The value of childhood is easily blurred (变得模糊不清) in today"s world. Consider some recent developments. The child, murderers in the Jonesboro schoolyard shooting case were convicted and sentenced. Two boys, 7 and 8, were charged in the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Chicago.
Children who commit horrible crimes appear to act of their own will. Yet, as legal proceedings in Jonesboro showed, the one boy who was able to address the court couldn"t begin to explain his acts, though he tried to apologize. There may have been a motive—youthful jealousy (妒忌) and resentment. But a deeper question remains: Why did these boys and others in similar trouble apparently lack any inner, moral restraint?
That question echoes for the accused in Chicago, young as they are. They wanted the girl"s bicycle, a selfish impulse common enough among kids.
Redemption (拯救) is a practical necessity. How can value be restored to young lives distorted by acts of violence? The boys in Jonesboro and in Chicago will be confined in institutions for a relatively short time. Despite horror at what was done, children are not—cannot be—dealt with as adults, not if a people wants to consider itself civilized. That"s why politicians" cries for adult treatment of youthful criminals ultimately miss the point.
But the moral void (真空) that invites violence has many sources. Family instability contributes, so does economic stress. That void, however, can be filled. The work starts with parents, who have to ask themselves whether they"re doing enough to give their children a firm sense of right and wrong. Are they really monitoring their activities and their developing processes of thought?
Schools, too, have a role in building character. So do youth organizations. So do youth enforcement agencies, which can do more to inform the young about laws, their meaning, and their observance (遵守).
The goal, ultimately, is to allow all children a normal passage from childhood to adulthood (成年), so that tragic gaps in moral judgement are less likely to occur. The relative few who fill such gaps with acts of violence hint at many others who don"t go that far, but who lack the moral foundations childhood should provide—and which progressive human society relies on.
单选题
The two boys in Chicago were ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用题干关键词two boys和Chicago可以定位到第一段“Two boys, 7 and 8, were charged in the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Chicago”，即“两个男孩，分别为7岁和8岁，被指控谋杀了一个11岁的女孩”，由此可知，C为正确答案。
单选题
The boys in Jonesboro and Chicago apparently lacked a sense of ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用题干关键词Jonesboro and Chicago和lack of可以定位到第二段“Why did these boys and others in similar trouble apparently lack any inner, moral restraint?”，即“为什么这些孩子和其他相同境遇的孩子缺少一些内心的道德约束呢?”所以正确答案为A，即孩子们不能明辨是非。
单选题
According to politicians, when children commit crimes, they should be treated in the same way as ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用题干关键词politician和treat可以到第四段“That"s why politicians" cries for adult treatment of youthful criminals ultimately miss the point”，即“这就是为什么有的政治家呼吁对年轻人实行同成人的一样的对待就忽略了这一点”，所以可知答案为D。
单选题
Which of the following does the writer cite as a source of moral void?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用题干关键词moral void和sources可以定位到第五段“But the moral void that invites violence has many sources. Family instability contributes, so does economic stress.”意为“导致暴力的道德真空有很多缘由。家庭不稳定是一个原因，经历压力也是一个原因。”据此可知C为正确答案。
单选题
Which of the statements is NOT true according to this passage?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 判断题。该题无法利用题干进行定位，因为题干中没有关键词，在这种情况下，可以改为定位选项。分别利用每个选项的关键词进行定位，发现D项与原文不符，利用youth organization可以定位到第六段“Schools, too, have a role in building character. So do youth organizations.”即“学校在培养孩子品行方便有很大作用，青年组织也是如此。”所以答案为D。