专家解析大学英语四级考试历年阅读真题(十四)

　　这是一篇评论社会问题的文章，文章核心是当今儿童所肩负的压力问题。文章采用了经典的论说文结构：首先提出问题(第一段)，而后分析问题(第二段)，最后解决问题(其余部分)。

　　第一段很长，而且多是比较复杂的长句，这与它“提出问题”这一功能有关，长句往往信息容量更大，逻辑也较清晰，能够更好地向人呈现问题的方方面面，语气也较为客观。在解决问题阶段，作者多使用短句，是因为这时文章的功能已经转换为向父母们传授经验方法，短句接近口语，亲切感更强，有“谆谆教诲”的意思。

　　第一句话的基本结构是I’m skeptical about research(我怀疑某些研究的价值)，至于是什么样的研究，作者用从句做了详细说明，后面的that代指research。从句的意思是说这些研究总是得出结论说现在的人们如何比50年前的人或快乐或不快乐等等。作者在第一句首先表明了一个观点，就是把不同历史时代的人们进行对比是没有意义的。随后就道出了原因：这种对比有可能是正确的，但在实证上无法得到论证(While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically)。前两句占了第一段内容的一半，但实际上与文章的核心内容(儿童压力问题)关系不大，作者之所以如此浓墨重彩是为了突出其对一项关于不同时代儿童所受压力的研究的惊讶之情，进而增加读者对文章核心论题的关注度。

　　第一段后半部分开始提出本文讨论的问题：normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago，现在的正常孩子比50年前接受精神治疗的孩子所受的压力还要大。这一观点确实耸人听闻，难怪作者要为此临时抛弃旧有的观念。

　　第二段第一句话是Why are America’s kids so stressed?为什么美国的孩子承受了如此重压?很显然这里是要分析原因了。后面给出了两个原因，一个是孤独(physical isolation)，另一个是认识到世界更加危险了(the world is a more dangerous place)。

　　后面的部分都是对如何解决这一问题提出的忠告。

　　首先就是要向孩子传达个人主义存在局限的观念(limits of individualism)，孩子不是孤岛，社会联系可以为孩子减轻压力的冲击。

　　为了帮助孩子与他人建立更加紧密的联系，可以拔掉电视和电脑的插头，这样他们就有了更多的时间与人面对面地交往，也有了更多的睡眠时间(They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep)。

　　减少孩子接触虚拟暴力的机会。不仅包括视频游戏、电影，在新闻上也出现了太多的谋杀、犯罪(children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news)。

　　不要对孩子的期望值过高。要知道许多成功人士从来没上过哈佛或是耶鲁大学(Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale)。

　　最后是要给孩子们做出榜样，告诉他们如何应对压力。方法就是坚持锻炼身体，这可以向孩子传达一个信息：有时忧虑是不可避免的，但那不至于毁了你的生活。

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.

　　It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement because once you are inside, the organizational constraints (约束) influence wage increases. One thing, however, is certain: your chances of getting the raise you feel you deserve are less if you don’t at least ask for it. Men tend to ask for more, and they get more, and this holds true with other resources, not just pay increases. Consider Beth’s story:

　　I did not get what I wanted when I did not ask for it. We had cubicle (小隔间) offices and window offices. I sat in the cubicles with several male colleagues. One by one they were moved into window offices, while I remained in the cubicles, several males who were hired after me also went to offices. One in particular told me he was next in line for an office and that it had been part of his negotiations for the job. I guess they thought me content to stay in the cubicles since I did not voice my opinion either way.

　　It would be nice if we all received automatic pay increases equal to our merit, but “nice” isn’t a quality attributed to most organizations. If you feel you deserve a significant raise in pay, you’ll probably have to ask for it.

　　Performance is your best bargaining chip (筹码) when you are seeking a raise. You must be able to demonstrate that you deserve a raise. Timing is also a good bargaining chip. If you can give your boss something he or she needs (a new client or a sizable contract, for example) just before merit pay decisions are being made, you are more likely to get the raise you want.

　　Use information as a bargaining chip too. Find out what you are worth on the open market.

　　What will someone else pay for your services?

　　Go into the negotiations prepared to place your chips on the table at the appropriate time and prepared to use communication style to guide the direction of the interaction.

　　26. According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should ________.

　　A) demonstrate his capability

　　B) give his boss a good impression

　　C) ask for as much money as he can

　　D) ask for the salary he hopes to get(D)