听力原文:

Dealing with autism
对抗孤独症
Beautiful minds, wasted
美丽的心灵，为何要珠沉大海
How not to squander the potential of autistic people
怎样让孤独者不荒废自己的潜能
IN AMERICA in 1970 one child in 14,000 was reckoned to be autistic. The current estimate is one in 68—or one in 42 among boys. Similarly high numbers can be found in other rich countries: a study in South Korea found that one in 38 children was affected. Autism is a brain condition associated with poor social skills. It has a wide spectrum of symptoms, from obsessive behaviour to hypersensitivity to sound, light or other sensory stimulation, the severity of which ranges from mild to life-blighting. The range of consequences is also wide. At one end, the autism of a computer scientist may be barely noticeable; at the other, a quarter of autistic children do not speak.

重点词汇：

1 squander 浪费，挥霍
2 autism 自闭症；孤独症
3 autistic 患孤独症的; 患自闭症的; autistic behaviour/children 自闭症行为 / 儿童
4 reckon 估算；估计；计算
5 spectrum范围；各层次；系列；幅度
6 hypersensitive very easily offended 非常敏感的；很容易生气的
7 hypersensitivity 超敏性;
8 sensory stimulation感官刺激
9 severity严重; 严格; 严谨; 严厉的对待
10 mild 温柔的; 温暖的; 轻微的; （味道）不浓的;
11 blight 损害；妨害；贻害
12 condition 健康状况；（因不可能治愈而长期患有的）疾病

听力原文:

Autism is a condition that defies simple generalisations. Except one: the potential of far too many autistic people is being squandered. Although around half of those with autism are of average intelligence or above, they do far worse than they should at school and at work. In France, almost 90% of autistic children attend primary school, but only 1% make it to high school. Figures from America, which works harder to include autistic pupils, suggest that less than half graduate from high school. In Britain, only 12% of higher-functioning autistic adults work full time. Globally, the United Nations reckons that 80% of those with autism are not in the workforce.

重点词汇：

1 defy 违抗；反抗；蔑视
2 generalisation 一般化; 普通化; 归纳; 概论

听力原文:

These numbers represent a tragic human toll, as millions of people live idle and isolated outside the world of work. Loving parents and siblings struggle to know how to help. Autism imposes hefty economic costs, reducing economic growth and swelling disability rolls. One American study suggests those costs could be as high as 2% of GDP. Fortunately, this need not be the case. Evidence, particularly from advanced economies, suggests there are plenty of things, from earlier screening to greater assistance with finding jobs, that could transform the lives of many autistic people (see Briefing).

重点词汇：

1 tragic 悲惨的；悲痛的；可悲的
2 sibling 兄；弟；姐；妹
3 hefty很大的；超出一般的；可观的
4 swelling膨胀；肿胀
5 roll 花名册；名单
6 toll（战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏；伤亡人数

听力原文:

Early screening is essential. There is no definitive test for autism. It can be diagnosed only by observing behaviour. Most babies learn by watching their parents smile, hug, eat and bicker; autistic children often fixate on inanimate objects or play with their toys in an oddly repetitive way. Relying on diagnosis by observation makes the statistics around autism slippery: one reason the condition’s incidence has risen in recent decades is that doctors have changed the way they detect it. Yet there is little doubt that early diagnosis and intervention can help autistic children’s brains develop better. If parents fill in a detailed questionnaire about what their children can and can’t do, doctors can usually spot the symptoms by the age of two. Speech therapy and other intensive treatments can help an autistic toddler cope and encourage learning and interaction at an age when the brain is at its most plastic. A study in 2013 in Washington state found that, though costly, such early coaching paid for itself within eight years by reducing the need for extra help in school. Alas, the average age of diagnosis in the rich world is three and a half.

重点词汇：

1 definitive 最后的；决定性的；不可更改的
2 diagnose 诊断（疾病）；判断（问题的原因）
3 bicker （为小事）斗嘴，争吵
4 fixate视线移向; 注视; 使固定;
5 inanimate 无生命的
6 observation 观察；观测；监视
7 slippery 难以应对的；棘手的 滑的；滑得抓不住（或站不稳、难以行走）的
8 Early screening 早期筛查
9 spot 看见；看出；注意到；发现
10 symptom 症状
11 therapy治疗；疗法
12 toddler 学步的幼儿;
13 cope （成功地）对付，处理
14 plastic 可塑的；有塑性的
15 incidence 发生范围；影响程度；发生率

听力原文:

A second aim should be to provide autistic children with schooling that suits them. A debate rages about when and how to include autistic children in mainstream classes. The evidence argues against blanket rules. Some do better when mixed in with other children and given additional support. Some need to be taught separately, either for their own sake or because they are disruptive. Others need a bit of both. Whatever the degree of integration, teaching autistic children effectively will require more funding, to train both specialist and mainstream teachers. In one study 60% of British teachers said they felt unprepared to teach autistic children.

重点词汇：

1 blanket rule 通用规则
2 disruptive 引起混乱的；扰乱性的；破坏性的

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