To be sure, only children﹙独生子女﹚experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. In the absence of brothers and sisters, only children also tend to look more exclusively to their parents as role models.﹙只以父母为楷模﹚
In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to counter ﹙反驳﹚the myth﹙不真实的说法﹚ that they are not responsible. “People think we’re treated too kindly and ruined,” says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. “But I’d like to remind them how lonely it can get.”
Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain’s David Emerson, coauthor of the book The Only Child, says that such a person bears a terrible burden in having to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience: After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable(易受攻击的) to house breakers, to a new one with more security﹙安全﹚. “The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it,” he says. “After all, I am left with that responsibility.” ﹙责无旁贷﹚
In the future, more and more only children will likely face similar choices. With working mothers increasingly the rule, many families are finding they simply don’t have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the charge made against them is unjust.
39. It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s attitude towards only children is .
A. critical﹙批评的﹚ B. objective﹙反对的﹚C. hostile﹙不友善的﹚D. unjust﹙不公正的﹚
40. It can be inferred from the passage that only children’s parents should .
A. find a support group for their only children
B. do volunteer work to help their only children
C. let their only children make all the decision alone
D. set good examples for their only children
41. Emerson decided to move his elderly mother to a new house because he .
A. is the only one who cares about her
B. doesn’t want to leave her alone
C. wants to share the responsibility with her
D. is worried about her safety
42. It is quite usual now for a working mother to .
A. spend all her time and money on her only child
B. be responsible for bringing up her only child
C. have and bring up only one child
D. devote all her energy to her job