Unit 1 Growing Up课文中英对照 清单-2026-2027学年高中英语外研版选择性必修第二册

Unit 1  Growing Up / 成长

本单元共收录 4 篇（组）英文语篇。

1. The Age of Majority / 成年

In most countries, turning 18 marks the start of adulthood. But what does reaching this milestone, the age of majority, really mean? Will you be completely in charge of your own life and able to express yourself in new and exciting ways? What new responsibilities will this freedom bring? Here, three young people tell us what turning 18 means, or meant, to them.

Bethany, 16, Victoria, Australia

I can’t wait to be 18. One reason is that although I’ve been working ever since leaving school, I won’t be voting in the next general election. Why? Because I still won’t be old enough. Surely, if you’re old enough to earn a wage and pay taxes, you should be allowed to have a say on how the government spends them! I’ve also been taking driving lessons, and in fact I will be taking my driving test on the very day I turn 18. My mum worries about me being behind the wheel. As an ambulance driver, she’s seen a lot of car accidents involving teenagers and thinks the legal age for getting a driving licence should be 21. But I think I’m already mature enough to understand that driving a car also means taking responsibility for my life and the lives of other people.

Lin Ning, 19, Shanghai, China

I celebrated my 18th birthday just before I went to university. I expected to feel instantly different, as if I had closed the door on my childhood and stepped into a whole new adult world. But it wasn’t like that. When I woke up the next day, there were still rules to obey and lessons to attend. In fact, the change has been more subtle and gradual than I imagined. Instead of being the selfish teenager I used to be, I have begun to feel more aware of other people and to develop a stronger sense of social responsibility. To give an example, I will be signing an organ donation agreement this time tomorrow. This was a big decision for me. Of course I asked my parents for their approval first. Turning 18 also changed the way that society viewed me. I was really surprised when a bank contacted me with a credit card offer. Of course, I would like to have more freedom with money and no doubt I will be getting a credit card at some point, but I currently don’t have a steady income, so getting a credit card might tempt me to spend more money than I have!

Morgan, 20, Florida, the US

People say that 18 marks a new chapter in our lives, and that we should become more independent. I used to believe this, but the reality for me has been very different. I assumed I’d already have a well-paid job and that I’d be moving into a rented apartment as soon as I turned 18, but how wrong I was! My librarian’s salary means that I’ll be living at home with my parents for a while longer. Because I contribute to the household bills and my commute to work is quite expensive, I find it hard to save any money. I’ll be starting a new job next month, however, so maybe things will get easier. I know I could get a bank loan to pay the deposit on my very own apartment, but I don’t feel ready to make that kind of commitment, and I do like my mom’s cooking. I guess some responsibilities are more about attitude than age.

在大多数国家，年满18岁标志着成年生活的开始。然而，达到“法定成年”这一人生里程碑究竟意味着什么？你是否会从此完全掌控自己的生活，并能以崭新而令人兴奋的方式表达自我？这份自由又会带来哪些新的责任？下面，三位年轻人讲述了18岁对他们而言意味着什么，或曾经意味着什么。

贝萨妮，16岁，澳大利亚维多利亚州

我迫不及待地想满18岁。其中一个原因是，虽然我离开学校后就一直在工作，但我仍然不能在下一次大选中投票。为什么？因为我的年龄还是不够。既然一个人已经到了能够挣钱、缴税的年龄，他当然也应该有权对政府如何使用这些税款发表意见！我还一直在学车，而且就在我18岁生日当天，我将参加驾驶考试。妈妈很担心我开车。她是一名救护车司机，见过许多涉及青少年的交通事故，因此认为取得驾驶执照的法定年龄应该提高到21岁。不过我觉得自己已经足够成熟，能够明白开车也意味着要对自己和他人的生命负责。

林宁，19岁，中国上海

我在上大学前不久庆祝了18岁生日。我原以为自己会立刻感到与从前不同，仿佛关上了童年的大门，迈进一个全新的成人世界。但事实并非如此。第二天醒来时，仍有规章需要遵守，仍有课程需要去上。事实上，这种变化比我想象的更加细微、更加渐进。我不再像过去那样是个只顾自己的少年，而是开始更加关注他人，并逐渐形成更强的社会责任感。比如，明天这个时候，我将签署器官捐献协议。这对我来说是一个重大决定，当然，我事先征求了父母的同意。年满18岁也改变了社会看待我的方式。一家银行联系我，向我提供信用卡时，我真的很惊讶。当然，我希望在金钱方面拥有更多自主权，而且毫无疑问，我以后总会办一张信用卡；但目前我没有稳定收入，办信用卡或许会诱使我花掉超过自己实际拥有的钱！

摩根，20岁，美国佛罗里达州

人们常说，18岁标志着人生新篇章的开启，我们应该变得更加独立。我过去也相信这一点，可我的现实经历却大不相同。我原以为自己18岁时已经会有一份薪水不错的工作，并会立刻搬进租来的公寓；现在看来，我当初错得多么离谱！图书管理员的工资决定了我还得和父母再住一段时间。由于我要分担家庭账单，而且上下班交通费很高，我发现自己很难存下钱。不过，下个月我将开始一份新工作，也许情况会有所改善。我知道自己可以向银行贷款，支付属于自己的公寓的押金，但我觉得还没有准备好承担这种长期责任——况且，我确实很喜欢妈妈做的饭。我想，有些责任更多地取决于态度，而不是年龄。

2. Memorable Moments / 难忘的时刻

Like a musical symphony, life has high and low moments, and somewhere in between are those moments we call “bittersweet”. As students, it’s likely that those moments are mainly about school life, such as sitting a major exam, giving a presentation, or becoming a boarder for the first time. But as life continues, we’re presented with more varied experiences: starting university, getting a job and raising a family. Whatever our choices are, we should cherish and embrace these moments in life. After all, each step we take is one more step forward to becoming a stronger and better person.

人生如同一部交响乐，既有高昂的乐章，也有低沉的旋律；而在二者之间，则是那些我们称为“苦乐参半”的时刻。对学生来说，这些时刻很可能主要与校园生活有关，例如参加一场重要考试、做一次公开展示，或第一次成为寄宿生。但随着人生不断向前，我们会经历更加丰富多样的事情：进入大学、参加工作、养育家庭。无论作出怎样的选择，我们都应珍惜并坦然拥抱生命中的这些时刻。毕竟，我们迈出的每一步，都让自己向着更坚强、更优秀的人前进一步。

3. The Little Prince (Excerpt) / 《小王子》（节选）

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

In the book it said: “Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion.”

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this: