Cathy and Wayne are in their late 20's, have been married five years, and are childless. The last time a member of Cathy's family asked, "When are you going to start a family?" her answer was, "We're a family!"Cathy and Wayne belong to a growing number of young married couples who are deciding not to have children. A recent survey showed that in the last five years the percentage of wives aged 25 to 29 who did not want children had almost doubled. What lies behind this decision which seems to fly in the face of biology and society?Perhaps the most publicly outspoken childless couple are Ellen Peck and her husband William. They are not against parenthood but against the social pressures that push people into parenthood whether it is what they really want or not."It's a life-style choice," Ellen says. "We chose freedom and spontaneity (自发性), privacy (隐私) and leisure. It's also a question of where you want to give your efforts -- within your own family or in the larger community. This generation faces serious questions about the continuity of life on earth as well as its quality. Our grandchildren may have to buy tickets to see the last redwoods (红杉) or line up to get their oxygen ration (氧气). There are men who complain about being caught in a traffic jam for hours on their way home to their five kids but can't make the association between the children and the traffic jam. In a world seriously threatened by the consequences of overpopulation we're concerned with making life without children acceptable and respectable. Too many children are born as a result of cultural pressure. And the results show up in the statistics on divorce and child-abuse."17. The number of childless young couples ____.A. is decreasingB. is increasingC. has more than doubledD. remains unchanged
Cathy and Wayne are in their late 20's, have been married five years, and are childless. The last time a member of Cathy's family asked, "When are you going to start a family?" her answer was, "We're a family!" Cathy and Wayne belong to a growing number of young married couples who are deciding not to have children. A recent survey showed that in the last five years the percentage of wives aged 25 to 29 who did not want children had almost doubled. What lies behind this decision which seems to fly in the face of biology and society? Perhaps the most publicly outspoken childless couple are Ellen Peck and her husband William. They are not against parenthood but against the social pressures that push people into parenthood whether it is what they really want or not. "It's a life-style choice," Ellen says. "We chose freedom and spontaneity (自发性), privacy (隐私) and leisure. It's also a question of where you want to give your efforts -- within your own family or in the larger community. This generation faces serious questions about the continuity of life on earth as well as its quality. Our grandchildren may have to buy tickets to see the last redwoods (红杉) or line up to get their oxygen ration (氧气). There are men who complain about being caught in a traffic jam for hours on their way home to their five kids but can't make the association between the children and the traffic jam. In a world seriously threatened by the consequences of overpopulation we're concerned with making life without children acceptable and respectable. Too many children are born as a result of cultural pressure. And the results show up in the statistics on divorce and child-abuse." 17. The number of childless young couples ____. A. is decreasing B. is increasing C. has more than doubled D. remains unchanged
题目解答
答案
解析
考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨的理解，特别是对数据变化趋势的把握。关键在于识别文中明确提到的统计数据，并结合选项进行逻辑推理。
解题核心思路：
文章第二段明确提到“最近的调查表明，过去五年中25-29岁不想要孩子的女性比例几乎翻倍”，这直接说明无子女年轻夫妇的数量在上升。需注意选项中“almost doubled”对应“increasing”，而非“more than doubled”。
破题关键点：
- 锁定关键句：文中明确的数据变化是解题基础。
- 排除干扰项：选项C的“more than doubled”与原文“almost doubled”存在细微差别，需注意用词准确性。
步骤1：定位关键信息
文章第二段指出：
"A recent survey showed that in the last five years the percentage of wives aged 25 to 29 who did not want children had almost doubled."
（最近的调查显示，过去五年中25-29岁不想要孩子的女性比例几乎翻倍。）
步骤2：分析选项含义
- 选项B（is increasing）：符合“almost doubled”（接近翻倍）的趋势，说明数量在增长。
- 选项C（has more than doubled）：原文用“almost”（接近但未完全达到翻倍），因此“more than doubled”（超过翻倍）表述不准确。
步骤3：排除错误选项
- 选项A（is decreasing）与数据矛盾。
- 选项D（remains unchanged）与“almost doubled”趋势不符。
- 选项C因用词过激被排除，选项B最符合原文描述。