2018年6月英语四级听力美文第14篇:About Streaking

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　　英语四级听力美文第14篇:About Streaking
        　　In America, we value individuality and like to think that everyone is
different. It is expectedthat most youth will be somewhat rebellious sometime
around college age. Youthful rebellionis often seen as a healthy and normal
groping toward individuality, especially as needed tobecome distinct from one’s
parents.
        　　The rebelliousness may be related to major social issues —peace, or racial
justice, as we hadin the late 1960s. On the other hand, normal, healthy
rebelliousness may be an individualtest of the line between foolishness and
trouble.
        　　Early teens may try to shock and worry their parents. Tattoos, pierced
noses, and brightlycolored hair are examples.
        　　By college age, students may be expected to be testing broader social
norms. Of particulardelight are actions that point out the hypocrisy of older
generations.Streaking, or “runningnaked through a public place”, is a fine
example of that kind of testing. Public nudity is widelycondemned by officialdom
and can be punished.
        　　However, as long as the streaker escapes without being caught, streaking is
clearly harmless; one would be sorry to miss seeing a given instance. Streaking
is a fad. A fad allows everyone todemonstrate how different he is — in the same
way.
        　　Fads wear out. Fads come and go. Streaking became a fad in the fall of
1973, soon makingnational headlines.
        　　It faded out and then came back in the 80’s and again in the 90’s. On at
least one campus (Princeton University, a highly respected school), a form of
streaking has become a tradition. Each year at midnight on the night of the
first snow, nude sophomores run around Princeton’s Holder Courtyard. The
tradition has taken hold to anextent that it gets favorable treatment in the
national press, and official attempts to end thepractice get no public
support.