Few people would defend the Victorian attitude on children, but if you were a parent in those days, at least you knew where you stood: children were to be seen and not heard. Freud and his colleagues did away with all that and parents have been puzzled ever since. The child’s happiness is all- important, they say, but what about the parents’ happiness? Modern child-rearing manuals（抚养孩子手册）would never permit cruelty to children .The trouble is you are not allowed even to shout. Who knows what deep psychological(心理的)wounds you might cause? The poor child may never recover from the dreadful experience. So it is the parents that bend over backwards to avoid giving their children complex which a hundred years ago hadn’t even been heard of. Certainly, a child needs love, and a lot of it. But the excessive permissive(纵容) of modern parents is surely doing more harm than good.
Psychologists(心理学家) have succeeded in weakening parents confidence in their own authority. And it hasn’t taken children long to get wind of the fact. In addition to the great modern classics on child care, there are countless articles in magazines and newspapers. With so much advice flying about, mum and dad just don’t know what to do any more. In the end, they do nothing at all. So, from early childhood, the kids are in charge and parents’ lives are regulated according to the needs of their kids. When the little dears develop into teenagers, they take complete control. Lack of authority over the years makes teenagers rebellion against parents all the more violent. If the young people are going to have a party, for example, parents are asked to leave the house. Their presence merely spoils the fun. What else can the poor parents do but obey?
小题1:The author says that today’s parents _______.
A．are bombarded with excessive amounts of child-care literature.
B．draw a distinction between permissiveness and carelessness.
C．are only towards children from happy home backgrounds.
D．weigh their children’s knowledge rather than intelligence.小题2:The phrase “get wind of” (Para.2) most likely means _______ .
A．become used to
B．try to avoid
C．realize
D．become puzzled of小题3:Which of the following can be inferred from this passage?
A．Victorian child rearing is a model for parents to follow.
B．Psychologists have much to answer for today’s problems on child care.
C．With the help of so much advice, raising children is easier than ever.
D．Parents like to enjoy the freedom when there is a party in the house.小题4:What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．The excessive permissiveness of today’s parents is harmful to children.
B．Psychologists shouldn’t interfere so much with child care.
C．Parents should hold the Victorian attitudes towards children.
D．Children are too sensitive to be hurt.
