Directions:

　　Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should first describe the drawing, then interpret its meaning, and give your comment on it.

　　You should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)

　　參考答案

　　A Helpless Father

　　The picture ironically shows that a pitiable old man in rags is being helplessly kicked off by his three sons and a daughter, who all wear decent clothes. The father’s negligent children are all guarding their home gates lest their old father “roll into” their households. In other words, they four ignore their moral sense of assuming the responsibility for their old father even though they may be all living a satisfying life. That is a painful scene we often encounter in our daily life.

　　Sad to say, the moral decline of the younger generations may be a rather explosive situation in our modern society. People definitely have their living conditions improved by wider and wider margins, as evidenced by the four children’s decent dressing, but their moral sense still remains sadly unchanged or in some cases becomes dramatically downgrading. Most people might have become too much self-centered, and even worse, they discard the tradition of giving respect to the elderly. They no longer care for their elders, let alone their neighbors or the disadvantaged; instead they try every means to avoid responsibility for other citizens. When one cares for others, one might even appear stupid or may even be distrusted.

　　Therefore, we have to take some useful measures to avoid the scene that is mentioned above. We must launch a variety of campaigns about the return to the good tradition of giving help and love to the elderly. Moreover, we must appeal to our government to establish some relevant laws to punish those who avoid their duties. The last but not the least, our respect for age is an indication of the progress of human society, as imperatives of traditions require. We sincerely wish that the old man could be welcome to any of the four households, elegantly dressed, and a smile on the face.