Read each paragraph quickly. Following the material are three possible main-idea statements. In your opinion, which sentence or sentences best express the point of each paragraph? Choose A, B, or C.

Does the Traditional Family Really Exist?

1			A It's five o'clock and all of the kids are playing in the back yard. Leah, the youngest, is from Vietnam. She is on the swing set with Hans, who is from Malawi. They laugh as they see who can swing the highest. Charles is playing in the grass, his curly blonde hair covered with red and brown leaves. Maya and Stefan are kicking around a soccer ball. Maya was born in Guatemala, and Stefan comes from Russia. Where are these children? At an international school? At summer camp? No, they're at home. Leah, Hans, Charles, Maya, and Stefan Jensen are brothers and sisters. Even though they don't look anything alike and were all born into different cultures in different countries, they are now part of the same family. When the Jensens, who are white, decided to adopt, they found that adopting internationally was faster than waiting for a child in their own country. Despite the red tape and complications with immigration, they were excited about having a big family and liked the idea that each child would be special in his or her own way. They say that their children get along like any other siblings: they laugh, play, argue, cry, complain. Some people think that transracial adoption (parents adopting children of a different race or races) and international adoption can cause children a lot of emotional pain. They say that kids adopted into families of different races and cultures have trouble understanding their own racial and cultural identities. Adopted children have their own stories. Some say they feel "different" and have trouble growing up with parents of different races. Others say they feel just as loved and accepted as any other child. If you do decide to adopt transracially and/or internationally, experts recommend talking with your children about their racial and ethnic heritage. Be open. Don't stereotype any cultures, and try to teach them as much as possible about themselves.
			A)	Leah, Hans, Charles, Maya, and Stefan are classmates at an international school. They spend so much time together that they consider each other "family."
			B)	Leah, Hans, Charles, Maya, and Stefan were born in different countries, but they are adopted brothers and sisters. Even though their situation is a positive one, some people criticize parents who adopt children of different races and nationalities.
			C)	In many families it's normal for the children to be born in different countries. These international families are an example of a new trend in families in the twenty-first century.
2			B Ten years ago, Tanya and her one-year-old son Peter moved to Brooklyn, New York, from Ukraine. She had divorced her husband a few months earlier and followed her parents to the U.S., moving in with them into their apartment in a neighborhood of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. Having studied computer science at her university, Tanya was well prepared for a career in technology. Now she works as a senior web developer at a financial company, a nine-to-five job. After work she comes home and cooks dinner for her family. Her mother usually picks Peter up from school, and in the afternoons her father takes him bike riding or to the park. On one hand, Tanya knows that she's lucky to have her parents around to help her take care of Peter. On the other hand, living with her parents and son in a small house can be difficult. She has no privacy, she can't date (go out romantically with someone) or have guests over, and she barely has time to read a book or to make a phone call. One day Tanya hopes to marry again. She strongly believes that her son needs a father, and she would like to have a partner and companion to help her with the difficulties of parenting.
			A)	Tanya is a single mother. Even though she has a good job and help raising her son, being a single mother can be hard.
			B)	Because some single mothers have trouble caring for their children, they want to find husbands. Tanya is an example of a single mother who moved to the United States in order to find a husband to help care for her child.
			C)	Many women leave their families and move to the United States in order to find a better life. Tanya left her son and parents in Ukraine in order to get a better job in New York.
3			C John and I got married pretty late in life. I was thirty-nine and he was forty-three. For years we tried to have kids, but without any luck. We were convinced I wouldn't be able to conceive with natural methods, so I started taking fertility drugs. Before I knew it, I was pregnant—with triplets. I was forty-three at the time and John was forty-seven. I'm no stranger to hard work. Being a businesswoman is tough--I'd been in the corporate world for over a decade. But nothing prepared me for the amount of emotional and physical energy taking care of three infants requires, and being forty-three didn't help. Now I understand why women traditionally started their families earlier—a twenty-year-old just has more energy than a forty-year-old. Of course I have more financial resources than someone younger, so I suppose there's no perfect age to start a family. My job gave me two month's maternity leave, and I took three weeks of vacation time. Yet, when it was time to return to work I just couldn't do it. I had never pictured myself as a stay-at-home mother, but here I am. Of course I hire a nanny to help me out around the house...I only have two arms, after all, and three toddlers crawling around. John helps out when he can, but as the primary wage earner he ends up working late quite often. I do hope to return to work one day, but for now I'm happy to have more time with my family.
			A)	Usually, it is a good idea to wait to have children until you are older and have a good job. That is why, these days, most women have children when they are in their forties.
			B)	Some women have children when they are older and have a career. Others have children when they are young and energetic. However, having children at any age is difficult, especially if you have a multiple birth.
			C)	It's important for women to stop working after they have children, especially because career women generally don't make good mothers.