Children’s literature

Much red reading books

The politics of children’s stories

Nov 28th 2015 | BEIJING | From the print edition

Ⅰ.IN CHINA in Mao Zedong’s day,frivolouschildhood pursuits such as readingwere frowned on. The few children’s books that were tolerated told stories of revolution and class struggle. These days,toddlersare allowed to have more fun. But though the message has changed, parents and the state still believe the primary role of such works is to shape young minds, not amuse them.

一．单词解析

1.frivolous：having no useful or serious purpose• 无聊的；不严肃的:

»frivolous pastimes / pleasures无聊的消遣/娱乐

2.语块befrowned on不被赞同，不被认可==》》4.26at a time when29 private enterprise was still frowned on in China

3.toddler：• a child who has only recently learnt to walk• 学步的儿童；刚学会走路的孩子

Ⅱ.Sales of children’s literature have risen by double digits in most of the past ten years, much faster than the growth of book sales overall. The number ofchildren’s titleshas more than tripled since 2005. This partly reflects a growing demand for products aimed at indulged only-children.A cost-conscious reluctance to have moreoffspring, which was reinforced by the country’s recentlyrelaxed one-child policy, helpedfuelthat demand. The richer parents are, the more theysplash outon children’s books.

4.children’s title替代标题的children’s literature

Title--> a book书

5.offspring:a child of a particular person or couple• 孩子；子女；后代

6.Fuel:[VN] to increase sth; to make sth stronger增加；加强；刺激=stoke==》》4.26

7.语块splash out （on）to spend a lot of money on something大把花钱

E.gHe’s just splashed out on a brand new car

Splash：[V +adv. / prep.] (of liquid) to fall noisily onto a surface• 泼洒；哗啦哗啦地溅；劈里啪啦地落

Ⅲ.Booksellers seea huge moneymaking opportunity. Most publishers of literature for adults now offer children’s titles too. Around half of the 100 best-selling books last year were for youngsters—a higher share than in Britain or America. There is a growing variety of genres. Picture books for under-fives have beentaking off; fiction for older teenagers is thriving.

8.taking off：（飞机）起飞==》》(产品、活动、事业等)腾飞，突然成功 If something such as a product, an activity, or someone's careertakes off, it suddenly becomes very successful.与后面的thriving相对应

Ⅳ.Unsurprisingly, given the huge emphasis in China that is placed on passing exams, many titles aim purely to teach facts.Parents like to buy non-fiction, even for children still learning to read. Some books—printed onpaperboardand intended mainly for under-twos—aim to teach the Roman alphabet to infants. Volumes for toddlers with titles such as “How to be aMeteorologist” and “Superstars of Science” do well.

9.Meteorologist:a scientist who studiesmeteorology• 气象学家

Ⅴ.The moral is often laid on thick10. One provincial publisher (state-owned, like all of them) has titled a six-volume set ofnursery rhymes“A Good Father is Better Than a Good Teacher”. Chinese-language versions of foreign classics often proclaim theirdidacticworth: Paddington, amarmalade-lovingbear from darkest Peru, is a model of “thoughtfulness, modesty and self-discipline”, proclaims theblurbon the cover of a translation of Michael Bond’s popular stories.

10语块lay it on thick:to try to persuade someone that something is better, bigger, more important etc than it really is;to exaggerate sth过分夸大，大肆吹嘘

I think he laid it on a bit thick with all the compliments

11.nursery rhyme:a simple traditional poem or song for children• 童谣；儿歌

12.Didactic:designed to teach people sth, especially a moral lesson• 道德说教的；教诲的；教导的

13.Marmalade:橘子酱；酸果酱

14.Blurb:a short description of a book, a new product, etc., written by the people who have produced it, that is intended to attract your attention and make you want to buy it

• (书籍封面的)简介；(生产商等的)产品推介

Ⅵ.China’s publishers remain profoundly conservative. Theyshunbooks with naughty or frivolous children, or where youngstersoutsmarttheir elders. Cute animals vastly outnumberrebelliousfigures such as pirates. Few books depictsiblings, aunts, uncles or cousins—relationships little understood by the young, thanks to the one-child policy.

15.shun:•to avoid sb / sth• 避开；回避；避免

16outsmart:•to gain an advantage over sb by acting in a clever way• 比…精明；智胜=outwit

【out-】out-PREFIX 前缀（构成动词）表示“超过”，“胜过”

Outnumber：• (在数量上)压倒,比…多

17.sibling：• (formalortechnical)a brother or sister• 兄；弟；姐；妹

sibling rivalry(= competition between brothers and sisters)

兄弟姐妹间的竞争

Ⅶ.Though far less visible than it was in Mao’s day, politics stilllurks. Publishers haveinternallyappointedcensorswhose job is to ensure that the Communist Party’s line is nottransgressed. One executive says she avoids publishing history books for children where “the story does not match the narrative” approved by the party. Maps showing the island of Taiwan as a separate country areomittedfrom translations. Even a toddler’s bedtime story is part of a bigger political picture.

18.Lurk：when sth unpleasant or dangerouslurks, it is present but not in an obvious way• 潜在；隐藏着

19.Censor：• (书籍、电影等的)审查员,审查官

Censorship:审查制度

20.transgress• (formal) to go beyond the limit of what is morally or legally acceptable• 越轨；违背(道德)；违犯(法律)

21.Omit:~ sth / sb (from sth)to not include sth / sb, either deliberately or because you have forgotten it / them• 删除；忽略；漏掉；遗漏

语块be omitted from:从...中删除

omit to do somethingformalto not do something, either because you forgot or because you deliberately didn't do it不做；未能做

»She omitted to mention that they were staying the night.

她没说他们当晚要留宿的事

From the print edition: China

二．写作借鉴：

1.indulged only-children骄纵的独生子女

2.“增长”表达：.Sales of children’s literature have risen by doule digits

儿童文学书籍的销量都保持了两位数的增长

The number of children’s titles has more than tripled since 2005

自2005年以来，儿童书籍的数量翻了三倍多

3.a huge moneymaking opportunity：一个巨大的商机

4.didacticworth：道德说教

5.Picture books for under-fives have been taking off; fiction for older teenagers is thriving

Take off -->腾飞；thrive-->繁荣，兴旺

6.Unsurprisingly, given the huge emphasis in China that is placed on passing exams, many titles aim purely to teach facts.学习状语插入方式，“重要性”的被动表达方式

7.The moral is often laid on thick：道德寓意常常被夸大

8.Though far less visible than it was in Mao’s day, politics still lurks.长短句结合，以及lurk的用法

三．文章脉络：

Ⅰ.今昔对比，对待儿童读物的不同态度，指出现在儿童读物有更多的趣味性；

Ⅱ.过去的十年儿童读物销量大涨及其原因；

Ⅲ.儿童读物有巨大商机，出版商都看好这一形势；

Ⅳ.指出由于过关考试的存在，儿童读物也变成了传播知识的载体；

Ⅴ.儿童读物中的道德寓意被夸大；

Ⅵ.中国出版商保守的表现；

Ⅶ.儿童读物中的政治性说教仍然存在。