2009年6月大学英语六级考试阅读理解部分单词注释—茶茶的六级系列.docx

2009年6月大学英语六级考试阅读理解部分单词注释茶茶的六级系列Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)Helicopter Moms vs. Free-Range KidsWould you let your fourth-grader ride public transportation without an adult? Probably not. Still, when Lenore Skenazy, a columnist for the New York Sun, wrote about letting her son take the subway alone to get back to Long story short :my son got home from a department store on the Upper East Side, she didnt expect to get hit with a wave of criticism from readers.“Long story short: My son got home, overjoyed with independence,” Skenazy wrote on April 4 in the New York Sun. “Long story longer: Half the people Ive told this episode to now want to turn on in for child abuse. As if keeping kids under lock and key and cell phone and careful watch is the right way to rear kids. Its not. Its debilitating (使虚弱)for us and for them.”Online message boards were soon full of people both applauding and condemning Skenazys decision to let her son go it alone. She wound up defending herself on CNN (accompanied by her son) and on popular blogs like the buffing ton post, where her follow-up piece was ironically headlined “More From Americas Worst Mom.”The episode has ignited another one of those debates that divides parents into vocal opposing camps. Are Modern parents needlessly overprotective, or is the world a more complicated and dangerous place than it was when previous generations were allowed to wander about unsupervised? From the “shes an irresponsible mother” camp came: “Shame on you for being so careless about his safety,” in Comments on the buffing ton post. And there was this from a mother of four: “How would you have felt if he didnt come home?” But Skenazy got a lot of support, too, with women and men writing in with stories about how they were allowed to take trips all by themselves at seven or eight. She also got heaps of praise for bucking the “helicopter parent” trend: “Good for this Mom,” one commenter wrote on the buffing ton post. “This is a much-needed reality check.”Last week, encouraged by all the attention, Skenazy started her own blogFree Range, kidspromoting the idea that modern children need some of the same independence that her generation had. In the good old days nine-year-old baby boomers rode their bikes to school, walked to the store, took busesand even subwaysall by themselves. Her blog, she says, is dedicated to sensible parenting. “At Free Range Kids, we believe in safe kids. We believe in car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school-age children go outside, they need a security guard.”So why are some parents so nervous about letting their children out of their sight? Are cities and towns less safe and kids more vulnerable to crimes like child kidnap and sexual abuse than they were in previous generations?Not exactly. New York City, for instance, is safer than its ever been; its ranked 36th in crime among all American cities. Nationwide, stranger kidnaps are extremely rare; theres a one-in-a-million chance a child will be taken by a stranger, according to the Justice Department. And 90 percent of sexual abuse cases are committed by someone the child knows. Mortality rates from all causes, including disease and accidents, for American children are lower now than they were 25 years ago. According to Child Trends, a nonprofit research group, between 1980 and 2003 death rates dropped by 44 percent for children aged 5 to 14 and 32 percent for teens aged 15 to 19.Then theres the whole question of whether modern parents are more watchful and nervous about safety than previous generations. Yes, some are. Part of the problem is that with wall to wall Internet and cable news, every missing child case gets so much airtime that its not surprising even normal parental anxiety can be amplified. And many middle-class parents have gotten used to managing their childrens time and shuttling them to various enriching activities, so the idea of letting them out on their own can seem like a risk. Back in 1972, when many of todays parents were kids, 87 percent of children who lived within a mile of school walked or biked every day. But today, the Centers for Disease Control report that only 13 percent of children bike, walk or otherwise themselves to school.The extra supervision is both a city and a suburb phenomenon. Parents are worried about crime, and they are worried about kids getting caught in traffic in a city thats not used to pedestrians. On the other hand, there are still plenty of kids whose parents give them a lot of independence, by choice or by necessity. The After School Alliance finds that more than 14 million kids aged 5 to 17 are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. Only 6.5 million kids participate in organized programs. “Many children who have working parents have to take the subway or bus to get to school. Many do this by themselves because they have no other way to get to the schools,” says Dr. Richard Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the New York University Child Study Center.For those parents who wonder how and when they should start allowing their kids more freedom, theres no clear-cut answer. Child experts discourage a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. Whats right for Skenazys nine-year-old could be inappropriate for another one. It all depends on developmental issue, maturity, and the psychological and emotional makeup of that child. Several factors must be taken into account, says Gallagher. “The ability to follow parent guidelines, the childs level of comfort in handling such situations, and a childs general judgment should be weighed.”Gallagher agrees with Skenazy that many nine-year-olds are ready for independence like taking public transportation alone. “At certain times of the day, on certain routes, the subways are generally safe for these children, especially if they have grown up in the city and have been taught how to be safe, how to obtain help if they are concerned for their safety, and how to avoid unsafe situations by being watchful and on their toes.”But even with more traffic and fewer sidewalks, modern parents do have one advantage their parents didnt: the cell phone. Being able to check in with a child anytime goes a long way toward relieving parental anxiety and may help parents loosen their control a little sooner. Skenazy got a lot of criticism because she didnt give her kid her cell phone because she thought hed lose it and wanted him to learn to go it alone without depending on moma major principle of free-range parenting. But most parents are more than happy to use cell phones to keep track of their kids.And for those who like the idea of free-range kids but still struggle with their inner helicopter parent, there may be a middle way. A new generation of GPS cell phones with tracking software make it easier than ever to follow a childs every movement via the Internetwithout seeming to interfere or hover. Of course, when they go to college, they might start objecting to being monitored as theyre on parole (假释).free-range fi:reindadj. （家禽）自由放养的；在农场自由放养的（鸡）ride radvi. 骑马；乘车；依靠；漂浮n. 骑；乘坐；交通工具；可供骑行的路vt. 骑；乘；控制columnist klm(n)stn. 专栏作家long story short长话短说 department store百货公司；百货商店overjoyed ,ovddadj. 狂喜的；极度高兴的v. 使万分高兴；使狂喜independence ndpend()nsn. 独立性，自立性；自主episode epsdn. 插曲；一段情节；插话；有趣的事件turn on打开，发动in for从事；免不了遭受child abuse taildbju:s虐待儿童，摧残儿童rear rvt. 培养；树立；栽种vi. 暴跳；高耸adj. 后方的；后面的；背面的n. 后面；屁股；后方部队adv. 向后；在后面condemn kndemvt. 谴责；判刑，定罪；声讨wound up紧张的；兴奋的defend dfendvi. 保卫；防守vt. 辩护；防护accompanied by连同，随附；由陪同ironically arnkliadv. 讽刺地；说反话地divide dvadn. 地理 分水岭，分水线vt. 划分；除；分开；使产生分歧vi. 分开；意见分歧opposing camp 反对阵营needlessly ni:dlisliadv. 不必要地；无用地overprotective vprtektvadj. 过分保护的；过分溺爱的complicated kmplketdadj. 难懂的，复杂的wander about徘徊；流浪；漫步unsupervised ,nsju:pvaizdadj. 无人监督的；无人管理的irresponsible rspnsb()ladj. 不负责任的；不可靠的shame on you 不要脸take trips 去旅行heaps of praise 成堆的赞美buck bkn. （美）钱，元；雄鹿；纨绔子弟；年轻的印第安人或黑人v. 顶撞；抗拒commentern. 批评家；评论家reality check现实检查；现状核实baby boomer婴儿潮时代出生的人sensible sensb()ladj. 明智的；明显的；意识到的；通晓事理的n. 可感觉到的东西；敏感的人parenting perntn. 父母对子女的养育v. 教养（parent的ing形式）；做的父亲或母亲vulnerable to易受的攻击；易受的侵害kidnap kdnpvt. 绑架；诱拐；拐骗nationwide ne()nwad; -wadadj. 全国范围的；全国性的adv. 在全国commit kmtvt. 犯罪，做错事；把.交托给；指派作战；使承担义务mortality rate死亡率nonprofit nnprfitadj. 非赢利的；不以赢利为目的的watchful wtfl; -f()ladj. 注意的；警惕的；警醒的cable news 有线新闻（台）amplified mplifaiadj. 放大的；扩充的v. 放大；详述（amplify的过去分词）shuttle t()ln. 航天飞机；穿梭；梭子；穿梭班机、公共汽车等vt. 使穿梭般来回移动；短程穿梭般运送vi. 穿梭往返supervision ,supvn; ,sju-n. 监督，管理suburb sbbn. 郊区；边缘get caught in陷入；遇到pedestrian pdestrnn. 行人；步行者adj. 徒步的；缺乏想像力的plenty of大量；很多；许多participate in参加；分享clear-cut kliktadj. 清晰的；轮廓鲜明的discourage dskrdvt. 阻止；使气馁one-size-fits-all 万全之策inappropriate nprprtadj. 不适当的；不相称的maturity mtrtn. 成熟；到期；完备psychological sakldk()ladj. 心理的；心理学的；精神上的makeup mekpn. 化妆品；组成；补充；补考take into account 考虑comfort kmftn. 安慰；舒适；安慰者vt. 安慰；使（痛苦等）缓和routesn. 路由，路径；线路obtain btenvt. 获得vi. 获得；流行concern knsnn. 关系；关心；关心的事vt. 涉及，关系到；使担心on their toes 保持警觉；精神集中；关注advantage dvntdvi. 获利n. 优势；利益；有利条件vt. 有利于；使处于优势check in报到，记录；到达并登记relieve rlivvt. 解除，减轻；使不单调乏味；换的班；解围；使放心parental anxiety 父母的焦虑principle prinspln. 原理，原则；主义，道义；本质，本义；根源，源泉interfere ntfvi. 干涉；妨碍；打扰vt. 冲突；介入hover hvn. 徘徊；盘旋；犹豫vi. 盘旋，翱翔；徘徊vt. 孵；徘徊在近旁object to对反对monitor mntn. 监视器；监听器；监控器；班长vt. 监控on parole获得假释Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)Section A There is nothing new about TV and fashion magazines giving girls unhealthy ideas about how thin they need to be in order to be considered beautiful. What is surprising is the method psychologists at the University of Texas have come up with to keep girls from developing eating disorders. Their main weapon against super skinny (role) models: a brand of civil disobedience dubbed “body activism.”Since 2001, more than 1,000 high school and college students in the U.S. have participated in the Body Project, which works by getting girls to understand how they have been buying into the notion that you have to be thin to be happy or successful. After critiquing (评论) the so-called thin ideal by writing essays and role-playing with their peers, participants are directed to come up with and execute small, nonviolent acts. They include slipping notes saying “Love your body the way it is” into dieting books at stores like Borders and writing letters to Mattel, makers of the impossibly proportioned Barbie doll.According to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the risk of developing eating disorders was reduced 61% among Body Project participants. And they continued to exhibit positive body-image attitudes as long as three years after completing the program, which consists, of four one-hour sessions. Such lasting effects may be due to girls realizing not only how they were being influenced but also who was benefiting from the societal pressure to be thin. “These people who promote the perfect body really dont care about you at all,” says Kelsey Hertel, a high school junior and Body Project veteran in Eugene, Oregon. “They purposefully make you feel like less of a person so youll buy their stuff and theyll make money.”eating disorders饮食失调；进食障碍civil disobedience非暴力反抗，温和抵抗；不合作主义dub dbn. 笨蛋；鼓声vt. 配音；轻点；打击；授予称号activism ktvz()mn. 行动主义；激进主义participate in 参加；分享essay esen. 散文；试图；随笔vt. 尝试；对做试验come up with提出；想出；赶上execute eksikju:tvt. 实行；执行；处死nonviolent ,nnvalntadj. 非暴力的slipping slipin. 滑动adj. 渐渐松弛的v. 滑动（slip的现在分词）proportioned prup:ndadj. 相称的；成比例的v. 使成比例；分配（proportion的过去分词）barbie doll芭比娃娃；没有头脑的人；徒有其表的人issue u; sjun. 问题；流出；期号；发行物vi. 发行；流出；造成结果；传下vt. 发行，发布；发给；放出，排出journal dn()ln. 日报，杂志；日记；分类账consulting knsltadj. 咨询的，商议的；顾问的，任专职顾问的v. 咨询，请教；商议（consult的现在分词形式）clinical psychology临床心理学exhibit gzbt; eg-vt. 展览；显示；提出（证据等）vi. 展出；开展览会n. 展览品；证据；展示会consist knsstvi. 组成；在于；符合influence nflnsn. 影响；势力；感化；有影响的人或事vt. 影响；改变benefit from得益于；得利于；因而得到好处societal ssatladj. 社会的veteran vet()r()nadj. 经验丰富的；老兵的n. 老兵；老手；富有经验的人；老运动员purposefully p:psfuliadv. 有目的地；自觉地Section B Passage OneFor hundreds of millions of years, turtles (海龟) have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings (幼龟) down to the waters edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, youd think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened” to “endangered”meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help.Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,” says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and long line fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (恐龙) will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.documentary dkjment()radj. 记录的；文件的；记实的n. 纪录片marine biologist海洋生物学家lest lestconj. 唯恐，以免；担心disoriented dis:rientidadj. 无判断力的；分不清方向或目标的v. 使迷惑（disorient的过去时和过去分词）headlightsn. 头灯，车头灯；前大灯parking lotn. 停车场formidable fmdb()l; fmd-adj. 强大的；可怕的；令人敬畏的；艰难的bureaucracy ,bj()rkrsn. 官僚主义；官僚机构；官僚政治网络释义erect rektvi. 直立；勃起vt. 使竖立；建造；安装adj. 竖立的；笔直的；因性刺激而勃起的prime pramadj. 主要的；最好的；基本的n. 初期；青年；精华；全盛时期vi. 作准备vt. 使准备好；填装adv. 极好地creature kritn. 动物，生物；人；创造物gratitude grttjudn. 感谢的心情be indifferent to不在乎；对漠不关心notion n()nn. 概念；见解；打算fairness fensn. 公平；美好；清晰；顺利性notably notbliadv. 显著地；尤其loggerhead lghedn. 笨蛋；铁球棒；红海龟petition pt()nvt. 请愿；请求；恳求vi. 请愿；请求n. 请愿；请愿书；祈求；法 诉状obvious bvsadj. 明显的；显著的；平淡无奇的网络释义turn out生产；结果是；关掉；出动；驱逐neglect nglektn. 疏忽，忽视；怠慢vt. 疏忽，忽视；忽略stretch stretvi. 伸展vt. 伸展,张开n. 伸展，延伸adj. 可伸缩的take a heavy toll 遭受重创toll tln. 通行费；代价；钟声vi. 鸣钟；征税vt. 征收；敲钟interference with干涉；妨碍，打扰strip of剥夺squeeze skwizvt. 挤；紧握；勒索vi. 压榨n. 压榨；紧握；拥挤；佣金ultimately ltmtladv. 最后；根本；基本上outlive atlvvt. 比活得长；比经久；经受住；渡过而存在affection fek()nn. 喜爱，感情；影响；感染Passage Two There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill”or the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school graduate earneddecreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.Theres no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of