单项选择题

Americans are people obsessed with childrearing. In their books, magazines, talk (62) , parent training courses, White House (63) , and chats over the back fence, they (64) debate the best ways to raise children. (65) , Americans do more than (66) their theories: they translate them into action. They erect playgrounds for the youngsters’ (67) , equip large schools for their education, and train skilled specialists for their welfare. Most industries in America are (68) to making children happy, healthy and wise.
But this interest in children is relatively new. In fact, (69) very recently people considered childhood just a brief, (70) prelude (前奏) to adulthood and the real business of living. By and large they (71) ignored children, beat them, or fondled (抚弄) them carelessly, much as we would amuse ourselves with a (72) of puppies. When they gave serious thought to children at all, people either conceived (73) them as miniature (小型的) adults or as peculiar, unformed animals.
Down through the ages the experiences of children have been as (74) as its duration. Actions that would have provoked a beating in one era elicit extra loving care in another. Babies who have been (75) exclusively by their mothers in one epoch are (76) with day-care workers in another. In some places children have been trained to straddle (跨坐) unsteady canoes (独木舟), (77) dangerous mountain passages, and carry heavy bundles on their heads. In other places they have been taught complicated piano concertos (协奏曲) and so on.
But diverse (78) it has been, childhood has one common experience (79) its core and that is the social aspect of nurture. All children need adults to (80) them up. Because human young take so long to become independent, we think that civilization (81) have grown up around the need to feed and protect them. Certainly, from the earliest days of man, adults have made provision for the children in their midst.

80（）

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