The survey about childhood in the Third World shows that the struggle for survival is long and hard. But in the rich world, children can
from a different kind of poverty — of the spirit.
, one Western country alone now sees 14, 000 attempted suicides ( 自杀 ) every year by children under 15, and one child
five needs psychiatric (心理上的) advice.
There are many good things about
in the Third World. Take the close and constant relation between children and their parents, relatives and neighbors for example. In the West, the very nature of work puts distance between
and children. But in most Third World villages mother and father do not go miles away each day to work in offices.
, the child sees mother and father, relations and neighbors working
and often shares in that work..
A child
in this way learns his or her role through joining in the community's
：helping to dig or build, look after animals or babies -- rather than
playing with water and sand in kindergarten, keeping pets
playing with dolls.
These children may grow up with a less oppressive sense of space and time than the
children. Their sense of days and time has a lot to do with the change of seasons and positions of the sun or the moon in the sky. Children in the rich world,
, are provided with a watch as one of the
signs of growing up, so that they can
along with their parents about being late for school times, meal times, bed times, the times of TV shows …
Third World children do not usually
to stay indoors, still less in high-rise apartments. Instead of dangerous roads, "keep off the grass" signs and "don't speak to strangers", there is often a sense of
to study and play. Parents can see their children outside rather than observe them
from ten floors up.
, twelve million children under five still die every year through hunger and disease. But childhood in the Third World is not all
| 小题1: | | A．come | B．survive | C．suffer | D．learn |
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| 小题2: | | A．As usual | B．In fact | C．For instance | D．In other words |
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| 小题4: | | A．childhood | B．poverty | C．spirit | D．survival |
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| 小题5: | | A．neighbors | B．fathers | C．adults | D．relatives |
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| 小题6: | | A．Anyhow | B．Instead | C．However | D．Still |
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| 小题7: | | A．away | B．alone | C．nearby | D．along |
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| 小题8: | | A．working | B．living through | C．playing | D．growing up |
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| 小题10: | | A．by | B．through | C．from | D．with |
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| 小题12: | | A．Western | B．good | C．poor | D．Eastern |
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| 小题13: | | A．at any moment | B．at the same time | C．on the other hand | D．on the whole |
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| 小题14: | | A．easiest | B．quickest | C．happiest | D．earliest |
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| 小题15: | | A．care | B．worry | C．hurry | D．fear |
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| 小题16: | | A．dare | B．expect | C．have | D．require |
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| 小题17: | | A．freedom | B．danger | C．disappointment | D．control |
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| 小题18: | | A．eagerly | B．anxiously | C．impatiently | D．proudly |
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| 小题19: | | A．Above all | B．In the end | C．Of course | D．What's more |
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