Unit 14 Are We Raising a Generation of Spoilt Brats 词汇

Unit 14

Are We Raising a Generation of Spoilt Brats?

Language Work

Paragraph 1

“They kit themselves out daily in clothes and accessories worth 700 pounds.” Paraphrase: When they go out every day, they wear clothes plus flashy pieces

of decoration amounting to 700 pounds.

kit out: (often passive) to supply sb. or sth. with necessary things, esp. clothes

e.g. Nowadays young people tend to kit themselves out with up-to-date electronic devices such as iPhones and iPads.

The mountaineers were kitted out with the latest gear for high-altitude climbing.

accessory n. (usu. pl.) sth. that is not a necessary part of sth. larger but makes it more beautiful, useful, effective, etc.

e.g. Let me tell you that my brother spent twice as much money on the

accessories as his car itself.

“And demand they do: whether it be the latest jeans or a computer upgrade, instant gratification is the byword, and refusal is not an option.” Paraphrase: And the children really make demands to their parents, such as

the up-to-date fashions or the newest electronic product, which have to be satisfied as soon as possible, and any disagreement from parents would be unacceptable.

upgrade n. a higher model of sth.; a higher position

e.g. If you don't want to buy a new computer right now, you'd better, at least, give a hardware upgrade to yours.

The upgrade means $500 a month in my salary.

gratification n. the act or an instance of satisfying

e.g. He had the gratification of knowing that he had done his best.

Most men live only for the gratification of their desire.

byword n. a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people

e.g. Caution becomes a byword for investors.

The general's name had become a byword for cruelty in war.

“Welcome to the pampered existence of today's children, a place where pester power rules and parents are milked like cash cows.” Paraphrase: Here is a world of excessively doted-upon children, where parents,

harassed by their children's constant demands for one purchase after another, serve as ATM emitting money.

“the pampered existence of today's children” Paraphrase: the present-day children's life that fully reveals overindulgence

pester power: children's behavior in an annoying manner towards parents by doing or asking for sth. repeatedly

Note: The word pester is actually a verb, which is used as a pre-modifying noun, though, making up a phrase and revealing the spoilt brats to nag at their parents for up-dated things almost every day.

“parents are milked like cash cows”

Paraphrase: In the eyes of the children, if not all but at least some, their

fathers and mothers are merely cash machines. This clause is obviously a simile.

Paragraph 2

“We hate it when they are unhappy, and recoil when they shout, and taking the path of least resistance seems easier; after all, the other parents are all doing it.” Paraphrase: The last thing in the world we could put up with is our children

being unhappy; therefore, we tend to instantly satisfy their needs as soon as they yell, thus thinking it would be more feasible to meet with their demands than to arouse confrontation with them, because the other parents are all adopting the same parenting way.

recoil v. to move back because of fear or disgust

e.g. She was bitten by a snake in her childhood; therefore, she would immediately recoil in horror even upon seeing a string on the ground.

I recoiled at the idea of queuing up for over 7 hours before entering that pavilion at EXPO.

to be handed to them on a plate (Para. 2): To hand somebody something on a plate is to let someone get or achieve something easily, without much effort from them.

“And many experts believe our pushover parenting is doing more harm

than good.” Paraphrase: A large number of specialists believe that our way in functioning

as parents at the will of our children is disadvantageous rather than advantageous to them.

pushover n. sth. that is easy to do or to win, or sb. that is easily persuaded or influenced or defeated

e.g. I suffered from insomnia the night before the job interview, which turned out to be a pushover, though.

My dad is a pushover father, for he always gives me some money whenever I ask him.

Paragraph 3

“Could we be doing our children a grave disservice by letting them have their own way?” Paraphrase: Maybe when we parents encourage children to have their own

minds and make their own choices, are we in fact doing serious harm to them?

disservice n. an act, intended to help, that turns out badly

e.g. She did her cause a great disservice by concealing the truth.

You have done a serious disservice to your country by selling military secrets to our enemies.

Paragraph 4

“Parents who were themselves brought up in a very disciplinarian way are determined not to do the same with their children, but they struggle to find a balance between saying no and saying yes.” Paraphrase: Parents don't want to impose too many rules and regulations on

their children because parents, when they were children, had been strictly instructed, but they find it very difficult to decide when they should satisfy and when they should refuse the demands by their children.

disciplinarian adj. relating to a person that believes in keeping complete control of the people he or she is in charge of, esp. by giving strong punishments

e.g. Only by taking disciplinarian measures, the teacher believed, could he make the mischievous boy behave himself, at least in school.

Paragraph 5

“In Britain, we tend to have a houseful of underage despots, lounging inconsiderately across every sofa, throwing tantrums when the latest must-have accessory is denied them, and treating their parents as little more

than lackeys.” Paraphrase: British families generally have children behaving just like tyrants,

who seat themselves comfortably on the sofas of the house without caring about other members' feelings, and expect their parents to meet with their undeniable demands for the most fashionable gear; otherwise, they would fly into a temper towards their parents who, they think, should always be at their disposal.

despot n. a person exercising power tyrannically

e.g. Though a successful basketball coach, he was regarded him as a petty

despot.

lounge v. to stand or sit in a very relaxed way

e.g. To me lounging on the grass in the sunshine with a soft breeze caressing my face is a great enjoyment in life.

tantrum n. (usu. of children) an emotional outburst

e.g. The brat throws tantrums any time he sees what he wants, and he wants everything he sees.

must-have a. of or about indispensable things

e.g. The Evening News picks out the 10 top must-have electronic gadgets,

with iPad ranking No.1.

lackey n. a person who does menial tasks or runs errands for another

e.g. Nobody likes him, for he was nothing but a spineless lackey of the boss.

Paragraph 6

“I know it sounds petty, but it makes me livid.” Paraphrase: I am fully aware that this is just a trivial matter, but it usually

makes me exasperated.

livid adj. furiously angry

e.g. Thus Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, is livid when he learns that his sister Maria is in love with Jet Tony.

British taxpayers would be livid if they had to save the British bit of Barclays' investment bank.

Paragraph 7

“Our youngsters have developed a taste for the finer things in life, and increased affluence means that most of us can afford to keep them in the manner to which they've become accustomed.”

Paraphrase: Our children have acquired a strong preference for more

exquisite things in life, and, being much better-off, parents are capable of providing them, something, that is taken for granted by their children.

affluence n. abundant wealth

e.g. Extremes of poverty and affluence meet in this mushrooming town.

China believes that its affluence is best guaranteed by economic interdependence with the world's most dynamic economy.

Paragraph 8

“Liz and her husband Eric stretched themselves to their financial limits to send their daughter Amy to public school. They have discovered that the fees are just the tip of the iceberg.” Paraphrase: Liz and her husband Eric spared no expense, saving on their

own food and clothing if possible, so as to have their daughter studying in public school. They have found that the tuition is but merely a small portion of much more money waiting for them to spend.

stretch v. to extend to a greater or the full length

e.g. She doesn‘t have all the qualifications, but I think we should stretch a point in her favor.

They do not want to stretch the meeting out and will end punctually.

public school: (in Britain) a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state (that is, central or local government) or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust

the tip of the iceberg: the small part that can be seen of sth. which is really larger than it seems

e.g. The prime minister is fully aware that the protests in the local towns are only the tip of the iceberg; obviously, he is mentally prepared for more serious events to take place.

Paragraph 10

“Self-sacrifice has always been part and parcel of parenthood, and we even take a perverse pride in it.” Paraphrase: Parents think it natural to sacrifice themselves for the sake of

children and, while they are willing and proud to undertake this task occasionally, sometimes they seem to be deliberately overdoing it.

part and parcel of: (idiomatic) an integral or essential piece of; that which must be done or accepted as part of something else

e.g. Regular maintenance is part and parcel of owning a car.

From then on being surrounded in the street and asked for his signature became part and parcel of his life as a new movie star.

perverse a. deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good

e.g. What explained this perverse policymaking?

Never did a perverse nature declare itself more prematurely.

Paragraph 11

“Those annual surveys estimating that it costs around 180,000 to bring up a child to the age of 21 don't appear to put us off procreating.” Paraphrase: It is assessed, in terms of the yearly surveys, that parents spend

some 180,000 to raise a child from birth to the age of 21; however, we still do not hesitate to give birth to children.

bring up: to take care of a child until it is an adult

e.g. When his parents passed away, his grandmother brought him up.

Having been brought up in a group of gangsters, he tends to defy authority.

procreate v. to produce young

e.g. Monks are denied the right to marry and procreate.

Some people advocate that the purpose of sexuality is to procreate.

“So much emphasis is on empathizing with our children; could it be that we're storing up problems for later?” Paraphrase: While we parents choose to be so considerate of our children,

perhaps we are in fact creating unavoidable troubles for future?

empathize v. to be able to share somebody else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation

e.g. The guy recently coming from a remote town doubted very much whether the city people would genuinely empathize with people like him.

Paragraph 12

“Middle-class parents bend over backwards to give their children choices from the time they are babies.” Paraphrase: Parents of middle-class families make every effort possible to

gratify their kids, whatever choices they have, from the very day they come to this world.

bend over backwards to do sth.: to exert, to one's utmost, to do sth.

e.g. To further her education in the United States, she bent over backwards to pass TOEFL with a satisfactory score.

“Then we throw up our hands in horror when we end up with a stroppy 12-year-old who has a mind of his or her own.” Paraphrase: After we have gradually encouraged the kid to have his/her own

views of life, we finally can't help feeling terrible by the fact that the child grows into such an irritable 12-year-old.

end up: to be in a sort of situation finally

e.g. She usually ends up with just a few pennies jingling in her pockets every month.

stroppy adj. bad-tempered and easily offended or annoyed

e.g. Maybe another notoriously stroppy director bears some responsibility as well.

I try not to get stroppy, but sometimes I just can't help it.

“there is a flipside”

Paraphrase: there is something, maybe somewhat negative, that we didn't

expect

flipside n. the side of a record that has the song or piece of music on that is of less interest or less popular than that on the other side

e.g. Although I like the songs on side A of the record, I am utterly disappointed at the flipside.

Only after staying with him for a few years did I realize the flipside of his personality.

“Most parents don't want to provoke a confrontation. I know I'm as much of a soft touch as the next parent.” Paraphrase: A large majority of parents dislike incurring hostility from their

children. I know I am incurably tolerant with the kids, the same as any other parent.

confrontation n. discord resulting from a clash of ideas or opinions

e.g. Officials working behind the scenes urged them to avoid further

confrontation?

The government and the unions are set for a head-on confrontation.

Paragraph 13

“Guilt is also a prime motivator among dual-income couples who find themselves caught in a catch-22 situation.” Paraphrase: The sense of remorse is an important incentive for those parents,

both of whom have to work when their children also need tending, and this is in fact a dilemma for them.

a prime motivator: a major factor that gives one the reason for doing what he/she does

e.g. I could hardly find a prime motivator among my students that don't like to study.

dual-income couples: both husbands and wives working to jointly support the families

e.g. The education for their children is a serious problem for dual-income couples, if without help from their own elderly dads and moms.

“They both work all hours to service the mortgage, school fees and family holidays. … and so assuage their guilt by lavishing their children with even more clothes and consumer durables.” Paraphrase: Both husband and wife have to work long hours so as to make

enough money for bank loans, children's education and family holidaying

expenses. What's more, they feel guilt-conscious when coming to the problem of being unable to spend time with their children and, therefore, to relieve their sense of guilt, they extravagantly buy more garments and quality consumer goods.

service v. to examine sth. and repair any faulty parts; put aside a portion of one's earnings for

e.g. To save money, I decide to take my car in to service it myself this afternoon.

To service a holiday abroad is still beyond me now.

assuage v. to provide physical relief, as from pain

e.g. And because they are human, they assuage their ensuing uncertainty with self-deception.

Nor will it hold up China‘s growth rate and assuage the grievances of those who have lost their jobs.

lavish v. to give a lot, or too much, to

e.g. Could you imagine that she lavishes a lot of time and huge sums of money on her pet dog while caring little about her 85-year-old mother?

Paragraph 14

“Working couples have very little disposable time for each other, or their children, … and when they're older, they feel guilty and buy them off by indulging them and never asking anything in return.” Paraphrase: Husbands and wives both working usually find little or no time to

spare for each other, or their kids, so when the children are younger parents ask grandmothers or babysitters to look after them, for which they feel regretful and want to find a way to compensate; and more often than not, they show too much tolerance to their children and yet expect no reward.

disposable adj. that can be freely used; intended to be used once and then thrown away

e.g. With the implementation of the new tax regulations for personal income, I could now have a higher disposable salary.

The use of too many disposable things is a waste of natural resources.

outsource v. to obtain goods or services from an outside supplier

e.g. The decision to outsource marketing was determined by the new boss.

It is a trend to outsource non-core techniques for service industry nowadays.

nanny n. grandmother; a woman whose job is to take care of a particular family's children

e.g. As my parents were away in the army, I was actually brought up by my

nanny.

childminder n. a person, usually a woman, whose job is to take care of other people's children in her own home

e.g. If you'd like to have somebody to look after your baby, you'd better hire a registered childminder.

By the way, in the United States and Australia, the word babysitter is used instead.

buy off: to use money to make a problem go away, almost like a bribe

e.g. The gangsters tried to buy the guard off, but he told the police that finally arrested them.

Paragraph 15

“The fallout to all this is already with us.” Paraphrase: We already see the side effects of overindulgence.

fallout n. any adverse and unwanted secondary effect

e.g. The political fallout from the gasoline shortage was spreading in

America at the time.

The poll also revealed that Singaporeans might not be psychologically prepared to deal with the fallout of a terrorist attack on the country.

“The anti-bullying charity Kidscape has identified the disturbing emergence of spoilt middle-class monsters who make other children's lives hell.” Paraphrase: The philanthropic organization named Kidscape, aiming to

protect the kids from being pushed around, has found that the spoilt middle-class children make trouble for other children, which is a worrisome issue.

These \"brat bullies\" are too shrewd to engage in physical violence, and instead target their victims using text and e-mail. Paraphrase: These young troublemakers are so cunningly smart that, instead

of using their muscular strength to make trouble, they make use of written mobile phone message and emails to offend or annoy their targets.

bully n. a person, esp. a schoolboy that uses his strength to hurt weaker people or make them afraid

e.g. A good teacher should know who the bullies are in his or her class.

Afraid to run into the bully, Tom goes to school in a roundabout way.

shrewd adj. marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

e.g. Eve is widely known as a shrewd, successful businesswoman, full of public spirit.

His skill in negotiating earned him a reputation as shrewd a tactician.

Casting forward a few years, the Generation Y, aged 16 to 27, is also turning out to be a tricky bunch. Having grown up questioning their parents, they now question their employers, are terminally self-absorbed and show little respect. Paraphrase: In a few years to come, those people about 16 to 27 years old are

likely to be a difficult group of people. Along the years of their growth they grew used to challenging their parents with why's and how's, they are old enough to challenge their bosses and superiors and have finally become so self-centered as to cherish little or no respect for others.

tricky adj. difficult to deal with; deceitful; clever in cheating

e.g. It's a tricky situation that requires a lot of thought.

We never expected that such a kind-faced person could be so tricky in life.

bunch n. (inf. often derog.) a group

e.g. It is reported that the police rooted through that community and caught a bunch of thieves.

terminally adv. finally; ultimately

e.g. When he terminally met with his waterloo, could you imagine he once had an army of almost half a million soldiers?

self-absorbed adj. paying all one's attention to oneself and one's own affairs

e.g. How could such a self-absorbed person be qualified to be dean of our college?

Paragraph 16

“Graduate vacancies remain unfilled because increasing numbers of … interact respectfully with colleagues or grasp the fact that they will have to perform tasks they consider beneath them.” Paraphrase: Companies are unable to find ideal candidates for the positions

left for graduates because more and more young people do not have a basic sense of courtesy when answering telephone calls, or the ability to communicate with workmates courteously, or face up to the fact that what they have to do are those jobs that they generally look down upon.

Paragraph 17

“Some young people have been so pampered they can't stick at a job when things get tough.” Paraphrase: Because of the overindulgence from parents, some young people

fail to develop the quality of being perseverant when faced with difficult problems.

pamper v. to treat with excessive indulgence

e.g. Continue to pamper yourself with one of life's most pleasurable sins — enjoy scoops of Haagen Dazs ice cream.

Come on and pamper yourself with the undisputed best ice cream in the world.

“They have no experience of knuckling down to household chores and pulling their weight, because their parents did everything for them.” Paraphrase: These young people are not experienced enough to in applying

themselves to doing housework and having a sense of responsibility for their share of work, which is a result of their parents having been doing anything and everything for them.

knuckle down: to start working hard

e.g. All I can do is advise him to knuckle down if he wants to pass the test.

How could we expect him to knuckle down to his studies, as he has so many distractions?

pull one's weight: to do one's full share of work

e.g. No one is willing to cooperate with him, for he never pulls his weight.

Not only does she pull her weight in work, but she also helps others whenever she can.

Paragraph 18

“Overindulgence tends to start in the cradle. That being the smartest, state-of-the-art cradle money can buy.” Paraphrase: Parental doting usually begins as early as infancy, when babies

are lying in the cradle, which is something as fashionable, sophisticated and up-to-date as money can buy.

state-of-the-art: of the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time and also referring to the level of development as of a device, procedure, process, technique, or science reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed

e.g. At the automobile exhibition, we saw quite a few state-of-the-art models, which were said to be sold out in only a couple of days.

“There's an unmistakable element of social competitiveness and \"keeping up with the Joneses\when we dress our young children in cashmere, and shower them with expensive toys and our teenagers the whizziest gadgets money can buy.” Paraphrase: We dress our children with the best and luxurious clothes and

lavishly give them costly and attractive toys and up-to-date devices, for, frankly speaking, we do not want to lag behind other parents.

keep up with the Joneses: to make efforts to be equal to others in possession of something new, expensive, or modern

e.g. Disregarding his own financial state, he always buys new things that appear in the market with the intention to keep up with the Joneses.

cashmere n. fine soft wool made from the hair of a type of goat that lives in Kashmir

e.g. It was the first time for me to know the relationship between cashmere and environment.

He could not afford a cashmere sweater.

shower v. to give in large quantity

e.g. On her birthday, she was showered with gifts.

Her boss showered praise on her for everything she had done for the company.

whizzy adj. using sophisticated technology to produce vivid effects; overly flashy; more style than substance

e.g. The boy is totally engrossed with the whizzy new computer game.

gadget n. a small machine or useful apparatus

e.g. When she came back from abroad, she gave a handy gadget, which can separate egg yolks from whites.

In the United States, there are all kinds of gadgets you can think of and want to buy.

Paragraph 19

“Whether a wardrobe crammed full of Armani Baby guarantees adult happiness is a moot point.” Paraphrase: It is yet to be proved whether buying a large number of expensive

clothes for children will surely bring about pleasure when they grow into adults.

moot adj. open to argument or debate

e.g. The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.

It‘s a moot point whether the chicken or the egg came first.

“They are constantly told that however well or badly their child does at school, … As the years go by, the stakes get higher, until they've invested so much in them that family life revolves round the children.” Paraphrase: The parents are always told that children's performance at school

was completely decided by the efforts of parents. With time passing by, there are more and more responsibilities on parents' shoulders so that children become the center of family life because parents lavish them with attention.

stake n. a financial involvement with something; the money risked on a gamble

e.g. The company would do anything but put their prestige at stake.

He and his friends enjoy playing cards for low stakes.

Paragraph 20

“Adults have to take responsibility for setting boundaries and sticking to them.” Paraphrase: It is the parents' obligation to start setting basic disciplines for

proper manners of children.

“Parents come to me in despair because their children are constantly demanding stuff and the adult is struggling with discipline.” Paraphrase: Hopeless parents consult me for help because their children

never stop asking for new things and it is very hard for parents to regulate children's behavior.

“Parenthood has become a life sentence.” Paraphrase: Looking after the children has become an unending job.

a life sentence: a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives

e.g. He appealed for a commutation of the death sentence to a life sentence.

pamper indulge

Both verbs mean to treat someone with special favor, care, protectiveness, or privilege. Whereas to pamper someone is to care for and lap him in luxury, to indulge him is to let him have what he wants or do as he likes, involving yielding to wishes and suggesting a relaxing of normal or proper restraint and a permissive sanctioning of pleasure. recoil retreat

Recoil refers to the act of hanging back from full participation or full assent, suggesting a sudden springing back out of surprise, distaste, or fear. Retreat refers to a withdrawal from danger or from an unpleasant situation, suggesting both urgency and haste. The latter is common to a military context, but is also used to simply suggest moving away. ensure assure

Both words mean to make or attempt to make something certain or secure by removing doubt. Assure can mean either to make certain or to cause to feel certain, while ensure means to make certain as the consequence of some action or agent. Ensure also means to make safe, to protect against harm. sympathize empathize

Empathize means to identify with and understand another person's feelings or difficulties, with an emphasis on the similar experiences one has, whereas sympathize suggests an understanding and attentive manner to the needs of the grief-stricken, with an emphasis on the assuaging of unhappiness or grief.