B

Ridgewood is a small, quiet town 20 miles from Manhattan. It is a typical suburban town, perfect for raising children away from the fast pace of the city. However, some Ridgewood kids feel as upset as if they were on the city’s busy streets. In addition to hours of homework, Ridgewood’s children are occupied with afterschool activities — from swimming to piano to religious classes.

Out of desperation one day, the town decided to schedule another activity. This one was called “Ridgewood Family Night — Ready, Set, Relax!” Instead of schedules filled with sports, music, or overtime at the office, some of the town’s 25,000 residents decided to take the night off and stay home. For a few months before Family Night, a committee of volunteers worked hard to spread the word. Younger students took “Save the Date for Me” leaflets home to their parents. The mayor issued a statement, and schools and clubs agreed to cancel homework and meetings so families could relax and be together.

The tension between a hope for a more relaxed lifestyle and the knowledge that the benchmark for success has been raised in recent years weighs heavily on the minds of the townspeople. Some parents like to recall a different kind of childhood, one without so many scheduled afterschool activities. However, these same parents feel obliged to make sure their children are prepared to survive in today’s high-pressure work environment. They are afraid that any gap in their children’s physical or intellectual development might mean they won’t be admitted to the “right” universities and won’t succeed in a more and more competitive world.

Nevertheless, it seems that Family Night worked, at least to a point. Cars moved easily around Ridgewood’s normally busy downtown streets, and stores and restaurants saw a drop in business. Some families ate supper together for the first time in months.

Initially, there was great hope of taking back their lives. But sadly, few families believe that one night will change their lives. Many are sure that they will fall back into the habit of over-scheduling their children to be overachieving adults.

25.   The writer describes Ridgewood as a town where ________.

A. residents take little notice of education   

B. children are stressful and over expected

C. parents are concerned about children’s safety

D. children lead a life of relaxed, ordinary rhythms

26.   According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the Family Night?

       A. Schools assigned no homework.      B. Fewer people ate in the restaurants.

       C. The streets were less crowded.         D. People enjoyed meeting each other.

27.   According to the passage, the parents in Ridgewood ________.

A. have conflicting desires about what experiences to offer their children

B. are happy with the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves and the children

C. believe that it is their duty to make a change for the stressful life style

D. are worried about their children’s lacking of big ambition

28.   We may get the conclusion from the passage that ________.

       A. the concept of Family Night will become a regular part of life in Ridgewood

       B. Ridgewood people believe the Family Night will change their way of living

       C. Family Night is not as popular as people have originally thought

       D. schools are worried about students being given too much free time  
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