孝文豪

As a second semester high school senior， I was expecting a season of milestones， but not quite like this. A few weeks ago， I turned 18—and celebrated my entrance into adulthood with friends and family on Zoom. A few days later， I got into my first choice college—and videoed my reaction as I opened my virtual acceptance letter. And a few days after that， I heard New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announce that all New York schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

作為高三第二学期的学生，我期待着毕业季作为我人生的里程碑，但事情并非如此。几周前，我满18岁了，朋友和家人通过视频网站Zoom庆祝我成年。几天后，我进入了我的第一志愿大学，我拍下了当我打开虚拟录取通知书时的反应。几天后，我听到纽约州长安德鲁·库莫宣布，所有纽约的学校将在本学年的剩余时间停课。

So， I guess Ill be spending my last weeks of high school in bed with my laptop， and I wont be shaking my principals hand as he presents me with the diploma that symbolizes 13 years of my life.

我想我高中最后几个星期，都要和我的笔记本电脑在床上度过了，而且我不能在校长给我象征着我13年生命的毕业证书的时候和他握手。

These past few months of staying home and social distancing have been unusual， but also eye-opening. The people I am used to seeing in person every day are suddenly on my screens instead. People of all ages have been feeling a sense of dislocation and dependence on technology during this time， but my generation is in a unique position.

过去几个月待在家里，是不同寻常的疏远社会关系，但也让人大开眼界。我之前每天亲眼能见到的人突然出现在我的屏幕上。在这段时间里，各个年龄段的人们都感受到了混乱和对科技的依赖，但是我们这一代处于一个独特的位置。

Many people assume Gen Zers prefer everyday interactions mediated by screens—we have been using modern technology since before we could walk， so naturally we would not be as affected by social distancing. Whether it be Snapchat， Facetime or TikTok， my age group had been actively choosing to communicate digitally long before Covid-19 forced us to. But even if we are digital natives， the assumption that we are comfortable living a fully digital life is wrong. We value in-person interactions more than many may think. And now that this privilege has been taken from us， its just plain obvious.

许多人认为Z时代（20世纪90年代末或者是21世纪初的一代人）出生的人更喜欢通过屏幕进行日常互动——我们在会走路之前就开始使用现代科技产品，所以我们自然不会受到社交距离的影响。无论是Snapchat、Facetime还是Tiktok，我这个年龄段的人在新型冠状病毒肺炎强迫我们进行数字交流之前就已经积极地选择了数字交流。但即使我们是“数字原住民”，认为我们过着完全数字化的生活会很舒服的假设也是错误的。我们比很多人想象的更重视面对面的交流。但很明显，现在这项特权已经被剥夺了。

Studies have shown that social interaction is beneficial to our physical and mental health， and that relationships are particularly important in adolescence. Social isolation， by contrast， has a negative impact on brain development and behavioral patterns—and can weaken communities and even our democracy.

研究表明，社交有益于我们的身心健康，而人际关系在青春期尤其重要。相比之下，社交隔离对大脑发育和行为模式有负面影响，并且会削弱社区的作用甚至我们的民主。

These are not surprising facts. However， before this pandemic， many people my age thought we could fulfill this need for human connection by communicating with others online.Clearly， we were mistaken. Being quarantined has affected the way I am feeling， behaving and sleeping， and my friends have told me they feel the same—more anxious， lonely and unhappy. Facetime， Zoom， iMessage and other forms of digital communication do not have the same effect as being with our friends and loved ones in person， or in a classroom with our teachers and classmates.

这些事实并不让人惊讶。然而，在这次流行病爆发之前，许多我这个年纪的人认为，我们可以通过网络沟通来满足人际交往的需要。很明显，我们错了。我被隔离影响了我的感觉，行為和睡眠;我的朋友们告诉我他们也有同样的感觉：更焦虑、孤独和不快乐。Facetime，Zoom，iMessage以及其他形式的数字通信不会产生与亲朋好友交流时，或者与老师和同学一起上课时相同的效果。

Going to school is hardly something we thought we would miss， having just gone through some key years of pressure and stress. But remote learning takes away much of what makes high school enjoyable and special. Although I am able to stay in touch with my close friends through technology， I dont get the spontaneous， unplanned interactions that occur in real life.

上学几乎不是我们认为会错过的事情，因为我们刚刚经历了一段关键时期的压力。但是远程学习剥夺了高中生活的乐趣和特别的东西。虽然我可以通过科技与亲密的朋友保持联系，但是我却无法在现实生活中有那种自发的、无计划的互动。

In fact， one of the paradoxes of remote learning is how limiting it can be. In some ways， it makes it harder for me to get out of my comfort zone. There are people I might never have occasion to reach out to remotely， but still appreciate seeing on a daily basis —my favorite middle school teacher; a girl in my math class who helps me when Im struggling; the friendly security guard who always gives me a high five.

事实上，远程学习的悖论之一就是它的局限性。某种程度上，这让我更难走出自己的舒适区。有些人我可能永远都没有机会远程联系，但我仍然感激每天都能见到——我最喜欢的中学老师;在我困难的时候帮助我学数学的一个女孩;友好的保安，总是和我击掌。

It is this sense of serendipity that I miss， and which I now recognize is key to making kids my age feel noticed， supported and happy. School is about more than just learning in the classroom， and it seems impossible to get this feeling of community and sense of belonging online. Close your laptop and you're alone again. This experience has made many of us realize how much we need school， not just an education.

我怀念这种意外收获的感觉，现在我意识到这种感觉是让我这个年纪的孩子感到被关注、被支持和快乐的关键。学校不仅仅是在课堂上学习，还有似乎不可能在网上获得的这种社区感和归属感。关上你的笔记本电脑，你又是一个人了。这次经历让我们很多人意识到，我们多么需要学校，而不仅仅是教育。

As teenagers， we are going through pivotal life changes and learning how to form healthy relationships. We are figuring out who we are and who we want to surround ourselves with. Many high school seniors like me are going to college in the fall—we hope—and want to forge new friendships there to shape the next four years of our lives.

作为青少年，我们正在经历重要的生活变化，并学习如何建立健康的人际关系。我们要弄清楚我们是谁，我们想和谁在一起。许多像我这样的高中毕业班学生希望能在秋天进入大学，并希望在那里结交新的朋友，从而塑造我们未来四年的生活。

Many of us planned on meeting our new college peers at accepted students events， but those arent happening. Unfortunately， this means well be more reliant on social media to make friends before we arrive at campus. Getting to know someone will consist of looking at their Facebook profile or having a quick text exchange—not exactly deep engagement or even all that spontaneous.

我们中的许多人都计划在迎新会上和新的大学同学见面，但是那些都没有发生。不幸的是，这意味着在我们到达校园之前，我们将更加依赖社交媒体来交朋友。了解一个人的过程包括观察他的 Facebook 或者进行一次快速的短信交流——不是深度的接触，甚至不是自发的。

Not only might this make it harder for us to find our place， it may make us increasingly dependent on， and even consumed with， how we appear online. This is something we should steer away from， as over-reliance on social media has been shown to take a toll on a persons happiness.

这不仅可能让我们更難找到自己的位置，还可能让我们越来越依赖，甚至消耗我们在网上的形象。这是我们应该避免的，因为对社交媒体的过度依赖已经被证明会对一个人的幸福产生负面影响。

If what we take away from this experience is that in-person interaction is less necessary now that we are more comfortable with remote communication， we are learning the wrong lesson.

如果我们从这种经历中学到的是：面对面的交流不再那么必要，因为我们现在更适应远程交流了，那么我们就学错了。

Although many of us can have school on video chat， and can have meetings over the phone and can binge-watch an entire Netflix series instead of talking to our friends， we shouldnt.

虽然我们中的许多人可以上视频聊天课;可以通过电话开会;可以连续看一整部 netflix 电视剧，而不是和朋友聊天，但我们不应该这样做。

We must not only return to our previous way of living， but place an even greater emphasis on community， real life engagement and the now rare pleasure of human interaction off a screen.

我们不仅要回到以前的生活方式，而且要更加重视社区，真实生活的参与，以及屏幕之外罕见的人际交往的乐趣。

（文章摘自美国有线电视新闻网：https：//edition.cnn.com/2020/05/13/opinions/high-school-biggest-lesson-covid-19-shapiro/index.html ）

阅读文章后，也尝试找找以下问题的答案吧！

1. How did the author celebrate his 18th birthday？

A. He videoed his school life.

B. He held a party at home.

C. He accepted congratulations online.

D. He spent that day with his laptop in bed.

2. We can learn from the fourth paragraph that ________.

A. young generations feel good living a fully digital life.

B. teenagers are not affected by social distancing at all.

C. young people would not like to communicate face-to-face.

D. young generations adapt more to online communication.

3. In the authors opinion， remote learning ________.

A. has more benefits than disadvantages.

B. can make people a sense of belonging.

C. makes school life more colorful.

D. lacks pleasure of human interaction.

4. From the article， it can be inferred that _________.

A. we should not heavily depend on social media.

B. it is very difficult to form a healthy relationship.

C. kids feel supported and happy in a community online.

D. it is no use looking at a persons Facebook if you want to know someone.

5. What does the author feel about social distancing？

A. stressed. B. uncomfortable.

C. annoyed. D. indifferent.

【答案】

1. C。細节理解题。根据第一段“A few weeks ago， I turned 18—and celebrated my entrance into adulthood with friends and family on Zoom.”可知，作者的家人朋友是通过Zoom给他祝贺生日的，后文也提到了Zoom是一个视频网站。

2. D。细节理解题。根据第二段作者的叙述，可知这一代人更适应网上的交流。选项A和本段第一句矛盾，选项B和C是作者否认的。

3. D。推理判断题。根据文章的最后一句“...the now rare pleasure of human interaction off a screen.”可以推断，作者认为远程学习是没有乐趣的。

4. A。推理判断题。根据文中的“This is something we should steer away from， as over-reliance on social media has been shown to take a toll on a persons happiness.”可知，作者认为我们不应该过于依赖社交媒体。

5. B。态度意图题。文章中比较社交媒体或网上交流和现实生活中的交流，很明显作者更喜欢的是前者，而且也有很多类似“In some ways， it makes it harder for me to get out of my comfort zone.”这样的句子，因此作者对于因新冠引起的社交隔离是不舒服的。

【长难句分析】

1. If what we take away from this experience is that in-person interaction is less necessary now that we are more comfortable with remote communication， we are learning the wrong lesson.

译文：如果我们从这种经历中学到的是，面对面的交流不再那么必要，因为我们现在更适应远程交流了，那么我们就学错了。

分析：这是一个主从复合句，主句是we are learning the wrong lesson，从句是if引导的条件状语从句，其中又包含着what引导的主语从句;that in-person is less necessary now that...communication是表语从句，此表语从句中又含有now that引导的原因状语从句。