About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked: “So, how have you been?” And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied. “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”

　　This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.

　　The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

　　Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists, Why?

　　Human development is based not only on innate (天生的) biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social rote to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new status. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

　　In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television, Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, be they children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.

　　Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practices. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

　　31.According to the author, feeling depressed is

　　A.a sure sign of a psychological problem in a child.

　　B.something hardly to be expected in a young child.

　　C.an inevitable has of children’s mental development.

　　D.a mental scale present in all humans, including children.

　　正确答案:B

　　解析:问题问的是：哪项是作者对感觉抑郁的正确观点?第二段作者提到在他的记忆中，他和他的朋友在上中学之前从来没有感觉到什么是抑郁。因此B正确，很难想象抑郁发生在小孩身上。

　　32.Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world

　　A.through contact with society.

　　B.gradually and under guidance.

　　C.naturally and by biological instinct.

　　D.through exposure to social information.

　　正确答案:B

　　解析:问题问的是：传统上，孩子应该怎样了解成人的世界?第五段结尾提到，传统的方法是要让孩子渐渐的，分阶段的了解成人的世界，后面还举例说，六年级要教给孩子的东西对五年级的孩子都要保密。因此B正确，即要在指导下循序渐进的了解。

　　33.The phenomenon that today’s children seem adult like is attributed by the author to

　　A.the widespread influence of television.

　　B.the poor arrangement of teaching content.

　　C.the fast pace of human intellectual development.

　　D.the constantly rising standard of living.

　　正确答案:A

　　解析:问题问的是：作者认为现在的孩子更加成人化的原因是什么?倒数第二段提到了电视打破了传统的教育模式和年龄的界限，这也成为孩子过早接触到成人世界的主要原因。因此A正确，即电视的广泛影响。

　　34.Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children

　　A.It enables children to gain more social information.

　　B.It develops children’s interest in reading and writing.

　　C.It helps children to memorize and practice more.

　　D.It can control what children are to learn.

　　正确答案:D

　　解析:问题问的是：为什么作者更偏好于通过印刷品向孩子传播文化?最后一段第一句提到印刷品可以有效的控制孩子接触社会信息的渠道。因此D正确，即它能够控制孩子学习的内容。

　　35.What does the author think of the change in today’s children

　　A.He feels amused by chair premature behavior.

　　B.He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note.

　　C.He considers it a positive development.

　　D.He seems to be upset about it.

　　正确答案:B

　　解析:问题问的是：作者对如今孩子的变化有何看法?纵观全文不难看出，作者对孩子的这种变化表示了自己的担忧，并认为这是一个值得关注的现象，因此B正确。AC表示乐观显然不符合文意，作者也没有对这一现象感到生气，因此D不正确。

　　更多精彩内容 >> 新东方网英语频道 

　　全国新东方英语课程搜索

（实习编辑：高奕飞）