Among those key factors, far and away the most important was having a parent with a criminal record, even if that had been acquired in the distant past, even though very few parents did other than condemn delinquent behavior in their children.

　　The role of the schools emerges as extremely important. The most reliable prediction of all on the futures of boys came from teachers’ ratings of how troublesome they were at the age of ten. If the information is there in the classroom there must be a response that brings more attention to those troublesome children: a search for things to give them credit for other than academic achievement, a refusal to allow them to go on playing truant, and a fostering of ambition and opportunity which should start early in their school careers.

　　1.According to the author, delinquency should be tackled ___.

　　A.before adolescence

　　B.during institutional treatment

　　C.during adolescence

　　D.when the problem becomes acute

　　2.The number of young offenders could be reduced by the way of ___.

　　A.new legal measures

　　B.better residential care

　　C.brief periods of harsh punishment

　　D.examination of their backgrounds

　　3.What is the outcome result of putting young offenders into detention centers?

　　A.They become more violent

　　B.They receive useful training

　　C.They become used to institutions

　　D.They turn against society

　　4.Ten-year-old children likely to become offenders are usually___.

　　A.spoilt children from small families.

　　B.bright children in a poor family.

　　C.dull children with many brothers and sisters.

　　D.children whose parents have acquired wealth dishonestly.

　　5.The writer concludes that potential offenders could be helped by ___.

　　A.spending more time at school

　　B.more encouragement at school

　　C.more activities outside school

　　D.stricter treatment from teachers

　　答案：ADDCB

　　Personality is to large extent inherent. A-type parents usually bring A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their children.

　　One place where children soak up A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the “win at all costs” moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their type B fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying: “Rejoice, we conquer!”

　　By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.

　　Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B’s. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child’s personality to hide possible future employment. It is top management.

　　If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions, especially medicine, could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by such considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A type stock. B’s are important and should be encouraged.

　　1.In Paragraph 2, Line 2, the word “institution” refers to ___.

　　A.establishment

　　B.social custom

　　C.law

　　D.school

　　2.According to the passage, A-type individuals are in most cases ___.

　　A.impatient

　　B.considerate

　　C.aggressive

　　D.agreeable

　　3.The author strongly objects to the practice of examination at schools because ___.

　　A.the pressure is too great on the students.

　　B.some students are bound to fail.

　　C.failure rates are too high.

　　D.the results of examinations are doubtful.

　　4.The selection of medical professionals is currently based on ___.

　　A.candidates’ sensitivity

　　B.academic achievements

　　C.competitive spirit

　　D.surer values

　　5.From the passage we can draw the conclusion that ___.

　　A.the personality of a child is well established at birth.

　　B.family influence dominates the shaping of one’s characteristics.

　　C.the development of one’s personality is due to multiple factors,

　　D.B-type characteristics can find no place in a competitive society.

　　答案：DCBBC