According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)，the U．K．has about 7．7 million families with dependent children，of which 3．7 million have just one child，compared to 3 million with two and 1．1 million with three children or more．The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade．As the ONS confirms，“It appears that families are getting smaller．”

One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile．But it could just as well be a matter of choice．Parents must consider the rising cost of living，combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market．And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal，which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet，where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”．

She had received 231 replies，overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit．Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits．Nicola Kelly，a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one，says her 15 year old son seems more grown up in many ways than his contemporaries．

Not all products of single child families are as keen to repeat the experience．In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart”as a reaction to her only child upbringing．

She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents，whom she punished with a “brattish，wilful” rejection of everything they stood for．Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”．

Writer and clinician Dr．Dorothy Rowe，a member of the British Psychological Society，says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted，while other children see the advantages of their situation．

However，the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older．

1.The passage is written with the purpose of ________．

A． illustrating the strength and weakness of having an only child

B． analyzing the reasons why having an only child becomes popular

C． presenting us with different opinions about having an only child

D． guiding people to look at the same issue from different perspectives

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean？

A． Nearly half of families intend to have just one child．

B． All people don’t stand for the idea of having an only child．

C． Some people fail to recognize the advantage of having an only child．

D． People brought up in an only child family resist downsizing the family．

3.From what Dr．Dorothy Rowe said，we know that ________．

A． journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood

B． she has a positive attitude towards Janice Turner’s reaction

C． it’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle

D． some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions

4.What can be inferred from the passage？

A． It’s normal to see the imperfection in character in only children．

B． Mumsnet is an online forum which promotes having an only child．

C． Economic development plays a determining role in the family size．

D． Only children will have difficulty in attending to their parents．

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Showrooming

One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers(實體零售店) in recent years has been the “showrooming”．Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online．The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online.

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This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses.

To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores．Among the steps they’re taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online．This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store—regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online.

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B． have better bargaining skills

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B． The competition between big stores.

C． The advertisement by online retail giants.

D． The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores.

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B． leaving as soon as possible

C． locating the first exit quickly

D． making a purchase on the spot

4.The last three paragraphs mainly talk about ways of ______.

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B． preventing purchase online

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D． advising shoppers to buy more

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