2024新牛津译林版高中英语第一册Unit 2 Let’s talk teens
Reading
Strangers on the same roof
Does every dinner with your parents seem to turn into a battle? Have your once warm and open conversations become cold and guarded? Do you feel that you just cannot see eye to eye with them on anything? You are not alone. Heated arguments and cold silences are common between teenagers and their parents.
Teenagers’ physical changes may result in such family tensions. You may feel anxious that you are developing at a different rate to your friends, shooting up in height or getting left far behind. You might worry about your changing voice, weight problems or spots. When it all gets too much, your parents are often the first targets of your anger.
It can be a big headache to balance your developing mental needs too. You enter a strange middle ground—no longer a small child but not quite an adult. You have both a new desire for independence and a continued need for your parents’ love and support. You feel ready to be more responsible and make decisions on your own. Unfortunately, your parents do not always agree and that makes you feel unhappy. “Why can’t they just let me go?” you may wonder. On the other hand, when you are struggling to control your feelings, you wish they could be more caring and patient—sometimes they forget that growing up is a rough ride. It can be difficult when your parents treat you like a child but expect you to act like an adult. All of this can lead to a breakdown in your relationship.
Although sometimes it may seem impossible to get along as a family, you can take action to improve the situation. The key to keeping the peace is regular and honest communication. When you disagree with your parents, take a minute to calm down and try to understand the situation from their point of view. Perhaps they have experienced something similar and do not want you to go through the same pain.
After you have thought it through, explain your actions and feelings calmly, listen carefully, and address their concerns. Through this kind of healthy discussion, you will learn when to back down and when to ask your parents to relax their control.
Just remember that it is completely normal to struggle with the stress that parent- child tensions create, and that you and your parents can work together to improve your relationship. The good news is that this stormy period will not last. Everything will turn out all right in the end, and the changes and challenges of your teenage years will prepare you for adulthood.
Extended reading
Mama and Her Bank Account
Every Saturday night Mama would sit down by the kitchen table and count out the money Papa had brought home.
“For the rent.” Mama would count out the big silver pieces.
“For the groceries.” Another group of coins.
“I’ll need a notebook.” That would be my sister Christine, my brother Nels or me.
Mama would put one or two coins to the side. We would watch with anxious interest. At last, Papa would ask, “Is that all?” And when Mama nodded, we could relax a little. Mama would look up and smile, “Good. We do not have to go to the Bank.” We were all so proud of Mama’s Bank Account. It gave us such a warm, secure feeling.
When Nels graduated from grammar school, he wanted to go on to high school. “It will cost a little money,” he said.
Eagerly we gathered around the table. I took down a box and laid it carefully in front of Mama. This was the “Little Bank”. It was used for sudden emergencies, such as the time when Christine broke her arm and had to be taken to a doctor.
Nels listed the costs of the things he would need. Mama counted out the money in the Little Bank. There was not enough. “We do not want to go to the Bank,” she reminded. We all shook our heads.
“I will work in Dillon’s grocery after school,” Nels volunteered.
Mama gave him a bright smile and wrote down a number. “That’s not enough,” Papa said. Then he took his pipe out of his mouth and looked at it for a long time. “I will give up smoking,” he said suddenly.
Mama reached across the table and touched Papa’s arm. Then she wrote down another figure.
“I will look after the Elvington children every Friday night,” I said. “Christine can help me.”Now there was enough money. We all felt very good because we did not have to go downtown and draw money out of Mama’s Bank Account. So many things came out of the Little Bank that year: Christine’s dress for the school play, my little sister Dagmar’s operation ... Whatever happened, we always knew we still had the Bank to depend upon. That was twenty years ago.
Last year I sold my first story. When the check came, I hurried over to Mama’s and put it in her lap. “For you,” I said, “to put in your Bank Account.”
I noticed for the first time how old Mama and Papa looked. Papa seemed shorter, and Mama’s hair was silver now.
“Tomorrow,” I told Mama, “you must take it to the Bank.” “You will go with me, Katrin?”
“That won’t be necessary. Just hand it to the teller. He’ll pay it into your account.” Mama looked at me. “There is no account,” she said. “In all my life, I’ve never been inside a bank.” And when I didn’t—couldn’t—answer, Mama said seriously, “It is not good for little ones to be afraid—to not feel secure.”
(Adapted from Kathryn Forbes’s Mama’s Bank Account, which has 17 short stories and describes the struggles and dreams of a family in San Francisco in the early 1900s)
Unit 2单词
nest /nest/ n. 鸟窝；巢穴，窝 (15) roof /ru?f/ n. 屋顶，顶部 (16)
battle /?b?tl/ n. & vt. & vi. 争论；战斗，搏斗；斗争 (16)
see eye to eye with sb (on sth) （在某事上）与某人看法一致 (16) argument /?ɑ?ɡjum?nt/ n. 争吵，争论；论点 (16) teenager /?ti?ne?d??(r)/ n. 青少年 (16)
tension /?ten?n/ n. 紧张关系；紧张；拉伸 (16)
anxious /???k??s/ adj. 忧虑的，担心的；令人焦虑的；渴望的 (16) rate /re?t/ n. 速度；率vi. & vt. 评价，评估 (16)
shoot /?u?t/ (shot, shot) vi. & vt. （使朝某方向）冲，奔；射击；射杀；摄影 (16) shoot up 快速长高，蹿个儿 (16)
spot /sp?t/ n. 粉刺；斑点；污渍；地点，场所 (16)
target /?tɑ?ɡ?t/ n. （攻击的）目标，对象；靶子vt. 把…作为攻击目标；面向 (16) anger /???ɡ?(r)/ n. 怒气，怒火 (16)
mental /?mentl/ adj. 思想的，精神的，智力的 (16) adult /??d?lt/ n. 成年人 (17)
desire /d??za??(r)/ n. & vt. 渴望，愿望 (17)
struggle /?str?ɡl/ vi. & n. 奋斗；斗争；搏斗 (17) *rough /r?f/ adj. 艰难的；粗糙的；不确切的 (17) breakdown /?bre?kda?n/ n. （关系）破裂；故障 (17) regular /?reɡj?l?(r)/ adj. 频繁的；有规律的 (17)
calm /kɑ?m/ vt. 使平静，使镇静adj. 镇静的，沉着的 (17) calm down 平静，镇静，安静 (17)
view /vju?/ n. 看法；视线；景色vt. 把…视为；观看 (17) from one’s point of view 从某人的角度、观点出发 (17) think sth through 充分考虑，全盘考虑，想透 (17)
concern /k?n?s??n/ n. 担心，忧虑；关心vt. 涉及；让（某人）担忧 (17) back down 承认错误，认输 (17)
normal /?n??ml/ adj. 正常的，一般的n. 常态，通常标准 (17) stress /stres/ n. 精神压力，紧张；强调vt. 强调，着重 (17) editor /?ed?t?(r)/ n. 主编，编辑；剪辑师 (19)
argue /?ɑ?ɡju?/ vi. 争吵，争辩，争论vt. 说理，论证 (19) skin /sk?n/ n. 皮肤；（兽）皮，毛皮 (19)
design /d??za?n/ vt. 设计；制订n. 设计；设计艺术 (20) *forum /?f??r?m/ n. 论坛，讨论会 (20)
expert /?eksp??t/ n. 专家，行家adj. 熟练的，内行的，专家的 (20) likely /?la?kli/ adj. 可能的，预料的，有希望的 (20)
unique /ju?ni?k/ adj. 独一无二的；独特的；独具的，特有的 (21) passive /?p?s?v/ adj. 消极的，被动的 (21)
performance /p??f??m?ns/ n. 表现；表演；执行，履行 (21) cheer up （使）变得高兴，振奋起来 (21)
press /pres/ vt. & vi. 催促，逼迫；按，压；挤，推n. 报章杂志，报刊；（ the press ）新闻工作者，新闻界 (22)
eager /?i?ɡ?(r)/ adj. 热切的，渴望的，渴求的 (22) youth /ju?θ/ adj. 青年时期；青春；（ theyouth ）年轻人 (22) adventure /?d?vent??(r)/ n. 冒险，冒险经历，奇遇 (22) be on sb’s back about sth 缠磨，烦扰 (22)
2024新牛津译林版高中英语模块一 Unit 2 reading与词汇
