In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会)of each new skill — the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm(热情) for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
　　Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(准时) for meals. In general, the controls imposed(强加的) represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community(社区) as much as the child’s own happiness.
　　As regards the development of moral standards （道德标准））in the growing child, consistency（连贯性） is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach(说教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
　　A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
20．Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills_____.
A．should be avoided
B．is universal among parents
C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
D．will make him lose interest in learning new things
21．When children are learning new skills, parents should_____.
A．encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B．not expect too much of them
C．achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
D．create as many learning opportunities as possible
22．The second paragraph mainly tells us that _____.
A．parents should be strict with their children
B．parental controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community
C．parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone
D．parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation
23．The underlined word “precept” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “_____”.
A．idea      B．punishment   C．behavior D．instruction
24．In moral matters, parents should _____.
A．observe the rules themselves
B．be aware of the marked difference between adults and children
C．forbid things which have no foundation in morality
D．satisfy their children’s needs