英语听力精选进阶版 6339（在线收听）

When your mum tries to use slang do you blush? Do you cringe when she calls you by your childhood nickname in front of your friends? And how about searching for the nearest exit when your father engages in a dad dancing routine? Loving them dearly doesn't prevent you from feeling uncomfortable around them.

And parents have to accept that. Adam Gopnick, a writer for the New Yorker magazine, said in an article published by the BBC: ''The one thing that is written into the human genome is that exactly at the age of 13, your child… will discover that you are now the most embarrassing, ridiculous and annoying person on the planet.''

A survey by the site YoungPoll.com in 2010 suggested that one in three youngsters is so disconcerted by their parents they refuse to be seen with them in public; and seven in ten children are humiliated by their mum and dad's behavior, like kissing them in front of friends and holding their hands.

Part of going through adolescence is a sudden feeling that we are wise and self-sufficient and we are shown up when treated like vulnerable minors. But we are bound to lose this chip on our shoulder when we reach our 20s.

Gopnick reminds us of writer and visionary William Blake's comment: ''When I was 14 my dad was so ignorant I wouldn't even walk down the street with him. By the time I was 21 I was amazed how much he'd learnt.''

In any case, resentful parents might find solace in the thought that their grandchildren are likely to end up enjoying their company. Then the uncool ones will be the grandchildren's parents!

Quiz 测验

1. According to the article, what name, when mentioned in front of friends, makes people feel bad?

Their childhood nickname when mentioned by their parents in front of friends.

2. When do people start feeling embarrassed about their parents?

Adam Gopnik says that it happens at the age of 13.

3. According to the survey mentioned, what sort of parental acts make children feel humiliated?

When they kiss their children or hold their hands in front of the minor's friends.

4. True, false or not given: William Blake's father went back to school and had learned a lot by the time the writer was 21?

Not given. All we know is that when Blake was 21 he recognised his father's wisdom more.

5. What expression is used in the article to describe someone who is easily offended?

Someone who has a chip on his or her shoulder.

Glossary 词汇表

to blush 脸红

to cringe 感到难堪

a dad dancing routine （比喻）爸爸蹦迪时的舞蹈动作，令孩子感到特别尴尬

uncomfortable 不舒服

ridiculous 荒谬

annoying 恼人的

disconcerted 受窘的

humiliated 感到羞耻

to be shown up 感到难为情

a chip on (our) shoulder （比喻） 受了委屈，心中不愤，怨天尤人

resentful 不满，抵触

uncool 落伍，不时髦