【真題再現】

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

　　I’m usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.

　　Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.

　　Given that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope.
　　At the top of the list is nurturing (培育) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
　　To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
　　Limit the amount of virtual (虛擬的) violence your children are exposed to. It’s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
　　Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
　　Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn’t have to ruin your life.

　　21. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people’s state of mind are ________.
　　A) surprising
　　B) confusing
　　C) illogical
　　D) questionable(D)

　　22. What does the author mean when he says, “we can’t turn the clock back” (Line 1, Para. 3)?
　　A) It’s impossible to slow down the pace of change.
　　B) The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
　　C) Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
　　D) It’s impossible to forget the past.(B)

　　23. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago ________.
　　A) were less isolated physically
　　B) were probably less self-centered
　　C) probably suffered less from anxiety
　　D) were considered less individualistic(C)

　　24. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ________.
　　A) to provide them with a safer environment
　　B) to lower their expectations for them
　　C) to get them more involved socially
　　D) to set a good model for them to follow(C)

　　25. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
　　A) Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
　　B) Children’s anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
　　C) Children’s anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
　　D) Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.(C)

這是一篇評論社會問題的文章，文章核心是當今兒童所肩負的壓力問題。文章采用了經典的論說文結構：首先提出問題(第一段)，而后分析問題(第二段)，最后解決問題(其余部分)。

　　第一段很長，而且多是比較復雜的長句，這與它“提出問題”這一功能有關，長句往往信息容量更大，邏輯也較清晰，能夠更好地向人呈現問題的方方面面，語氣也較為客觀。在解決問題階段，作者多使用短句，是因為這時文章的功能已經轉換為向父母們傳授經驗方法，短句接近口語，親切感更強，有“諄諄教誨”的意思。

　　第一句話的基本結構是I’m skeptical about research(我懷疑某些研究的價值)，至于是什么樣的研究，作者用從句做了詳細說明，后面的that代指research。從句的意思是說這些研究總是得出結論說現在的人們如何比50年前的人或快樂或不快樂等等。作者在第一句首先表明了一個觀點，就是把不同歷史時代的人們進行對比是沒有意義的。隨后就道出了原因：這種對比有可能是正確的，但在實證上無法得到論證(While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically)。前兩句占了第一段內容的一半，但實際上與文章的核心內容(兒童壓力問題)關系不大，作者之所以如此濃墨重彩是為了突出其對一項關于不同時代兒童所受壓力的研究的驚訝之情，進而增加讀者對文章核心論題的關注度。

　　第一段后半部分開始提出本文討論的問題：normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago，現在的正常孩子比50年前接受精神治療的孩子所受的壓力還要大。這一觀點確實聳人聽聞，難怪作者要為此臨時拋棄舊有的觀念。

　　第二段第一句話是Why are America’s kids so stressed?為什么美國的孩子承受了如此重壓?很顯然這里是要分析原因了。后面給出了兩個原因，一個是孤獨(physical isolation)，另一個是認識到世界更加危險了(the world is a more dangerous place)。

　　后面的部分都是對如何解決這一問題提出的忠告。

　　首先就是要向孩子傳達個人主義存在局限的觀念(limits of individualism)，孩子不是孤島，社會聯系可以為孩子減輕壓力的沖擊。

　　為了幫助孩子與他人建立更加緊密的聯系，可以拔掉電視和電腦的插頭，這樣他們就有了更多的時間與人面對面地交往，也有了更多的睡眠時間(They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep)。

　　減少孩子接觸虛擬暴力的機會。不僅包括視頻游戲、電影，在新聞上也出現了太多的謀殺、犯罪(children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news)。

　　不要對孩子的期望值過高。要知道許多成功人士從來沒上過哈佛或是耶魯大學(Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale)。

　　最后是要給孩子們做出榜樣，告訴他們如何應對壓力。方法就是堅持鍛煉身體，這可以向孩子傳達一個信息：有時憂慮是不可避免的，但那不至于毀了你的生活。