2. 外语
  3. Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring

admin2011-01-08  11
问题     Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up that dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy.
    The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as "government-run personnel management" and a "dangerous precedent." In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.
    As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her book No Exit. What Parents Owe Their Children and What Society Owes Parents, she argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care, meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional, and moral capabilities. And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their role for 18 years, or longer if needed. "
    While most parents do this out of love, there are public penalties for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but essential for the future of society. The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children’s welfare, yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue(不断积累) to the whole of society as today’s children become tomorrow’s productive citizenry(公民). In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investment of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20-30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.

What does the author think of America’s large body of family laws governing children’s welfare?
选项 A、They fail to ensure children’s healthy growth.
B、They fail to provide enough support for parents.
C、They emphasize parents’ legal responsibilities.
D、They impose the care of children on parents.
答案B
解析 细节题。根据题千定位文章最后一段第三句The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children’s welfare，yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes。(大部分规定家庭生活中儿童福利方面的法律说明了美国已经意识到了这一点，但父母在履行社会所强加的各种多变的义务时得到的帮助却依然很少。)选项D说政府将照顾孩子的责任强加给父母，这与最后一段第一句While most parents do this out of love，there are public penalties for not providing care．(源于对孩子的爱，大多数父母关心孩子的成长，而那些不关爱孩子的父母面临着公众的惩罚。)矛盾，所以选B。
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