With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.

The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law: she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.

Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol—one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.

“We floated the idea to my mum of sharing a house,” says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: “We spoke more with Nick because I think it’s a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law.”

And what does Nick think? “From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.”

It’s hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2002 to 419,000 in 2013.

Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.

Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married.

1.Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol?

A Nick.

B Rita.

C Kathryn.

D The daughters.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。 根据第二段中 … his mother-in-law: she lives on the ground floor … 和第三段最后一句 ... Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.可知在布里斯托尔市的这间维多利亚式房屋里，丽塔 (Rita) 住在一楼。 故选B。

2.What is Nick’s attitude towards sharing the house with his mother-in-law?

A Positive.

B Carefree.

C Tolerant.

D Unwilling.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。 根据第五段“From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.” 可知尼克 (Nick) 对和岳母住一起持赞同的态度。 故选A。

3.What is the author’s statement about multigenerational family based on?

A Family traditions.

B Financial reports.

C Published statistics.

D Public opinions.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。 根据倒数第三段的 Official reports suggest that … had risen from 325,000 in 2001 to 419,000 in 2013.和倒数第二段的 It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991. 可推出作者在阐述多代同住的观点时依据的是已发布的数据。故选C。

4.What is the text mainly about?

A Lifestyles in different countries.

B Conflicts between generations.

C A housing problem in Britain.

D A rising trend of living in the UK.

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。 本文以丽塔 (Rita) 三代人同住一起为例，介绍了在英国多代人同住一起这一社会现象，根据已发布的研究报告和数据可知这种现象呈上升的趋势。 故选D。