《中英對照讀新聞》Teens who read poorly have higher suicide risk 閱讀能力差的青少年，自殺率較高

◎張沛元

Teenagers who have significant problems reading appear to be much more likely than their peers to contemplate or attempt suicide, researchers reported.

研究人員指出，有嚴重閱讀問題的青少年，似乎比其同儕更有可能想過或企圖自殺。

In a 3-year study of 188 high school students, researchers found that those with poor reading abilities were nearly four times more likely than average readers to think about or attempt suicide.

研究人員在這份針對188名高中生所進行的3年研究中發現，在想過或企圖自殺的學生中，閱讀能力差的學生，將近是閱讀能力一般的學生的4倍。

Twenty-five percent of teens with reading disabilities said they thought about killing themselves or made a suicide attempt, while these thoughts and behaviors were reported by 9 percent of students with average reading skills.

25%有閱讀障礙的青少年說，他們想過自殺或企圖自殺；至於閱讀能力一般的學生有這種想法或行為的比率是9%。

Not surprisingly, poor readers were also much more likely to drop out of school during the study period -- 30 percent did, versus 5 percent of their peers.

不令人意外的是，閱讀能力差的學生也比較可能在求學期間退學──退學者的比率達30%，而其同儕為5%。

新聞辭典

peer：名詞，同等地位的人，同輩，同事，同齡者；（才學）相匹敵者。相關片語：peer group，同儕團體（學歷、工作、社會地位等相當的群體）；peer pressure，同儕壓力。例句：Peer pressure is one of the most common reasons young people give for starting to smoke.（年輕人開始抽菸最常用的理由之一就是同儕壓力。）

contemplate：動詞，忖量；凝視；打算。例句："You have to contemplate your future after your father’s death," the woman told her stepdaughter.（「你得在你爸死後為自己的將來好好打算，」那個女人對她的繼女說。）

drop out：片語，掉出來；退出，退學；逃避現實，退隱。dropout：名詞，退出，退學，退學生。例句：We don’t hire high school dropouts; it’s against the company’s recruitment policy.（我們不聘僱高中退學生；此舉有違本公司的聘僱政策。）