C. they have to pay more attention to younger children

　　D. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

　　23. By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children 。

　　A. have to help their parents to serve dinner

　　B. get the least attention from the family

　　C. are often kept away from the dinner table

　　D. find it hard to keep up with other children

　　24. Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question 。

　　A. why TV is important in family life

　　B. why parents should keep good order

　　C. why children in small families seem to be quieter

　　D. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

　　25. Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

　　A. It is important to have the right food for children。

　　B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner。

　　C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently。

　　D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner

　　Passage Two

　　Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat (诈骗). Either way, it could be the perfect crime (犯罪)， because the criminals are birds-horning pigeons!

　　The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up then. The car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off。

　　There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind-one that avoids (避免)not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has played a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad (启事) in the newspaper asking for help。

　　The theory is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars-seems too little for a car worth many times more。

　　Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said。

　　26. After the car owner received a phone call, he 。

　　A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried

　　B. gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park

　　C. sent some money to the thief by mail

　　D. told the press about it