For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of their time alone. They're called latchkey children, They're children who look after themselves while their parents work outside. Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids bed chains around their necks with keys attached. 1 was often telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly , she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working parents had on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by the children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to are reported to be scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it at high volume.
It ‘s hard to get numbers on latchkey children and most patents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
The main idea about "latchkey" children is that they ______.
A.are growing in numbers |
B.suffer problems from being left alone |
C.watch too much TV during the day |
D.are also found in middle schools |
The main feeling these children have when they are at home alone is_____.
A.tiredness |
B.freedom |
C.loneliness |
D.fear |
Which sentence is the topic sentence of Paragraph 1 ?
A.We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. |
B.A lot of kids had chains around their necks. |
C.I was often telling them to put their keys inside their shirts. |
D.She learned the chains around their necks were house keys. |
The underlined word "nightmares" means _____.
A.night suit |
B.night habit |
C.terrible dreams at night |
D.staying up at night |
We may draw a conclusion that _____.
A.latchkey children enjoy being left alone |
B.latchkey children try to hide their feeling |
C.latchkey children often watch TV with their parents |
D.it's difficult to find out how many latchkey children there |