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That does not mean it hasn't generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family; cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.
Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to Provide incentives to shore it up.
Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the turn of the century, that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 26%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.
But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fall through the holes in any safety net.
Traditionally, a person's insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one's parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.
The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one's parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.
In 1989, an advisory council .was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what of the 5% who aren't getting relatives' support？ They have several options: (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve 'quietly. None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages.'？
The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.
Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill's effect would be far more subtle.
First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual's -- not society's -- responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn't hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.
Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, cler
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If I don't______them______I should probably forget all about them.
All that we really need to plot out the future of our universe are a few good measurements. This does not mean that we can sit down today and outline the future course of the universe with anything like certainty. There are still too many things we don't know about the way the universe is put together. But we do know exacdy what information we need to fill in our knowledge, and we have a pretty good idea of how to go about getting it. Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard(调车场). All of the switches(转辙器) are set before the train arrives, so that its path is completely determined. Some switches we can see, others we cannot. There is no ambiguity if we can see the setting of a switch; we can say with confidence that some possible futures will not materialize and others will. At the unseen switches, however, there is no such certainty. We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out, but we have no idea which one. The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future, and what happens when we arrive at them determines the entire subsequent course of events.
When we think about the future of the universe, we can see our "track" many billions of years into the future, but after that there are decision points to be dealt with and possible fates to consider. The goal of science is to reduce the ambiguity at the decision points and find the true road that will be followed.
According to the passage, it is difficult to be certain about the distant future of the universe because we______.
听力原文：M: Say, Rason, what are you watching？
W: An old Japanese film. I wonder if I'm going to spend all my next year there. I'd better start familiarizing myself with the culture.
M: You mean you are accepted into the program？
W: Yes.
M: That's wonderful. You must be excited.
W: Excited and nervous. You know I owe a lot to Professor Mercheno. He wrote a letter of recommendation for me and he bought me a set of practice tapes and a book which goes with them. Just so I can work on my basic conversation skills.
M: How much Japanese can you understand？
W: Not a lot at present. But I signed up for intensive Japanese this semester.
M: I wish I were as talented as you are in foreign languages. I'd like to study abroad.
W: Than why don't you？ The university has lots of over- seas programs that don't require mastery of a foreign language. The tuition is about the same. You just have to be the kind of person who is receptive to new ways of looking at things and willing to adjust to a different kind of life style.
M: I had assumed that all programs required you to know a foreign language. I might check into this.
W: You won't regret it.
What is the woman doing when the man interrupts her？
In 1970, a young German schoolmaster had an idea which changed this state of affairs. He decided to turn his little schoolhouse into a dormitory or hostel for the summer holidays. Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small quantity of money. The idea was a success. A few years later, the schoolhouse was much too small to hold the many young people who wanted to stay there. As a result, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby. This was the first Youth Hostel.
Today, young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostel and get to know each other. When young people arrive at the hostel, they have only to show their card of membership in a hostel organization in their own country. This card will permit him to use the facilities of hostels all over the world for very low prices.
Often, at the evening meal, a group of boys and girls from various parts of the country or the world will happen to meet at the same hostel. They may put their food together and prepare a dinner with many kinds of dishes. Sometimes a program will be organized after the meal with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a question period. One can learn a lot of things about other places, just by meeting people who come from those places. For this reason, a few weeks spent "hostelling" can be just as useful a part of one's education as classes in school.
The author says children in the city seldom went to the woods and fields because
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