阅读理解。
How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and, old people wishing they were young
again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age
gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents,
he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be
given so much without having to do anything in return. What's more, life is always giving new things to the
child-things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well known. But a child has his
pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is repeatedly being told not to do something, or being
punished for what he has wrongly done.
When a young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his
clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing
about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used
to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and
has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
1. According to Paragraph 2, the writer thinks that _____. [ ]
A. life for a child is fairly easy
B. a child is always loved whatever he does
C. if much is given to a child, he must do something in return
D. only children are interested in life
2. The main idea of the passage is that _____. [ ]
A. life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains
B. young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard
C. childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life
D. one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life
3. The paragraph following this passage will most probably discuss _____. [ ]
A. examples of successful young men
B. how to build up one's position in society
C. joys and pains of old people
D. what to do when one has problems in life