Đọc hiểu Family life in the United States is changing

Bài đọc hiểu Family life in the United States 

Read the passage and mark A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Family life in the United States 

Family life in the United States is changing. Fifty or sixty years ago, the wife was called a “housewife”. She cleaned, cooked, and cared for the children. The husband earned the money for the family. He was usually out working all day. He came home tired in the evening, so he did not do much housework. And he did not see the children very much, except⁽¹⁾ on weekends.

These days, however, more and more women work outside the home. They cannot stay with the children all day. They, too, come home tired in the evening. They do not want to spend the evening cooking dinner and cleaning up. They do not have time to clean the house and do the laundry⁽²⁾. So who is going to do the housework now? Who is going to take care of the children?

Many families solve⁽³⁾ the problem of housework by sharing it. In these families, the husband and wife agree to do different jobs around the house, or they take turns doing each job. For example, the husband always cooks dinner and the wife always does the laundry. Or the wife cooks dinner on some nights and the husband cooks dinner on other nights.

Then there is the question of the children. In the past, many families got help with child care from grandparents. Now families usually do not live near their relatives⁽⁴⁾. The grandparents are often too far away to help in a regular⁽⁵⁾ way. More often, parents have to pay for child care help. The help may be a babysitter or a day-care center. The problem with this kind of help is the high cost. It is possible only for couples with jobs that pay well.

Parents may get another kind of help from the companies they work for. Many companies now let people with children work part-time. That way, parents can spend more time with their children. Some husbands may even stop working for a while to stay with the children. For these men there is a new word: they are called “househusbands”. In the USA more and more men are becoming househusbands every year.

These changes in the home mean changes in the family. Fathers can learn to understand their children better, and the children can get to know their fathers better. Husbands and wives may also find changes in their marriage⁽⁶⁾. They, too, may have a better understanding of each other.

Vocabulary

(1) except: ngoại trừ

(2) laundry: giặt ủi

(3) solve: giải quyết

(4) relatives: họ hàng

(5) regular: thường xuyên

(6) marriage: hôn nhân

Câu hỏi và đáp án đọc hiểu Family life in the United States

Question 1. Sixty years ago, most women                         

A. went out to work      

B. had no children

C. did not do much housework     

D. were housewives

Đáp án: D. were housewives

Giải thích: Fifty or sixty years ago, the wife was called a “housewife

Question 2. Nowadays, there are                     .

A. more women going out to work than before

B. more and more women staying with the children all day

C. more work outside the home than before

D. more housewives than before

Đáp án: A. more women going out to work than before

Giải thích: These days, however, more and more women work outside the home.

Question 3. The word “laundry” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to           

A. tidying up      

B. cooking and washing up

C. washing and ironing     

D. shopping

Đáp án: C. washing and ironing 

Giải thích: laundry = washing and ironing (giặt là)

Question 4. It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that                    .

A. couples with low-paid jobs can’t afford the cost of a babysitter or a day-care center

B. grandparents can help care the children in a regular way

C. all couples with jobs can pay for help from a babysitter or a day-care center

D. in the past, grandparents did not help the couples with child care

Đáp án: A. couples with low-paid jobs can’t afford the cost of a babysitter or a day-care center

Giải thích: More often, parents have to pay for child care help. The help may be a babysitter or a day-care center. The problem with this kind of help is the high cost. It is possible only for couples with jobs that pay well.

Question 5. The word “they” in paragraph 5 refers to                               

A. husbands who stop working to stay with the children

B. fathers who spend more time with their children

C. parents who work part-time

D. children who spend more time with fathers than mothers

Đáp án: A. husbands who stop working to stay with the children

Giải thích: Some husbands may even stop working for a while to stay with the children. For these men there is a new word: they are called “househusbands”

Question 6. The changes in the American home mentioned in this passage may 

A. help families     

B. not happen

C. cause problems for a marriage     

D. not change the children at all

Đáp án: A. help families

Giải thích: These changes in the home mean changes in the family. Fathers can learn to understand their children better, and the children can get to know their fathers better. Husbands and wives may also find changes in their marriage. They, too, may have a better understanding of each other.

Question 7. This article is about                 

A. American men as househusbands      

B. housewives in America

C. how more American women are working     

D. how family life in America is changing

Đáp án: D. how family life in America is changing

Giải thích: Family life in the United States is changing ... Fifty or sixty years ago, the wife was called a “housewife”. She cleaned, cooked, and cared for the children … These days, however, more and more women work outside the home … In the past, many families got help with child care from grandparents. Now families usually do not live near their relatives.