Section C Reading in Depth
Read the following three passages carefully and then do the exercises below.
PASSAGE 1
Over the last decade， considerable media attention and public discussion have focused on the varied roles that grandparents play in family life. Much of this public attention has centered on grandparents who assume parental responsibilities for their grandchildren.Similarly， grandparents are recognized for the active but temporary roles they assume during times of crisis or special need， such as in cases of a parental divorce or military deployment.Yet child care provided in such contexts constitutes only a small proportion of all child care assistance provided by grandparents. The more typical pattern is for grandparents to baby⁃sit over the weekend or during the evening， look after grandchildren when parents are at work，or take care of grandkids under other， more routine， circumstances.
Analyses reveal that many grandparents provide some type of child care to their grandchildren， an important type of ongoing assistance to their adult children that reflects the lifelong patterns of support between parents， children， and grandchildren. Although grandmothers are more likely to provide child care， many grandfathers do so as well. The research also suggests that，while some grandparents provide child care for only a few hours a week， many are providing substantial amounts of this assistance， and， in fact， may be juggling child care responsibilities with their own work schedules. Another， perhaps surprising finding， was that although most grandparental child care is unpaid， a small but significant percentage of families with young children report paying grandparents for the child care they provide.
According to research， forty⁃seven percent of grandparents with young grandchildren living nearby reported proving some type of child care assistance to their adult children. The relatively high prevalence of grandparental child care likely reflects both a desire among grandparents to participate in their grandchildren's lives and a preference among some parents for this type of care. Parents who prefer grandparental child care may do so because they perceive it as proving a trustworthy， safe， and emotionally nurturing environment. For others， however， grandparental child care may represent the only affordable or available child care option. For example， single⁃parents， low⁃income families， and those working nights，weekends， or other nontraditional hours are more likely to use grandparental child care.
Researchers in Berlin have found that grandparents who take part in raising their grandchildren live longer than those who do not.Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare or provide support to others in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people， according to a study from Berlin， Germany.
Having full⁃time custody of grandchildren can have a negative effect on health， but occasional helping can be beneficial for seniors， the researchers write in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. “Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact the health of grandparents，” said lead author Sonja Hilbrand， a doctoral student in the department of psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. “This link could be a mechanism deeply rooted in our evolutionary past when help with childcare was crucial for the survival of the human species，” Ms. Hilbrand told Reuters Health by email. The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70 in the Berlin Aging Study. The participants completed interviews and medical tests every two years between 1990 and 2009.The study team compared this group with seniors who provided support for non⁃family members， such as friends or neighbors， and seniors who did not provide any care to other people. Overall， after accounting for grandparents' age and general state of health， the risk of dying over a 20⁃year period was one⁃third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren， compared with grandparents who did not provide any childcare. Caregiving was linked with longer life even when the care recipient wasn't a relative.
“Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because caregivers may feel useful for the others and for the society，” said Bruno Arpino， an associate professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona， Spain. Arpino noted， however， that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve health， and too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working， being in social clubs， or volunteering.
1. What's the main purpose of Para. 1？
A. To emphasize the importance of grandparents' participation in child care.
B. To explain the reasons why grandparents provide child care.
C. To reveal the negligence of grandparents' role in child care.
D. To analyze the common pattern of grandparental support in child care.
2. The word “juggling” in Para. 2 is closest in meaning to________.
A. managing B. playing C. occupying D. replacing
3. Scientific research finds that________.
A. providing occasional help enables the elderly to live longer
B. providing full⁃time custody will benefit the elderly
C. occasional helping will have a negative effect on health
D. providing help will have little impact on the elderly
4. Why does no contact with grandchildren negatively influence people's health？
A. Because a lack of sense of responsibility is harmful to health.
B. Because the sense of loneliness can cause more damage to the health.
C. Because people will be left with more opportunities to do something else.
D. Because it is critical to the survival of human species in the evolutionary process.
5. Why was caregiving linked with a longer life span？
A. Because the recipients can help them in return.
B. Because it will offer givers a purpose of life.
C. Because constant interpersonal contact is important.
D. Because givers have to remain healthy to provide help.
PASSAGE 2
It seems that every day there's another story about kids texting， cyberbullying， or suffering from acute FOMO （fear of missing out）. Yes， the risks of social media are real. But there's a lot about the way kids use and think about apps such as Instagram， Snapchat， and even YouTube that we don't understand. With millions of kids using these programs and only a fraction misusing them， they can't be all bad， right？
New research is shedding light on the good things that can happen when kids connect，share， and learn online. As a parent， you can help nurture the positive aspects by accepting how important social media is for kids and helping them find ways for it to add real value to their lives.For inspiration，here are some of the benefits of your kid being social media⁃savvy：
It strengthens friendships. Studies， including Common Sense Media's Social Media，
Social Life： How Teens View Their Digital Lives and the Pew Research Center's Teens，Technology and Friendships show that social media helps teens make friends and keep them.
It offers a sense of belonging. A study conducted by Griffith University and the University of Queensland in Australia found that although American teens have fewer friends than their historical counterparts， they are less lonely than teens in past decades. They report feeling less isolated and have actually become more socially adept as well，partly due to an increase in technology use.
It provides genuine support. Online acceptance—whether a kid is interested in an unusual subject that isn't considered “cool” or is grappling with sexual identity—can validate a marginalized kid. Suicidal teens can even get immediate access to quality support online. One example occurred on a Minecraft forum on Reddit when an entire online community used voice⁃conferencing software to talk a teen out of his decision to commit suicide.
It helps them express themselves. The popularity of fan fiction （original stories based on existing material that people write and upload online） proves how strong the desire for self⁃expression is. Both producers and performers can satisfy this need through social media.Digital technology allows kids to share their work with a wider audience and even collaborate with far⁃flung partners （an essential 21st⁃century skill）. If they're really serious， social media can provide essential feedback for kids to hone their craft.
It lets them do good. Twitter， Facebook， and other large social networks expose kids to important issues and people from all over the world. Kids realize they have a voice they didn't have before and are doing everything from crowdfunding for people in need to anonymously Tweeting positive thoughts.
1. According to study， teens now have________friends. They feel________lonely.
A. more； less B. more； more C. fewer； more D. fewer； less
2. How does social media help children express themselves？
A. Children can get quality and immediate support online.
B. Children can share their works with a wider audience and even cooperate with distant partners.
C. Children can write and upload original stories.
D. Children can become more socially adept.
3. Exposed to important issues and people from all over the world， children realize________.
A. they can crowdfund for people and Tweet positive thoughts
B. they can get essential feedback to hone their craft
C. they have a voice and can do everything helpful
D. they can be more connected than before
4. How many benefits can children gain from social media？
A. Five. B. Seven. C. Four. D. Six.
5. What is the writer's attitude towards social media？
A. Indifferent. B. Positive. C. Neutral. D. Negative.
PASSAGE 3
As the US mourns the 17 dead victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre， gun advocates are offering a new idea to stop school shootings： arm the teachers.
While it may at first seem to make sense to have increased security to protect innocent schoolchildren， providing teachers with firearms would be disastrous. Individuals in favor of the idea typically assume that once trained， a teacher will be able to handle a firearm with ease. However， that is not the case as even trained professionals can mishandle guns from time to time.
This came to the public's attention when Dennis Alexander， a teacher， Seaside City council member and reserve police officer， accidentally discharged a gun while teaching a public safety class in March. Alexander's accident caused the injury of a male student when a piece of debris caused by the shot cut open the student's neck. According to the Washington Post， the student's wounds were nonfatal， and Alexander continued his lesson without even notifying the student's parents. Alexander is a trained professional and reserve police officer，but still managed to mishandle his pistol and cause an injury to a child. If thousands of teachers are given pistols， it would only be a matter of time until another student is hurt or even killed by accident. More trained gun holders in schools is not a sure bet for increased safety either， since it's now well known that Stoneman Douglas High School had armed security on campus during the shooting. Former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel，according to security footage，stayed outside the school during the entire incident and failed to save anyone from harm.
If a veteran sheriff cannot be trusted to protect students in a shooting incident， how will inexperienced teachers react？There is also the notion that sometimes teachers just exhibit bad behavior and adding a firearm to the situation would just make matters worse. This exact scenario happened in February， when a Dalton High School teacher lost his temper during school hours and fired a shot from through a window. The teacher， Randal Davidson，eventually surrendered and no one was hurt. While the true reason behind Davidson's outburst is being investigated， the truth is that sometimes， teachers can make bad decisions.
Yet the question remains—why does the U.S. have a high instance of gun violence when compared to other nations such as China？ According to a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation， the U.S. had 3.85 deaths due to gun violence per 100，000 people in 2016 compared to China's 0.06. One possible explanation is that China has much tougher regulations for firearms compared to the U.S.' lax laws. China also has much stricter punishments for illegal gun possession， with death being the severest. The bottom line is that teachers are flawed people—they can react poorly to a situation， they can be manipulated and they can cause accidents. Arming teachers will only amplify problems already present in U.S. schools and will only increase student victimization.
1. Which is the best title for this article？
A. Where Is Safety for Students？
B. Gun Violence Is a Serious Problem
C. Protecting Students on Campus
D. Whether to Arm Teachers Against Shooter Problems？
2. Why did the writer cite the incidents of Dennis Alexander and a Dalton High School teacher？
A. To show that it's important to provide training for gun holders.
B. To show that trained gun holders cannot guarantee safety.
C. To show that injury on campus is inevitable.
D. To show any guns can be dangerous to students.
3. Why does the US have a higher instance of gun violence than those of other countries？
A. Because of the misbehaving students.
B. Because of delayed reaction of the school staff.
C. Because of laxer regulations for firearms and gun possession.
D. Because of poorly trained gun holders.
4. According to the passage， what could be the possible result of arming teachers？
A. Greater public concern.
B. Increased gun violence.
C. More safety for school staff.
D. Better security on campus.
5. What is the writer's attitude towards arming teachers？
A. Supportive. B. Neutral. C. Opposing. D. Indifferent.