“A very destructive seven-year-old child kicked my legs and scratched at my hand, ”said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked, ”said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential, regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school, even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough, but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table, and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources—time—so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.
5. Wha
t problem do people ignore in the writer’s opinion?
A. The school violence.
B. The pressure of students’ learning.
C. The right to achieve students’ potential.
D. Students’ responsibilities.
6. The writer’s attitude to the behavior of parents may be that of .
A. dissatisfaction B. sympathy
C. understanding D. tolerance
7. The underlined part in Paragraph 4 may mean .
A. children don’t live with their parents in the same room
B. parents care little about children’s life at home
C. children spend little time with their parents at home
D. parents attempt to establish a good relationship with their children
8. From the last paragraph, we can infer that .
A. school can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers
B. teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents
C. parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn
D. students are responsible for making themselves known in society
9. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Children’s behavior at school is worrying people.
B. Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits.
C. There is no point in parents’ teaching children at home.
D. Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing.