he interviewers is to ___.ª¤ 
A. remain smiling and kindly point out the inaccuraciesª¤ 
B. keep calm and try to be tactful in your answers 
C. say frankly what you think about the issues raisedª¤ 
D. suggest something else to get over your nervousnessª¤ 

24. The suggestions offered by the headteacher are ___.ª¤ 
A. original
B. ambiguousª¤
C. practical
D. co ntroversialª¤ª¤ 

TEXT D 

ª¥ Family Mattersª¥ 
ª¥ This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one¡¯s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, i t received the backing of the Singapore Government.ª¥ 

ª¥ That does not mean it hasn¡¯t generated discussion. Several members of the P arliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem o f the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the ¡°Sue Your So n¡± law.ª¥ 

ª¥ Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of cour se, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in wher e filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility an y more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to repla ce morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.ª¥ 

ª¥ Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an incre asing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 19 80, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the end of the century that fi gure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 26%. The probl em is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.ª¥  

ª¥ But no amount of government exhortation or patern