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第一段：
The period of adolescence, i.e., the period between childhood and adulthood, may be long or short, depending on social expectations and on society’s definition as to whatconstitutes maturity and adulthood.
青春期，也就是童年与成年之间的这段时期，可长可短。其长短取决于社会期望值和社会对成熟和成年的定义。
In primitive societies adolescence is frequently a relatively short period of time, while in industrial societies with patterns of prolonged education coupled with laws against child labor, the period of adolescence is much longer and may include most of the second decade of one’s life.
原始社会中，青春期通常是相当短的一段时期。而在工业化社会里，由于人们接受教育时间的延长以及反童工法的制定，青春期要长很多，它包含了人生中第二个十年（十岁到二十岁）的大部分时间。
Furthermore, the length of the adolescent period and the definition of adulthood status may change in a given society as social and economic conditions change. Examples of this type of change are the disappearance of thefrontier in the latter part of the nineteenth century in the United States, and more universally, the industrialization of an agricultural society.
另外，在某一社会中，青春期的长度和成年地位的定义可能会随社会经济条件的改变而改变。这种变化譬如：19世纪后期，美国乃至所有由农业化走向工业化的国家里不再存在青春期和成年期的界限。
第二段：
In modern society, ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significance and there no longer is agreement as to what constitutesinitiation ceremonies.
现代社会中，青春期的各种仪式已不被正式认可，也不再具有象征意义，人们对其“开始仪式”也不再有统一的认识。
Social ones have been replaced by a sequence of steps that lead to increased recognition and social status.
社会仪式已经被一系列的“阶段”所取代，这些“阶段”将使人得到更多的认可和更高的社会地位。
For example, grade school graduation, high school graduation and college graduation constitute such a sequence, and while each step implies certain behavioral changes and social recognition, the significance of each depends on the socio-economic status and the educational ambition of the individual.
例如，小学毕业，中学毕业，大学毕业就形成了这样一个系列。每一个“阶段”都意味着某些行为变化和一定的社会认可度，其意义大小则取决于个人的社会经济地位和受教育的目标。
Ceremonies for adolescence have also been replaced by legal definitions of status roles, rights, privileges and responsibilities.
青春期的各种仪式也已经被法律意义上的地位、权利、特权、和责任所取代。
It is during the nine years from the twelfth birthday to the twenty-first that the protective and restrictive aspects of childhood and minor status are removed and adult privileges and responsibilities are granted.
从12岁生日起到21岁生日这九年之间，逐渐去除了儿童时代受到的保护和限制和较低的社会地位，同时又逐渐被赋予成年人的权利和责任。
The twelve-year-old is no longer considered a child and has to pay full fare for train, airplane, theater and movie tickets.
人到了12岁就不再被看作孩子，乘火车、飞机、或去剧院、电影院时必须买全票。
Basically, the individual at this age loses childhood privileges without gaining significant adult rights.
基本上可以这样说，这一年龄的个人失去了儿童的特权，却没有得到明显的成年人权利。
At the age of sixteen the adolescent is granted certain adult rights which increases his social status by providing him with more freedom and choices. He now can obtain a driver’s license; he can leave public schools; and he can work without the restrictions of child labor laws.
16岁的青少年会得到某些成人的权利，通过得到更多的自由和选择而提高社会地位。他可以获得驾照；可以离开公立学校；可以不再受童工法的限制。
At the age of eighteen the law provides adult responsibilities as well as rights; the young man can now be a soldier, but he also can marry without parental permission. At the age of twenty-one the individual obtains his full legal rights as an adult. He now can vote, he can buy liquor, he can enter into financial contracts, and he is entitled to run for public office.
18岁时，他可以得到法律认可的成人权利和义务；可以参军，可以在不得到父母的允许的情况下结婚。21岁时，他会得到成年人完全的法律权利。他可以投票，可以买酒，可以签署商业合同，可以有权竞选公职。
No additional basic rights are acquired as a function of age after majority status has been attained. None of these legal provisions determine at what point adulthood has been reached but they do point to the prolonged period of adolescence.
进入成年状态后，就不再因为年龄的增长而享受到更多的权利。所有法律条款都没有决定到底什么年龄算是进入成年，但它们的确表明青春期延长了。
19. The period of adolescence is much longer in industrial societies because.
[A] the definition of maturity has changed
[B] the industrialized society is more developed
[C] more education is provided and laws against child labor are made
[D] ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significance
[分析]本题考核知识点：因果细节题。
根据题干直接定位到第一段第二句while…部分，它指出，（相对原始社会），工业社会中青春期变长有两方面的原因：教育期的延长和反童工法的制定。所以，正确选项为[C]。
[A]的干扰来自于第一段第一句。它提到，“青春期的长短取决于不同社会对成熟和成年的定义”。接着第二句就比较了原始社会和工业化社会。从这两句其实我们可以推出这两种社会对成熟的定义必定不同。但第二句已经明确指出了具体原因，因此[C]为最佳答案。[B]文中未提。[D]是工业社会中关于青春期变化的现象，而非青春期变长的原因。
20. Former social ceremonies that used to mark adolescence have given place to.
[A] graduations from schools and colleges
[B] social recognition
[C] socio-economic status
[D] certain behavioral changes
[分析]本题考核知识点：文中事实细节题。
第二段第二句指出：青春期的社会仪式（social ones）已经被一系列阶段（a sequence of steps）所取代。第三句说明了“一系列阶段”的具体所指—─各阶段学习的毕业。所以，[A]为正确选项。
[B]、[C]、[D]的错误在于：social recognition、certain behavioral change 和socio-economic status本身都不是青春期仪式的替代品，而只是和其替代品紧密相连的因素。第三句提到，行为变化和社会认可度是伴随“阶段”而存在的，而一个人的社会经济地位会影响各阶段对他的重要性。
21. No one can expect to fully enjoy the adulthood privileges until he is.
[A] eleven years old
[B] sixteen years old
[C] twenty-one years old
[D] between twelve and twenty-one years old
[分析]本题考核知识点：事实细节题。
第二段后面部分从It is during the nine years到倒数第二句列举了青春期各阶段的权利。其中，第十句（at the age of twenty-one… public office）指出，21岁是开始享有完全成人权利的年龄。所以[C]为正确选项。
11岁不属于该部分介绍的范围；16岁时只能享有部分成人权利；12到21岁期间是一个从儿童向成人转变的过程，个人享有权利逐渐增加，但若享有完全成人权利，需要达到21岁。因此其他项排除。
22. Starting from 22,.
[A] one will obtain more basic rights
[B] the older one becomes, the more basic rights he will have
[C] one won’t get more basic rights than when he is 21
[D] one will enjoy more rights granted by society
[分析]本题考核知识点：文中细节推理题。
文中倒数第二句说明，一旦达到成人阶段（21岁），将不再继续获得其他额外的基本权利。所以，本题的正确选项应为[C]。其他项与原文内容相反。
23. According to the passage, it is true that.
[A] in the late 19th century in the United States the dividing line between adolescence and adulthood no longer existed
[B] no one can marry without the permission of his parents until the age of twenty-one
[C] one is considered to have reached adulthood when he has a driver’s license
[D] one is not free from the restrictions of child labor laws until he can join the army
[分析]本题考核内容：文中细节理解题。
第一段末句指出，到了19世纪晚期，美国的青春期和成年期的分界线消失。Frontier意为dividing line。所以，[A]为正确选项。
第二段倒数第五句指出，18岁后，可以不经父母的同意结婚。所以[B]错在“21岁”。第二段四、六、七句说明：16岁青少年可以获得驾照，但只有到了21岁，他们才称为法律意义上的成年人。所以[C]错误。第二段倒数第六、七句说明：16岁就可以不受童工法限制，而18岁后他们才可以参军。所以[D]错误。
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