In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (学会) of each new skill m the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to 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, 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 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 (严格的) over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality (道德). Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused 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.
1. 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 the child lose interest in learning new things
2. In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents _________________.
A. should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B. should expect a lot of the children
C. should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
D. should create as many learning opportunities as possible
3. The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________________.
A. parents should be strict with their children
B. parental controls reflect only the values of the community
C. parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone
D. it’s parents’ and society’s duty to control the children
4. The word “precept” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________________”.
A. opinion          B. punishment       C. behavior            D. instruction
5. In terms of moral matters, parents should _____________________.
A. follow the rules themselves
B. be aware of the huge difference between adults and children
C. forbid their children to follow hook teachings
D. always ensure the security of their children