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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
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