B
“Have a nice day” may be a pleasant gesture or a meaningless expression. When my friend Maxie says “Have a nice day” with a smile, I know she sincerely cares about what happens to me. I feel loved and secure since another person cares about me and wishes me well.  
“Have a nice day. Next!” The version of the expression is spoken by a salesgirl at supermarket who is rushing me and my groceries out the door. The words came out in the same tone ( 腔调 ) with a fixed procedure. They are spoken at me, not to me. Obviously, the concern for my day and everyone else’s is the management’s attempt to increase business.
The expression is one of those behaviors that help people get along with each other. Sometimes it indicates the end of a meeting. As soon as you hear it, you know the meeting is at an end. Sometimes the expression saves us when we don’t know what to say. “Oh, you just had a tooth out? I’m terribly sorry, but have a nice day”
The expression can be pleasant. If a stranger says “Have a nice day” to you, you may find it heart-warming because someone you don’t know has tried to be nice to you.
Although the use of the expression is insincere, meaningless social custom at times, there is nothing wrong with the sentence except that it is a little uninteresting. The salesgirl, the waitress, the teacher, and the countless others who speak it without thinking may not really care about my day. But in a strange and comfortable way, it’s nice to know they care enough to pretend they care when they really don’t care all that much. While the expression may not often be sincere, it is always spoken. The point is that people say it all the time when they like.
46. How does the author understand Maxie’s words?   
A. Maxie shows her anxiety to the author.  
B. Maxie really worries about the author’s security
C. Maxie encourages the author to stay happy.
D. Maxie really wishes the author a good day.
47. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. The salesgirl says the words as a routine.      B. The salesgirl is bored.
C. The salesgirl cares about me.                D. The salesgirl is rude.
48. By saying “Have a nice day”, a stranger may _____.
A. give his blessing to you              B. express respect to you
C. try to be polite to you                D. share his pleasure with you
49. According to the last paragraph, people say “Have a nice day”_______.
A. sincerely      B as a habit        C. as thanks        D. encouragingly
50. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Have a Nice Day—a Polite Ending of a Conversation
B. Have a Nice Day—a Pleasant Gesture
C. Have a Nice Day—a Heart-warming Greeting
D. Have a Nice Day—a Social Custom
C
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
51．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
 A. report on the findings of a study
 B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
 C. show the relationship between parents and children
 D. give information about family problems
52．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
 A. they are busy serving food to their children
 B. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
 C. they have to pay more attention to younger children
 D. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
53．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.
 A. have to help their parents to serve dinner
 B. find it hard to keep up with other children
 C. are often kept away from the dinner table
 D. get the least attention from the family
54．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
 A. why TV is important in family life
 B. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
 C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
 D. why parents should keep good order
 55．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
 A. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
 B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
 C. It is important to have the right food for children.
 D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
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