的沉重感。据估计，美国的流浪人数在35万到300万之间；而依据美国教育部的一份报告，全国的无家可归的学龄儿童估算数字达22万之多，其中大约三分之一的孩子不能接受正常的基础教育。然而，无家可归者全国联盟算出的流浪儿童的数字还要更大。流浪人口中最难计算的一部分是那些遭到家庭遗弃的少年，纽约市的小学教育中心估计这一数据是150万，其中的许多人不再被当作孩子来看，因为比起呆在家庭的屋檐下，他们更

34、倾向于独宿街头。1987年，联邦政府制定了无家可归者救助法，其中的一节特别提到了流浪儿童的获得教育的需要，以确保流浪儿童能拥有得到免费的、适当的教育的权利。 Exercises:从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。1. In 1987, the American homeless population was made up of the following people EXCEPT _.A. older males B. school children C. adults D. the throwaway youths2. The author implies in the fi

35、rst paragraph that _ .A. the homeless population is growing rapidlyB. there is a serious shortage of school administrators and teachersC. homeless children often move from place to placeD. homeless children usually stay outside schools3. How many homeless children are there according to the National

36、 Coalition for the Homeless?A. 700,000. B. 350,000.C. 440,000. D. 70,000.4. The aim of the McKinney Act is to _.A. offer education for homeless childrenB. provide family shelters for homeless childrenC. reduce the number of homeless childrenD. estimate the number of homeless populationKeys and Expla

37、nations: 1-4 CBCA1. 选C。事实信息题。文章第一、三段中提到了1987年美国流浪人口包含老人、学龄儿童以及被家庭遗弃的青少年, 成人（adults）不在其列。2. 选B。推理判断题。第一段的最后一句谈到城市中的流浪儿童带来了法律、教育等方面的诸多问题，致使已经负担过重的学校的管理者和老师有更多的沉重感；由此推断出城市中存在着教育管理者和老师短缺的问题。3. 选 C。细节推断题。第二段第二句提到美国教育部的一份报告中说全国有220，000流浪儿童，再根据这一段的最后一句“But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children,”可以推断出此题答案。4. 选A。细节理解题。由最后一段的第一句话可以得出答案。