Parents are fuelling bad behavior among their children by attempting to "buy" their love with expensive gifts nowadays.
Over recent decades we seem to have created a "must have" culture among our young people. Many mothers and fathers believe they are "failing as parents" if they are unable to ensure that their children have the latest toy, electronic devices (the lap-top, cellphones, Game Boy, etc.) along with their friends. In many cases, families also feel pressured to enroll (使加入) children in "'every interest club or after-school activity that is available" to fill up their time like most of the other children.
But experts warned that the move might affect "precious family time" negatively. Graham Gorton, chairman of the Independent Schools Association, said that parents spent too much time filling their children's lives, which had a series of negative effects on "the very precious family time that exists".
"It seems that those times when a whole weekend without planned work was seen as a luxury (奢侈) and a perfect opportunity to spend time together and share those valuable moments of childhood are long gone," Mr. Gorton said. "As a child I only once said that phrase that parents feared 'I'm bored'. Immediately my mother took action and produced a list of jobs and then insisted that I complete every one of them. Though l didn't think cleaning all the floors could really get rid of my boredom, I enjoyed the feeling of staying at home with my mother and brothers."
Earlier this year, some researchers suggested that relatively wealthy parents were sometimes guilty of failing to teach basic social skills to children. "Often, it’s the rich middle classes that buy off their children through the computer and the TV. That then sets them apart from their family, and then the parents are surprised when their child isn’ t coming to school."
小题1:The second paragraph mainly tells us that ________.
A．today’s children have little time to play
B．today’s children depend on electronic tools too much
C．today’s parents feel pressured by the "'must have" culture
D．being qualified parents becomes harder for today's young people小题2:What does the "must have" phenomenon refer to based on the passage?
A．That children must have what other children have.
B．That children must have proper pressure to work hard.
C．That children must have special skills to ensure a better future.
D．That parents must have patience to know their children better.小题3:Which of the following is the best advice you could give to parents based on Gorton’s statement?
A．Plan fewer activities for their children to improve family time.
B．Buy their children fewer things that they are fond of.
C．Give their children more housework to do.
D．Leave their children alone when the kids feel bored.小题4:Mr. Gorton tended to think that in the past ________.
A．children enjoyed doing housework
B．children never thought life was boring
C．children liked to spend time with their family
D．children often had some planned work after school小题5:From the passage we can infer that ________.
A．wealthy parents don’t like teaching basic social skills to children
B．parents should be much more strict with their children at home
C．children should not be brought up in a wealthy and pleasant environment
D．only satisfying children’s material needs is not a good way of parenting
