2020年高考英语上海卷 - 阅读理解C

The books we read when we're young have a special sort of power: they can inspire us to be brave and resilient (Matilda by Roald Dahi), take us on thrilling adventures (Divergent by Veronica Roth) and even introduce us to tragedy (The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson). They're as formative as anything else in our young lives, and sometimes they're the first place we encounter larger-than-life ideas. Consider the lasting cultural import of To Kill a Mockingbird or even the urgency of a newer best seller like I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson's 2014 novel centering on a contradictory issue. In The Magic Words, Cheryl B. Klein, an executive editor at Scholastic whose projects include the last two Harry Potter books, sets out to inform would-be writers on how great novels for young readers work.
我们年轻时读的书有一种特殊的力量：它们可以激励我们勇敢而坚韧（罗尔德·达希的《玛蒂尔达》），带我们进行激动人心的冒险（维罗妮卡·罗斯的《分歧者》），甚至向我们介绍悲剧（凯瑟琳·帕特森的《仙境之桥》）。它们和其中东西一样，存在于我们年轻的生活中，有时它们是我们第一次遇到超越生活的想法。想想《杀死一只知更鸟》持久的文化意义，甚至想想《我会给你太阳》这样一本新畅销书的紧迫性，这本书是简迪·纳尔逊2014年的小说，围绕着一个矛盾的问题。Scholastic的执行主编谢丽尔·B·克莱因（项目包括最后两本《哈利·波特》）在《魔语》一书中，她试图让未来的作家了解适合年轻读者的伟大小说是如何运作的。

The market for YA novels is booming: sales in the children's and YA sector have been neck and neck with those of adult books in recent years, and adult authors, including Meg Wolitzer (Belzhar) and Carl Hiaasen (Razor Girl), are getting in on the phenomenon. Magic Words aims to be a master class. If you think it sounds silly, it isn't. In the era of elevated self-help sensations like Marie Kondo and Brené Brown, The Magic Words is of a piece.
青少年小说市场正在蓬勃发展：近年来，儿童和青少年领域的销量与成人书籍并驾齐驱，包括梅格•沃利策《瓶中迷境》和卡尔.希亚森《剃刀女孩》）在内的成人作家也参与了这一现象。《魔语》目标是成为大师级作品。如果你觉得这听起来很傻，但并不是这样。在近藤麻理惠和布伦内·布朗等自助情绪高涨的时代，《魔语》是一部经典之作。

Klein deconstructs the seemingly obvious (clear plotlines, sympathetic characters) to reveal the technical intricacies of some beloved classics. L. M. Montgomery surely didn't whip up Anne of Green Gables as a cash-in endeavor. But for those who want to capitalize, Anne is instructive: what's timeless and broadly appealing about Anne—her teenage heart and impulses—is what to examine. Once you understand that. Klein encourages you to get personal: What makes you ideal to write your story? And what does it mean to the reader?
克莱恩解构了看似显而易见的（清晰的情节、富有同情心的人物），揭示了一些深受喜爱的经典作品的技术复杂性。L·M·蒙哥马利肯定不会把《绿山墙的安妮》当作一种赚钱的努力。但对于那些想利用这一点的人来说，安妮很有启发性：安妮青少年时期的内心和冲动是永恒的，也是广泛吸引人的。一旦你明白了。克莱恩鼓励你个人化：是什么让你成为写故事的理想人选？这对读者意味着什么？

On the latter question, The Magic Words is more than a handbook. It is also a timely social commentary on the responsibility YA writers have to young adults. Those who write to a younger demographic must start with an awareness of their readers—not only their age but also how they might connect with the issues, both the mundane (bullies) and the cultural (tolerance) that characters face. The narratives we tell young readers can influence how they understand and value the world around them. The magic isn't in the words: it's in how the words come together to reflect and affirm the realities of a diverse young-adult experience.
关于后一个问题，《魔语》不仅仅是一本手册，也是对青少年文学作家对年轻人责任的及时社会评论。那些给年轻人写信的人必须从了解读者开始，不仅要了解他们的年龄，还要了解他们如何与角色所面临的世俗（欺凌）和文化（宽容）问题联系起来。我们告诉年轻读者的故事可以影响他们如何理解和重视周围的世界。神奇之处不在于文字：而是文字如何结合在一起，反映和肯定年轻人多样化经历的现实。