2020年09月四级第2套仔细阅读 Passage 2 原文翻译及答案解析

The practice of paying children an allowance became popular in America about 100 years ago. Nowadays, American kids on average receive about $800 per year in allowance. But the vast majority of American parents who pay allowance tie it to the completion of housework. Although many parents believe that paying an allowance for completing chores benefits their children, a range of experts expressed concern that tying allowance very closely to chores may not be ideal. In fact, the way chores work in many households worldwide points to another way.

给孩子零花钱的做法大约在100年前在美国流行起来。如今，美国孩子平均每年收到约800美元的零花钱。但大多数支付零花钱的美国家长将其与完成家务挂钩。尽管许多家长认为为完成家务支付零花钱对孩子有益，但一系列专家表示担忧，认为将零花钱与家务紧密挂钩可能并不理想。事实上，世界上许多家庭处理家务的方式指向了另一种方法。

Suniya Luthar, a psychologist, is against paying kids for chores. Luthar is not opposed to giving allowances, but she thinks it's important to establish that chores are done not because they will lead to payment, but because they keep the household running. Luthar's suggested approach to allowance is compatible with that of writer Ron Lieber, who advises that allowances be used as a means of showing children how to save, give, and spend on things they care about. Kids should do chores, he writes, "for the same reason adults do, because the chores need to be done, and not with the expectation of compensation."

心理学家Suniya Luthar反对为做家务付钱给孩子。Luthar不反对给零花钱，但她认为重要的是要明确做家务不是因为会得到报酬，而是因为家务需要完成以维持家庭运转。Luthar建议的零花钱方法与作家Ron Lieber的观点一致，后者建议零花钱应用于向孩子展示如何储蓄、给予和花费在他们关心的事情上。他写道，孩子应该做家务，'与成年人做家务的原因相同，因为家务需要完成，而不是期望获得补偿。'

This argument has its critics, but considering the way chores are undertaken around the world may change people's thinking. Professor David Lancy of Utah State University has studied how families around the world handle chores. At about 18 months of age, Lancy says, most children become eager to help their parents, and in many cultures, they begin helping with housework at that age. They begin with very simple tasks, but their responsibilities gradually increase. And they do these tasks without payment. Lancy contrasts this with what happens in America. "We deny our children's bids to help until they are 6 or 7 years old," Lancy says, "when many have lost the desire to help and then try to motivate them with payment. The solution to this problem is not to try to use money as an incentive to do housework, but to get children involved in housework much earlier, when they actually want to do it."

这一论点有其批评者，但考虑到世界各地处理家务的方式可能会改变人们的思维。犹他州立大学的David Lancy教授研究了世界各地家庭如何处理家务。Lancy说，大约在18个月大时，大多数孩子变得渴望帮助父母，在许多文化中，他们在那个年龄就开始帮助做家务。他们从非常简单的任务开始，但他们的责任逐渐增加。而且他们做这些任务没有报酬。Lancy将这与美国的情况进行对比。'我们拒绝孩子帮忙的请求，直到他们6或7岁，'Lancy说，'那时许多孩子已经失去了帮忙的意愿，然后我们试图用金钱来激励他们。解决这个问题的方法不是试图用金钱作为做家务的激励，而是让孩子更早地参与家务，当他们实际上想做的时候。'