2018年成人英语三级考试阅读理解专题练习(5)
      　The place of the child in society has varied for thousands of years and has been affected by different cultures and religions. In ancient times unwanted children were occasionally abandoned, put to death, exploited, or offered for religious sacrifices, and in any event a large percentage of them didn’t survive their physically hazardous existence to achieve maturity.
  In Western civilization within the last few hundred years, there have been many changes in attitude toward the young. In agricultural Europe, and late with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the children of the poor worked long hours for little or no pay, and there was no public concern for their safety or welfare. Punishment could be cruel and severe, and sometimes religious passions were expressed violently with a view toward saving the child’s soul.
  By the eighteenth century the harsh, deterministic, doctrinal(教条的)methods began to show some change. Society slowly accorded children a role of importance. Books were written exp
ressly for them and gradually laws were passed for their protection.
  In the past few decades parents have become more attentive to the needs of their children. Better health care is available and education is no longer reserved for a limited few. With so many now able to go to college, many educators feel that we have too many students and too few competent scholars. Some say the pendulum(钟摆)in child rearing has swung so far toward permissiveness that many children are growing up alienated(离间)from society and with no respect for law or parental authority.
  The tendency today is for teachers and parents to emphasize individual responsibility and to stress that educational goals for students should be tailored to their chosen vocations rather than provide a generalized higher education.
  21.What does the article say about children?
  A. they have always been the hope of mankind.
  B. In certain periods of history no one cared about them.
  C. In the mid-eighteenth century western attitudes toward children began to change.
  D. There were laws barring child labor during the industrial revolution.
  答案：C
  解析：答案C。从第三段第一句可知C项说法正确。从第二段可知工业革命期间，贫穷的孩子无偿地工作很长时间，没有人关心他们的安全或福利。可见D项(工业革命期间有法律禁止儿童劳动)不对。A项和B项文章未直接提到，并且内容不对。因此C项为正确答案。
  22. What does the article say about children in ancient times?
  A. They were often cruelly beaten.
  B. At times they were used as sacrificial offerings.
  C. People who didn’t want children usually murdered them.
  D. Though they were abused of neglected by their parents, children survived to adulthood with little difficulty.
  答案：B
  解析：答案B。从第一段第二句可知D项说法不对，B项正确。A项和C项没有提到，因此B项为正确答案。
  23. What changes have occurred in the past few decades with regard to the child’s place in society?
  A. Child raising has become more permissive.
  B. Public health care has improved so much that children now need no particular health care.
  C. Children are becoming more intelligent.
  D. Children are becoming more respectful toward their parents.
  答案：A
  解析：答案A。第四段第二句只是说Better health care is available，故B项不对。C项和D项文章未提到。从第四段最后一句可知A项为正确答案。
  24. What is the present trend in child discipline and education?
  A. Giving as many young people as possible a popular generalized college education.
  B. Creating more regimentation of the individual.
  C. Teaching children to conform to rigorous rules.
  D. Emphasizing individual responsibility.
  答案：D
  解析：答案D。最后一段指出，对于老师和父母来说，目前的趋势是强调个人责任感，强调对学生的教育应服务于他们选择的职业，而不是为了提供一般化的高等教育。可见，A项说法完全相反。B项和C项未提到，因此D项为正确答案。成人英语三级
  25.Which of the pollowing is implied but not directly stated in the passage?
  A. Methods used to treat children in the past were worse than those at present.
  B. There are laws passed for protection of children.
  C. Parents pay more attention to the needs of their children.
  D. Many books have been written for children.
  答案：A
  解析：答案A。文章主要描述了孩子地位的变化，从对五个时期的描述可推断出孩子越来越受重视。可见A项(过去对待孩子的方法不如现在)说法正确。B项，C项和D项说法虽然正确，但都是文章直接陈述的。因此A项为此题答案。