不可不知的欧美文化（高级篇） - 万水书苑-出版资源网

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Chapter 1

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2 不可不知的欧美文化（高级篇）

01 4,000 Pound Baby

新手父母的育儿账单

有报道称，在新生儿出生后的第一年中，父母们预计要花费4000 英镑。除了配备婴儿室，还要准备衣服，尿布，寝具，玩具以及食品，为此成千上万的家长真是挥金如土。接下来，新手父母们还要承担汽车安全座椅，婴儿推车以及其他的一些零零碎碎的花销。仅有三分之一的家长承认自己“有点高兴过头了”；为了迎接新生命的到来，他们已严重超支。在兴奋与荷尔蒙的共同作用下，以上物品采购中有52% 发生在孕期前半段。在孩子平安降生前，初为父母的人中，有四分之三为理财问题而担忧，显而易见资金问题备受关注。这些新手父母们经常会陷入疯狂购物的状态，三分之一的人承认自己过度消费，买一些不实用的东西。其实只要稍稍计划一下，新手父母们迎接宝宝降生时就能够理性消费，而不会遭遇财政危机。关键是要寻求质量可靠的耐用品，或是买一些可以二次出售的物品，这样就能抵消部分开销。新手父母们可以求助朋友、家人、甚至助产士，来弄清自己的真正需求。

Parents of newborn babies can expect to spend around £4,000 before their first birthday.

Millions of parents are left with a substantial hole in their pocket after kitting out a nursery, coupled with the added cost of clothes, _{nappies, bedding, toys and food. On} top of that car seats, pushchairs and other bits and pieces also send the cost soaring for first-time mums and dads.

But one in three parents admitted they "got a bit carried away" and overspent hugely in preparation for their new arrival. And 52 percent of these purchased made during the first half of pregnancy as excitement and hormones kicked-in.

A research from a baby products company shows that three quarters of new parents wor-ried about how they would cope financially before their baby had even arrived, so clearly money

◆substantial [sb5stQnSl] adj. 实质的，真实的 substantial transformation 实质性改变，实质转型 ◆nursery [5nsrI] n. 育婴室，温床 nursery school 幼儿园，保育学校，托儿学校 ◆nappy [5nQpI] n. [ 英口 ] 尿布 ◆pushchair [5pStSe(r)] n. 折叠式婴儿车 ◆hormone [5hmn] n. 荷尔蒙，激素 growth hormone [ 生化 ] 生长激素 ◆frenzy [5frenzI] n. 狂暴，狂怒 ◆research into 探究 ◆informed [In5fmd] adj. 见多识广的，了解情况的

◆break the bank 耗尽资源，倾

家荡产

◆recoup [rI5kup]

vt. 赔偿，补偿，扣除

He didn't recoup his health until re-cently. 他最近才恢复健康。

◆midwife [5mIdwaIf]

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C ha pte r 1 成长的烦恼 · 我的青春谁做主

is a major concern. New parents can often get caught-up in a new baby shopping frenzy, as a third agreed that they spent more than they needed, buying things they didn't even use. By doing a little research into what they will really need, and buying good quality items which will last, new parents can save an average of £136 when baby arrives. By the time a second child has come along though, parents are more cash-conscious and make more informed purchases, based on what they learnt first time around.

With just a little planning, new parents can make some sound purchases to welcome their baby into the world without breaking the bank. The key is to look for quality items which will last for a long time or can be sold-on to help _{recoup some of the cost. Talk to friends and family} and even your midwife for advice on what you really will and won't need.

02 Watch Children like a Hawk

严加看管孩子们

英国一项最新调查表明，英国父母因担心孩子的安全问题，不让孩子在外过夜，不让年龄不满15 岁的子女单独乘坐公共交通工具，而且在带孩子到公园玩时会像老鹰一样紧紧地盯着他们。对于父母来说，何时选择退后一步，让孩子们单独去经历一些事情是很难的。该报告显示出在过去一代中，有很多事情发生了变化。一半以上的父母最担心孩子遇到“来自陌生人的危险”，其次是受到欺负，遭抢劫和道路安全问题。一般来说，如今的孩子11 岁时可以自己走路去上学，12 岁时能单独乘坐公共交通工具，14 岁的时候能帮忙照看弟弟妹妹。而父母一代的人在这每一项的年龄设定上都比新一代人要小。父母们知道现在他们对自己的孩子看得过严。超过三分之一的父母说，自己的孩子不能像他们小时候那样享受自由，这也让他们感到担心。

Fearful parents are saying no to _{sleep-overs, banning children as old as 15 from using} pub-lic transport on their own and watching over their kids like hawks at the local park, according to a new British study.

The survey of 6,099 people commissioned by LV=Streetwise, a charity that educates chil-dren about safety, revealed that nearly a quarter of chilchil-dren aged 15 or under were not allowed to sleep at a friend's house, 60 percent were forbidden to travel on public transport alone and 43 percent can't go to the park without a parent or guardian. It said more than 60 percent of mums and dads think the world is more dangerous than when they were kids.

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It's difficult for parents to know when is the right time

to _{step back and allow children to experience things on}

their own, and this report shows just how much things have changed over the last generation.

In contrast, just four percent of today's adults say they were banned from sleeping-over when they were 15 or younger, only two percent were forbidden to use public transport, and the same number couldn't go out on their own in familiar surroundings, such as their local town or park.

"Stranger danger" is the number one worry for over half of all parents (54 percent), followed by bullying (47),

mug-ging (47) and road danger (34).

On average, children today can look forward to walking to school on their own by the age of 11, use public transport on their own at 12, and babysit their brother or sister by the time they're 14.

In contrast, parents say they were allowed to walk to school unaccompanied at the age of nine, use public trans-port alone by the time they were 11, and babysit a sibling by the time of their 12th birthday.

Parents know they are being tougher on their children and over a third said they felt uneasy that their kids do not get the same opportunities as they did to experience free-dom as a youngster.

LV= Streetwise released the survey to launch its safety roadshow, which helps to educate children about safety in the home and outdoors.

03 Prom Season of May

美国高中舞会守则

对于美国高中生来说学生时代没什么比高中毕业舞会更重要、更值得翘首以待的了。这个舞会也是美国高中学生告别学生时代，以成年人身份进入社会的一个重要仪式！因此，这 ◆sleep-over n. 在外过夜 ◆hawk [hk] n. 鹰

watch someone like a hawk 密切监视

◆commission [k5mISn]

vt. 委任，任命

The Department of Agriculture com-missioned a study into organic farming. 农业部委托了一项有机耕作的研究。

◆guardian [5gAdjn]

n. 监护人

◆step back 后退

I stepped back and analyzed the situa-tion. 我退一步分析了局势。

◆familiar [f5mIlj]

adj. 熟悉的

They are already familiar faces on our TV screens. 他们已经是我们电视屏幕上熟悉的面孔了。 ◆bullying [5blIN] n. 恃强欺弱 ◆mugging [5mQgIN] n. 行凶抢劫 ◆unaccompanied [5Qn5kQmpnId] adj. 无伴侣的，无随从的 ◆youngster [5jQNst] n. 年轻人，少年 ◆roadshow [5rdS] n. 巡回演出

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C ha pte r 1 成长的烦恼 · 我的青春谁做主个舞会也有许多条条框框需要参与者们去遵守。学生申请邀请他校学生参加舞会，被邀请的学生会拿到一张邀请卡。舞会需购票入内时，老师也会拿到邀请卡。不许带帽子。不许穿蓝色牛仔裤。男生要穿有领衬衫和正装长裤。女生不许穿露乳沟的裙子、大腿中部以上的裙子以及有开衩到大腿中部以上的裙子。衣着不规范的学生将不能入场。拿包和大衣的学生入场前必须接受检查。所有跳舞的学生必须保持直立姿势——不允许出现性感的弯腰姿势，不许双手扶膝，不许双手撑地，同时臀部正对舞伴。不许跨坐在舞伴的大腿上。所有人的双脚必须一直保持与地面接触。不按规则跳舞的学生将会被要求离场，并在接下来的一整年内失去参加舞会的权利。舞会开始后一小时锁门，之后不许任何人离开。散场前半小时可以开始离场。与父母一起的学生可以提早离场。

In America, the month May is often called "Prom Sea-son". A prom is a formal dance that occurs at the end of spring to celebrate the end of yet another academic year. This event is particularly special to seniors, who view prom as a class before heading off to college.

Planning often starts months before the day of the prom. First, classmate must find a date to go with. Many peo-ple use this situation to finally ask that girl out before it's too late. Some go with their significant others, and others go as good friends.

When a student signs up a guest from another school, he/she will be given a _{guest pass from the office. Pass will} be given to teachers when ticket is purchased.

No hats at prom. No blue jeans. Boys should wear

col-lared shirts and dress pants. Girls cannot wear dresses that

expose cleavage, extend above mid-thigh, and have slits extending above mid-thigh. Students not appropriately dressed will not be allowed in to the dance. Students with bags, coats will be asked to stop at the check-in table and will

be subject to search.

All dancers must remain upright-no sexual bending is allowed. Examples are: no hands on knees, and no hands on

the dance floor with your buttocks touching your dance

partner. There will be no straddling of each others' legs. Both feet must remain on the dance floor at all times. A student

◆prom 毕业舞会，为中学生举办的正式舞会或聚会，通常在高中学年即将结束时举行。 ◆academic year 学年 ◆significant [sIg5nIfIknt] adj. 有意义的，重大的，重要的 significant others 重要人物，有重要意义的他人 ◆guest pass 通行证，邀请卡 ◆collared [5kld] adj. 有领圈的，带领的 ◆cleavage [5klivIdZ] n. 劈开，分裂 ◆slit [slIt] n. 裂缝，狭缝

She watched them through a slit in the curtains. 她透过窗帘的缝隙注视着他们。

◆be subject to 遭受到

The man had subjected her to four years of beatings and abuse. 那个男人使她遭受了4 年殴打和辱骂。 ◆dance floor 舞池 ◆buttock [5bQtk] n. 屁股，半边臀部 ◆privilege [5prIvIlIdZ] n. 特权

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dancing inappropriately will be asked to leave the dance. This may result in loss of dance

privi-leges for the year.

The doors will be locked one hour after the start of the dance. No one will be admitted after that time. Students will not be released from the dance until one half hour before the dance ends. A student may leave early with their parent.

04 The Most Bizarre Traditions at Princeton University

普林斯顿的奇葩传统

普林斯顿的校园生活中有两次重要的游行，两次游行都会经过赫赫有名的费兹兰道夫门。据说如果有谁在除两次游行之外的时间穿过这扇门，那他/ 她将永远无法毕业…… 在普林斯顿，与哈佛和耶鲁的对抗感深入人心，甚至蔓延到课堂以外。如果普林斯顿在橄榄球比赛上打败哈耶二校，学生们就会举办一场盛大的篝火晚会来庆功。在大二刚开学时（春季），很多学生会参加所谓的“饮食俱乐部”，这样的俱乐部在普林斯顿一共有11 个，供学生们选择。草坪派对每年举行两次，由饮食俱乐部和学生会赞助，届时会有乐队来为学生表演，乐手们都会穿上最“学院风” 的服装。本科生每学期最怕的日子就是院长日，因为那天是所有论文的截止期限！不过经过这么多年，学生们也有了经验，想出了一个释放压力的好办法——在院长日凌晨五点前的午夜，走投无路的学生会聚集在霍尔德大楼的庭院里，疯狂尖叫一分钟，希望以此来发泄做不完作业的沮丧。

The Princeton experience is bookended by two proces-sions through the historic Fitz Randolph gate: the "Pre-rade" kicks off freshman year, and is a relatively recent imitator of the "P-rade" – a highlight of the annual alumni Reunions,

when graduating seniors and alumni alike process through campus. Legend has it that if you walk through the gates any time between these two events, you'll never graduate!

◆highlight [5haIlaIt] n. 精彩场面，最显著（重要）部分 ◆rivalry [5raIvlrI] n. 竞争，竞赛 ◆lineup [5laInQp] n. 阵容，阵形，一组人

One player sure to be in the lineup is star midfielder Landon Donovan. 肯定列入该阵容的一名球员是中场球星兰登• 多诺万。 ◆sophomore [5sfm] n. 大学二年级生，有二年经验的人 ◆frat house [ 美俚 ] 兄弟会，等于fraternity house ◆bi-annual 一年两次的 ◆attire [5taI] n. 服装 ◆inevitable [In5evItbl] adj. 不可避免的，必然的 ◆congregate [5kNgrIgeIt] vi. 聚集 ◆trustee [trQs5ti] n. 托管人，保管人，理事 ◆defiance [dI5faIns] n. 挑战，蔑视，挑衅 in defiance of 不顾，不管

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At Princeton, the rivalry with Harvard and Yale runs deep, both in and out of the classroom. Beating both schools at American football in one season gets us a huge celebratory bonfire that draws most of the campus community out to warm their hands against the freezing cold of No-vember in the northeast. The Tigers have been rewarded with a bonfire for the past two years, thanks to lineups that included Mike Catapano '13 and Caraun Reid '14, who both graduated to the NFL.

At the beginning of sophomore spring, many students choose to join one of Princeton's eleven "eating clubs": mansions on nearby Prospect Avenue that serve a function somewhere between that of a dining hall and a _{frat house. Some of the clubs are selective, employing a} pro-cess called "Bicker" which differs from club to club; others are open to anyone who wants to join, or "sign in." However, about a third of students every year choose to keep their meal plan at their residential college, join a co-op, or go "independent" and cook for themselves.

Lawn party is the bi-annual event where both the eating clubs and the student government sponsor bands to play for a crowd of students, dressed in their preppiest possible attire. Floral dresses and boat shoes abound, and if you're not wearing pastel, you're doing it wrong.

The one day of every semester that undergraduates dread above all others, Dean's Date is a universal deadline for all written class work. Over the years, students have come up with a way to deal with the stress – and the inevitable fact that you always end up spending the preceding week of no class catching up on TV rather than writing your four ten-page papers. At midnight before the 5am deadline (about the time when desperation is starting to set in), students

con-gregate in the Holder Hall courtyard for a minute of screaming to vent their frustration.

For nearly thirty years until 1999, the first snowfall of the year was accompanied by the Nude Olympics, where students braved the cold completely naked to compete in a range of events. Sadly, trustee concerns about alcohol use and injury led to the banning of the event and the implementation of a year's suspension to any prospective Olympians in defiance of the ban.

05 Hipster's Dilemma

大学校园里的潮人困境

在大学校园里，有这样一群人变得越来越多——他们穿法兰绒衣服，戴厚框眼镜，听独立音乐。可能他们喜欢玩一些冷门乐器，喜欢去二手店购物，或是以特立独行的方式来表达自我，他们自称“潮人”。许多年轻人开始觉得“潮人”的外形很酷，并自发接受他们的反主流文化心态。这便产生了一批“潮人”专属的小众品牌、商店以及音乐。对于自身的定义，“潮人”族中间也存

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8 不可不知的欧美文化（高级篇）在争论。对于一些人而言，成为“潮人”意味着摆脱文化的束缚。对于其他人来说，这意味着要穿上特定款式的服装，听特定类型的音乐。前者一直努力争取独特性，后者则努力成为非主流。 “潮人”是研究社会形态的知识分子，是酷炫的学生。他孜孜不倦地学习，搜寻那些主流文化还未发现的角落。他是一个鲜活的例证，衣着并不能体现他们的全部说明。他不是用概念，而是用实实在在的东西试图探索由来已久的个性化问题。

They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing _{flannel and thick-rimmed glasses} while listening to indie music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at _second-hand

stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways. They

call themselves hipsters. Being "hip" used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has evolved into a synonym for "cool", "edgy" and "quirky".

Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive poli-tics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony is central to their culture and offers an interesting _paradox.

There is a conflict among hipsters about the very defi-nition of the label. To some, to be a hipster is to be free from cultural constraints. To others, it means wearing a certain style and listening to a specific genre of music. The former constantly strives for uniqueness, while the latter strives not to be mainstream.

Many young adults have started to view hipsters' out-look as cool and are adopting their counterculture mindset themselves. This has led to specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster niche. Ironically, some such stores, in-cluding clothing labels _{Urban Outfitters and American}

Apparel, have gained mainstream popularity. This has

seem-ingly diluted the anti-mainstream culture.

Hipsters reject materialism and mock mainstream culture. But are they really beyond material comforts? Do they have any ideas of their own if they despise mainstream so much?

◆flannel [5flQnl] n. 法兰绒衣服 ◆second-hand store 旧货店 ◆hipster [5hIpst] n. 潮人，时髦人群 ◆evolve into 发展成 ◆appreciation [7priSI5eISn] n. 欣赏 ◆mainstream [5meInstrim] n. 主流 ◆paradox [5pQrdks] n. 矛盾，悖论 ◆conflict [5knflIkt] n. 冲突 ◆constraint [kn5streInt] n. 约束 ◆counterculture [5kantkQltS] n. 反主流文化，指 60 和 70 年代美国青少年中盛行的一种思想。 ◆Urban Outfitters 城市旅行者，美国服装连锁公司，成立于1970 年。 ◆American Apparel AA 美国服饰，成立于 2003 年，在美国本土垂直一体化生产，坐落于洛杉矶市区的AA工厂有3500名工人，是美国现今最大的单个服装工厂。 ◆relentlessly [rI5lentlIslI] adv. 持续地 ◆age-old 由来已久的

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"The hipster is a scholar of social forms, a student of cool. He studies relentlessly, foraging for what has yet to be found by the mainstream. He is a walking citation; his clothes refer to much more than themselves. He tries to negotiate the age-old problem of individuality, not with con-cepts, but with material things."

06 College Students, Living the Good Life

美高校人性化管理添魅力

对于大一新生而言，他们面对的第一个难关便是不得不与学校分配的室友相处一室，尽管彼此毫无交集。尝试去包容对方的恼人习惯、不同的政治立场及激烈的情绪波动，这有助于学到在现实世界中的处事之道。但对于孤芳自赏且自我独断的一代，如何和室友相处融洽更重要一些。现在，一些美国大学与交友资讯公司合作，学生填写这些公司出具的调查问卷后，就可以收到和自己志趣相投的大一新生名单。这样一来，大学生很快便会形成各自的，思想达成共鸣的小团体。麻省理工在内的越来越多的学校允许学生带宠物上学。对于学生来说，离开家的过程变得越来越残酷，携带家里的某种特殊物件会使得这种分离变得更容易些。美国的许多高校承认此举是为了在竞争激烈的（招生）市场中，凸显自身优势，进而吸引更多的顶尖学生。就业市场亦是如此激烈，为了增强学生竞争力，有些学校开始放宽评分标准。大学已然演化成无拘无束、自力更生、独具优势的代名词。当然这些的前提是不要对学生纵容。

Who wouldn't want to do so when student life seems a little easier these days? For better or worse?

The first hurdle used to be at the start of freshman year, when students faced having to live with an assigned room-mate with whom they may have had nothing in common. Tolerating annoying habits, differing political views and radical mood swings can teach lessons that help in the real world. But for a narcissistic and highly curated generation, the goal is perfect harmony. Universities are contracting with matchmaking companies, where students fill out a

ques-tionnaire then receive a list of compatible freshmen.

Still not comfortable? A growing number of colleges like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology let students bring

◆hurdle [5hdl] n. 篱笆，障碍，难关 marketing hurdle 营销门槛 ◆assigned [5saInd] adj. 指定的，分配好的 ◆political view 政见，政治见解 ◆narcissistic [7nAsI5sIstIk] adj. 自恋的，自我陶醉的

He was insufferable at times—self-centered and narcissistic. 他有时候真让人难以忍受，自我中心又自恋。

◆questionnaire [7kwestS5ne]

n. 调查表，问卷

questionnaire survey 问卷调查

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pets. It's harder and harder for students to leave home. Bring-ing this particular piece of home with them may make that separation easier.

Colleges acknowledge that these tactics are also ways

to differentiate themselves in a competitive market for

top students. It's also a competitive job market, and to make students look more attractive, some schools are inflating grades. In the last two years, at least 10 law schools have changed their grading systems to make them more _lenient, reported The Times. Harvard and Stanford recently switched to a pass/fail system.

You can also find access to free-for-all resources. Har-vard, Yale and Stanford now offer a large portion of their courses online. In Britain, Open University even has its own

YouTube channel. The very idea of a university has become unbundled, do-it-yourself and perhaps

peerless – if not a little pampered.

07 You Can Go Home Now Mom and Dad

新生向前走，家长请回避

美国的大学最近各出奇招来将那些溺爱孩子的父母与刚升上大学的子女分开。美国亚特兰大的莫尔豪斯学院特地举办了一个正式的分别仪式。分别仪式最近在莫尔豪斯学院的马丁• 路德 • 金国际礼堂举行。在一段讲话之后，新学生步行进入学校大门；大门徐徐关上，也标志着他们向门外的父母告别。美国明尼苏达大学邀请学生父母前往学校各处的接待点，这样他们的子女就可以与自己的室友见面，在没有父母干涉的情况下与室友讨论如何布置寝室。格林内尔学院认为，当家长来送新生的时候，学校应该明确告诉家长什么时候该与孩子说再见。格林内尔学院的校长选择背对家长来欢迎2014 届的新生。让新生搬进宿舍通常只需要几个小时的时间，但让父母离开校园需要更长时间。家长们会在校园里逗留数天。新生入学这对于每一个家庭而言是一个非常重要的日子。但是很多学校更是明确地使用直言不讳的词语，告诉父母与孩子分别的具体时间。

In order to separate doting parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has instituted a formal "Parting Ceremony". It began on a recent evening, with speeches in the

adj. 一致的，兼容的 compatible with 与……和谐相处、与 ……相配的 ◆tactic [5tQktIk] n. 策略，战略 brand tactic 品牌策略 ◆differentiate [7dIf5renSIeIt] vt. 区别，区分 ◆inflate [In5fleIt] vt. 使膨胀，放宽松 ◆lenient [5linjnt] adj. 宽大的，仁慈的 ◆free-for-all 对任何人开放的 ◆peerless [5pIlIs] adj. 出类拔萃的，无可匹敌的