A
Microaggressions are minor racial attacks. Gabrielle, a 15-year-old teenager, knows the pain of microaggressions all too well. “When I was in the seventh grade, this guy told me that my hair looked like a rat’s nest and I needed to comb it. It makes you feel awful and makes you feel like you are dismissed and it makes you feel unheard,” she said.
Microaggressions are being spoken about now by young black teenagers like Gabrielle in light of the racial unrest across the country and amid the new school year. “We’re pretty for black girls,” said other black teenagers, describing microaggressions they have faced. “We’re outspoken to be black.” According to a study, black teenagers experience an average of over five incidents of discrimination a day, specifically teenage girls.
“I do believe that microaggressions and racism are part of a series of continuous events,” Dr. Walker said. “Experiencing acts of microaggression can have an effect on self-respect,” she said. “It starts to affect anxiety and depression and worry.” Black children who are exposed to racism face health risks too, with higher rates of obesity, as well as depression, data shows. The rate of suicide attempts among black teens also continues to rise, while rates among other racial groups have fallen.
Microaggressions can also be complicated, especially if the person who is offending has no intention of being hurtful. Walker’s advice for young black girls is to both take a deep breath and also try to educate other people, when possible. “Take a deep breath and centering yourself,” she said. “They could say, you may not have realized it, but what you said is hurtful.”
Walker says this may take some practice, but it is a skill that can be developed. “I think a lot of times in our society we want to be perfect and things just right for us, but a lot of times, it does take practice, and that’s okay. Just keep at it and lead with sympathy.”
1. Which of the following best describe Gabrielle?
A. She thinks microagressions are not serious.
B. She becomes concerned about her hairstyle.
C. She feels uncomfortable about microaggression.
D. She distinguishes herself among black teen girls.
2. How do black teenagers like Gabrielle sound when talking of their racial identity?
A. Bitter. B. Sympathetic. C. Angry. D. Proud.
3. What does Dr. Walker recommend doing?
A. The offended black girls should voice their feelings frankly
B. She advises handling microaggressions and discrimination equally.
C. Great importance may be attached to black girls’ mental health.
D. Black teen girls are advised to ignore unintentional microaggressions.
【答案】1. C 2. D 3. A
【解析】
本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了美国社会上存在的“微歧视”现象，它是指轻微的种族攻击。黑人青少年尤其是黑人女孩频繁遭受这种歧视。专家也就如何应对这些欺凌提出了一些建议。
【1题详解】
推理判断题。根据第一段“Microaggressions are minor racial attacks. Gabrielle, a 15-year-old teenager, knows the pain of microaggressions all too well. “When I was in the seventh grade, this guy told me that my hair looked like a rat’s nest and I needed to comb it. It makes you feel awful and makes you feel like you are dismissed and it makes you feel unheard,” she said.”(微歧视是轻微的种族攻击。15岁的青少年Gabrielle非常清楚轻微歧视带来的痛苦：“我上七年级的时候，那个家伙说我的头发像个老鼠窝，我需要梳理一下。这会让你感觉糟糕，让你觉得自己被忽视了，让你觉得没有人倾听你的声音。 ”)根据Gabrielle所言，微歧视行为让人感觉糟糕，感觉被忽视，也就是这种歧视让Gabrielle感到不舒服。故选C。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段“Microaggressions are being spoken about now by young black teenagers like Gabrielle in light of the racial unrest across the country and amid the new school year. “We’re pretty for black girls,” said other black teenagers, describing microaggressions they have faced. “We’re outspoken to be black.”(鉴于全国的种族骚乱以及在新学年期间，像Gabrielle这样的黑人青少年开始谈论“微歧视”。其他黑人青少年在描述她们所面临的微歧视时说：“我们是漂亮的黑人女孩，我们坦率地承认自己是黑人。 ”)可推知，像Gabrielle这样的黑人青少年谈到她们的种族身份时，很坦率地承认自己是黑人，而且还觉得自己很漂亮，所以他们对自己的身份是很自豪的。故选D。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“Walker’s advice for young black girls is to both take a deep breath and also try to educate other people, when possible. “Take a deep breath and centering yourself,” she said. “They could say, you may not have realized it, but what you said is hurtful.””(Walker给年轻黑人女孩的建议是，深呼吸，同时尽可能地教育别人。她说：“深呼吸，集中精神，他们可以说：你可能没有意识到，但你说的话很伤人。”)可推知，Walker博士建议被冒犯的黑人女孩告诉冒犯者，说他们的话伤害到了自己，也就是坦白告诉冒犯者自己的感受，故选A。
