Every Sunday morning, as most people line up outside neighborhood breakfast spots, watch TV news shows, or head for church, Chloris Noelke－Olson is tuning up her fiddle. She's preparing to enjoy bluegrass music the old－fashioned way: with friends, at home, for free.
“To be able to play with other people face to face and have that sort of connection, it's spiritual，” Ms. Noelke－Olson said of the weekly house concerts in Chicago she participates in. “It's like a good conversation with instruments—something that doesn't seem to happen much anymore because everyone is blabbering(饶舌) on their cell phones.”
She is among a growing group of Americans who are finding it pleasant to unplug from the digital grid, at least temporarily. While there is no exact data to track how many people are forming knitting groups, hosting house concerts, or organizing family game nights, it is possible to connect the dots between the rising price of entertainment and the rising sales of board games (棋类游戏) and craft supplies.
Between 2007 and 2008, the prices for restaurant meals, concert tickets, and movie tickets all increased. At the same time, board games sales rose 6 percent, while total toy sales decreased 3 percent.
These trends are expected to continue because of the struggling economy. Instead of outfitting their homes with expensive home entertainment systems, consumers are more likely to be interfacing the old－fashioned way: eye－to－eye. Families are rediscovering ways to come together that have nothing to do with high tech.
“People are turning inward to build in enjoyment time for family and home”， said Linda Bettencourt, an interior designer in San Francisco whose clients typically live in million－dollar homes. Over the past six months, Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to redesign living spaces to foster the kind of connectivity that doesn't involve wires. “The big game table is back，” she says. “People want to sit around and see each other's faces rather than facing a flat－screen TV.”
1. Why is Chloris Noelke－Olson enjoying bluegrass music the old－fashioned way?
A. Because she likes playing musical instruments.
B. Because she wants to provide free music for her friends.
C. Because she doesn't like talking on the cell phone.
D. Because she likes to form a close connectivity with people.
2. Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to ________.
A. connect the rich people with others
B. redesign living space for the rich people
C. give some advice to people on connectivity
D. help people to save money
3. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A. home designing has become a big business
B. rich people usually pay more attention to their living space
C. even rich people are changing their ways of entertainment
D. rich people spend more on home entertainment
4. This passage is about ________.
A. a new trend in people's entertainment in America
B. the present economic situation in America
C. the modern family life in America
D. the change of people's interest in America
5. If this passage is posted on the web, it most probably appears in the section of ________.
A. people B. travel
C. environment D. lifestyle
1. 解析：选D。细节理解题。从文章第二段第一句可知，Chloris Noelke－Olson跟朋友一起享受bluegrass music，目的是为了建立一种面对面的直接的联系。
2. 解析：选B。细节理解题。从文章最后一段可知，Ms Bettencourt被富人遨请去搞室内设计。
3. 解析：选C。推理判断题。从文章最后一段可知，那些拥有豪宅的富人也重新装修居住环境，原因是他们也开始转向家庭娱乐。
4. 解析：选A。主旨大意题。概括全文可知，本文主要论述的是美国人在经济危机的影响下，娱乐方式的转变，家庭娱乐正在成为一种潮流。
5. 解析：选D。推理判断题。娱乐也应该是人们生活方式的一种，因此D项正确。
新闻报道类阅读的概念：
阅读理解的选材明显地呈现出关注实际生活的趋势，这种趋势与当前基础教育改革的目标是一致的，而中学生学习语言的根本目标与基础教育学会求知，学会做事，学会合作，学会做人的目标是一致的，真实新颖的选材对基础英语教学课程改革具有重要的反作用。
新闻报道类阅读理解技巧点拨：
新闻报道类类文章有一共同特点，即都是由标题（Headline）、导语（Lead）、主体（Mainbody）、背景（Background）和结尾（End）五部分构成。标题是新闻报道中心思想高度而又精辟的概括；导语位于新闻报道的首段，高度概括新闻事实；主体则对导语概括的新闻事实进行详细叙述；新闻背景是指新闻事实之外，对新闻事实或新闻事实的某个部分进行解释或补充的材料；结尾往往是新闻事件的结果或动态展望，也是中心思想的概括并常常与新闻导语相呼应。
新闻报道中的导语非常重要，它位于文章的第一段，通过它点出新闻的主题，五个W和一个H(When,Where,Who,What,Why和How)通常是构成一则完整消息不可缺少的要素。文章往往呈现出“倒金字塔”的特征，因此读懂首句或首段至关重要。
另外，从句的使用也是此类文章的一大语言特色，因为从句信息量大，适合新闻报道的要求。此外，大量的副词和插入语的使用也是此类文章的特点。为使文章更客观、更具信服力，常用The study said…, Scientists believe that…Experts said…, It's reported that…, According to the survey…等语言。同事在阅读过程中，我们要对材料所提供信息如when, where, who, how, why等进行提问，将信息迅速提炼出来。
新闻报道类阅读应试策略：
【命题趋势】
阅读理解的选材明显地呈现出关注实际生活的趋势，这种趋势与当前基础教育改革的目标是一致的，而中学生学习语言的根本目标与基础教育学会求知，学会做事，学会合作，学会做人的目标是一致的，真实新颖的选材对基础英语教学课程改革具有重要的反作用。时文报道就在文章中体现了这一要求。主要表现在以下几个方面：
1、反映海内外事件，文章结构严谨，内容贴近生活，用现代英语反映现代生活。
2、如果是新闻报道，都有比较固定的写作格式，如文首通常有报道的地点或时间，第一句话常常是文章的导语，有助于了解文章的大致内容和主题。
3、如果是新闻报道则是记叙文，有地点、时间、人物、事物等要素。
4、有许多大量反映当代社会变化的新词汇和表达方式。
5、命题既重细节，又重推理和主旨。
6、大背景中的小事件，大事件中的小插曲往往是选材的热点。
【应试对策】
1、在平时学习中，关注生活，阅读新闻报道和广告类文章、把阅读时事文章作为学习英语的重要途径。
2、了解新的词汇和表达方式。如：tsunami海啸，MP3players(MP3)播放器，well_offsociety小康社会等。
3、抓住文章主题，准确捕捉细节和内涵，进行合理的推理。
4、品味新闻的标题，联系平时所积累的知识，为了解材料大意作铺垫。
5、了解新闻报道的特殊规律，其内容和多含何人、何地、何事、何时等，阅读时要抓住新闻的这一主要特点去理解判断。
6、要注意文中以黑体、大写、下划线等方式加以提示的文字，因为这很有可能是材料的核心或至少是一部分内容的概括。
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