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       2020考研英语同源外刊精选文章，其目的是为提升2020考研学子们的阅读能力而总结的资料。以下是北京文都考研网挑出的考研英语同源外刊8月:神奇的青少年大脑，供考生参考。

2020考研英语同源外刊8月:神奇的青少年大脑

Neuroscientists have explained the risky, aggressive or just plain baffling behavior of teenagers as the product of a brain that is somehow compromised. Groundbreaking research in the past 10 years, however, shows that this view is wrong. The teen brain is not defective.It is not a half-baked adult brain, either. It has been forged by evolution to function differently from that of a child or an adult.

青少年不时表现出危险的或攻击性的举动，他们的很多行为常常令人大惑不解。神经科学家们曾一度认为这是大脑受损的结果。然而，过去十年间的突破性研究表明这一观点是错误的。青少年大脑并非存有缺陷，也不是尚未成熟的成人大脑。相反，它是进化过程的产物，与儿童和成人大脑的活动方式均不同。

Foremost among the teen brain’s features is its ability to change in response to the environment by modifying the communication networks that connect brain regions. This special changeability, or plasticity, is a double-edged sword. It allows teenagers to make enormous strides in thinking and socialization. But the morphing landscape also makes them vulnerable to dangerous behaviors and serious mental disorders.

青少年大脑较为显著的特点是其能通过调整脑区间的网络连接以适应环境变化。这种特殊的可变性，或者说可塑性，是一把双刃剑。它可以使青少年的思考和社交能力突飞猛进。然而，这种变化也容易滋长危险行为，使他们容易患上严重的精神障碍。

The most recent studies indicate that the riskiest behaviors arise from a mismatch between the maturation of networks in the limbic system, which drives emotions and intensifies at puberty, and the maturation of networks in the prefrontal cortex, which occurs later and promotes sound judgment and the control of impulses. Indeed, we now know that the prefrontal cortex continues to change prominently until well into a person’s 20s. And yet puberty seems to be starting earlier, extending the “mismatch years.”

研究表明，青少年较为危险的行为源于边缘系统的脑组织与前额皮质脑组织的成熟期不一致，前者引起情绪反应，在青春期时快速发育成熟，而负责理智判断和冲动控制的后者发育较晚。实际上，我们现已知道人类的前额皮质直到20多岁还在不断发生显著变化。而如今，青春期似乎越来越提前，使得这段“不一致时间”比以前更长。

The plasticity of networks linking brain regions —— and not the growth of those regions, as previously thought —— is key to eventually behaving like an adult.Understanding that, and knowing that a widening gap between the development of emotional and judgment networks is happening in young people today, can help parents, teachers, counselors and teenagers themselves. People will better see that behaviors such as risk taking, sensation seeking, and turning away from parents and toward peers are not signs of cognitive or emotional problems.They are a natural result of brain development, a normal part of adolescents learning how to negotiate a complex world.

各脑区间连接网络的可塑性——而非之前所认为的脑区的成长成熟——是青少年最终是否成年的关键。理解这一点，并意识到如今青少年大脑中控制情感与判断的神经网络的发育程度在不断扩大，将对父母、老师、辅导员和青少年自身都大有帮助。人们将能更正确地看待冒险、寻求刺激、疏远父母、转向同伴等行为，认识到这些行为并非认知和情感问题的表现，而是大脑发育的自然结果，是青少年学习如何适应复杂世界的正常行为。

The same understanding can also help adults decide when to intervene. A 15-year-old girl’s departure from her parents’ tastes in clothing, music or politics may be a source of consternation for Mom and Dad but does not indicate mental illness. A 16-year-old boy’s propensity to skateboard without a helmet or to accept risky dares from friends is not trivial but is more likely a manifestation of short-range thinking and peer pressure than a desire to hurt himself. Other exploratory and aggressive actions might be red flags, however.Knowing more about the unique teen brain will help all of us learn how to separate unusual behavior that is age-appropriate from that which might indicate illness. ⑥Such awareness could help society reduce the rates of teen addiction, sexually transmitted diseases, motor vehicle accidents, unwanted pregnancy, homicide, depression and suicide.

上述认识还可以帮助成年人决定何时作出干预。一位15岁女孩违背父母的穿着、音乐和政治品味，可能会让她的父母感到惊慌，但这并不意味着她患上了精神疾病。一个16岁男孩喜欢不戴头盔玩滑板，或是总是接受朋友的冒险挑战，虽然这些并非无关紧要，但更有可能只是缺乏远见或迫于同辈压力的体现，而不是想要伤害自己。然而，其他一些探索性和攻击性行为可能就是危险信号。了解更多青少年大脑的独特性将帮助我们学会分辨这些异常行为是符合年龄的举动还是疾病的征兆，也将帮助社会降低青少年成瘾、性传播疾病、机动车事故、意外怀孕、杀人、抑郁和自杀的比率。

 

【重点词汇】

1.baffling ['bæf(ə)lɪŋ] adj. 令人困惑的

2. compromise ['kɒmprəmaɪz] v. 妥协;危及，损害

3. defective [dɪ'fektɪv] adj. 有缺陷的

4. plasticity [plæ'stɪsɪtɪ] n. 可塑性

5. stride [straɪd] n. 大步;进步

6. maturation [mætjʊ'reɪʃ(ə)n] n. 成熟

7. limbic system 边缘系统

8. puberty ['pjuːbətɪ] n.青春期

9.prefrontal cortex 前额皮质

10. sensation [sen'seɪʃ(ə)n] n. 感觉;轰动

11. negotiate [nɪ'gəʊʃɪeɪt] v. 协商;顺利通过

12. consternation [kɒnstə'neɪʃ(ə)n] n. 惊恐，惊慌

13. propensity [prə'pensɪtɪ] n. 倾向

14. homicide ['hɒmɪsaɪd] n. 杀人

15. double-edged sword n. 双刃剑

       考研英语想要阅读提升快，不仅需要看考研英语同源外刊，还需单词和语法有一定的持续温习。上述是给出的“2020考研英语同源外刊8月:神奇的青少年大脑 ”，希望对2020考研者，在复习英语科目上有所帮助!

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