The place of the child in society has varied for thousands of years and has been affected by different cultures and religions. In ancient times unwanted children were occasionally abandoned, put to death, exploited, or offered for religious sacrifices, and in any event a large percentage of them didn't survive their physically hazardous existence to achieve maturity.
In Western civilization within the last few hundred years, there have been many changes in attitude toward the young. In agricultural Europe, and late with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the children of the poor worked long hours for little or no pay, and there was no public concern for their safety or welfare. Punishment could be cruel and severe, and sometimes religious passions were expressed violently with a view toward saving the child’s soul.
By the eighteenth century the harsh, deterministic, doctrinal(教条的)methods began to show some change. Society slowly accorded children a role of importance. Books were written expressly for them and gradually laws were passed for their protection.
In the past few decades parents have become more attentive to the needs of their children. Better health care is available and education is no longer reserved for a limited few. With so many now able to go to college, many educators feel that we have too many students and too few competent scholars. Some say the pendulum(钟摆)in child rearing has swung so far toward permissiveness that many children are growing up alienated(离间)from society and with no respect for law or parental authority.
The tendency today is for teachers and parents to emphasize individual responsibility and to stress that educational goals for students should be tailored to their chosen vocations rather than provide a generalized higher education.
What does the article say about children?
从第三段第一句可知 C 项说法正确。从第二段可 知工业革命期间，贫穷的孩子无偿地工作很长时间，没有人关心他们 的安全或福利。可见 D 项(工业革命期间有法律禁止儿童劳动)不对。 A 项和 B 项文章未直接提到，并且内容不对。因此 C 项为正确答案。
What does the article say about children in ancient times?
从第一段第二句可知 D 项说法不对，B 项正确。A 项和 C 项没有提到，因此 B 项为正确答案。
What changes have occurred in the past few decades with regard to the child's place in society?
第四段第二句只是说 Better health care is available，故 B 项不对。C 项和 D 项文章未提到。从第四段最后一 句可知 A 项为正确答案。
What is the present trend in child discipline and education?
最后一段指出，对于老师和父母来说，目前的趋 势是强调个人责任感，强调对学生的教育应服务于他们选择的职业， 而不是为了提供一般化的高等教育。可见，A 项说法完全相反。B 项 和 C 项未提到，因此 D 项为正确答案。
Which of the pollowing is implied but not directly stated in the passage?
文章主要描述了孩子地位的变化，从对五个时期 的描述可推断出孩子越来越受重视。可见 A 项(过去对待孩子的方法 不如现在)说法正确。B 项，C 项和 D 项说法虽然正确，但都是文章直 接陈述的。因此 A 项为此题答案。