1 . Everyone would agree that it is parents’ job to teach their kids right from wrong. The rise in teen crime suggests that some parents are failing at these tasks. To correct the problem, lawmakers in some states require parents to serve jail time when their children get into serious trouble again and again. The lawmakers hope that this punishment will motivate parents to take their responsibilities seriously.
Supporters of these laws believe that the threat of jail will scare parents into paying more attention to their teens’ behavior than before. They think that these parents would be happy to let the state try to straighten out their kids at juvenile detention centers (少管所), because the centers took the responsibility off the parents’ shoulders. With the new laws, the responsibility is put back on the parents. “The hope is,” a supporter said, “that if parents are held legally responsible, they’ll work harder to keep their youngsters in line.”
However, many people think the laws are unfair. They argue that parents should not be punished for the criminal acts of their children, unless it can be shown there is a contributory fault on the parents’ part.
People who oppose parental responsibility laws also believe that punishing parents won’t create a change in the kids’ behavior. These people argue that parents may not be at fault. The children of good parents can fall in with the wrong kids and get into trouble, they say. Worse yet, if mom is in jail, there may be no one at all to control her kid. …
The unfortunate fact is that jailing a parent punishes the rest of the family. The jailed parent cannot work to help support the family and may also be fired from a job for missing too much work. Furthermore, little evidence exists to support the idea that the threat of punishment improves a parent’s ability to control a teenager. Opponents of parental responsibility laws say that parents who are in this situation need help, not a jail sentence.
1. The phrase “keep their youngsters in line” (in Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “________”.| A．get their kids to stay at home | B．make their kids behave well |
| C．help their kids make a living | D．require their kids to queue in public |
| A．So, they believe that it’s easy for mom to control her kid’s behavior. |
| B．So, they believe that mom should be jailed for her contributory fault. |
| C．So, they believe that lack of mom’s control may then lead to more crime. |
| D．So, they believe that mom’s control has a negative effect on her kid’s behavior. |
| A．parents should never be punished for their kids’ crimes |
| B．jailing a parent may drive the family into a worse situation |
| C．the laws are unfair even if they help parents control their kids |
| D．responsible parents needn’t worry that their kids will commit crimes |
| A．Whether parents should be jailed for their kids’ criminal acts. |
| B．How parents deal with young troublemakers in their daily life. |
| C．What parents need when their kids commit crimes again and again. |
| D．Why laws should be made to hold parents responsible for their kids. |
