A family has been defined as a couple and their children，sharing a common house and dividing the work by gender．In general，the woman has to be at home，looking after her children，while the man works outside the home．In fact，in 2014，only 15 percent of all American families resembled the so-called typical American family． Nuclear Family（The Formal Type!）A nuclear family is considered to be the most traditional family，consisting of a mother，a father，and the children．This family type holds a lot of respect by society，known as the ideal one to raise children．It is believed that children belonging to the two-parent structure families are stable．However，with changing times，it has been observed that the nuclear structure has become less popular． Single Parent Family （Mostly the Breadwinner Parent!）A single parent is the one who looks after the child without the assistance of the other parent．The child can be by birth or adoption．Single parent families are often the result of death of another parent，divorce of a couple with children，or child abuse．There's another case where adults who want children but do not have a partner，adopt kids-usually termed as single parent adoption． Grandparent-led Family （The Wrinkled Affection!）Lots of grandparents are raising their grandchildren today．Reasons can be varied，like parents' death，or unfit parents．Many grandparents need to go back to their working phase for finding a source of income to raise their grandchildren． Blended （混合的） and Step Family （Sometimes the Black Sheep Type!）Two separate families blending together to form a single unit can lead to the creation of a blended or step family．Step families are becoming common in America．Over half of the marriages end in divorce，and many of these individuals prefer getting remarried，thereby creating the step family．It can consist of a new husband，a wife，and their children from precious relationships or marriages．These families have more problems because their kids do not get comfortable，and have adjustment and discipline issues． Extended Family （The More，The Merrier!）An extended family is the one that enlarges beyond the immediate family，which can consist of grandparents，uncles，aunts，cousins and so on，living under a single roof．There are certain advantages to such family groups．The members （especially children） feel more secure and safe due to elder guidance and sharing of resources during a crisis，and have more role models to help maintain desired etiquette and values． Childless Family （Child-free Companions!）While most people think of family as including children，there are couples who are very young and intend to have children later，or those who cannot，or choose not to have children．This type is also called the"forgotten family"，as it does not meet the set in definition of family．It has been observed that many of the childless families own pets or have external contacts with their nieces and nephews as a substitute for having their own children． As you can see，there are various family structures．The American society tends to promote the traditional family through various media；children who fall under other categories may feel that theirs is not a real family．They may get self-conscious about being part of a family which is"different"．In some cases，they might face social challenges，too．25．All of the following may contribute to a single parent family EXCEPT ____ ．A．a broken marriageB．a bad-tempered parentC．the death of one parentD．a single adult adopting a child26．According to the passage，in grandparent-led families， ____ ．A．the children gain more respect from societyB．the children face more challenges in societyC．the"parents"give more guidance to childrenD．the"parents"have to work again to raise children27．What kind of family is most likely to keep a pet？ ____ A．A nuclear family．B．An extended family．C．A childless family．D．A step family．28．What might be the best title for the passage？ ____ A．Life in a typical American familyB．Types of family structures in AmericaC．Family structures matter a lot in AmericaD．Different families have different values and needs．

A family has been defined as a couple and their children，sharing a common house and dividing the work by gender．In general，the woman has to be at home，looking after her children，while the man works outside the home．In fact，in 2014，only 15 percent of all American families resembled the so-called typical American family．

Nuclear Family（The Formal Type!） A nuclear family is considered to be the most traditional family，consisting of a mother，a father，and the children．This family type holds a lot of respect by society，known as the ideal one to raise children．It is believed that children belonging to the two-parent structure families are stable．However，with changing times，it has been observed that the nuclear structure has become less popular．

Single Parent Family （Mostly the Breadwinner Parent!） A single parent is the one who looks after the child without the assistance of the other parent．The child can be by birth or adoption．Single parent families are often the result of death of another parent，divorce of a couple with children，or child abuse．There's another case where adults who want children but do not have a partner，adopt kids-usually termed as single parent adoption．

Grandparent-led Family （The Wrinkled Affection!） Lots of grandparents are raising their grandchildren today．Reasons can be varied，like parents' death，or unfit parents．Many grandparents need to go back to their working phase for finding a source of income to raise their grandchildren．

Blended （混合的） and Step Family （Sometimes the Black Sheep Type!） Two separate families blending together to form a single unit can lead to the creation of a blended or step family．Step families are becoming common in America．Over half of the marriages end in divorce，and many of these individuals prefer getting remarried，thereby creating the step family．It can consist of a new husband，a wife，and their children from precious relationships or marriages．These families have more problems because their kids do not get comfortable，and have adjustment and discipline issues．

Extended Family （The More，The Merrier!） An extended family is the one that enlarges beyond the immediate family，which can consist of grandparents，uncles，aunts，cousins and so on，living under a single roof．There are certain advantages to such family groups．The members （especially children） feel more secure and safe due to elder guidance and sharing of resources during a crisis，and have more role models to help maintain desired etiquette and values．

Childless Family （Child-free Companions!） While most people think of family as including children，there are couples who are very young and intend to have children later，or those who cannot，or choose not to have children．This type is also called the"forgotten family"，as it does not meet the set in definition of family．It has been observed that many of the childless families own pets or have external contacts with their nieces and nephews as a substitute for having their own children．

As you can see，there are various family structures．The American society tends to promote the traditional family through various media；children who fall under other categories may feel that theirs is not a real family．They may get self-conscious about being part of a family which is"different"．In some cases，they might face social challenges，too．
25．All of the following may contribute to a single parent family EXCEPT  ____ ．
A．a broken marriage
B．a bad-tempered parent
C．the death of one parent
D．a single adult adopting a child
26．According to the passage，in grandparent-led families， ____ ．
A．the children gain more respect from society
B．the children face more challenges in society
C．the"parents"give more guidance to children
D．the"parents"have to work again to raise children
27．What kind of family is most likely to keep a pet？ ____
A．A nuclear family．
B．An extended family．
C．A childless family．
D．A step family．
28．What might be the best title for the passage？ ____
A．Life in a typical American family
B．Types of family structures in America
C．Family structures matter a lot in America
D．Different families have different values and needs．