Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 4

Teenagers are paradoxical. That’s a mild and detached way of saying something that parents often express with considerably stronger language. But the paradox is scientific as well as personal. In adolescence, helpless and dependent children who have relied on grown-ups for just about everything become independent people who can take care of themselves and help each other. At the same time, once cheerful and compliant children become rebellious teenage risk-takers.

A new study published in the journal Child Development, by Eveline Crone of the University of Leiden and colleagues, suggests that the positive and negative sides of teenagers go hand in hand. The study is part of a new wave of thinking about adolescence. For a long time, scientists and policy makers concentrated on the idea that teenagers were a problem that needed to be solved. The new work emphasizes that adolescence is a time of opportunity as well as risk.

The researchers studied “prosocial” and rebellious traits in more than 200 children and young adults, ranging from 11 to 28 years old. The participants filled out questionnaires about how often they did things that were altruistic and positive, like sacrificing their own interests to help a friend, or rebellious and negative, like getting drunk or staying out late.

Other studies have shown that rebellious behavior increases as you become a teenager and then fades away as you grow older. But the new study shows that, interestingly, the same pattern holds for prosocial behavior. Teenagers were more likely than younger children or adults to report that they did things like unselfishly helping a friend.

Most significantly, there was a positive correlation between prosociality and rebelliousness. The teenagers who were more rebellious were also more likely to help others. The good and bad sides of adolescence seem to develop together.

Is there some common factor that underlies these apparently contradictory developments? One idea is that teenage behavior is related to what researchers call “reward sensitivity.” Decision-making always involves balancing rewards and risks, benefits and costs. “Reward sensitivity” measures how much reward it takes to outweigh risk.

Teenagers are particularly sensitive to social rewards—winning the game, impressing a new friend, getting that boy to notice you. Reward sensitivity, like prosocial behavior and risk-taking, seems to go up in adolescence and then down again as we age. Somehow, when you hit 30, the chance that something exciting and new will happen at that party just doesn’t seem to outweigh the effort of getting up off the couch.

36. According to Paragraph 1, children growing into adolescence tend to

[A]

develop opposite personality traits. 

[B]

see the world in an unreasonable way. 

[C]

have fond memories of their past. 

[D]

show affection for their parents. 

37. It can be learned from Paragraph 2 that Crone’s study

[A]

explores teenagers’ social responsibilities. 

[B]

examines teenagers’ emotional problems. 

[C]

provides a new insight into adolescence. 

[D]

highlights negative adolescent behavior. 

38. What does Crone’s study find about prosocial behavior?

[A]

It results from the wish to cooperate. 

[B]

It is cultivated through education. 

[C]

It is subject to family influence. 

[D]

It tends to peak in adolescence. 

39. It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that teenagers

[A]

overstress their influence on others. 

[B]

care a lot about social recognition. 

[C]

become anxious about their future. 

[D]

endeavor to live a joyful life. 

40. What is the text mainly about?

[A]

Why teenagers are self-contradictory. 

[B]

Why teenagers are risk-sensitive. 

[C]

How teenagers develop prosociality. 

[D]

How teenagers become independent. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

36. [A] develop opposite personality traits.
解析：细节推理题。第一段指出，无助且依赖的孩子变得独立并能互相帮助；而同时，曾经快乐顺从的孩子变得叛逆并爱冒险。这种既“独立互助（好）”又“叛逆冒险（坏）”的矛盾现象，说明他们“发展出了截然相反的性格特征（develop opposite personality traits）”，选A。

37. [C] provides a new insight into adolescence.
解析：细节推理题。第二段指出，长期以来，科学家把青少年看作是“需要解决的问题”。而这项新的研究（new study / new work）是“关于青春期新思维浪潮的一部分（a new wave of thinking）”，并强调青春期既是风险也是机遇的时期。这说明该研究“为理解青春期提供了新的深刻见解（provides a new insight into adolescence）”，选C。

38. [D] It tends to peak in adolescence.
解析：细节题。第四段指出，叛逆行为在青春期增加，随着变老而消退。接着说：“同样的模式也适用于亲社会行为（the same pattern holds for prosocial behavior）。青少年比年幼儿童或成年人更有可能报告他们做了……无私帮助朋友的事”。这说明亲社会行为也在青春期达到顶峰，即“它倾向于在青春期达到顶峰（It tends to peak in adolescence）”，选D。

39. [B] care a lot about social recognition.
解析：细节推理题。倒数第二段说青少年的行为与“奖励敏感性（reward sensitivity）”有关。最后一段接着解释：“青少年对社会奖励（social rewards）特别敏感——赢得比赛，给新朋友留下深刻印象，让那个男孩注意到你”。“给别人留下印象/让人注意到自己”等同于渴望获得社会的认可，因此他们“非常在乎社会认可（care a lot about social recognition）”，选B。

40. [A] Why teenagers are self-contradictory.
解析：主旨题。文章开篇就抛出核心观点“青少年是矛盾的（Teenagers are paradoxical）”，接着用研究证明他们的“好（亲社会）”与“坏（叛逆）”是携手并进的。最后两段则揭示了这种矛盾表现背后的根本原因——对社会奖励的敏感性。因此，全文主要探讨的是“为什么青少年是自相矛盾的（Why teenagers are self-contradictory）”，选A。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 两个并列定语从句的对比结构：
"In adolescence, helpless and dependent children who have relied on grown-ups for just about everything become independent people who can take care of themselves and help each other."
【解析】句子的主干是 `children become people`。主语 `children` 后面跟了一个 `who` 引导的定语从句，描述他们过去的状态（极其依赖大人）；表语 `people` 后面也跟了一个 `who` 引导的定语从句，描述他们现在的状态（独立且能互相帮助）。两者形成了强烈的转变对比。

2. 并列的比较级结构与从句嵌套：
"The teenagers who were more rebellious were also more likely to help others. The good and bad sides of adolescence seem to develop together."
【解析】`who` 引导定语从句修饰 `teenagers`。主句使用了 `were more likely to` 的比较级结构。这句话极其简明扼要地概括了这项研究最反直觉的核心发现：越叛逆的孩子，反而越可能去帮助别人。好的一面和坏的一面是一起发展的。

3. 同位语从句与幽默生动的描述：
"Somehow, when you hit 30, the chance that something exciting and new will happen at that party just doesn’t seem to outweigh the effort of getting up off the couch."
【解析】`when` 引导时间状语从句。主句主语是 `the chance`，其后跟着 `that` 引导的同位语从句，解释“机会/可能性”的具体内容（派对上会发生令人兴奋的新鲜事）。主句的谓语是 `doesn't seem to outweigh`（似乎比不上...）。作者用一种非常生动、自嘲的口吻，解释了成年人为什么“奖励敏感性”下降了——因为老了，觉得任何社交奖励都比不上从沙发上爬起来费的劲儿。