1999年英语专八试卷真题

1999年英语专八试卷真题

PartIListeningComprehension(40min)

InSectionsA,BandCyouwillheareverythingONCEONLY.Listen

carefullyandthenanswerthequestionsthatfollow.Markthecorrect

responsetoeachquestiononyourColouredAnswerSheet.

SECTIONATALK

Questions1to5refertothetalkinthissection.Attheendofthetalk

youwillbegiven15secondstoanswereachofthefollowingfive

questions.Nowlistentothetalk.

1.Thetechnologytomakemachinesquieter__.

A.hasbeeninusesincethe1930's

B.hasacceleratedindustrialproduction

C.hasjustbeenincommercialuse

D.hasbeeninventedtoremoveallnoises

2.Themodernelectronicanti-noisedevices.

A.areanupdateversionofthetraditionalmethods

B.sharesimilaritieswiththetraditionalmethods

C.areasinefficientasthetraditionalmethods

D.arebasedonanentirelynewworkingprinciple

3.TheFrenchcompanyisworkingonanti-noisetechniquestobeused

inaIIEXCEPT―.

A.streets

B.factories

C.aircraft

D.cars

4.Accordingtothetalk,workersin"zonesofquiet"can.

A.bemoreaffectedbynoise

B.heartalkfromoutsidethezone

C.workmoreefficiently

D.beheardoutsidethezone

5.Themainthemeofthetalkisabout__.

A.noise-controltechnology

B.noiseinfactories

C.noise-controlregulations

D.noise-relatedeffects

SECTIONBINTERVIEW

Questions6to10arebasedonaninterview.Attheendofthe

interviewyouwilIbegiven15secondstoanswereachofthefollowing

fivequestions.Nowlistentotheinterview.

6.EmployeesintheUSarepaidfortheirtime.Thismeansthatthey

aresupposedto.

A.workhardwhiletheirbossisaround

B.cometoworkwhenthereisworktobedone

C.workwithinitiativeandwillingness

D.workthroughtheirlunchbreak

7.Oneoftheadvantagesofflexibleworkinghoursisthat__.

A.pressurefromworkcanbereduced

B.workingwomencanhavemoretimeathome

C.trafficandcommutingproblemscanbesolved

D.personalrelationshipsinofficescanbeimproved

8.OntheissueofworkingcontractsintheUS,whichstatementis

NOTcorrect?

A.Performanceatworkmattersmorethananythingelse.

B.Therearelawsprotectingemployees'workingrights.

C.Goodreasonsmustbeprovidedinordertofireworkers.

D.WorkingcontractsintheUSaremostlyshort-termones.

9.Wecanbeassumedfromtheinterviewthataninformal

atmospheremightbefoundin.

A.smallfirms

B.majorbanks

C.bigcorporations

D.lawoffices

10.TheinterviewismainlyaboutintheUSA.

A.officehierarchies

B.officeconditions

C.officeroles

D.officelife

SECTIONCNEWSBROADCAST

Question11isbasedonthefollowingnews.Attheendofthenews

item,youwilIbegiven15secondstoanswerthequestion.Nowlisten

tothenews.

11.SenatorBobDole'sattitudetowardsClinton'santi-crimepolicyis

thatof.

A.opposition

B.support

C.ambiguity

D.indifference

Questions12and13arebasedonthefollowingnews.Attheendof

thenewsitem,youwillbegiven30secondstoanswerthequestions.

Nowlistentothenews.

12.JapanandtheUnitedStatesarenow__.

A.negotiatingaboutphotographicmaterial

B.negotiatinganautomobileagreement

C.facingseriousproblemsintrade

D.onthevergeofalarge-scaletradewar

13.Thenewsitemseemstoindicatethattheagreement__.

A.willendallotherrelatedtradeconflicts

B.isunlikelytosolvethedisputeonceandforall

C.islinkedtoothertradeagreements

D.isthelastofitskindtobereached

Questions14and15arebasedonthefollowingnews.Attheendof

thenewsitem,youwillbegiven30secondstoanswerthequestions.

Nowlistentothenews.

14.Accordingtothenews,theicefromGreenlandprovides

informationabout___.

A.oxygen

B.ancientweather

C.carbondioxide

D.temperature

15.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisCORRECT?

A.Drasticchangesintheweatherhavebeencommonsinceancient

times.

B.Thechangeinweatherfromverycoldtoveryhotlastedovera

century.

C.Thescientistshavebeenstudyingicetoforecastweatherinthe

future.

D.Thepast10,000yearshaveseenminorchangesinthe

weather.

SECTIONDNOTE-TAKINGANDGAP-FILLING

FillineachofthegapswithONEword.Youmayrefertoyournotes.

Makesurethewordyoufillinisbothgrammaticallyandsemantically

acceptable.

Atpresentcompaniesandindustriesliketosponsorsportsevents.

Tworeasonsareputforwardtoexplainthisphenomenon.Thefirst

reasonisthattheyget(1)___throughouttheworld.1

Thesecondreasonisthatcompaniesandindustries(2)___money,

2.___astheygetreductionsinthetaxtheyoweiftheysponsor

sportsorartsactivities.

Assponsorshipis(3),carefulthinkingisrequiredindeciding

3_whicheventstosponsor.

Itisimportantthattheeventtobesponsored(4)___theproduct(s)

4.tobepromoted.Thatis,theright(5)___andmaximum

productcoverage5.mustbeguaranteedintheevent.

Pointstobeconsideredinsportssponsorship.Popularityofthe

event

Internationalsportseventsarebig(6)___events,whichgetextensive

6.___coverageonTVandinthepress.

Smallereventsattractfewerpeople.Identificationofthepotential

audience

Aimingattherightaudienceismostimportantforsmallerevents.

Therightaudiencewouldattractmanufacturersofotherrelated

productslike(7)___,etc.7.Advantagesofsponsorship

Advantagesarelonger-term.

Peopleareexpectedtorespond(8)___totheproductspromoted.

8.Andbemorelikelytobuythem.

Advertisingis(9)themind.9.

Sponsorshipisbetterthanstraightadvertising:a)less(10)___

10.___

b)tax-free

PartIIProofreadingandErrorCorrection(15min)

ThefollowingpassagecontainsTENerrors.Eachlinecontainsa

maximumofONEerror.Ineachcase,onlyONEwordisinvolved.You

shouldproofreadthepassageandcorrectitinthefollowingway.For

awrongword,underlinethewrongwordandwritethecorrectonein

theblankprovidedattheendoftheline.Foramissingword,mark

thepositionofthemissingwordwitha"A"signandwritetheword

youbelievetobemissingintheblankprovidedattheendofthe

line.Foranunnecessarywordcrossouttheunnecessarywordwith

aslash7'andputthewordintheblankprovidedattheendofthe

line.

Exampie

WhenAartmuseumwantsanewexhibit,(1)an

itnever/buysthingsinfinishedformandhangs(2)never

themonthewall.Whenanaturalhistorymuseum

wantsanexhibition,itmustoftenbuildit.(3)exhibit

Thehunter-gatherertribesthattodayliveasourprehistoric1.___

humanancestorsconsumeprimarilyavegetabledietsupplementing

2.___

withanimalfoods.Ananalysisof58societiesofmodemhunter­

gatherers,includingtheKungofsouthernAfrica,revealedthatone

halfemphasizegatheringplantfoods,one-thirdconcentrateon

fishing

andonlyone-sixthareprimarilyhunters.Overall,two-thirds

andmoreofthehunter-gatherer'scaloriescomefromplants.Detailed

3.___

studiesoftheKungbythefoodscientistsattheUniversityof

London,showedthatgatheringisamoreproductivesourceoffood

thanishunting.Anhourofhuntingyieldsinaverageabout100

4.

ediblecalories,asanhourofgatheringproduces240.5.___

Plantfoodsprovidefor60percentto80percentoftheKung6.___

diet,andnoonegoeshungrywhenthehuntfails.Interestingly,if

theyescapefatalinfectionsoraccidents,thesecontemporary

aborigineslivetooldagesdespiteoftheabsenceofmedicalcare.

7.___

Theyexperiencenoobesity,nomiddle-agedspread,littledental

decay,nohighbloodpressure,onheartdisease,andtheirblood

cholesterollevelsareverylow(abouthalfoftheaverageAmerican

8.___

adult),ifnooneissuggestingwhatwereturntoanaboriginallife

9.___

style,wecertainlycouldusetheireatinghabitsasamodelfor

10.__

healthierdiet.

阅读A

PartinReadingComprehension(40min)

SECTIONAREADINGCOMPREHENSION(30min)

Inthissectiontherearefourreadingpassagesfollowedbyatotalof

fifteenmultiple-choicequestions.Readthepassagescarefullyand

thenmarkyouranswersonyourColouredAnswerSheet.

TEXTA

Ricci's"OperationColumbus"

Ricci,45,isnowstrikingoutonperhapshisboldestventureyet.He

planstomarketanEnglishlanguageeditionofhiselegantmonthly

artmagazine,FMR,intheUnitedStates.Onceagaintheskepticeare

murmuringthatthesuccessfuIRiccihasheadedforabigfall.And

onceagainRicciintendstoprovethemwrong.

Ricciissoconfidentthathehaschristenedhisquest"Operation

Columbus"andhassethissightsondiscoveringanAmerican

readershipof300,000.Thatgoalmaynotbetoofar-fetched.The

ItalianeditionofFMR—theinitials,ofcourse,standforFrancoMaria

Ricci-isonly18monthsold.Butitisalreadythesecondlargestart

magazineintheworld,withacirculationof65,000andaprofitmargin

ofUS$500,000.TheAmericaneditionwillbepatternedafterthe

Italianversion,witheach160issuecarryingonly40pagesof

adsandnomorethanfivearticles.Butthecontentswilloftendiffer.

TheEnglish-languageeditionwillincludemoreAmericanworks,Ricci

says,tohelpAmericansgetover"aninferioritycomplexabouttheir

art."Healsohopesthatthemagazinewillbecomeavehicleforatwo

-wayculturalexchange—whathelikestothinkofasamarriageof

brains,cultureandtastefrombothsidesoftheAtlantic.

Torealizethisvision,Ricciismountingoneofthemostlavish,

enterprising—andexpensive-promotionalcampaignsinmagazine—

publishinghistory.BetweenNovemberandJanuary,eightjumbojets

willfly8millioncopiesofasample16editionofFMRacrossthe

Atlantic.FromawarehouseinMichigan,6.5millioncopieswillbe

mailedtoAmericansubscribersofvariouscultural,artandbusiness

magazines.Someoftheremainingcopieswillcirculateasaspecial

SundaysupplementintheNewYbrkTimes.Thecostoflaunching

OperationColumbusisastaggeringUS$5million,butRicciishoping

that60%ofthepricetagwillbefinancedbyItaliancorporations."To

landinAmericaColumbushadtouseSpanishsponsors,"readsone

sentenceinhispromotionalpamphlet."WewouldlikeItalians."

LikeColumbus,Riccicannotknowwhathisreceptionwillbeonforeign

shores.InItalyhegambled—andwon—onasimpleconcept:itis

moreimportanttoshowartthantowriteaboutit.Hence,oneissueof

FMRmightfeature32fuIl-colourpagesof17th-centurytapestries,

followedby14pagesofoutrageouseyeglasses.Heisgamblingthat

theconceptisexportable.llldon'texpectthatmorethan30%ofmy

reader...willactuallyreadFMR,"hesays."Themagazineissucha

visualdelightthattheydon'thaveto."Still,heisliningupanimpres

sivestableofwritersandprofessorsfortheAmericanedition,

includingNoamChomsky,AnthonyBurgess,EricJongandNorman

Mailer.Inaddition,heseemstobepursuinghiswoneclecticvision

withoutgivingamoment'sthoughttosuchestablishedcompetitors

asConnosisseurandHorizon."TheAmericanscandoalmost

everythingbetterthanwecan,"saysRieci,l'Butwe(theItalians)have

a2,000yearedgeontheminart."

16.RicciintendshisAmericaneditionofFMRtocarrymoreAmerican

artworksinorderto___.

A.boostAmericans'confidenceintheirart

B.followthepatternsetbyhisItalianedition

C.helpItaliansunderstandAmericanartbetter

D.expandthereadershipofhismagazine

17.RicciiscomparedtoColumbusinthepassagemainly

because.

A.theybothbenefitedfromItaliansponsors

B.theywereexplorersintheirownways

C.theyobtainedoverseassponsorship

D.theygotawarmreceptioninAmerica

18.WegettheimpressionthattheAmericaneditionofFMRwill

probably___.

A.carrymanyacademicarticlesofhighstandard

B.followthestyleofsomefamousexistingmagazines

C.bemadbyonethirdofAmericanmagazinereaders

D.pursueadistinctiveeditorialstyleofitsown

TEXTB

Mymother'srelationswereverydifferentfromtheMitfbrds.Her

brother,UncleGeoff,whooftencametostayatSwimbrook,wasa

smallsparemanwiththoughtfulblueeyesandarathersilentmanner.

ComparedtoUncleTommy,hewasanintellectualofthehighestorder,

andindeedhissatiricalpenbeliedhismilddemeanor.Hespentmost

ofhiswakinghourscomposingletterstoTheTimesandother

publicationsinwhichheoutlinedhisownparticulartheoryofthe

developmentofEnglishhistory.InUncleGeoff'sview,thegreatness

ofEnglandhadrisenandwanedoverthecenturiesindirect

proportiontotheuseofnaturalmanureinfertilizingthesoil.The

BlackDeathof1348wascausedbygraduallossofthehumusfertility

foundunderforesttrees.TheriseoftheElizabethanstwocenturies

laterwasattributabletothewidespreaduseofsheepmanure.

ManyofUncleGeoff'sletters-to-the-editorhavefortunatelybeen

preservedinaprivatelyprintedvolumecalledWritingsofaRebel.Of

thecollection,oneletterbestsumsuphisviewsontherelationship

betweenmanureandfreedom.Hewrote:

Collatingoldrecordsshowsthatourgreatnessrisesandfallswiththe

livingfertilityofoursoil.Andnow,manyyearsofexhaustedand

chemicallymurderedsoil,andofdevitalizedfoodfromit,has

softenedourbodiesandstillworse,softenedournationalcharacter.

Itisanactualfactthatcharacterislargelyaproductofthesoil.Many

yearsofmurderedfoodfromdeadenedsoilhasmadeustootame.

Chemicalshavehadtheirpoisonousday.Itisnowtheworm'sturnto

reformthemanhoodofEngland.Theonlywaytoregainourpunch,

ourcharacter,ourlostvirtues,andwiththemthefreedomnaturalto

islanders,istocompostourlandsoastoallowmoulds,bacteriaand

earthwormstoremakelivingsoiltonourishEnglishmen'sbodiesand

spirits.

ThelawrequiringpasteurizationofmilkinEnglandwasaparticular

targetofUncleGeoff's.Fondofalliteration,hedubbedit"Murdered

MilkMeasure”,andestablishedtheLibertyRestorationLeague,with

headquartersathishouseinLondon,forthespecificpurposeof

organizingacounteroffensive."FreedomnotDoctordom"wasthe

League'sproudslogan.Asubsidiary,butneverthelessimportant,

activityoftheLeaguewasadvocacyofareturntothe"unsplit,slowly

smokedfish"andbreadmadewithl,Englishstone-groundflour,yeast,

milk,seasaltandrawcane-sugar."

19.AccordingtoUncleGeoff,nationalstrengthcouldonlyberegained

by—.

A.reformingthemanhoodofEngland

B.usingnaturalmanureasfertilizer

C.eatingmorebacteria-freefood

D.grantingmorefreedomtoEnglishmen

20.Thetoneofthepassagecanmostprobablybedescribedas__.

A.facetiousB.seriousC.nostalgicD.factual

TEXTC

Interview

Sowhathavetheytaughtyouatcollegeaboutinterviews?Some

coursesgototownonit,othersdoverylittle.Youmaygetconflicting

advice.Onlyonethingiscertain:thekeytosuccessispreparation.

Therefollowsomeusefulsuggestionsfromateachertraining

courseco-ordinator,aheadofdepartmentandaheadteacher.As

theyappeartobeincompleteharmonywithoneanotherdespite

neverhavingmet,wemaytaketheiradviceseriously.

OxfordBrookesUniversity'sapproachtothebusinessofapplication

andinterviewfocusesonresearchandrehearsal.Trainingcourse

co-ordinatorBrendaStevensspeaksofthevalueofgettingstudents

lltodeconstructtheadvertisement,seewhattheycanoffertothat

school,andthatsituation,andthenwritetheletter,dotheirCVsand

criticizeeachother's."Finally,theyroleplayinterviewerand

interviewee.

Thisissterlingstuff,andBrookesstudentsspendacoupleofweeks

onit."Thebetterpreparedstudentswon'tbethrownbynervesonthe

day,"saysMsStevens."They'llhavetheirstrategiesandquestions

workedout."Shealsosays,atrifledisconcertingly,"thebetterthe

student,theworsetheinterviewee."Shebelievesthemostcapable

studentsarelessabletoputthemselvesforward.Evenifthiswere

tree,saysMsStevens,youmuststillmakeyourowncase.

"Bewareofinfernality,"sheadvises.Oneaspirantteacher,nowa

headofdepartmentatasmartsecondaryschool,failedhisfirstjob

interviewbecausehetookhisjacketoffwhilewaitingforhis

appointment.Itwashotandeveryoneinthestaffroomwasin

shirtsleevesbutattheendofthedaytheycriticizedhiscasual

attitude,whichtheyhaddeducedfromthefactthathetookhisjacket

offinthestaffroom,eventhoughheputitbackonfortheinterview.

Incidentally,menreallydohavetowearasuittotheinterviewand

womenreallycannotwearjeans,evenifmenneverwearthesuit

againandwomenteachmostdaysinjeans.Panelsrespondinstantly

totheseindicators.Butbeware:itwillnotpleasethemanybetterif

youaretoosmart.

Findoutaboutthepeoplewhowilltalktoyou.Intheearlymeetings

theyarelikelytobeheadsofdepartmentsorheadsofyear.Oftenthey

maybeconcernedwithpastoralmatters.Itmakessensetoknow

theirprioritiesandletthemhearthethingsaboutyouthattheywant

tohear.

Duringpreliminarymeetingsyoumaybeseeningroupswithtwoor

threeotherapplicantsandyoumustdemonstratethatyouknowyour

stuffwithoutputtingyourcompanionsdown.Theinterviewerswillbe

watchinghowyouworkwithateam

ButrememberthewamingaboutinformaUty:howeverfriendlyand

co-operativetheotherparticipantsare,donotgivewaytotheidea

thatyouaretherejusttobefriends.

Routinequestionscanberehearsed,but"don'tgoontoolong,"

advisesthedepartmenthead.Theymaywellask:"Whathavebeen

yourworst/bestmomentswhenteaching?",orwantyouto"talk

aboutsomegoodteachingyouhavedone."Theexpertsagreeyou

shouldrecognizeyourweaknessesandofferastrategyforover

comingthem."IknowI'vegottoworkonclassroommanagement一

Iwouldhopeforsomehelp,"perhaps.Nooneexpectsanewteacher

toknowitall,buttheyhopeforanobjectiveappraisalof

capabilities.

Bewarnedagainstinexpertquestioning.Youmaybeasked

questionsinsuchawaythatitseemsimpossibletopresentyourbest

features.Somequestionsmaybeplainsilly,askedperhapsbypeople

onthepanelwhoarefromoutsidethesituation.Donotbethrown,

havewaysofcircumnavigatingit,andnever,everIetthemseethat

youthinktheyhavesaidsomethingfoolish.

Youwillalmostcertainlybeaskedhowyouseethefutureanditis

importanttohaveagoodanswerprepared.Somepeopleareputoff

bybeingaskedwhattheyexpecttobedoinginfiveortenyears'time.

Onyourpreliminaryvisit,saysthedepartmenthead,besuretogive

themabitofaninterviewofyourown,toseethedirectionthe

departmentisgoingandwhatyoucouldcontributetoit.

Theheadteacheroffershisthoughtsinanine-pointplan.Ironthe

applicationform!Thenitstandsoutfromeveryoneelse's,whichhave

beenfoldedandbatteredinthepost.Itgivesaninitialimpression

whichmaygetyourapplicationtothetopofthepile.Ensurethat

yourapplicationistailoredtotheparticularschool.Makethehead

feelyouarewritingdirectlytohimorher.Putyourselfateasebefore

youmeettheinterviewingpanel:ifyouarenervous,youwilltalktoo

quickly.Beforeyouentertheroomrememberthatthepeopleare

humanbeingstoo;takeawaythemystiqueoftheirroles.Listen.

Thereisadangerofnothearingaccuratelywhatisbeingsaid.Make

eyecontactwiththespeakers,andwitheveryoneintheroom.Allow

yourwarmthandhumanitytobeseen.Asenseofhumourisvery

important.

Haveaportfbboofyourworkthatcanlinktheorytopractice.Many

schoolswantyoutoshowwork.Foraprimaryappointment,give

examplesfromtherangeofthecurriculum,notjustart.(Forthis

reason,takingpicturesonyourteachingpracticeisimportant.)

Prepareyourselfincaseyouareaskedtogiveatalk.Haveprompt

cardsready,anddon'twaffle.

Yourspeechmustbeclearandarticulate,withcorrectgrammar.

Thisisimportant:theywanttohearyouandtheywanttohearhow

wellyoucancommunicatewithchildren.Believeinyourselfandhave

confidence.

Someofthepeopleaskingthequestionsdon'tknowmuchabout

whatyoudo.Bereadytohelpthem.

Thusarmed,youshouldhavenodifficultyatall.Goodluckand

keepyourjacketon!

21.Ms.BrendaStevenssuggeststhatbeforeapplyingjobapplicants

should

A.gothrougheachother'sCVs

B.rehearsetheiranswerstoquestions

C.understandthoroughlythesituations

D.gototowntoattendtrainingcourse

22.Isitwisetoadmitsomeofyourweaknessesrelatingtowork?

A.Yes,butyoushouldhaveideasforimprovementinthefuture.

B.Yes,becauseitisnaturaltobeweakincertainaspects.

C.No,admittingweaknessesmayputyouatadisadvantage.

D.No,itwillonlyprompttheintervieweestorejectyou.

23.Thebestwaytodealwithoddquestionsfromtheinterviewersis

to.

A.remainsmilingandkindlypointouttheinaccuracies

B.keepcalmandtrytobetactfulinyouranswers

C.sayfranklywhatyouthinkabouttheissuesraised

D.suggestsomethingelsetogetoveryournervousness

24.Thesuggestionsofferedbytheheadteacherare__.

A.original

B.ambiguous

C.practical

D.controversial

TEXTD

FamilyMatters

ThismonthSingaporepassedabillthatwou3dgivelegalteethto

themoralobligationtosupportone'sparents.CalledtheMaintenance

ofParentsBill,itreceivedthebackingoftheSingapore

Government.

Thatdoesnotmeanithasn'tgenerateddiscussion.Severa1

membersoftheParliamentopposedthemeasureasun-Asian.Others

whoacknowledgedtheproblemoftheelderlypoorbelievedita

disproportionateresponse.Stillothersbelieveitwillsubvertrelations

withinthefamily:cynicsdubbeditthe"SueYourSon"law.

ThosewhosaythatthebilldoesnotpromotefiliaIresponsibility,of

course,areright.Ithasnothingtodowithfilialresponsibility.Itkicks

inwherefilialresponsibilityfails.Thelawcannotlegislatefilial

responsibilityanymorethanitcanlegislatelove.Allthelawcandois

toprovideasafetynetwherethismoralityprovesinsufficient.

Singaporeneedsthisbillnottoreplacemorality,buttoprovide

incentivestoshoreitup.

Likemanyotherdevebpednations,Singaporefecestheproblems

ofanincreasingproportionofpeopleover60yearsofage.

Demographyisinexorable.In1980,7.2%ofthepopulationwasin

thisbracket.Bytheendofthecenturythatfigurewillgrowto11%.

By2030,theproportionisprojectedtobe26%.Theproblemisnot

oldageperse.Itisthattheratioofeconomicallyactivepeopleto

economicallyinactivepeoplewilldecline.

Butnoamountofgovernmentexhortationorpaternalismwill

completelyeliminatetheproblemofoldpeoplewhohaveinsufficient

meanstomakeendsmeet.Somepeoplewillfallthroughtheholesin

anysafetynet.

Traditionally,aperson'sinsuranceagainstpovertyinhisoldage

washisfamily,liftsisnotarevolutionaryconcept.Norisituniquely

Asian.Careandsupportforone'sparentsisauniversalvalueshared

byallcivilizedsocieties.

TheprobleminSingaporeisthatthemoralobligationtolookafter

one'sparentsisunenforceable.Afathercanbecompelledbylawto

maintainhischildren.Ahusbandcanbeforcedtosupporthiswife.

But,untilnow,asonordaughterhadnolegalobligationtosupport

hisorherparents.

In1989,anAdvisoryCouncilwassetuptolookintotheproblemsof

theaged.Itsreportstatedwithatingeofcomplacencythat95%of

thosewhodidnothavetheirownincomewerereceivingcash

contributionsfromrelations.Butwhataboutthe5%whoaren't

gettingrelatives'support?Theyhaveseveraloptions:(a)getajob

andworkuntiltheydie;(b)applyforpublicassistance(youhavetobe

destitutetoapply);or(c)starvequietly.Noneoftheseoptionsissoci

allyacceptable.Andwhatifthis5%figuregrows,asitislikelytodo,

associetyages?

TheMaintenanceofParentsBillwasputforthtoencouragethe

traditionalvirtuesthathavesofarkeptAsiannationsfromsomeof

thebreakdownsencounteredinotheraffluentsocieties.This

legislationwillallowapersontoapplytothecourtformaintenance

fromanyorallofhischildren.Thecourtwouldhavethediscretionto

refusetomakeanorderifitisunjust.

Thosewhoderidetheproposalforopeningupthecourtstofamily

lawsuitsmissthe,point.Onlyinextremecaseswouldanyparenttake

hischildtocourt.Ifitdoesindeedbecomelaw,thebill'seffectwould

befarmoresubtle.

First,itwillreaffirmthenotionthatitiseachindividual's—notsoci

ety's—responsibilitytolookafterhisparents.Singaporeisstill

conservativeenoughthatmostpeoplewillnotobjecttothisidea.It

reinforcesthetraditionalvaluesanditdoesn'thurtasocietynowand

thentoreminditselfofitscorevalues.

Second,andmoreimportant,itwillmakethosewhoareinclinedto

shirktheirresponsibilitiesthinktwice.Untilnow,ifapersonasked

familyelders,clergymenortheMinistryofCommunityDevelopment

tohelpgetfinancialsupportfromhischildren,themosttheycoulddo

wastomediate.Butmediatorshavenoteeth,andachildcould

simplyignoretheirpleas.

Buttobesuedbyone'sparentswouldbeamassivelossofface.It

wouldbeapublicdisgrace.Fewpeoplewouldbesothick-skinnedas

tosay,“Sueandbedamned".Thehandoftheconciliatorwouldbe

immeasurablystrengthened.Itisfarmorelikelythatsomesortof

amicablesettlementwouldbereachediftherecalcitrantsonor

daughterknowsthatthealternativeisapublictrial.

ItwouldbenicetothinkSingaporedoesn'tneedthiskindoflaw.But

thatbeliefignoresthecleardemographictrendsandtheeffectof

affluenceitselfontraditionalbends.Thoseofuswhopushedforthe

billwillconsiderourselvesmostsuccessfulifitactsasanincentive

nottohaveitinvokedinthefirstplace.

25.TheMaintenanceofParentsBill___.

A.receivedunanimoussupportintheSingaporeParliam