英语晨读精81-87

Day 1 Trouble 0n the Table 餐桌上的麻烦

Trouble on the Table

生物基因技术是这个时代的热门话题之一。其中和日常生活联系最紧密的转基因食品是否对人体有害是很多人都关心的问题。

Some people find genetically altered superfoods hard to swallow What do you get when you cross a chicken with an apple? A daffodil with rice? A flounder with a tomato? These aren?t jokes waiting for a punch line. Believe it or not, combinations like these may make their way to your dinner table. There?s a brave new world of agriculture that has some people excited about new superfoods. Others are very nervous. For thousands of years, farmers improved their crops by patiently crossbreeding plants that have good traits. They would take pollen from the sweetest melon plants and add it to the flowers of plants that produced the biggest melons to create new plants with melons that are both sweet and big. But crossbreeding doesn?t always work. Even when it does, it can take decades to get good results.

Now, thanks to advances in gene science, there are amazing shortcuts. Genes are the instructions inside cells that help determine what a living thing looks like: its size, its shape and countless other traits. Using the new tools of genetic engineering, scientists can take a gene from one living thing and put it directly into another plant or animal. That way, says John Mount, professor of agriculture at the University of Tennessee, “you can make changes more precisely in a much shorter period of time.”

Here?s how it works. First, scientists identify a gene that controls a desirable trait — for example, a protein in an Arctic flounder that helps the fish thrive in frigid waters. The scientists then use chemicals to cut and paste the flounder gene into the genes of tomato cells in a test tube. The cells grow into a tomato plant. Then the plant is tested to see if the fish gene still works. Do its tomatoes resist the cold? Yes, they do! Scientists believe the new techniques can create crops that are pest-proof, disease resistant and more nutritious. Researchers are working on rice that has an extra boost of vitamin A from a daffodil gene. The rice could help prevent blindness, even death, for millions of kids who don?t get enough vitamin A in their diet.

Are we making monster food?

Not everybody is convinced that pumping up our food with foreign genes is a good idea. Many people say these genetically modified, or GM, foods may end up harming the environment and humans. They fear that plants with new genes forced into them will accidentally crossbreed with wild plants and create pesticide-resistant superweeds. They also say GM foods could carry genes that trigger allergies or other side effects. Already, there?s evidence that some GM

corn crops may be harmful to the caterpillars that turn into monarch butterflies. [注释]：

cross: a plant or animal produced by crossbreeding 杂交

genetically: 基因地

superfood: 超级食品，即转基因食品

daffodil: 水仙花

flounder: 比目鱼

punch line: (故事、戏剧、笑话等中的)妙语

crossbreeding: 异种交配，培育杂种，(使)杂交

trait: 显著的特点，特性

pollen: 花粉

shortcut: a more direct route than the customary one 捷径

identify: to ascertain the origin, nature, or definitive characteristics of 识别，鉴别

desirable: worth having or seeking, as by being useful, advantageous, or pleasing 值得要的，合

意的

protein: any of a group of complex organic macromolecules 蛋白质

thrive: to make steady progress; prosper 兴旺，繁荣

frigid: extremely cold 寒冷的

pest-proof: 防虫的，抗虫的

nutritious: providing nourishment; nourishing 有营养成分的，营养的

boost: to increase 增加

monster: a creature having a strange or frightening appearance 怪物，妖怪pump up: 增加

pesticide-resistant: 抗杀虫剂

superweed: 超级杂草

allergy: 敏感症

side: in addition to the main part; supplementary 副的

caterpillar: 毛虫

monarch butterfly: 黑脉金斑蝶

Day 2 Three Days to See 假如给我三天光明

Three Days to See

下面的文字摘选自海伦·凯勒的自传《假如给我三天光明》。海伦虽然自幼丧失了视力和听觉，但却是一个生活在黑暗中而给人类带来光明的女性。她在1904 年获得学位，成为优秀的讲师和作家。“我要把别人眼睛所看见的光明当作我的太阳，别人的耳朵听见的音乐当作我的乐曲，别人嘴角的微笑当作我的快乐。”她接受了命运的挑战，获得了超越自己的喜悦。我们为之感动的不仅是文字本身的优美和其中所含的真情，还包括字里行间所反映的那颗伟大心灵。

Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.

…

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.

Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have b een incredulous had I not been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.

How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a

pine. In the spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter?s sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush through my open finger. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the pageant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips.

——Helen Keller

[注释]：

buoyant: having or marked by buoyancy 有浮力的，轻快的

unimaginable: 想不到的，不可思议的

vista: an awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broad mental view 展望，回想

listless: lacking energy or disinclined to exert effort; lethargic 倦怠的，冷漠的，情绪低落的

incredulous: expressive of disbelief 怀疑的，不轻信的

accustom: to familiarize, as by constant practice, use, or habit 使习惯于symmetry: exact correspondence of form and constituent configuration on opposite sides of a

dividing line or plane or about a center or an axis 对称，匀称

silver birch: 白桦树

shaggy: having a rough nap or surface, as a textile 表面粗糙的

delightful: greatly pleasing 令人愉快的，可喜的

velvety: suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth 像天鹅绒的，柔软的

remarkable : attracting notice as being unusual or extraordinary 不平常的，非凡的，值得注意

的，显著的

convolution: a form or part that is folded or coiled 回旋，盘旋，卷绕

brook: 小溪

lush: having or characterized by luxuriant vegetation 青葱的，豪华的

luxurious : fond of or given to luxury 奢侈的，豪华的

pageant: 壮观

thrilling: 颤动的, 发抖的，令人振奋的

Day 3 Pitch in for the Planet 为这颗星球努力

Pitch in for the Planet

为了我们共有的环境，我们该怎么做？环境保护不要言语只要行动！因为我们只有一个地球。Five ways for you to be an Earth Day hero

When then Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson developed the idea for the first Earth Day in 1970, little did he know how that idea would take root and bloom. Earth Day was meant to draw attention to environme ntal problems. America?s enthusiasm for Earth Day helped persuade lawmakers to pass the 1970 Clean Air Act and to create the Environmental Protection Agency. This Earth Day, April 22, people around the world will gather to show that they care about our planet. But you can celebrate Earth Day every day. Here are some easy things you can do to protect the air, water and soil.

1. Recycle batteries. The batteries used in toys, cell phones and other devices can be harmful to the environment. If your batteries contain cadmium, nickel, lead or mercury, don?t throw them in the garbage. Take used batteries to a recycling or collection center in your community.

2. Cut down on garbage. Prevention is the best way to fight pollution! If you don?t create garbage then no one has to clean it up. Buy products that don?t have a lot of packaging. Reuse containers instead of throwing them out. Try to make Earth Day a garbage-free day.

3. Avoid chemicals. Plant marigolds, mint, garlic or onions in a garden instead of spray ing pesticides. Insects don?t like these plants and will stay away. Use

natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and salt to make cleaners in place of store-bought chemical cleaners.

4. Don?t waste energy. Just think how much electricity you could save if you always turned off lights and appliances when not using them.

Remind your parents and friends to conserve energy. Is the heat in your classroom on high with the window open? Do you let the faucet or shower run longer than needed? It takes energ y to make hot water. Use less and you?ll save precious resources.

5. Get involved. Is there a place in your community that needs to be cleaned up? Get the job done by organizing an event. Working with others is fun, and teamwork will get it done faster. Write letters to government leaders. Let them know that you care about the environment.

[注释]：

pitch in: 努力投入

Wisconsin: 威斯康星州(美国州名)

Senator: a member of a senate 参议员

Earth Day: 地球日

enthusiasm: a source or cause of great excitement or interest 狂热，热心

lawmaker: one who makes or enacts laws; a legislator 立法者

Clean Air Act: （美国）空气清洁法案

battery: a single cell, such as a dry cell, that produces an electric current 电池cadmium: 镉

nickel: 镍

lead: 铅

mercury: 水银，汞

marigold: 万寿菊，金盏草

mint: 薄荷

garlic: an onionlike plant (Allium sativum) of southern Europe having a bulb that breaks up into

separable cloves with a strong, distinctive odor and flavor 大蒜

onion: 洋葱

spraying pesticide: 喷洒杀虫剂

baking soda: 碳酸氢钠，发酵粉

appliance: a device or instrument designed to perform a specific function, especially an electrical

device, such as a toaster, for household use 用具，器具

faucet: a device for regulating the flow of a liquid from a reservoir such as a pipe or drum 龙头，旋塞

Dav 4 Who Moved Mv Cheese 谁动了我的奶酪Who Moved My Cheese

本篇选自广为流传的很有意思的畅销书：《谁动了我的奶酪》

从前，在一个遥远的地方，住着四个小家伙。为了填饱肚子和享受乐趣，他们每天在不远处的一座奇妙的迷宫里跑来跑去，在那里寻找一种叫做“奶酪”的黄橙橙、香喷喷的食物.. The book by Dr Spencer Johnson that Who moved my cheese features four imaginary characters: “Sniff” and “Scurry” (who are mice) and two lit tle people “Hem” and “Haw”. Cheese is a metaphor for what makes you happy—this is the cheese of life (a good job, health, spiritual peace of mind, a loving relationship) dealing with anticipating, adapting and enjoying change and to be always ready for new changes.

The story goes that the four little characters ran through a maze (the organization) daily, looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Sniff and Scurry used their instincts and a simple trial-and-error method, while Hem and Haw used their brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions but also learning from past experiences, developing more complicated methods. This often made their lives complicated and challenging.

The lessons Haw learned which we could use are:

1. Laugh at your own folly—then you can let go and quickly move on.

2. Keep life simple (don?t overanalyze or overcomplicate things).

3. Envision yourself (in realistic detail) finding something better.

4. Learn from mistakes made in the past and learn to deal with change.

5. Do not overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.

6. Notice when little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big change that might be coming.

7. If you do not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt at all.

8. The biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself and nothing gets better until you change.

9. There is always new cheese out there, whether you recognize it at the time or not, and you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.

10. Some fear should be respected as it keep you out of real danger — most of our fears are often irrational and keep us from changing when we need to. 11. Change is often a blessing in disguise, as it leads us to finding better cheese. [注释]：

Spencer Johnson: （作家）斯宾塞·约翰逊

imaginary: having existence only in the imagination; unreal 想象的，虚构的metaphor: 隐喻

maze: a graphic puzzle, the solution of which is an uninterrupted path through an intricate pattern

of line segments from a starting point to a goal 迷宫

instinct: an innate capability or aptitude 本能

trial-and-error: 尝试后矫正

complicated: containing intricately combined or involved parts 复杂的

folly: an act or instance of foolishness 荒唐事，傻念头

overanalyze or overcomplicate: 分析过度或过度复杂化

envision: to picture in the mind; imagine 想象，预想

inhibitor: one that inhibits, as a substance that retards or stops a chemical reaction 抑制剂

adventure: to engage in hazardous activities; take risks 冒险

disguise: appearance that misrepresents the true character of something 伪装

Day 5 The Rising Popularity of Extreme Sports 极

限运动日渐流行

The Rising Popularity of Extreme Sports

极限运动是指人类在与自然融合的过程中, 借助于现代高科技手段, 最大限度地发挥自我身心潜能,向自身挑战的体育娱乐运动。从下面的文章你可以了解这一新兴时尚活动的内容。Chance McGuire, 25, stands on the edge of a 650-foot concrete dam in Northern California. There is a light breeze. A lone hawk circles above the deep valley. The sound from the creek below is faint. “Five...four...three...two...one,” counts McGuire. “See ya!” He leaps out into space. In one second he falls 16 ft., in two seconds 63 ft., and after three seconds and 137 ft. he is dropping at 65 m.p.h. The air comes rushing at his face and tearing at his clothes, and the massive gray dam is a blur. He prays that his parachute will open facing away from the dam, that th e chute won?t collapse, and that no ill wind will slam him back into the cold concrete. The chute snaps open, sounding like a gunshot in the valley. Now McGuire is soaring, making S turns in the air while descending toward the winding creek. When he lands safely, he lets out a whoop of joy. Skateboarders, skiers, bicyclists, and snowboarders have all been testing the limits of their sports. Dissatisfied with ordinary tricks, bike riders now do back-flips and handstands on their handlebars. Skateboarders and in-line skaters soar off half-pipes, twisting and spinning high into the air like gymnasts. Skiers come down mountainsides so steep that it would probably be more accurate to say that they are falling rather than skiing. Extreme sports like these are gaining popularity in Europe and Asia, but they are most popular in America.

[注释]：

concrete dam: 混凝土大坝

creek: 小溪，小湾

hawk: 鹰

faint: lacking clarity or distinctness 微弱的，模糊的

leap: to spring or bound upward from or as if from the ground; jump 跳，跳跃parachute: 降落伞

chute: a parachute, such as one for pilots or skydivers 降落伞

collapse: 失败

slam: a forceful impact that makes a loud noise 冲击

snap: to open, close, or fit together with a click 吧嗒一声猛地打开

gunshot: 射击

soar: the act of soaring 翱翔

winding: one complete turn of something wound 线圈

whoop: a loud cry of exultation or excitement 大叫，呐喊

skateboarder: a short, narrow board having a set of four roller skate wheels mounted under it and

usually ridden in a standing or crouching position 滑板

bicyclist: 骑自行车的人

handlebar: a curved metal steering bar, as on a bicycle, often used in the plural 手把

spinning: 旋转

gymnast: a person who is trained and skilled in gymnastics, especially one who engages in

competition 体操运动员

mountainside: the side of a mountain 山腹，山腰

steep: having a sharp inclination 陡峭的，险峻的

Day 6 I Have a Dream 我有一个梦想

I Have a Dream

马丁·路德·金(1929—1968)，美国黑人解放运动的著名领袖，1968 年被种族主义者刺杀。1963年8月28 日，美国首都华盛顿举行大规模的黑人集会，为黑人争取自由、平等和就业。马丁·路德·金在会上发表本篇演说。

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor?s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

——Martin Luther King

[注释]：

Alabama: a tribe of the Creek confederacy formerly inhabiting southern Alabama and now

located in eastern Texas 阿拉巴马州(美国的一个州)

lip: either of two fleshy folds that surround the opening of the mouth 嘴唇drip: to let fall in or as if in drops (使)滴下

interposition: 异议

nullification: the state of being nullified 无效

transform: to subject (a construction) to a transformation 改变

exalt: 升高

crooked: having or marked by bends, curves, or angles 弯曲的

glory: a highly praiseworthy asset 荣誉，光荣

reveal: to make known (something concealed or secret) 显示，透露

jangling: 刺耳的

discord: inharmonious combination of simultaneously sounded tones; dissonance 意见不合，嘈

杂声

symphony: 交响乐，交响曲

brotherhood: the state or relationship of being brothers 手足情谊

jail: a place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention; a prison 监狱

Dav 7 The Wisdom 0f One Word 一句话的智慧The Wisdom of One Word

最美妙的相遇诞生在偶然,它的名字叫做邂逅

Isn?t it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life?s history? This is certainly w hat happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live.

Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked

me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, “Not exactly, sir, since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, …It is important to follow your dream and what is in your he art, Son.?”

The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, “No, sir, but a soda would be great.” We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.

After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.

We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.

The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special among the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, “There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these:

“Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.”He followed with, “I?ll bet you think I?m a bum, don?t you, young man?”

I said, “Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir.”

“Well, young man, I?ve got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life,one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don?t ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.

“Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can?t take away from you, and that is your wisdom.” At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books

he?d pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle—immortal classics from ancient times.

The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.

I haven't.

[注释]：

hitchhike: to travel by soliciting free rides along a road 搭便车

surfing: 冲浪游戏，网络冲浪

dropout : one who quits school 中途退学，辍学学生

bum: a tramp 流浪者

malt: grain, usually barley, that has been allowed to sprout, used chiefly in brewing and distilling

麦芽

magnificent: splendid in appearance; grand 宏伟的

commitment: a pledge to do 许诺

Plato: (427—347BC，古希腊哲学家)柏拉图

immortal: 不朽的