Question

    Parents do not owe （欠） their children a college education. If they can afford it, they can certainly send them to a good university. But they needn’t feel guilty if they can’t. When children grow up and want to get married, their parents do not owe them an apartment. They do not have the duty to look after their grandchildren, either. If they want to do it, it must be considered a favor, not an obligation.

Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.

One of their obligations is to give their children a personal worth. Children who are always made to feel stupid and unworthy, constantly compared with brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins will become so unsure, so afraid of failing that they won’t try at all. Of course they should be properly corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn their mistakes by themselves in time. All their parents should do is to trust them, respect them, understand them and give them chances to try and fail. They must learn to stand failure. When criticisms （批评） are really needed, they should be balanced with a smile and a kiss. That is the way children learn.

Parents owe their children a set of solid values around which to build their lives. This means teaching them to respect the rights and opinions of others; it means being respectful to elders, to teachers, and to the law. The best way to teach such values is by deed. A child who is lied to will lie. A child who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have difficulty laughing and loving.

No child asks to be born. If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child something.

1.The author thinks parents ________.

A.should send their children to college

B.should support their children after they get married

C.need to buy an apartment for their children

D.needn’t feel guilty if they can’t send their children to universities

2.What does the underlined word “obligation” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A.Right. B.Promise.

C.Duty. D.Excuse.

3.According to the passage, what should parents do when children make mistakes?

A.Understand them and tell them not to do that again.

B.Let them learn the mistakes by themselves in time.

C.Compare them with brighter brothers or sisters.

D.Correct their mistakes immediately.

4.What does the author mainly talk about in this passage?

A.The duties of parents.

B.The best way to teach children.

C.The reason why children feel stupid and unworthy.

D.The reason why parents owe their children something.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章就父母对子女真正的责任是什么进行论述，总结出父母真正要给予孩子的是个人价值和正确的价值观，这才是父母真正的职责。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段中“Parents do not owe （欠） their children a college education...But they needn’t feel guilty if they can’t.” 父母不欠子女大学教育......如果他们承担不起大学教育，也不必感到内疚，可知，作者认为，如果父母不能送子女上大学，也不必感到内疚。故选D。

2.词句猜测题。根据“If they want to do it, it must be considered a favor, not an obligation. ”如果他们想这样做，就必须把它看作一种恩惠，而不是义务， 这一句中的“favor”意为“恩惠、帮忙”相反意思应为“义务、责任”，所以可以判断“obligation”应是“义务”之意，同时“obligation”和前一句“They do not have the duty to look after their grandchildren, either.” 他们也没有义务照顾孙子孙女，这一句里的“duty”是近义词，属于词义重现用法。故选C。

3.细节理解题，从本文第三段第三句的“Of course they should be properly corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn their mistakes by themselves in time.” 当然，如果孩子做错了，他们应该得到适当的纠正，但是最好是让孩子们自己及时地知道他们的错误，可知，当孩子犯错时，父母应该让孩子自己及时了解错误。故选B。

4.主旨大意题。文章第一段“Parents do not owe （欠） their children a college education...”从父母送子女上大学，帮忙买房子或照看孙辈等琐事引入主题，说明这些并不是父母真正的职责，根据第三段第一句“One of their obligations is to give their children a personal worth.” 他们的义务之一是给孩子们个人的价值和倒数第一段“Parents owe their children a set of solid values around which to build their lives.” 父母有义务为孩子建立一套坚实的价值观，并以此来构建他们的生活。可知，父母真正要给予孩子的是个人价值和正确的价值观，这才是父母真正的职责，所以文章主要讲父母的职责。故选A。