These days, it’s not unusual to see middle-aged men collecting Star Wars action figures, office workers wearing Hello Kitty accessories, or celebrities like David Beckham playing with Lego bricks. It’s becoming more and more common to see adults taking an interest in toys, comic books and the activities that are traditionally associated with children. This phenomenon has given rise to a new word: kidult.
What lies behind the phenomenon? One is about adults’ nostalgia(怀旧之情) for the carefree days of childhood, and this is especially true with today’s fast-paced, stressful lifestyles. Another is about a societal change in recent decades where people are starting families later. As a result, they have more time and money to spend on themselves. Some adults could only window-shop for their dream toys when they were kids, but now they can afford that radio-controlled car or high-priced doll they have always wanted.
Businesses have been quick to exploit the kidult trend, and the number of toy stores that target adults has risen. Companies are repackaging products from past decades and also bringing out new ones for adults. Lego, for example, has brought out an architectural series featuring landmarks from around the world.
Society traditionally disapproves of adults who refuse to put aside childhood interests, viewing the refusal as a sign of social immaturity and irresponsibility. Those who agree with this view sometimes claim that kidults are suffering from the pop-psychology concept known as Peter Pan Syndrome, an anomaly(异常) that people remain emotionally at the level of teenagers. On a grander scale, these kidult opponents argue that such delayed adulthood causes couples to marry later and have fewer children. This in turn can lead to shrinking national economies, for there needs to be a generational replenishment(补充) of the workforce.
From the standpoint of kidults, though, this phenomenon is seen as nothing but harmless fun. Kidults insist that having youthful interests keeps them young, happy and creative, and their refusal to conform to society’s acceptable tastes shows independent thinking. Besides, they argue that being part of the social trend of delayed adulthood is not purely a personal choice. The real causes include expensive housing, increased educational requirements for employment and poor work opportunities.
Whether the kidult phenomenon will continue to grow or prove to be a passing trend is anyone’s guess. As the debate about it continues, remember that there is nothing wrong with being young at heart.
1. What does the kidult phenomenon refer to?| A．Adults act like children. | B．Adults like playing with children. |
| C．Adults go in for collecting toys. | D．Adults have child-like tastes. |
| A．High pressure of modern life. | B．More choices about toys. |
| C．Different living conditions. | D．Good memories of childhood. |
| A．Get used to. | B．Look forward to. |
| C．Make way for. | D．Take advantage of. |
| A．By strongly opposing kidult opponents. |
| B．By refusing to take a stand on the issue. |
| C．By presenting both sides of the argument. |
| D．By convincing readers to accept kidults. |
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【推荐1】An 18-year-old girl from Austria is taking her parents to court for posting over 500 photos of her on Facebook since 2009, without her permission.
Anna Meier has apparently become fed up with her parents refusal to take down intimate and embarrassing photos of her dating back to when she was a toddler, and is now seeking justice in court.
She said that when she was 11 years old, her parents started sharing photos of her with several hundreds of Facebook friends, without ever asking if it was alright with her. “They didn’t care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my cot – every stage was photographed and then made public,” she said. The girl added that she was only able to see the photos posted on Facebook by her parents when she was 14, after setting up her own account on the world’s most popular social network. Angry and upset, Anna asked her mother and father to remove the over 500 photos of her immediately, but they refused. She kept asking them over the years, but faced with constant refusal, she felt that she had no other way to coerce them than taking them to court. Which she did as soon as she turned 18, this year.
Although Anna is convinced that her right to privacy has been violated, her parents, on the other hand, see nothing wrong with posting baby photos of her. However, a German law firm advises parents not to post photos of children on Facebook without their consent. Apart from legal consequences and subsequent compensation, they also risk making their children-especially those of school age-targets for cyber-bullying(网络暴力).
1. What does the underlined word “intimate”(in Paragraph 2) mean?| A．close | B．shameful |
| C．private | D．ugly |
| A．1998 | B．2002 |
| C．2009 | D．2012 |
| A．The photos her parents posted were embarrassing |
| B．Her parents refused to remove the photos of her. |
| C．She became fed up with her parents |
| D．She wanted her parents to be punished |
| A．Protect children from cyber-bullying |
| B．Never post photos of children |
| C．Post photos of children with their permission |
| D．Always take children seriously |
【推荐2】LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday that boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games is not the right path to take.
“We are ever excited about prospects for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing,” Miliband said in an interview with Chinese reporters in London before his visit to China.
“Everything we have seen and read suggests that preparations are proceeding in an excellent way. We very much look forward to a very successful Olympics, successful for China and successful for the world. We certainly believe that boycotts are not a right way,” he said.
“China has big responsibilities around the world. We are looking forward to working with the Chinese government to ensure the values of stability, security and social justice. And only today I spoke with (Chinese Foreign Minister) Yang about our joint work that could help the situation in Darfur. And the Chinese envoy (特使) to Darfur is in London today, that sort of engagement is the right way to go and boycotts are not the right way,” Miliband said.
“The prime minister (Gordon Brown) is determined to represent the whole of the country with his attendance to the Games,” he added.
Miliband expressed his high regard to the bilateral (双边的) relations between Britain and China. “I can’t think about a time that our relations are stronger, that is symbolized by the visit of the prime minister to China last month but also by cultural events like China now going on in Britain.”
British people are fascinated by the changes and improvements going on in China, and are trying to build bridges between the two nations, the foreign secretary said.
“Both our countries are challenged by the facts of globalization. Economic and social changes are producing challenges for both the societies, challenges about security and stability, challenges about justice, challenges about environment, and the theme of my visit is how our two countries can work together and learn from each other in adapting to these challenges,” the secretary told Chinese reporters.
1. According to the British Foreign Secretary, the right way to deal with China is ________.| A．to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games |
| B．to support the Beijing Olympic Games |
| C．to send the Prime Minister to attend the Beijing Olympic Games |
| D．to work together with China |
| A．Globalization is a challenge |
| B．Both countries face many different challenges |
| C．Britain wants to work together with China to face challenges |
| D．Britain wants to learn from China to face challenges |
| A．China and Britain enjoy a good relationship |
| B．Boycotts of Olympics are not the right path |
| C．Beijing Olympic Games will be successful |
| D．Foreign Secretary speaks highly of China |
【推荐3】One of the most popular programmes on British television，with its devoted viewers，is the Antiques Roadshow．Members of the public bring their treasured possessions along to a venue（会场） in their neighbourhood to be valued by antiques experts．Obviously the experts see a lot of junk，but there are times when even the experienced professionals find it difficult to hide their excitement on making an unexpected discovery．That brown paper bag that an old lady has brought to the table with something to be valued contains﹣yes﹣a rarity，a masterpiece，a superb piece of jewellery，…
There was a time when antiques dealers and experts had a reputation for being a little pretentious （自命不凡的）﹣knowledge，but pretentious．That has changed，due partly to the influence of programmes like the Antiques Roadshow，and the experts now are bent on being as helpful as they can．I remember a conversation just like this in a recent programme：
"I suppose you'd like to know what it's worth，"said the expert，staring at a delicate bottle．
"Well，yes，"said the owner，adding，as expected，"but naturally I wouldn't want to sell it．Sentimental（情感的） value，you know．"
"Yes，memories，"replied the expert．"Anyway，as I said，it is very rare，and it's worth a mere £500．"And before the gasps of fascinated onlookers had died away，he added quickly．"Of course，if it had been in perfect condition，it would have been worth ten times that﹣at least ten times．"
Such things make good television，if nothing else．
And then，within a few months，when all the fuss had died down，there was the bottle﹣﹣﹣a little perfume bottle，photographed in all its"delicate"glory，to be included in the next sale of good European glass in a large London auction house （拍卖行）．So much for sentimental value!
1. What do all the people bring when they come to the Antiques Roadshow？| A．Treasured and valuable antiques． |
| B．All kinds of old things． |
| C．Valuables and masterpieces． |
| D．Plenty of junk． |
| A．an expert gives to an article |
| B．an auctioneer estimates of an article |
| C．is based on tender feelings alone |
| D．is the real market value |
| A．had not been wrapped roughly |
| B．had been signed by the maker |
| C．had not been damaged somehow |
| D．had been auctioned to the highest bidder |
| A．things |
| B．money |
| C．dream |
| D．advice |
【推荐1】In Copenhagen, an 8-year dream was realized when the first paid skiers took their runs down a one-third-mile course (路线)．They skied on what is possibly the greenest power factory in the world．The factory is so clean and safe that designers were able to turn its buildings into a new center for social life．
The waste-to-power factory itself opened in 2017 under the name Amager Bakke．Bjarke Ingels is the architect whose company came up with the idea eight years ago of designing a power plant building that would join mountain sports into its very nature．
“It is the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world．It is not only better for the environment, it is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens.” Ingels says 97% of city people get their heating as a by-product of energy production．It comes from a system where the electricity, heating, and waste disposal (处理) are mixed into a single process．He dreams that it is also becoming an example that others can look to and say, “If Copenhagen can do it why can' t we?"
There are no hills in this island city, but now people can ski locally, while enjoying the best views ever seen of the harbor．Another thing missing here is snow cover throughout the winter, so designers set up a kind of special "plastic grass" that provides the perfect friction (摩擦力) for downhill winter sports．
In a country where 600, 000 skiers always had to travel to practice sking, to be able to finally ski in their backyard-and, all year round - is, as one skier said, “AMAZING．”
The company hopes to see 300, 000 visitors enjoying the experience of Copen hill each year, with the ski slope costing $ 22 an hour or just $ 366 for a full season pass．Meanwhile, the city is one step closer to its final goal of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral city by 2025．We think it might be all “down hill” from here．
1. How does the power factory produce electricity?| A．By using oil． | B．By using coal． | C．By using wind． | D．By using waste． |
| A．To make more tall buildings in different big cities． |
| B．To help more skiers to ski in high mountains． |
| C．There will be more green power factories in the world． |
| D．More and more people will ski in the power factory． |
| A．On man-made snow． | B．On man-made ice． |
| C．On plastic grass． | D．On real sand． |
| A．they will soon reach their final goal | B．they will soon draw many visitors |
| C．they will produce more electricity | D．they have difficulties reaching the goal |
| Space Center Houston is an official visitors’ center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Touch a real moon rock. See astronauts train on a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA. It’s an out-of-this –world experience for all ages. | |
| Prices Adult: ages 12+, $46 Child: ages 3-11, $36 Beginning July 1, Space Center Houston attractions will remain the same, but our price will increase: Adult, $49; Child 3-11, $39 through February 28, 2015. You can get tickets online or at the main entrance. | |
| Highlights The journey into space begins with the film On Human Destiny at the Destiny Theater. The NASA Tram Tour, a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour, takes you to real working areas of Johnson Space Center. Experience the thrill of launching into space like a real astronaut in the Blast-Off Theater. Kids Space Place is perfect for children of all ages who have dreamed of being an astronaut. | Advice for Visitors Arrive early and allow 4 to 5 hours to enjoy all the attractions. Take the NASA Guided Tram Tour to see Rocket Park, the Historic Apollo Mission Control Center and astronauts train. Buildings visited on Tram Tour are real working areas of Johnson Space Center and subject to close without notice. Get 10% off your purchase in the Space Trader or Gift Station. |
| On-site Services Parking: Paid parking available Dining: Zero-G Diner Gift Shops: Space Trader and Gift Station | Opening hours Open daily, 10am-5pm. Closed at Christmas. |
| Group Requirements Groups of 15 or more: Call (281) 283-4755. | |
1. Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．It will usually take 4 to 5 hours for visitors to enjoy all the attractions. |
| B．Visitors to Space Center Houston can buy tickets only by calling or online. |
| C．Space Center Houston is suitable for families to visit together at Christmas. |
| D．John and his wife will spend $92 if they visit Space Center Houston in January 2015. |
| A．By seeing the film On Human Destiny. |
| B．By visiting the real working areas. |
| C．By visiting Kids Space Place. |
| D．By taking the NASA Tram Tour. |
| A．park the car free of charge |
| B．stay there for at most 5 hours |
| C．visit the real working areas anytime |
| D．shop at a 10% discount in the Gift Station |
【推荐3】Edinburgh is the world’s festival city with twelve festivals throughout the year. Here are some of the events you can enjoy.
The Edinburgh International Festival
This is the original Edinburgh festival which began in 1947. Actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theaters around the city.
The Edinburgh Art Festival
This festival is modern and has been celebrated for around ten years. It is a fantastic opportunity to see some of the city’s best visual art in art galleries and museums. Most events are free and include events such as fashion shows and art exhibitions.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of shows which take place across the city. Anyone can perform in the festival and over 20,000 artists take part, so there is always a huge variety of acts to choose from. Go to the Royal Mile to watch performers such as magicians and comedians for free. However, it can get very busy as thousands of tourists and local people fill the city streets to enjoy the shows.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and takes place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens in the centre of Edinburgh. There are over 700 events for children and adults who love books. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories.
1. Which Festival has the longest history?| A．The Edinburgh Art Festival. |
| B．The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. |
| C．The Edinburgh International Festival. |
| D．The Edinburgh International Book Festival. |
| A．Ask authors to sign books. |
| B．Perform with artists together. |
| C．Go to theaters to watch plays. |
| D．See the best visual art in galleries. |
| A．A story book. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A news report. | D．A travel magazine. |
