"It hurts me more than you," and "This is for your own good." These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, lean my room, stay home and do homework.

That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy on us. They taught that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.

Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we've made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students—"so passive"—and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Kiompus, contributes to children's passivity. "We're not training kids to work any more," says Klompus, "We're talking about a generation kids who have never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying‘go look it up', you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say ‘no’ to a kid."

Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It's time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them "no" again.

1. Children are becoming more inactive in study because ________.

A. they watch TV too often

B. they have done too much homework

C. they have to fulfil too many duties

D. teachers are too strict with them

Best Answer:A

详解：答案A。见第三段第四句Kompus说，电视助长了孩子们学习的消极性。这与A项的内容一致。contribute to 在文中意指“促成、助长”。

2.To such children as described in the passage______.

A. it is easier to say “no” than to say “yes”

B. neither is easy — to say “no” or to say “yes”

C. it is easier to say “yes” than to say “no”

D. neither is difficult — to say “yes” or to say “no”

Best Answer:C

详解：答案C。第三段最后一句讲的是：孩子们说不要花更大的力气。言外之意是说“好”可以少费些力气，这正是C项所表达的意思。

3.We learn from the passage that the author's mother used to lay emphasis on _______.

A. learning Latin

B. natural development

C. discipline

D. education at school

Best Answer:C

详解：答案C。作者在文章开头告诉我们：几年前，我不得不学拉丁语、打扫房间，呆在家里做家庭作业时，我母亲就常对我说：“这与其说使你难受，倒不如说使我难受，这是为你好”。根据经验我们知道这是母亲在要求自己的孩子好好学习时常说的话。这表明作者的母亲管教是十分严格的。故C项为正确答案。

4. By“permissive period, in education”(S1,Para.2) the author means a time ________

A. when children are allowed to do what they wish to

B. when everything can be taught at school

C. when every child can be educated

D. when children are permitted to receive education

Best Answer:A

详解：答案A。第二段具体描述了详permissive period in education（教育的自然发展阶段）的情形：无人要求孩子在学校取得好成绩，无人责怪父母对孩子放任自流。孩子可以使用计算器，可以看电视，父母则驱车去度假。总之，父母对孩子不管教，也就是说，孩子可以随心所欲。这与A项的意思一致。

5.The main idea of the passage is that _______

A. parents should leave their children alone

B. kids should have more activities at school

C. it's time to be more strict with our kids

D. parents should always set a good example to their kids

Best Answer:C

详解：答案C。综观全文，第一段讲作者小时候母亲对他要求严格;第二段讲以后一个时期学校和家长对孩子采取了任其自然发展的态度;第三段讲现在老师发现这个时期成长起来的孩子十分缺乏积极主动的精神，认识到听任孩子自然发展的态度十分错误;第四段指出现在必须改变这种状况，即像以前那样严格要求孩子。由此可见，本文主题思想是C项。