Question

SHANGHAI — A system to take homeless children off the streets and return them to their home communities is to be set up this year by city authorities.

“We will improve communication with the civil administrations (民政局) where these children come from, invite them to take back the kids and provide assistance to send them home,” said Ren Zshiyue, director of the social welfare division of Shanghai civil affairs bureau, on Wednesday.

This is Shanghai’s latest attempt to deal with child beggars following another initiative (開端) in December. Eight government agencies, including civil affairs, public security and city management, are taking part in the campaign, which aims to have the streets clear of child beggars by the end of this year. Officials said the police will increase patrols (巡邏) in areas where the homeless gather, such as metro stations, squares, bridges and underground passages.

Vagrant children are particularly prominent (突出) in the city. Some residents said they often see young boys and girls kneeling under flyovers, many with schoolbags on their backs, or asking money from car drivers when they stop at traffic lights. Metro station manager at the People's Square, surnamed Fei, said that at least a dozen homeless children a week were caught begging on the subway.

According to an officer surnamed Qiu at the People's Square police station, if a homeless child is found alone, they will confirm his or her identity first, and try to get in touch with the legal guardians. If children cannot give details of their background, blood samples will be taken and the information in a DNA database will be used to help trace their families.

The national database, set up in April 2009, had reunited more than 1,400 children with their parents by September. Qiu said the city's new policy on child beggars should be the most effective yet. "We could only persuade them to stop begging before, but now we can repatriate (遣返) the child with this policy," he said.

Zhang Baoyan, founder of Baobeihuijia (Baby Back Home), a volunteer group that helps search for missing children nationwide and offers support to their parents, said the campaign shows that the government is determined to put an end to children begging. But she wonders how to prevent the children becoming homeless again. "Many homeless children keep reappearing not long after leaving welfare homes, because begging has become their livelihood," she said.

The central authority began a campaign to help homeless children in December. It requires the local government in the original home communities of vagrant children to increase social security and economic support to prevent children from turning to begging. "So the campaign addresses both the symptoms and root causes. We hope child begging will disappear when the rich-poor divide is gradually narrowed," said Zhou Zheng, chairman of the social assistance center in Shanghai.

67. The main idea of the news report is _____.

A. how and where to find homeless children in Shanghai

B. Shanghai is to start a system to aid child beggars

C. Shanghai is trying to gradually narrow the rich-poor divide

D. why some homeless children are not willing to stay in welfare homes

68. The underlined word “vagrant” in Para.4 probably means “someone who _____”.

A. steals things, especially without using violence

B. is good at telling jokes and making people laugh

C. has no home, especially someone who begs

D. doesn’t do something as his job but only for pleasure or interest

69. If a homeless child can’t give details of his or her background, what will the relevant people do?

A. They will keep trying to get in touch with the legal guardians.

B. They will ask a certain family to adopt him / her for the time being.

C. He/ She will be kept in the local rescue station and waiting to be made sure of his/ her identity.

D. Blood samples will be taken and the information in a DNA database will be used to help trace their families.

70. According to the passage, all of the following is TRUE EXCEPT that _____.

A. this is Shanghai’s first attempt deal with child beggars

B. the campaign addresses both the symptoms and root causes

C. the campaign aims to have the streets clear of child beggars by the end of this year

D. Baby Back Home is a volunteer group that helps search for missing children nationwide

Answer 1

   BCDA