Question

    Alarming headlines suggest one in four teenage girls in the UK are self-harming, motivated by sex discrimination and pressures to look good in a selfie(自拍)society. These stories come from a report by UK charity The Children’s Society, based on an ongoing survey of 11,000 children aged 14. Among the girls, 22 per cent said they had self-harmed while boys 9 per cent.

But while the term self-harm improves images of teenagers cutting themselves, that may,thankfully, be only the most extreme end of a broader range. In this survey, participants were merely asked if they had"hurt themselves on purpose in any way.

Some could have answered yes for things like punching (击拳) a wall in dissatisfaction or deliberately getting falling-down drunk. Others could have thought the question included mental hurt. Such self-destructive behaviour would naturally be of concern to parents. but wouldn’t be that unusual for teenagers. Max Davie, a health promotion officer, does believe that self-harm among teens is somewhat on the rise--but thinks the question in this survey was not specif enough to reveal its real universality.

The latest headlines join an ongoing account about a mental health crisis in today’s youth.Some blame cutbacks in social services, while others point to a loosening of sexual standards teens at risk For those cautious of new technologies, it is social media or the latest popular computer games.

But such reports also deserve some skepticism. Claims of high rates of depression are usually based on surveys with very loose, non-medical criteria. Thankfully, clinical depression is still rare in this age group.

In fact, a different and regularly repeated survey has found no change in 11-to-15-year-old’s happiness with life as a whole between 1995 and 2016, Nor did their satisfaction with the appearance change, which makes it strange to blame the selfie culture for the apparent self-harm increase. This survey, called Understanding Society, even found improvement in happiness with family and schoolwork over that period. These more optimistic findings were also in the latest Children's Society report but were buried at the bottom of their press release.

Davie thinks the rise in self-harm may not be due to a rise in unhappiness, but simply that this age group now sees self-harm as a more culturally acceptable way to express extreme sufferings. "it may be that previously people didn’t know that this was something you could do. If people are talking about something and normalizing it, it's probably more likely that their peers will do it. "

If that is the case, it is all the more reason not to make self-harm seem more common than it really is.

1.In response to the survey reported by The Children’s Society, the author believes      .

A. the survey is unscientific as it asked very specific questions

B. the self-destructive behavior for teens is worrying to parents

C. the number of self-harming teens is alarming because of selfies

D. the images of teens' self-harm are becoming more specific

2.What does Max Davie think of self-harm among teenagers?

A. The situation is too worrying.

B. The rise is somewhat beneficial.

C. The problem is actually widespread.

D. The phenomenon is not so universal.

3.What can we know from the survey called Understanding Society?

A. Teenagers in the past lived a happier life.

B. Selfie culture is responsible for the increase of self-harm.

C. There is no connection between self-harm and selfie.

D. With selfie teenagers are more satisfied with their appearance.

4.The last two paragraphs mainly imply that      .

A. self-harm results from too much pressure

B. self-harm is the result of social development

C. teens need correct guidance from the outside

D. teens should avoid following peers examples

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文。在回应儿童协会的调查报告时，作者认为青少年的自我毁灭行为令父母担忧。青少年自残行为这种现象并不普遍。自残和自拍之间没有联系。青少年需要来自外界的正确指导。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中Such self-destructive behaviour would naturally be of concern to parents.可知，在回应儿童协会的调查报告时，作者认为青少年的自我毁灭行为令父母担忧。故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中Max Davie, a health promotion officer, does believe that self-harm among teens is somewhat on the rise--but thinks the question in this survey was not specif enough to reveal its real universality.可知，Max Davie认为青少年自残行为这种现象并不普遍。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据第六段中Nor did their satisfaction with the appearance change, which makes it strange to blame the selfie culture for the apparent self-harm increase. This survey, called Understanding Society, even found improvement in happiness with family and schoolwork over that period.可知，从这项名为“Understanding Society”的调查中，我们能了解到“自残和自拍之间没有联系。”故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中Davie thinks the rise in self-harm may not be due to a rise in unhappiness, but simply that this age group now sees self-harm as a more culturally acceptable way to express extreme sufferings.“Davie认为，自残现象的增加可能并不是因为不快乐的增加，而是因为这个年龄段的人现在把自残看作是一种文化上更能接受的表达极端痛苦的方式。” 和最后一段If that is the case, it is all the more reason not to make self-harm seem more common than it really is.“如果是这样的话，那就更有理由不让自残看起来比实际情况更普遍。”可知，最后两段主要暗示青少年需要来自外界的正确指导。故选C。