When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.

Twenty-nine percent say "their property is too small to fit the size of their family—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under". One in four children is 'forced to share' a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: "Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000."Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.
A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many 'space-starved parents’are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.
For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.
The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst – hit area is the North East where average house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain unaffordable for millions.
小題1:According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals        .
A．children like to do homework in the kitchen
B．some families can't afford a bigger property
C．only a few families have housing problem
D．people are satisfied with their living condition
小題2:What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means        .
A．most families don't have enough money yet
B．no family could afford a three - bedroom home
C．it is common to live in a three - bedroom home
D．the price of a bigger property is still acceptable
小題3:The report from the investment firm LV shows        .
A．young couples should live in a two - bedroom home
B．families with three or so children couldn't afford a home
C．parents should buy houses for their grown - up children
D．some grown - up children couldn't afford a separate home
小題4:What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．House prices are falling down everywhere.
B．People are able to buy a home of correct size.
C．The house prices in London has not fallen down.
D．The North East is now an area suitable to live in.

小題1:B
小題2:A
小題3:D
小題4:C
文章講述了英國人的房子太小，過于擁擠，并分析了原因。
小題1:B 段落大意題。第一段的內(nèi)容正是關于部分英國家庭房子太小，過于擁擠。
小題2:A 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段最后Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.可知A正確。
小題3:D 推理題。根據(jù)第三段最后Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.可知很多Grown-up children買不起房子，只能和父母住在一起。故D正確。
小題4:C 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段第2行revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London.可知各地的房價都降了除了倫敦以外，故C正確。
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Then, last year, the school experimented with extending the school day. Teachers got paid at a higher hourly rate.
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School days
The USA ranks 36th of 40 industrialized nations in average weekly instructional time.
Selected countries:
1) Thailand--30.5 hours  2) Korea--30.3 hours  7) China--26.5 hours
14) France--24.6 hours  15 ) UK--24.6 hours
16) Mexico--24.2 hours  23 ) Japan--23.8 hours
26)Canada--23.6 hours  36)USA--22.2 hours  40)Brazil--19 hours
New research suggests the time is ready for a change:
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US students perform poorly on math and science tests compared to their international peers, according to a US Education Department comparison released earlier this month. In math, American 15-year-old scored near the bottom among the study's 30 developed countries.
Most countries that boost the number of minutes spent on math instruction find pay offs in improved math scores, according to a study released this month by the Brookings Institution. Small in creases in the school day are more effective than a longer school year, the report concluded.
The most encouraging news about the benefits of extending the school day comes from Massachusetts, where an experiment with 10 schools, including Kuss, appears to be working. Those 10 schools lengthened their instructional days by 25% and boosted their state scores in math, English and science at all grades.
Perhaps the concept won't work everywhere. Certainly, it won't instantly be popular. But it's obvious that a problem exists or that adding class time seems to help.
小題1:What is the main idea of the above passage?
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B．Kuss Middle School sets a good example for US education.
C．Academic progress has achieved under the No Child Left Behind law.
D．Information age calls for more instructional lime at all schools.
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D．a(chǎn) longer school day works better than a longer school year
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A．Kuss Middle School lies in where a farm economy is changing to an information one.
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D．Adding class time functions at Kuss Middle School.
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B．a(chǎn) negative attitude towards adding school time
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