共用题干 第三篇

Valuing Childhood

The value of childhood is easily blurred（模糊）in today"s world. Consider some recent
developments:The child-murderers in the Jonesboro,Ark.schoolyard shooting case were
convicted and sentenced.Two boys, 7 and 8,were charged in the murder of an 11-year-
old girl in Chicago.
Children who commit horrible crimes appear to act of their own will.Yet,as legal
proceedings in Jonesboro showed,the one boy who was able to address the court couldn"t
begin to explain his acts,though he tried to apologize.There may have been a motive-
youthful jealousy and resentment.But a deeper question remains:Why did these boys and
others in similar trouble apparently lack any inner,moral restraint（束缚）?
That question echoes for the accused in Chicago,young as they are.They wanted the
girl"s bicycle,a selfish impulse（冲动)common enough among kids.
Redemption（拯救）is a practical necessity.How can value be restored to young lives
distorted（扭曲）by acts of violence? The boys in Jonesboro and in Chicago will be confined
in institutions for a relatively short time,Despite horror at what was done,children are
not一cannot be一dealt with as adults,not if a people wants to consider itself civilized.
That"s why politicians" cries for adult treatment of youthful criminals ultimately miss the point.
But the moral void（真空）that invites violence has many sources. Family instability（不
稳定）contributes. So does economic stress. That void , however. can be filled. The
work starts with parents,who have to ask themselves whether they"re doing enough to give
their children a firm sense of right and wrong.Are they really monitoring their activities and
their developing processes of thought?
Schools,too,have a role in building character.So do youth organizations.So do law
enforcement agencies,which can do more to inform the young about laws,their meaning,
and their observance（遵守）. The two boys in Chicago were