新世纪大学英语综合教程第一册第6单元Text B

Respect

Text

1 Can you remember a time when men held doors for women and elders, and took off their hats when they were inside? Do you recall the days when youngsters wouldn't dare talk back to their parents or grandparents out of sheer (纯粹的) respect? People who do remember those instances must be appalled (使惊骇) at the lack of manners in today's society. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find people who still use the simple words "please" and "thank you" on a daily basis. Even “polite policy” is no longer very polite. The general level of respect people have for other people has declined rapidly in the past few decades (十年间) and it will continue to decrease until we teach ourselves and our children otherwise.

2 Who is to blame for the current decline in manners? The place where kids are most disrespectful is usually the place where they learn to be that way — at home. Children are refusing to obey parents more and more every day. Eight years ago, I could have never worn my hat at the dinner table; my mom would have thrown a fit. Nowadays, youngsters sit down to supper with their hats on, while playing hand-held video games, and parents don't blink (眨眼睛) an eye. Some kids are even allowed to use profane (污秽的) language in front of their parents. Such casual (漫不经心的) attitudes about disrespect are at the root of the growing problem America is having with unmannered youth. If impoliteness around the household continues to go unnoticed, the rude children will someday turn into rude adults, continuing the current trend of disrespectfulness. Of course, the media have also contributed to the growing problem by portraying (描绘；表现) the rudeness of our youth in a comical light in many modern family sitcoms (情景喜剧).

3 Another way Americans show this loss of manners is in how they treat their elders. The number of senior citizens in nursing homes is on the rise, and I'm sure many of them could be just as well taken care of at home. However, some people don't have the patience and respect they once had for their parents, and a nursing home is becoming an easy alternative for rising numbers of elderly people across the country. Elders are also shown less and less respect on the roads. Older people who drive a little slower than the fast-paced younger drivers are harassed (使烦恼) by the honking (鸣[汽车喇叭]) horns, flashing lights, and hand gestures (手势) of more youthful drivers. I'm sure the senior citizens of today are wondering why they don't get the same kind of respect they showed their elders. It is too bad that there isn't a single good reason to give them for the loss of manners Americans seem to suffer from.

4 Teachers across the United States experience the bad etiquette (礼仪) of students on a daily basis. For the most part, it is the high school teachers who see the biggest change in their pupils' attitudes. Teens are no longer afraid to talk back to teachers, which would have resulted in a few whacks (重击) from a ruler years ago. Maybe if we give the teachers their rulers back, kids might be a little more careful of what they say during school. The problem is that the instructors hear the disrespectful adolescents and let them get away with being totally ignorant. I suppose it's true that they aren't paid to babysit (当临时保姆), but by allowing rude behavior to go unchastised (未受严惩) for so long, teachers have only made their own jobs more irritating (令人恼怒的). The students will continue to use little or no manners in school until somebody puts an end to the everyday lack of respect they are allowed to show their teachers.

5 Basically, the problem America is now facing is one of neglect. We can no longer afford to ignore our children's bad manners. Had we put a stop to these lax (不严格的) attitudes about manners when they first showed up in kids, the problem most likely wouldn't have become as extreme as it is. We, as a nation, need to recognize and rectify (改正) the problems that exist due to the rudeness and disrespectfulness of our youth. Although chivalry (骑士精神) may be a thing of the past, I think it's the time for courtesy and respect to make a comeback (复位) in our society.

Text Translation

                          尊重
 1    你是否记得，曾几何时，男士为女士和长者开门，且进门脱帽？你是否记得，曾几何时，出于对父母或祖父母的绝对尊敬，年轻人从不敢顶嘴？对此记忆犹新的人一定会对当今社会礼仪的缺失颇感震惊。如今，每天仍把“请”和“谢谢”这样的简单词汇挂在嘴上的人越来越难找到。甚至连“礼貌策略”也不再礼貌。在过去几十年间，人们给予他人的尊重的总体水平急剧下降。倘若我们不自我教育，也不教育孩子，这种局面将每况愈下。
2    谁应该对如今的礼仪滑坡负责呢？孩子们表现得最没礼貌的场所通常正是他们学会不讲礼貌的地方——那就是在家里。孩子们越来越不听父母的话。八年前，我绝不可能戴着帽子坐在餐桌旁，否则我妈妈会大发雷霆。如今，年轻人带着帽子吃晚饭，同时玩着手持电子游戏，父母们对此却熟视无睹。有些父母甚至纵容孩子在自己面前说脏话。由此形成的对礼仪的漠视态度，是导致美国年轻人教养问题日益突出的根源。如果父母对家庭中的无礼举止一直视而不见，粗鲁的孩子最终会成为粗鲁的成人，目前这种礼貌缺失的趋势将会愈演愈烈。当然，媒体也在这个日益严重的问题上推波助澜，很多现代家庭情景喜剧描绘年轻人的粗鲁行为只为博人一笑。
3    美国人礼仪的缺乏还表现在他们对待长辈的方式上。入住养老院的老人人数持续增长，我相信他们中的很多人其实是可以在家里得到照顾的。然而，有些人已经失去了对父母曾有的那份耐心和尊重，养老院便逐渐成为全国日益增多的老年人轻而易举的选择。在马路上，老人获得的尊重也越来越少。只要老人车速比开得快的年轻司机稍慢，他们就会遭到鸣笛、闪灯和侮辱手势的骚扰。我相信，现在的老年人会倍感疑惑，他们为什么得不到自己曾经给予前辈的那份尊重。很遗憾，找不到任何充分的理由向他们解释美国人遭受礼仪缺失困扰的问题。
4    全美国的老师每天都在承受着学生们的无礼。在很大程度上，高中老师看到的学生态度变化最大。十几岁的孩子们不再害怕跟老师顶嘴，如果是在过去，他们顶嘴就要挨戒尺打。也许，倘若我们让老师重新拿起戒尺，孩子们在学校可能会更注意自己所说的话。问题是，老师听到学生口出不逊，却完全不去理会，让他们侥幸逃避惩罚。我想他们的确不是拿着工资当保姆的，但是若长期放任学生的粗鲁行为，老师们只会让自己的工作陷入更大的困境。学生们在学校还是会礼数不周或毫无礼貌，除非有人终结老师每天面临的这种纵容学生无礼的局面。

5    从根本上说，美国人目前面临的问题是疏于管教。我们不能再对孩子们的无礼视而不见。如果孩子漠视礼仪的态度第一次显露时我们便能阻止，问题远不会发展到如今这种极端的地步。作为一个民族，我们需要认识并改正这些由于我们的年轻人粗鲁和无礼所导致的问题。尽管骑士精神可能已经过时，但是我觉得现在是礼貌和尊重回归社会的时候了。

Word Study

Key Words:

alternative   n.	contribute vi.	current a.	decade n.
decline n.& vi.	decrease vi.	ignorant a.	ignore vt.
media n.	neglect n.	rise n.	trend n.

alternative  n.  [(to)]something, esp. a course of action, that may be taken or chosen instead of one or more others [常与to连用]可供选择的事物（方式等）

e.g. Using acupuncture may provide a useful alternative to western medicine in treating arthritis

            If payment is not received legal action will be our only alternative.

CF: alternative, choice, option

         这些名词均有“选择”的意思。

alternative 二者（或多个选项中）择一, 可供选择的办法、事物。另，alternative也是形容词形式。例如：

e.g. You can be paid in cash weekly or by cheque monthly: those are the two alternatives.

choice 表示从一个系列的人或物中进行挑选。例如：

e.g. There is a wide range of choices open to you.

option常常侧重于已经被权威等所授予的一种选择能力或自由。 例如：

e.g. Students have the option of studying abroad in their second year.

     Collocations:

•        with/without the option/choice/possibility of sth.

a(n) good/acceptable/reasonable/possible option/choice/alternative

•        the only option/choice/alternative/possibility open to somebody

•        have a/an/the option/choice of doing sth.

•        have no option/choice/alternative but to do sth.

•         a number/range of options/choices/alternatives/possibilities

contribute  vi.  [(to)] help in causing a situation, event, or condition [常与to连用]起促成作用，有助于，是…的部分原因

    e.g. The design faults in the building contributed to the tragedy.

       The chairman encourages everyone to contribute to the discussion.

current  a.  belonging to the present time; of the present day 现时的，当前的，进行中的

e.g. In current society, many young people’s values are very different from those of their parents.

It seems improbable that the current situation will continue.

当前的局势似乎不大可能继续下去。

decade  n.  a period of ten years 十年；十年期间

e.g. How time flies! Two decades have passed since we graduated from this university.

The media training industry has rapidly developed over the past decade.

decline n.  a period or process of declining; movement to a lower or worse position 衰微，衰退，下降

    e.g. It is  reported that there will be a big decline in student enrollment this year.

          An increase in cars has resulted in the decline of public transport.

decrease  vi.  (cause to) become less in size, amount, strength, or quality; reduce （使）减少，减弱，减轻，降低

e.g. Accidents at this road junction have decreased after the warning sign was put up.

      The North’s share of the world’s energy consumption is expected to decrease from 70% to 60%.

CF: decrease, decline, reduce

这几个动词都有“减少”的意思。

reduce是动词，指一种主观的减少，降低。名词形式：reduction。

Small businesses will need to reduce costs in order to survive.

decrease 指客观、被动地减少，下降。名词形式亦为decrease。

Average house prices decreased by 13% last year.

decline除了数值上的下降，还能指能力等抽象量的衰退、下降，名词形式亦为decline。

Her influence declined after she lost the election.

ignorant  a.  [(of)] lacking knowledge, education, or consciousness, esp. of something one ought to know about [常与of连用]无知的，无学识的，愚昧的，不知道的

e.g. You can’t blame him as he was ignorant of the company policy.

Many teenagers are surprisingly ignorant about current politics.

They seem to be ignorant of the dangers involved.

ignore  vt.  take no notice of; refuse to pay attention to 不顾；不理；忽视

e.g. She simply ignored me at the party. She never looked my way.

She deliberately ignored my question and changed the subject.

media n.  fml the newspapers, television, and radio 〖正式〗大众传播媒介

e.g. The media plays a very important role in shaping people’s thoughts; that’s why the government   needs to control it.

The media has a powerful influence on public opinion.

neglect n.  lack of due care or attention; negligence 忽略；疏忽；玩忽

e.g. The house is in a state of neglect as nobody has been looking after it for the last five years.

       Both parents were found guilty of neglect and their child was taken away from them.

rise  n.  [C (in)] an increase in quantity, price, demand etc. [常与in连用](数量、价格、需要等的）增加，增长

e.g. Because of the sharp rise in crime in the city, most people are afraid of going out at night now.

We are expecting a rise in food prices this month.

trend /trend/ n.  a general tendency or direction in the way a situation is changing or developing 倾向，趋势

e.g. The housing properties in the country are getting more and more expensive and I believe this

trend cannot be reversed.

The rise in violent crime is a disturbing new trend.

Expressions:

talk   back	on a daily/weekly/regular/ etc. basis
throw   / have a fit	not   (even) blink an eye
be/lie   at the root of sth.	in a   (good/bad/new/different etc.) light
on the   rise	give a   (good) reason / excuse for
for   the most part	result   in
get   away with	put an   end to
put a   stop to	show   up
due to

talk back  answer someone in authority such as a teacher or parent in a rude or impolite way 顶嘴，反驳

e.g. Mary was really irritated that her teenage son talked back to her each time she scolded him.  

Children who talk back are regarded as cheeky and disrespectful.

on a daily/weekly regular/ etc. basis  (do it) daily/weekly/regularly  每天/每周/定期地

e.g. After he learned that  his blood sugar/glucose level was high, he started to do exercises on a daily basis.

Payments can be evened out (使平均) on a monthly basis over the year.

throw/have a fit  fig.; infml  get very angry and fly into a rage 〖喻；非正式〗勃然大怒

e.g. If you say that dirty word again, your mother will throw a fit.  

John threw a fit when he found his car had been damaged.

not (even) blink an eye  show no surprise at something that someone else says or does 毫无反应；无动于衷

e.g. She wouldn’t even blink an eye if I jumped off a high building in front of her. She simply has no feelings for me at all.

When he was told I was expecting twins, Harry didn't even blink an eye.

be/lie at the root of sth.  be the cause of something 是…的根源；是…的起源

e.g. What lies at the root of his troubles is a sense of insecurity.

The rule of law lies at the root of everything Hong Kong stands for, and that’s why I chose this profession. 

in a (good/bad/new/different etc.) light  (seen or shown) in a favourable/ unfavourable/ new/  different way ( used for talking about people’s opinion of a particular person or thig) 以赞同的/不赞同的/新的/不同的目光或态度去理解；对…有赞同的/不赞同的/新的/不同的看法 

e.g. His analysis of the situation enabled me to see this incident in a new light.

Most of the articles about the dispute showed the mayor in a very bad light.

on the rise  becoming greater or more numerous; increasing 增加，增

e.g. The interest rates have been on the rise in the last two years.

Rates of rural and urban unemployment were on the rise.

give a (good) reason/excuse for  explain 解释

e.g. The boss did not give a single good reason for dismissing Jane from her post.

He's lied to us before, so give me one good reason for believing him now.

for the most part  almost completely; mainly 多半，主要，就绝大部分而言

e.g. For the most part, it is the parents’ duty to properly educate their children about manners.

This town has always been considered safe, and for the most part, it still is.

result in [no pass.] have as a result; cause [无被动态]导致，造成

e.g.  It is estimated that about five percent of the road accidents in this town  result in death.

I hope that this will result in the police finding your car.

get away with do (something wrong) without being caught or punished 做成（坏事、错事）未被发觉（未受惩罚）

e.g. You shouldn’t think you can get away with this. Cheating in an exam is a serious offence.

Those who lie and cheat will never get away with it.

put an end to stop from happening or existing any more 使终止，使结束

e.g. He has been spreading rumour about our past for too long. We need to put an end to all his nonsense.

We must put an end to the pointless conflict.

put a stop to stop (esp. an undesirable activity) 制止…，使…停下来

e.g. Let’s put a stop to such regular meetings. Many things can be done through email communication.

He closed his eyes to put a stop to all distracting thoughts, sitting there quietly and peacefully.

show up  reveal or be revealed clearly （使）显露，（使）显现

e.g. The cracks in the wall show up in the sunlight.

The new telescope is so powerful that it can show up galaxies billions of light years away.

due to  because of; caused by 由于，因为，是…的结果

e.g. Due to his carelessness and neglect, the house  got flooded by water from his kitchen tap.

Due to wet leaves on the line, this train will arrive an hour late. 

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