英语阅读基础版第25期（英语阅读进阶版）

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欢迎大家来到“英语阅读”，本栏目旨在提升各位同学的阅读、听力水平及阅读理解能力，内容精选自《英语周报》高中阅读专版。

Myself, Family, Friends or Strangers?

——高中进阶 (2018-2019学年第21期) 1版

1小时突破音标重难点

英语阅读基础版第25期（英语阅读进阶版）(1)

The internet can be many things: the largest gathering of information in the world; a place where one can pretend to be someone else; a platform for creative minds to come together ... As such, a gigantic internet culture has emerged, bringing along creative new phrases and words that official dictionaries are not up to speed with. Thankfully, certain articles and journals keep track of them for us.

Recently, the journal Yao Wen Jiao Zi (《咬文嚼字》) published the ten most popular phrases used on Chinese social media for the year 2018. Among them was the phrase "giant infants." It does not refer to actual giant-sized babies, but rather adults who act like children. They are selfish, unreasonable and pretty much a huge pain (极其讨厌的人). To take an obvious example, a woman fought with a bus driver not long ago, causing the bus to run off a bridge and costing the lives of 13 passengers. You have probably met someone like that. I know I certainly have.

英语阅读基础版第25期（英语阅读进阶版）(2)

The idea behind "giant infants" is not new. I'm sure there were such people throughout most of human history, but the fact that it has reached this level of "popularity" highlights a serious problem with society. So, where did it all begin?

Over the 5,000 years of Chinese history, we have come across a great many emperors, warriors (武士) and philosophers. One of the most important is probably Confucius (孔子). His philosophies, though thousands of years old, still play a Key role in the way many peoples of Asia live and act. However, focus has been placed on some aspects of his teachings. Confucianism puts strong emphasis on family ties. It is not inherently (本质上) bad until it has been interpreted as wholly exclusive (排他的) of others. I have seen many a parent exhibit this by believing their child can do no wrong. If their child is bullying someone else, they simply interpret it as a "misunderstanding" or "a mistake that will never happen again." It is this sort of coddling (溺爱) that creates a "giant infant," because these children will go on to believe that they are the center of the universe, and that only they matter.

英语阅读基础版第25期（英语阅读进阶版）(3)

Perhaps the solution comes from the teachings (教义) of another individual who lived at a similar time to Confucius, Mozi (墨子). He believed in the idea of "universal love (兼爱)," the caring of all individuals, no matter who they are. There would be no preferential (优待的) treatment; rather, it would be treating others in the way you yourself would like to be treated. Crazy as it may sound to place others on the same level as family, it may be exactly what we need to attain a harmonious society.

英语阅读基础版第25期（英语阅读进阶版）(4)

教案

PRE-READING

Question 1

Read the following three news bulletins. What do these people have in common?

1. Two train passengers took the seats of others and then refused to give them back.

2. A woman fought with a bus driver after she missed her stop. The bus plunged off a bridge and killed 13 passengers.

3. A 22-year-old boy went to New Zealand for further studies. His family spent two million RMB during his stay in New Zealand. Two years later, he didn't even graduate from the preparatory school (预科学校). The boy had to return to China and go to a local college, but he dropped out within two months. From then on, he has stayed at home, playing computer games day and night. The only communication between him and his family is asking for money.

Question 2

What would you do if you had to deal with someone like the people mentioned in the first question?

WHILE READING

Sentences

1. As such, a gigantic internet culture has emerged, bringing along creative new phrases and words that official dictionaries are not up to speed^①with. Thankfully, certain articles and journals keep track of^②them for us.

① be/get up to speed: having the latest information or knowledge about sth. 跟上形势，了解最新情况

e.g. Some officials are only now getting up to speed regarding computers.

② keep track of: to pay attention to sb. or sth. so that you know where they are what is happening to them 了解某人或某事的动态

→ (opp.) lose track of 不了解某人或某事的动态

e.g. Lisa has so many different jobs. It is hard for me to keep track (of what she is doing now).

2. a) Over the 5,000 years of Chinese history, we have come across^①a great many^②emperors, warriors and philosophers.

b) I have seen many a^②parent exhibit this by believing their child can do no wrong^③.

① come across sb./sth.: to meet or find sb./sth. by chance 偶然遇见某人或无意中发现某物

e.g. I came across an old friend on my way to work this morning.

② “a great/good many”和“many a”都可以表示“许多”，但两者在用法上略有区别：“a great/good many 复数名词复数谓语动词”；"many a 单数名词单数谓语动词”。

③ sb. can do no wrong: sb. is perfect in every way 某人是完美无瑕的

Vocabulary

Complete each sentence using one word from the box in its correct form. Note that there is one word more than you need and you can use each word only once.

emerge highlight emphasis interpret exhibit harmonious

1. The leading researcher __________ that all the subjects were volunteers.

2. Imagine a society in which everyone lived together in perfect __________.

3. The video __________ the differences in the way boys and girls learn.

4. Freud is famous for his attempt to __________ meaning of dreams.

5. He __________ great powers of endurance during the climb.

Key:

1. emphasized 2. harmony 3. highlights

4. interpret 5. exhibited

Translation

1. 了解小学时所有同班同学的近况对我来说很难。(track)

2. 凯文在打扫房间的时候，无意中发现了一些父母的老照片。(come)

3. 自海啸 (tsunami) 袭击印尼以来，许多游客取消了前往该国的旅行。(a great many)

4. 虽然南希忙于工作，她还是尽量抽时间学习法语。(as)

Possible answers:

1. It is difficult for me to keep track of all my classmates in primary school.

2. Kevin came across some old photos of his parents while he was cleaning his room.

3. A great many tourists have cancelled their trips to Indonesia since a tsunami struck the country.

4. Busy as Nancy is with her work, she still tries to spare time to learn French.

Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

1. According to the article, which of the following statements about the phrase "giant infants" is NOT true?

A. It is widely used on the internet.

B. It has not been included in any official dictionary so far.

C. It usually refers to immature adults.

D. It deserves widespread popularity.

2. According to the author, who or what is to blame for the birth of "giant infants"?

A. Confucius and his teachings.

B. Parents who allow their children to do whatever they want.

C. Naughty children themselves.

D. The fast-developing internet culture.

3. According to the author, we could control the tendency for "giant infants" by ______.

A. putting less emphasis on family ties

B. severely punishing children if they made mistakes

C. stop using the phrase on the internet

D. teaching children to treat all others with respect

Key: DBD

AFTER READING

Among the top ten internet buzzwords of 2018 published by Yao Wen Jiao Zi, the phrase "argumentative people (杠精)" also causes concern in Chinese society. Argumentative people refer to those who enjoy arguing with others even if they have no good reason to do that. What do you think of these people? Exchange your ideas with your classmates.

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