人教全日制普通高中英语（必修）高三UNIT11-4

 Teasing¹ and bullying² are major concerns in schools. Some people would say that it is an essential part of growing up. They may say that teasing and bullying are a way of learning³ how to deal with the reality of society. The truth, however, is that teasing and bullying are forms of behaviour that harm children. Society cannot allow people to be treated badly, especially not in schools.
 
       Parents tell their children to remember that "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me", but in fact, words can hurt as much as physical violence. Teasing is a form of making fun of somebody. It can be aimed at friends, but repeated over a long period of time it tends to be harmful. Bullying is physical or verbal⁴ violence against others. The purpose of bullying is to make the victim feel weak and afraid. Students who become the victims of bullying are usually different from everyone else. They can be hurt because of their physical weakness, mental weakness or inability to defend themselves. Being bullied⁵ and teased⁶ by classmates can turn life at school into a terrible time.
 
       Research shows that both boys and girls can become victims of bullying in equal numbers. In a recent survey 295 students were asked about teasing and bullying. To the question "Have you ever been teased?" 65% of the students answered "Yes", 16% "No" and another 19% filled in "Not sure". Asked how often they were being teased, 19% of the students said that this happened once a week, while 8% said they were teased and bullied every day.
 
       There are people who say that teasing and bullying are normal, and do not cause any damages in the long term. Although these behaviours are common, they do affect the victims greatly. The experience stays with them for life, and may cause all kinds of social problems at a later age. Some students cannot deal with being teased and bullied, so they drop out of school. The students who do the bullying will carry their behaviour into adult life as well. In some cases it leads to a criminal record.
 
 
SCHOOL THREATENS THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF
                                      JAPANESE STUDENTS
       Every young person probably feels "down" from time to time when things appear to go wrong at school, at home, with family or friends -- feelings that "when it rains, it pours" and that "life isn't fair". These feelings can become real problems when teenagers are worrying about competitions, grades, friendships or discrimination.
 
       The time at high school is often a period of confusing and demanding conflicts. In their struggle for independence, teenagers have to discover their own identity⁷. It seems that teenagers experience more loneliness than other age groups. The position of youth in today's society may contribute that. They are neither children nor adults. Students who struggle with their sexual⁸ identity may develop feelings of loneliness and depression. Failure at school can lead to disappointment in life and fear about the future. At the same time, success at school may lead to unrealistic social expectations, while a lack of meaning or challenge can make them feel bored.
 
       One of the greatest problems in Asian students is the expectations of their parents about getting good results at school and going to university. The pressure on students can lead to grave⁹ problems and depression, while failure may even lead to students killing¹⁰ themselves. Problems of this kind are especially known to Japan, where suicide¹¹ rates among students are high in comparison¹² with other countries.
 
       Almost a quarter of junior high school students in Tokyo who responded to a recent survey suffered from conditions related¹³ to depression, with almost one in five admitting to sometimes thinking of killing themselves. In Japan, primary school lasts six years and junior high school three years. Many boys and girls said they felt they could not perform tasks well and lacked self-confidence.

1 teasing   

adj.戏弄的，逗趣的v.取笑，戏弄( tease的现在分词 )；梳理（羊毛等）

参考例句：

• Don't get upset—I was only teasing. 别不高兴，我只是在逗你玩。
• I didn't think you meant that seriously;I thought you were teasing. 我未想到你是当真的，我原以为你是开玩笑的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 verbal   

adj.口头的，用言辞的，用文字的，动词的

参考例句：

• Verbal statements are no guarantee.口说无凭。
• I delivered a verbal protest against their brutal acts.我对他们的暴行提出口头抗议。

5 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 teased   

v.取笑，戏弄( tease的过去式和过去分词 )；梳理（羊毛等）

参考例句：

• He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws. 他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt annoyance at being teased. 我恼恨别人取笑我。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。

8 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

9 grave   

n.墓穴，坟墓，雕刻工，抑音；adj.庄重的，严肃的，重大的，低沉的；vt.雕刻

参考例句：

• Marriage is the grave of love.婚姻是爱情的坟墓。
• This is a very grave matter indeed.这问题的确非常严重。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

12 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

13 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。