Lin Xiao, 21, a student at Guangdong University, has a big family – her two paren

   Lin Xiao, 21, a student at Guangdong University, has a big family – her two parents, a younger brother and two younger sisters. Lin took her role as the “big sister” seriously. When her first sister was born, Lin took turns with her mom holding the baby late into the night. “I almost did everything that was supposed to be a parent’s job, but I felt proud of myself,” she said.

Not all of Lin’s classmates shared her experiences because of the family planning policy (政策), The one – child policy has been carried out in China for about forty years. But the situation is about to change. A new policy made on October 29 said all couples can now have two children.

The new policy is expected to help raise the population of China. Recently, China has been facing an aging population and labor shortages because of the low birth rate (比率).

The two-child policy may also be the gift for every only child. Researchers found that growing up with a brother or sister can have good influence on one’s mental (心理) health.

“Brothers and sisters do matter in unique ways. They give kids something that their parents don’t.” Laura Walker, a professor from Beijing University, told China Daily. She noted that having a brother or a sister protects teenagers against loneliness, fear and so on.

Liu Fang, 20, from Shenzhen University, has a 2-year-younger sister. When her sister disagreed with parents over choosing a college major, she helped her to communicate with her parents. “If necessary, I would always have her back,” said Liu. “The best part of having a sister is that you have a partner, friend and supporter throughout your life.”

But children with brothers or sisters also have to learn to understand and look after each other, said Laura.

1. There are ________ children in Lin Xiao’s family.

A. three                 B. four                 C. five               D. six

2. The one-child policy caused some problems except ________.

A. the aging population                      B. labor shortages 

C. the population growth                  D. the low birth rate

3. What does the underlined word “unique” possibly means ________ in Chinese.
A. 独特的              B. 相同的               C. 对立的             D. 相反的

4. We can infer (推断) from the article that ________.

A. Lin Xiao doesn’t like her sister

B. Liu Fang has a 17-year-old sister

C. Laura is against the two-child policy     

D. The one-child policy is out of date now

5.  The best title for this article should be ________.

A. Brothers and sisters are good for us.   B. The family planning policy is bad.
C. The two-child policy helps a lot.             D. A new policy was made.

1B  2C  3A 4D  5C