历年四级考试真题

2008年6月四级考试试题

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteALetterofApologyaccordingtothe

outlinegivenbelow.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelowin

Chinese.

1.娱乐活动多种多样

2.娱乐活动可能使人们受益，也可能有危害性

3.作为大学生，我的看法。

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

MediaSelectionforAdvertisements

Afterdeterminingthetargetaudienceforaproductorservice,advertisingagenciesmustselectthe

appropriatemediafortheadvertisement.Wediscussherethemajortypesofmediausedin

advertising.Wefocusourattentiononseventypesofadvertising:television,newspapers,ratio,

magazines,out-of-home,internet,anddirectmail.

Television

Televisionisanattractivemediumforadvertisingbecauseitdeliversmassaudiencesto

advertisers.WhenyouconsiderthatnearlythreeoutoffourAmericanshaveseenthegameshow

WhoWantstoBeaMillionaire?Youcanunderstandthepoweroftelevisiontocommunicatewith

alargeaudience.Whenadvertiserscreateabrand,forexample,theywanttoimpressconsumers

withthebrandanditsimage.Televisionprovidesanidealvehicleforthistypeofcommunication.

Buttelevisionisanexpensivemedium,andnotalladvertiserscanaffordtouseit.

Television'sinfluenceonadvertisingisfourfold.First,narrowcastingmeansthattelevision

channelsareseenbyanincreasinglynarrowsegmentoftheaudience.TheGolfChannel,for

instance,iswatchedbypeoplewhoplaygolf,HomeandGardenTelevisionisseenbythose

interestedinhouseholdimprovementprojects,thus,audiencesaresmallerandmorehomogeneous

thantheyhavebeeninthepast.Second,thereisanincreaseinthenumberoftelevisionchannels

availabletoviewers,andthusadvertisers.Thishasalsoresultedinanincreaseinthesheernumber

ofadvertisementstowhichaudiencesareexposed.Third,digitalrecordingdevicesallowaudience

membersmorecontroloverwhichcommercialstheywatch.Fourth,controloverprogrammingis

beingpassedfromthenetworkstolocalcableoperatorsandsatelliteprogrammers.

Newspapers

Aftertelevision,themediumattractingthenextlargestannualadrevenueisnewspapers.TheNew

YorkTimes,whichreachesanationalaudience,accountsfor$1billioninadrevenueannually,it

hasincreaseditsnationalcirculationby40%andisnowavailableforhomedeliveryin168cities.

Locally,newspapersarealessexpensiveadvertisingmediumthantelevisionandprovideaway

foradvertiserstocommunicatealonger,moredetailedmessagetotheiraudiencethantheycan

throughtelevision,givennewproductiontechniques,advertisementscanbeprintedinnewspapers

inabout48hours,meaningnewspapersarealsoaquickwayofgettingthemessageout.

Newspapersareoftenthemostimportantformofnewsforalocalcommunity,andtheydevelopa

highdegreeofloyaltyfromlocalreaders.

Radio

Advertisingonradiocontinuestogrow.Radioisoftenusedinconjunctionwithoutdoorbillboards

andtheinternettoreachevenmorecustomersthantelevision.Advertisersarelikelytouseradio

becauseitisalessexpensivemediumthantelevision.Whichmeansadvertiserscanaffordto

repeattheiradsoften.Internetcompaniesarealsoturningtoradioadvertising.Radioprovidesa

wayforadvertiserstocommunicatewithaudiencemembersatalltimesoftheday.Consumers

listentoradioontheirwaytoschoolorwork,atwork,onthewayhome,andintheeveninghours.

Twomajorchanges-satelliteandInternetradio-willforceradioadvertiserstoadapttheirmethods.

Bothoftheseradioformsallowlistenerstoruneinstationsthataremoredistantthanthelocal

stationstheycouldreceiveinthepast.Asaresult,radiowillincreasinglyattracttargetaudiences

wholivemanymilesapart.

Magazines

Newsweeklies,women'stitles,andbusinessmagazineshaveallseenincreasesinadvertising

becausetheyattractthehigh-endmarket.Magazinesarepopularwithadvertisersbecauseofthe

narrowmarketthattheydeliver.Abroadcastmediumsuchasnetworktelevisionattractsalltypes

ofaudiencemembers,butmagazineaudiencesaremorehomogeneous.IfyoureadSports

Illustrated.,forexample,youhavemuchincommonwiththemagazine'sotherreaders.

Advertisersseemagazinesasanefficientwayofreachingtargetaudiencemembers.

Advertisersusingtheprintmedia-magazinesandnewspapers-willneedtoadapttotwomain

changes.First,theInternetwillbringlargeraudiencestolocalnewspaper.Theseaudienceswillbe

morediverseandgeographicallydispersed（分散）thaninthepast.Second,advertiserswillhave

tounderstandhowtouseanincreasingnumberofmagazinesfortheirtargetaudiences.Although

somemagazineswillmaintainnationalaudiences,alargenumberofmagazineswillentertain

narroweraudiences.

Out-of-homeadvertising

Out-of-homeadvertising,alsocalledplace-basedadvertising,hasbecomeanincreasingly

effectivewayofreachingconsumers,whoaremoreactivethaneverbefore.Manyconsumers

todaydonotsitathomeandwatchtelevision.Usingbillboards,newsstands,andbussheltersfor

advertisingisaneffectivewayofreachingtheseon-the-goconsumers.Moreconsumerstravel

longerdistancestoandfromwork,whichalsomakesout-of-homeadvertisingeffective.

Technologyhaschangedthenatureofthebillboardbusiness,makingitamoreeffectivemedium

thaninthepast.Usingdigitalprinting,billboardcompaniescanprintabillboardin2hours,

comparedwith6dayspreviously.Thisallowsadvertisersmorevarietyinthetypesofmessages

theycreatebecausetheycanchangetheirmessagesmorequickly.

Internet

Asconsumersbecomemorecomfortablewithonlineshopping,advertiserswillseektoreachthis

market.AsconsumersgetmoreoftheirnewsandinformationfromtheInternet,theabilityof

televisionandradiotogetthewordouttoconsumerswilldecrease.ThechallengetoInternet

advertisersistocreateadsthataudiencemembersremember.

Internetadvertisingwillplayamoreprominentroleinorganizations'advertisinginthenearfuture.

Internetaudiencestendtobequitehomogeneous,butsmall.Advertiserstillhavetoadjusttheir

methodstoreachtheseaudiencesandwillhavetoadapttheirpersuasivestrategiestotheonline

mediumaswell.

Directmail

Afinaladvertisingmediumisdirectmail,whichusesmailingstoconsumerstocommunicatea

client'smessage.Directmailincludesnewsletterspostcardsandspecialpromotions.Directmail

Isaneffectivewaytobuildrelationshipwithconsumers.Formanybusinesses,directmailisthe

mosteffectiveformofadvertising,o

1.Televisionisattractiveadvertisingmediuminthat.

A)ithaslargeaudiences

B)itappealstohousewives

C)ithelpsbuildupacompany'sreputation

D)itisaffordabletomostadvertisers

2.WiththeincreaseinthenumberofTVchannels,.

A)thecostofTVadvertisinghasdecreased

B)thenumberofTVviewershasincreased

C)advertisers'interestinothermediahasdecreased

D)thenumberofTVadspeoplecanhasincreased

3.Comparedwithtelevision,newspaperasanadvertisingmedium.

A)earnalargerannualadrevenue

B)conveymoredetailedmessages

C)usemoreproductiontechniques

D)getmessagesoutmoreeffectively

4.Advertisingonradiocontinuestogrowbecause.

A)morelocalradiostationshavebeensetup

B)moderntechnologymakeitmoreentertaining

C)itprovideseasyaccesstoconsumers

D)ithasbeenrevolutionizedbyInternetradio

5.Magazinesareseenbyadvertisersasanefficientwayto.

A)reachtargetaudiences

B)appealtoeducatedpeople

C)attractdiverseaudiences

D)conveyallkindsofmessages

6.Out-of-homeadvertisinghasbecomemoreeffectivebecause.

A)billboardcanbereplacedwithintwohours

B)consumerstravelmorenowthaneverbefore

C)suchadshavebeenmademuchmoreattractive

D)thepaceofurbanlifeismuchfasternowadays

7.ThechallengetoInternetadvertisersistocreateadsthatare.

A)quicktoupdate

B)pleasanttolookat

C)easytoremember

D)convenienttoaccess

8.Internetadvertiserswillhavetoadjusttheirmethodstoreachaudiencesthattendto

be.

9.Directmailisaneffectivefromofadvertisingforbusinessesto

develop.

lO.Thispassagediscusseshowadvertisersselectforadvertisements.

Questions47to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

SomeyearsagoIwasofferedawritingassignmentthatwouldrequirethreemonthoftravel

thoughEurope'shadbeenaboardacoupleoftimes,butIcouldhardlytoknowmyway

aroundthecontinent.Moreover,myknowledgeofforeignlanguageswastoalittlecollege

French.

Ihesitated.HowwouldI,unabletospeakthelanguage,unfamiliarwithlocalgeography

ortransportationsystems,setupanddoresearch?Itseemedimpossible,andwith

considerable.Isatdowntowritealetterbeggingoff.Halfwaythrough,thoughtran

throughmymind:youcan^learnifyoudon'ttry.SoIacceptedtheassignment.

Thereweresomebad.ButbythetimeIhadfinishedthetripIwasanexperienced

traveler.Andeversince,Ihaveneverhesitatedtoheadforeventhemostremoteofplaces,without

guidesorevenbookings,confidentthatsomehowIwillmanage.

Thepointisthatthenew,thedifferent,isalmostbydefinition.Butachtimeyoutry

something,youlearn,andasthelearningpilesup,theworldopenstoyou.

I'velearnedtoskiat40,andflownuptheRhineRiverina.AndIknowI'llgoondoing

suchthings.It'snotbecauseI'mbraverormoredaringthanothers.I'mnot,butFilacceptanxiety

asanothernameforchallengeandIbelieveIcanwonders.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A)accomplishI)manufacture

B)advancedJ)moments

C)balloonK)news

D)claimL)reduced

E)constantlyM)regret

F)declareN)scary

G)interviewsO)totally

H)limited

PassageOne

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Globalwarmingmayornotbethegreatenvironmentalcrisisofthe21stcentury,butregardlessof

weatheritisorisn't—wewon'tdomuchaboutit.Wewillargueoveritandmayeven,asanation,

makesomefairlysolemn-soundingcommitmentstoavoidit.Butthemoredramaticand

meaningfulthesecommitmentsseem,thelesslikelytheyaretobeobserved.

Algorecallsglobalwarmingan"inconvenienttruth/asifmerelyrecognizingitcouldputusona

pathtoasolution.Buttherealtruthisthatwedon'tknowenoughtobelieveglobalwarming,and

—withoutmajortechnologicalbreakthroughs-wecan'tdomuchaboutit.

From2003to2050,theworld'spopulationisprojectedtogrowfrom6.4billionto9.1billion,a

42%increase.IFenergyuseperpersonandtechnologyremainthesame,totalenergyuseand

greenhousegasemissions(mainly,CO2)willbe42%higherin2050.Butthat'stoolow,because

societiesthatgrowricherusemoreenergy.Weneedeconomicgrowthunlesswecondemnthe

world'spoortotheirpresentpovertyandfreezeeveryoneelse'slivingstandards.Withmodest

growth,energyuseandgreenhouseemissionsmorethandoubleby2050.

Nogovernmentwilladoptrigidrestrictionsoneconomicgrowthandpersonalfreedom(limitson

electricityusage,drivingandtravel)thatmightcutbackglobalwarming.Still,politicianswantto

showthey're"doingsomething."ConsidertheKyotoprotocol.Itallowedcountriesthatjoinedto

punishthosethatdidn't.Butithasn'treducedCO2emissions(upabout25%since1990),and

manysignatoriesdidn'tadopttoughenoughpoliciestohittheir2008-2012targets.

Thepracticalconclusionisthatifglobalwarmingisapotentialdisaster,theonlysolutionisnew

technology.Onlyanaggressiveresearchanddevelopmentprogrammightfindwaysofbreaking

ourdependenceonfossilfuelsordealingwithit.

Thetroublewiththeglobalwarmingdebateisthatithasbecomeamoralproblemwhenit*sreally

engineeringone.Theinconvenienttruthisthatifwedon'lsolvetheengineeringproblem,we're

helpless.

57.Whatissaidaboutglobalwarminginthefirstparagraph?

A)Itmaynotproveanenvironmentalcrisisatall.

B)Itisanissuerequiringworldwidecommitments.

C)Seriousstepshavebeentakentoavoidorstopit.

D)Verylittlewillbedonetobringitundercontrol.

58.Accordingtotheauthor'sunderstanding,whatisALGore'sviewonglobalwarming?

A)IlisarealitybothpeopleandPoliticiansareunawareof.

B)Itisaphenomenonthatcausesusmanyinconveniences.

C)Itisaproblemthatcanbesolvedonceitisrecognized.

D)Itisareaweactuallyhavelittleknowledgeabout.

59.Greenhouseemissionswillmorethandoubleby2050becauseof.

A)economicgrowth

B)wastefuluseofenergy

C)thewideninggapbetweentherichandpoor

D)therapidadvancesofscienceandtechnology

6O.Theauthorbelievesthat,sincethesigningoftheKyotoProtocol,.

A)politicianshavestartedtodosomethingtobetterthesituation.

B)fewnationshaveadoptedrealtoughmeasurestolimitenergyuse

C)reductionsinenergyconsumptionhavegreatlycutbackglobalwarming.

D)internationalcooperationhascontributedtosolvingenvironmentalproblem

61.Whatisthemessagetheauthorintendstoconvey?

A)Globalwarmingismoreofamoralissuethanapracticalone.

B)Theultimatesolutiontoglobalwarmingliesinnewtechnology.

C)Thedebateoverglobalwarmingwillleadtotechnologicalbreakthroughs.

D)Peoplehavetogiveupcertainmaterialcomfortstostopglobalwarming.

Questions62to66arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Somedayastrangerwillreadyoure-mailwithoutyourpermissionorscanthewebsitesyou've

visited.Orperhapssomeonewillcasuallyglancethroughyourcreditcardpurchasesorcellphone

Billstofindoutyourshoppingpreferencesorcallinghabits.

Infact,it'slikelysomeofthesethingshavealreadyhappenedtoyou.Whowouldwatchyou

withoutyourpermission?Itmightbeaspouse,agirlfriend,amarketingcompany,aboss,acopor

acriminal.Whoeveritis,theywillseeyouinawayyouneverintendedtobeseen-the21st

centuryequivalentofbeingcaughtnaked.

Psychologiststellusboundariesarehealthy,thatit'simportanttorevealyourselftofriends,Family

andloversinstages,atappropriatetimes.Butfewboundariesremain.ThedigitalbreadCrumbs

youleaveeverywheremakeiteasyforstrangerstoreconstructwhoyouare,whereyouareand

whatyoulike.Insomecases,asimpleGooglesearchcanrevealwhatyouthink.Likeitornot,

increasinglyweliveinaworldwhereyousimplycannotkeepasecret.

Thekeyquestionis:Doesthatmatter?

FormanyAmericans,theanswerapparentlyis"no"

WhenopinionpollsaskAmericansaboutprivacymostsaytheyareconcernedaboutlosingit.A

surveyfoundanoverwhelmingpessimismaboutprivacy,with60percentofrespondentssaying

theyfeeltheirprivacyis"slippingaway,andthatbothersme."

Butpeoplesayonethinganddoanother.OnlyatinyfractionofAmericanschangeanybehaviors

inanefforttopreservetheirprivacy.Fewpeopleturndownadiscountattollbooths(收费站)to

avoidusingtheEZ-Passsystemthatcantrackautomobilemovements.Andfewturndown

supermarketloyaltycards,privacyeconomistAlessandroAcquitshasrunaseriesofteststhat

revealpeoplewillsurrenderpersonalinformationlikeSocialSecuritynumbersjusttogettheir

handsonapitiful50-cents-offcoupon.

Butprivacydoesmatter-atleastsometimes.It*slikehealth;whenyouhaveit,youdon'tnoticeit.

Onlywhenit*sgonedoyouwishyou'ddonemoretoprotectit.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

62.Whendoestheauthormeansbysaying"the21stcenturyequivalentofbeingcaughtnaked"

(Lines3-4,Para.2)

A)People'spersonalinformationiseasilyaccessedwithouttheirknowledge.

B)Inthe21stcenturypeopletryeverymeanstolookintoothers*secrets.

C)Peopletendtobemorefrankwitheachotherintheinformationage.

D)Criminalsareeasilycaughtonthespotwithadvancedtechnology.

63.Whatwouldpsychologistsadviseontherelationshipsbetweenfriends?

A)Friendsshouldopentheirheartstoeachother.

B)Friendsshouldalwaysbefaithfultoeachother.

C)Thereshouldbeadistanceevenbetweenfriends.

D)Thereshouldbefewerdisputesbetweenfriends

64.Whydoestheauthorsay"weliveinaworldwhereyousimplycannotkeepasecret',(Line5

Para.3)?

A)Modernsocietyhasfinallyevolvedintoanopensociety.

B)Peopleleavetracesaroundwhenusingmodemtechnology.

C)Therearealwayspeoplewhoarecuriousaboutothers'affairs.

D)Manysearchenginesprofitbyrevealingpeople'sidentities.

65.WhatdomostAmericansdowithregardtoprivacyprotection?

A)Theychangebehaviorsthatmightdisclosetheiridentity.

B)Theyusevariousloyaltycardsforbusinesstransactions.

C)Theyrelymoreandmoreonelectronicdevices.

D)Theytalkalotbuthardlydoanythingaboutit.

66.Accordingtothepassage,privacyislikehealthinthat.

A)peoplewillmakeeveryefforttokeepit

B)itsimportanceisrarelyunderstood

C)itissomethingthatcaneasilybelost

D)peopledon*tcherishituntiltheyloseit

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

67.A)atC)to

UniversitiesareinstitutionsthatteachawindvarietyofB)byD)in

subjectsatadvancedlevels.Theyalsocarryoutresearch68.A)turnsC)moves

workaimed_67_extendingman'sknowledgeoftheseB)rangesD)varies

subjects.Theemphasisgiventoeachofthesefunctions69.A)prospectC)control

_68_fromuniversitytouniversity,accordingtotheB)placeD)favor

viewsofthepeoplein_69_andaccordingtothe70.A)occupyC)involve

resourcesavailable.B)possessD)spare

Thesmallerandneweruniversitiesdonot_70—thestaff71.A)maximumC)virtual

orequipmenttocarryoutthe_71_researchprojectsB)mediumD)vast

possibleinlargerinstitutions.—72—mostexpertsagree72.A)butC)while

thatsomeresearchactivityis_73—tokeepthestaffandB)asD)for

theirstudentsin_74—withthelatestdevelopmentsin73.A)naturalC)functional

theirsubjects.B)essentialD)optional

Moststudentsattendauniversitymainlyto_75—the74.A)coordinationC)touch

knowledgeneededfortheirchosen_76_.EducationistsB)accordanceD)grasp

believethatthisaimshouldnotbethe_77_one.75.A)acquireC)endure

UniversitieshavealwaysaimedtoproducemenandB)acceptD)ensure

women_78_judgmentandwisdomaswellas76.A)processionC)possession

knowledge.Forthisreason,they_79_studentstomeetB)professionD)preference

otherswithdiffering_80—andtoreadwidely77.A)typicalC)mere

to_81_theirunderstandinginmanyfieldsofstudy.B)trueD)only

—82_asecondaryschoolcourse,astudentshouldbe78.A)withC)on

interestedenoughinasubjecttoenjoygainingknowledgeB)underD)through

foritsown_83_.Heshouldbepreparedto_84_79.A)promptC)encourage

sacrificestostudyhischosen_85_indepth.HeshouldB)provokeD)anticipate

haveanambitiontomakesome_86_contributionto80.A)historiesC)interest

man'sknowledge.B)expressionsD)curiosities

81.A)broadenC)enforce

B)lengthenD)specify

82.A)AmidC)Over

B)AfterD)Upon

83.A)objectC)effect

B)courseD)sake

84.A)takeC)make

B)sufferD)play

85.A)fieldC)target

B)scopeD)goal

86.A)radicalC)meaningful

B)truthfulD)initial

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答，只需写出译文部分。

87.Oureffortswillpayoffiftheresultsofthisresearchcanbeappliedtotheresearch

(能应用于新技术的开发).

88.Ican'tbootmycomputernow.Something(一定出了

毛病)withitsoperationsystem.

89.Leavingone*sjob,(不管是什么工作)，isadifficultchange

evenforthosewholookforwardtoretiring.

90.(与我成长的地方相比)，thistownismoreprosperous

andexciting.

91.(直到他完成使命)didherealizethathewasseriously

ill.

2008年12月20日英语四级A卷真题

PartIWriting(30minutes)

怎样改善学生的心理健康

1.学生心理健康的重要性

2.学校应该怎样做

3.学生自己应该怎样做

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

That'senough,kids

ItwasalovelydayattheparkandStellaBianchiwasenjoyingthesunshinewithhertwochildren

whenayoungboy,agedaboutfour,approachedhertwo-year-oldsonandpushedhimtothe

ground.

"I'dwatchedhimforalittlewhileandmysonwasthefourthorfifthchildhe'dshoved,“she

says.^^Iwentovertothem,pickedupmyson,turnedtotheboyandsaid,firmly,'No,wedon't

push,“Whathappenednextwasunexpected.

“Theboy'smotherrantowardmefromacrossthepark,“Stellasays."Ithoughtshewascoming

overtoapologize,butinsteadshestartedshoutingatmefor'discipliningherchild*.AllIdidwas

lethimknowhisbehaviorwasunacceptable.WasIsupposedtositbackwhileherkiddid

whateverhewanted,hurtingotherchildrenintheprocess?”

Gettingyourownchildrentoplayniceisdifficultenough.Dealingwithotherpeople'schildren

hasbecomeaminefield.

Inmyhousejumpingonthesofaisnotallowed.Inmysister'shouseit'sencouraged.Forher,it's

aboutkidsbeingkids:uIfyoucan'tdoitatthree,whencanyoudoit?”

Eachofthesephilosophiesisvalidand,ithastobesaid,mysonlovesvisitinghisaunt'shouse.

ButIfindmyselfsaying"no”alotwhenherkidsareoveratmine.That'sOKbetweensistersbut

becomesdangerousterritorywhenyou'retalkingtothechildrenoffriendsoracquaintances.

“Kidsaren'tallraisedthesame,“agreesProfessorNaomiWhiteofMonashUniversity.uBut

thereisstillanideathatthey'rethepropertyoftheparent.Weseeourchildrenasanextensionof

ourselves,soifyou'resayingthatmychildisbehavinginappropriately,thenthat'ssomehowa

criticismofme.^^

Inthosecircumstances,it'sdifficulttoknowwhethertoapproachthechilddirectlyortheparent

first.Therearetwoschoolsofthought.

"I'dgotothechildfirst,“saysAndrewFuller,authorofTrickyKids."Usuallyaquietreminder

that4wedon'tdothathere'isenough.Kidsnavefinelytunedantennae（直觉）forhowtobehave

indifferentsettings.”

Hepointsoutbringingitupwiththeparentfirstmaymakethemfeelneglectful,whichcould

causeproblems.Ofcourse,approachingthechildfirstcanbringitsownheadaches,too.

ThisiswhyWhiterecommendsthatyouapproachtheparentsfirst.Raiseyourconcernswiththe

parentsifthey'rethereandaskthemtodealwithit,“shesays.

Askedhowtoapproachaparentinthissituation,psychologistMeredithFulleranswers:"Explain

yourneedsaswellasstressingtheimportanceofthefriendship.Prefaceyourremarkswith

somethinglike:'IknowyouUlthinkI'msillybutinmyhouseIdon'twant...'"

Whenitcomestosituationswhereyou'recaringforanotherchild,whiteisstraightforward:

“commonsensemustprevail.Ifthingsdon'tgowell,thenhaveachat.”

There'reacoupleofnewgreyareas.Physicalpunishment,onceacceptedfromanyadult,isno

longerappropriate."Nowyoucan'ldoitwithoutfeelinguneasyaboutit,“Whitesays.

Menmightalsofeeluneasyaboutdealingwithotherpeople'schildren.uMenfeelnervous/White

says."Anewsetofconsiderationshascometotheforeaspartofthedebateabouthowwehandle

children.^^

ForAndrewFuller,thechild-centricnatureofoursocietyhasaffectedeveryone:"Therulesare

differentnowfromwhentoday'sparentsweregrowingup,“hesays,“Adultsarescaredofsaying:

‘on'lswear',oraskingachildtostanduponabus.They'reworriedthattherewillbeconflictif

theypointthesethingsout-eitherfromolderchildren,ortheirparents.”

Heseesitasalossofthesenseofcommonpublicgoodandpubliccourtesy（礼貌），andsaysthat

adultssufferformitasmuchaschildren

MeredithFulleragrees:"Acodeofconductishardtocreatewhenyou'relivinginaworldin

whicheveryoneisexhaustedfromoverworkandlackofsleep,andaworldinwhichnicepeople

areperceivedtofinishlast.”

“It'saboutwhatI'mdoingandwhatIneed,“AndrewFullersays.‘Thedayswhenakidcame

homefromschoolandsaid,'Igotintotrouble\Anddadsaid,'youprobablydeservedit',areover.

Nowtheparentsarecharginguptotheschooltohaveagoatteachers.”

Thisjumpingtoourchildren'sdefenseispartofwhatfuelsthe“walkingoneggshells^^feelingthat

surroundsourdealingswithotherpeople'schildren.Youknowthatifyouremonstrate（劝诫）with

thechild,you'regoingtohavetodealwiththeparent.It'sadmirabletobeprotectiveofourkids,

butisitgood?

''Childrenhavetolearntonegotiatetheworldontheirown,withinreasonableboundaries,White

says."Isuspectthatit'sonlycertainsectorsofthepopulationdoingtherunningtotheschool

-better-educatedparentsareprobablymorelikelytobetooinvolved.^^

Whitebelievesournotionsofamorechild-centredsocietyshouldbechallenged.'Todaywehav