Rafi and Dvora Meitiv were walking home from the park recently in Silver Spring,Maryland,when they were suddenly stopped by the police.
The Montgomery County Police gave the kids a stern(严厉的) warning about walking alone,put them in the car and drove them home.
“I looked out and saw the police and thought,‘Oh my God,what did they do?’”said their father Alexander Meitiv.“I asked‘did they do something’,they said‘no,’I said,‘OK,I’ll take my children,’then I realized they wouldn’t let me take them.”
Maryland Child Protective Services then accused the Meitivs of neglect(疏忽),saying unless they committed a safety plan to the police,the kids would have to go into foster homes(寄养家庭).In Silver Spring,leaving anyone under 18 unsupervised(无人看管的) is considered as neglect.
Before the police found them,Rafi and Dvora,ages 10 and 6,said they used to run around outside and cross the street by themselves all the time.Their parents,Alexander and Danielle Meitiv,said they trust their kids and want to give them the freedom to make mistakes,away from the parental safety net.
It’s an approach known these days as “free range parenting,”which to the Meitivs is an age-old tradition.
“I’m just parenting the way I was parented and the way that almost every adult I know was parented,”Danielle said.
In the time of helicopter parenting,many people wouldn’t dream of letting their kids leave their sight unattended.Plenty of parents are concerned about all the dangers of modern life.But there is also a growing movement of parents who refuse to hover(盘旋).
But in Maryland,the Meitivs are still under investigation.Even some supporters of free range parenting say there should be limits.“A 10-year-old should never be in charge of a 6-year-old,”said Susan Klein-Shilling.
But the Meitivs say they are the best ones to judge if their kids are ready,not the government.
“Honestly I think that raising independent children and responsible children and giving them the freedom that I enjoyed is a risk worth taking,”Danielle Meitiv said.“In the end it’s our decision as parents.”
“It is important for our development,”Rafi added.“I love it and it’s just a part of our life.”
【语篇导读】本文是议论文。文章围绕孩子们是否应当被允许独自漫步阐述了几种不同的观点。
1.Seeing the police and his kids,Alexander felt .
A.very surprised B.deeply thankful
C.extremely guilty D.particularly happy
答案:A
解析:推理判断题。由第三段中的“OhmyGod,whatdidtheydo?”可推断,Alexander当时感到非常惊讶。
2.The police forbade the Meitivs to take their kids because .
A.the police believed they ill-treated their kids
B.their kids made some serious mistakes
C.the police thought them irresponsible
D.their kids preferred foster homes
答案:C
解析:细节理解题。由第二段中的“gavethekidsastern(严厉的)warningaboutwalkingalone”及第四段中的“unlesstheycommittedasafetyplantothepolice,thekidswouldhavetogointofosterhomes(寄养家庭)”可知,警方之所以不让他们带走孩子是因为警方认为他们忽略了孩子们的安全,不是合格的父母。
3.Susan Klein-Shilling may agree that the Meitivs .
A.should not be investigated
B.care too much about their kids
C.are aware of the threats to their kids
D.should pay more attention to their kids
答案:D
解析:推理判断题。由倒数第四段中的“...thereshouldbelimits.‘A10-year-oldshouldneverbeinchargeofa6-year-old,’”可知,SusanKlein-Shilling认为这对家长应该给孩子更多的关注。
4.The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph refers to “ ”.
A.safety B.freedom
C.family love D.playing around
答案:B
解析:篇章结构题。由倒数第二段中的“givingthemthefreedomthatIenjoyed”及最后一段中的“Iloveitandit’sjustapartofourlife.”可推断,Rafi认为自由对他们的成长很重要,并已经成为他们生活中喜爱的一部分。
