新概念英语 短文
新概念英语第三册-Lesson 12(课文)_新概念英语_沪江网
out.
Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed
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1, Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island.
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Lesson 12 Life on a desert island 荒岛生活
Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We
sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always
always shines.
imagine sth. to be / imagine sth. as
e.g. Some people imagine flying to be more dangerous than traveling by train.
e.g. A large number people imagine the USA as their paradise.
英语短文-新概念背诵短文：美的某种意义
英语短文新概念背诵短文：美的某种意义A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet they do convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe, for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.年轻人看到日落，由于无法理解或表达心中激起的那种强烈感情，便断定日落处一定是通往遥远世界的大门。
我们任何人在强烈感受到美的时刻都不禁联想到：我们似乎瞥见从一个不同世界射向我们的一线光芒，不仅不同，而且因为这种美具有强烈的感染力，所以在某种程度上更高级。
新概念英语第二册课文原文
新概念英语第二册课文原文Lesson 1 A private conversation。
Today, I had a private conversation with my friend. We talked about many different things, and it was a really enjoyable experience. It's always nice to have a one-on-one chat with someone you trust and feel comfortable with.We started by discussing our plans for the upcoming weekend. My friend mentioned that she was thinking about going to the beach, and I told her that I was considering going for a hike in the mountains. We both love spending time outdoors, so it was interesting to hear each other's ideas.After that, we moved on to talk about our families. My friend shared some funny stories about her younger brother, and I told her about a recent trip I took with my parents. It's always nice to hear about other people's experiences and to share your own as well.The conversation then turned to more serious topics, and we discussed our goals and aspirations for the future. We both have big dreams and it was inspiring to hear about what my friend hopes to achieve in the coming years. It made me feel motivated to work towards my own goals as well.As the conversation went on, we delved into deeper topics such as our fears and insecurities. It was a vulnerable and honest discussion, and it made me feel closer to my friend. It's important to have conversations like these, where you can open up and be yourself without fear of judgment.We also talked about our hobbies and interests. My friend loves painting, and she showed me some of her recent work. I enjoy playing the guitar, so I played a song for her. It was a fun and lighthearted moment in our conversation.Towards the end of our chat, we talked about our friendship and how much we value each other's company. It's always nice to remind the people in your life how much they mean to you, and our conversation ended on a very positive note.Overall, my private conversation with my friend was a wonderful experience. It's so important to have meaningful conversations with the people in your life, and I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with my friend on a deeper level. I look forward to many more private conversations in the future.。
新概念英语范文
新概念英语范文New Concept English Composition: My Dream School。
My Dream School。
If I were to build my dream school, it would be a place where students could not only excel academically, but also develop their creativity, critical thinking, and social skills. My dream school would be a place where students feel inspired, motivated, and supported in their pursuit of knowledge and personal growth.First and foremost, my dream school would have a strong focus on academics. It would offer a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum that covers a wide range of subjects, from mathematics and science to literature and history. The teachers would be highly qualified and passionate about their subjects, and they would use innovative and engaging teaching methods to make learning fun and meaningful for the students. The school would also provide ample resources and support for students who need extra help or want to pursue advanced studies.In addition to academics, my dream school would place a strong emphasis on developing students' creativity and critical thinking skills. It would offer a variety of extracurricular activities, such as art, music, drama, and debate, to nurture students' talents and interests. The school would also encourage students to think critically and independently, and it would provide opportunities for them to engage in meaningful projects and research that address real-world problems.Furthermore, my dream school would prioritize the social and emotional well-being of its students. It would have a strong focus on character education, teaching students important values such as respect, empathy, and responsibility. The school would also provide counseling and support services to help students navigate the challenges of adolescence and develop healthy relationships with their peers and adults.In terms of facilities, my dream school would be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and resources to support students' learning and growth. It would have modern classrooms, laboratories, and libraries, as well as recreational facilities such as sports fields, gyms, and performance spaces. The school would also prioritize sustainability and environmental stewardship, with green spaces, gardens, and recycling programs that promote a healthy and eco-friendly campus.Finally, my dream school would be a diverse and inclusive community that celebrates and respects the unique backgrounds and perspectives of its students. It would foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork, where students learn to appreciate and learn from each other's differences. The school would also prioritize community engagement and service, encouraging students to give back and make a positive impact in their local and global communities.In conclusion, my dream school would be a place where students receive a top-notch education, develop their creativity and critical thinking skills, and grow into compassionate and responsible individuals. It would be a place where students feel valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. I believe that such a school would not only prepare students for success in their academic and professional lives, but also for a fulfilling and meaningful life as engaged citizens and lifelong learners.。
高中英语 新概念优美背诵短文50篇 中英文对照
高中英语新概念优美背诵短文50篇中英文对照Unit1:The Language of MusicA painter hangs his or her finished pictures on a wall, and everyone can see it. A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long and as arduous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, for musicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer. Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords would be inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practice moving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow to and fro with the right arm—two entirely different movements.Singers and instruments have to be able to get every note perfectly in tune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes are already there, waiting for them, an d it is the piano tuner’s responsibility to tune the instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties; the hammers that hit the string have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear.This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts student conductors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how it should sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sound with fanatical but selfless authority.Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledge and understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home in the language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any century.Unit2:Schooling and EducationIt is commonly believed in United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important.Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or in the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one’s entire life.Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the working of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that there not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.Unit3:The Defini tion of PricePrices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services. The interrelationships of all these prices make up the “system” of prices. The price of any particular product or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else.If one were to ask a group of randomly selected individuals to define “price”, many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a product or service or, in other words that price is the money values of a product or service as agreed upon in a market transaction. This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors. In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total “package” being exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.Unit4:ElectricityThe modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets because there are no traffic lights to guide them, and food spoils in silent refrigerators.Yet, people began to understand how electricity works only a little more than two centuries ago. Nature has apparently been experimenting in this field for million of years. Scientists are discovering more and more that the living world may hold many interesting secrets of electricity that could benefit humanity.All living cell send out tiny pulses of electricity. As the heart beats, it sends out pulses of record; they form an electrocardiogram, which a doctor can study to determine how well the heart is working. The brain, too, sends out brain waves of electricity, which can be recorded in an electroencephalogram. The electric currents generated by most living cells are extremely small –often so small that sensitive instruments are needed to record them. But in some animals, certain muscle cells have become so specialized as electrical generators that they do not work as muscle cells at all. When large numbers of these cell are linked together, the effects can be astonishing.The electric eel is an amazing storage battery. It can seed a jolt of as much as eight hundred volts of electricity through the water in which it live. ( An electric house current is only one hundred twenty volts.) As many as four-fifths of all the cells in the electric eel’s body are specialized for generating electricity, and the strength of the shock it can deliver corresponds roughly to length of its body.Unit5:The Beginning of DramaThere are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The on most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world-even the seasonal changes-as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used, Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium." In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and mimed the desired effect-success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival of the Sun-as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.Another theory traces the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this vies tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.Unit6:TelevisionTelevision-----the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by rapid change and growth-is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.The word "television", derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin (visi sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconductive plate within a camera) into electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.Television is more than just an electronic system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years, it has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.Unit7:Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and , in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the product and in part from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments.Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. "He who dies rich, dies disgraced," he often said.Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthrophic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie's generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.Unit8:American RevolutionThe American Revolution was not a sudden and violent overturning of the political and social framework, such as later occurred in France and Russia, when both were already independent nations. Significant changes were ushered in, but they were not breathtaking. What happened was accelerated evolution rather than outright revolution. During the conflict itself people went on working and praying, marrying and playing. Most of them were not seriously disturbed by the actual fighting, and many of the more isolated communities scarcely knew that a war was on.America's War of Independence heralded the birth of three modern nations. One was Canada, which received its first large influx of English-speaking population from the thousands of loyalists who fled there from the United States. Another was Australia, which became a penal colony now that America was no longer available for prisoners and debtors. The third newcomer-the United States-based itself squarely on republican principles.Yet even the political overturn was not so revolutionary as one might suppose. In some states, notably Connecticut and Rhode Island, the war largely ratified a colonial self-rule already existing. British officials, everywhere ousted, were replaced by a home-grown governing class, which promptly sought a local substitute for king and Parliament.Unit9:SuburbanizationIf by "suburb" is meant an urban margin that grows more rapidly than its already developed interior, the process of suburbanization began during the emergence of the industrial city in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Before that period the city was a small highly compact cluster in which people moved about on foot and goods were conveyed by horse and cart. But the early factories built in the 1840's were located along waterways and near railheads at the edges of cities, and housing was needed for the thousands of people drawn by the prospect of employment. In time, the factories were surrounded by proliferating mill towns of apartments and row houses that abutted the older, main cities. As a defense against this encroachment and to enlarge their tax bases, the cities appropriated their industrial neighbors. In 1854, for example, the city of Philadelphia annexed most of Philadelphia County. Similar municipal maneuvers took place in Chicago and in New York. Indeed, most great cities of the United States achieved such status only by incorporating the communities along their borders.With the acceleration of industrial growth came acute urban crowding and accompanying social stress-conditions that began to approach disastrous proportions when, in 1888, the first commercially successful electric traction line was developed. Within a few years the horse-drawn trolleys were retired and electric streetcar networks crisscrossed and connected every major urban area, fostering a wave of suburbanization that transformed the compact industrial city into a dispersed metropolis. This first phase of mass-scale suburbanization was reinforced by the simultaneous emergence of the urban Middle Class, whose desires for homeownership in neighborhoods far from the aging inner city were satisfied by the developers of single-family housing tracts.Unit10:Types of SpeechStandard usage includes those words and expressions understood, used, and accepted by a majority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictionaries. Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of a language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered appropriate for more formal situations. Almost all idiomatic expressions are colloquial language. Slang, however, refers to words and expressions understood by a large number of speakers but not accepted as good, formal usage by the majority. Colloquial expressions and even slang may be found in standard dictionaries but will be so identified. Both colloquial usage and slang are more common in speech than in writing.Colloquial speech often passes into standard speech. Some slang also passes into standard speech, but other slang expressions enjoy momentary popularity followed by obscurity. In some cases, the majority never accepts certain slang phrases but nevertheless retains them in their collective memories. Every generation seems to require its own set of words to describe familiar objects and events. It has been pointed out by a number of linguists that three cultural conditions are necessary for the creation of a large body of slang expressions. First, the introduction and acceptance of new objects and situations in the society; second, a diverse population with a large number of subgroups; third, association among the subgroups and the majority population.Finally, it is worth noting that the terms "standard" "colloquial" and "slang" exist only as abstract labels for scholars who study language. Only a tiny number of the speakers of any language will be aware that they are using colloquial or slang expressions. Most speakers of English will, during appropriate situations, select and use all three types of expressions.Unit12:MuseumsFrom Boston to Los Angeles, from New York City to Chicago to Dallas, museums are either planning, building, or wrapping up wholesale expansion programs. These programs already have radically altered facades and floor plans or are expected to do so in the not-too-distant future.In New York City alone, six major institutions have spread up and out into the air space and neighborhoods around them or are preparing to do so.The reasons for this confluence of activity are complex, but one factor is a consideration everywhere - space. With collections expanding, with the needs and functions of museums changing, empty space has become a very precious commodity.Probably nowhere in the country is this more true than at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which has needed additional space for decades and which received its last significant face lift ten years ago. Because of the space crunch, the Art Museum has become increasingly cautious in considering acquisitions and donations of art, in some cases passing up opportunities to strengthen its collections.Deaccessing - or selling off - works of art has taken on new importance because of the museum's space problems. And increasingly, curators have been forced to juggle gallery space, rotating one masterpiece into public view while another is sent to storage.Despite the clear need for additional gallery and storage space, however," the museum has no plan, no plan to break out of its envelope in the next fifteen years," according to Philadelphia Museum of Art's president.Unit14:A Rare Fossil RecordThe preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rate occurrence in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other animals, a lack of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well-preserved ichthyosaur fossils.The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in black, bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine reptiles, fish and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.Unit15:The Nobel AcademyFor the last 82years, Sweden's Nobel Academy has decided who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, thereby determining who will be elevated from the great and the near great to the immortal. But today the Academy is coming under heavy criticism both from the without and from within. Critics contend that the selection of the winners often has less to do with true writing ability than with the peculiar internal politics of the Academy and of Sweden itself. According to Ingmar Bjorksten , the cultural editor for one of the country's two major newspapers, the prize continues to represent "what people call a very Swedish exercise: reflecting Swedish tastes."The Academy has defended itself against such charges of provincialism in its selection by asserting that its physical distance from the great literary capitals of the world actually serves to protect the Academy from outside influences. This may well be true, but critics respond that this very distance may also be responsible for the Academy's inability to perceive accurately authentic trends in the literary world.Regardless of concerns over the selection process, however, it seems that the prize will continue to survive both as an indicator of the literature that we most highly praise, and as an elusive goal that writers seek. If for no other reason, the prize will continue to be desirable for the financial rewards that accompany it; not only is the cash prize itself considerable, but it also dramatically increases sales of an author's books.Unit16:The War between Britain and FranceIn the late eighteenth century, battles raged in almost every corner of Europe, as well as in the Middle East, south Africa ,the West Indies, and Latin America. In reality, however, there was only one major war during this time, the war between Britain and France. All other battles were ancillary to this larger conflict, and were often at least partially related to its antagonist’ goals and strate gies. France sought total domination of Europe . this goal was obstructed by British independence and Britain’s efforts throughout the continent to thwart Napoleon; through treaties. Britain built coalitions (not dissimilar in concept to today’s NATO) guaranteeing British participation in all major European conflicts. These two antagonists were poorly matched, insofar as they had very unequal strengths; France was predominant on land, Britain at sea. The French knew that, short of defeating the British navy, their only hope of victory was to close all the ports of Europe to British ships. Accordingly, France set out to overcome Britain by extending its military domination from Moscow t Lisbon, from Jutland to Calabria. All of this entailed tremendous risk, because France did not have the military resources to control this much territory and still protect itself and maintain order at home.French strategists calculated that a navy of 150 ships would provide the force necessary to defeat the British navy. Such a force would give France a three-to-two advantage over Britain. This advantage was deemed necessary because of Britain’s superior sea skills and technology because of Britain’s superior sea skills and technology, and also because Britain would be fighting a defensive war, allowing it to win with fewer forces. Napoleon never lost substantial impediment to his control of Europe. As his force neared that goal, Napoleon grew increasingly impatient and began planning an immediate attack.Unit17:Evolution of SleepSleep is very ancient. In the electroencephalographic sense we share it with all the primates and almost all the other mammals and birds: it may extend back as far as the reptiles. There is some evidence that the two types of sleep, dreaming and dreamless, depend on the life-style of the animal, and that predators are statistically much more likely to dream than prey, which are in turn much more likely to experience dreamless sleep. In dream sleep, the animal is powerfully immobilized and remarkably unresponsive to external stimuli. Dreamless sleep is much shallower, and we have all witnessed cats or dogs cocking their ears to a sound when apparently fast asleep. The fact that deep dream sleep is rare among pray today seems clearly to be a product of natural selection, and it makes sense that today, when sleep is highly evolved, the stupid animals are less frequently immobilized by deep sleep than the smart ones. But why should they sleep deeply at all Why should a state of such deep immobilization ever have evolved Perhaps one useful hint about the original function of sleep is to be found in the fact that dolphins and whales and aquatic mammals in genera seem to sleep very little. There is, by and large, no place to hide in the ocean. Could it be that, rather than increasing an animal’s vulnerability, the University of Florida and Ray Meddis of London University have suggested this to be the case. It is conceivable that animals who are too stupid to be quite on their own initiative are, during periods of high risk, immobilized by the implacable arm of sleep. The point seems particularly clear for the young of predatory animals. This is an interesting notion and probably at least partly true.Unit18:Modern American UniversitiesBefore the 1850’s, the Unit ed States had a number of small colleges, most of them dating from colonial days. They were small, church connected institutions whose primary concern was to shape the moral character of their students.Throughout Europe, institutions of higher learning had developed, bearing the ancient name of university. In German university was concerned primarily with creating and spreading knowledge, not morals. Between mid-century and the end of the 1800’s, more than nine thousand young Americans, dissatisfied with their training at home, went to Germany for advanced study. Some of them return to become presidents of venerable colleges-----Harvard, Yale, Columbia---and transform them into modern universities. The new presidents broke all ties with the churches and brought in a new kind of faculty. Professors were hired for their knowledge of a subject, not because they were of the proper faith and had a strong arm for disciplining students. The new principle was that a university was to create knowledge as well as pass it on, and this called for a faculty composed of teacher-scholars. Drilling and learning by rote were replaced by the German method of lecturing, in which the professor’s own research was presented in class. Graduate training leading to the Ph.D., an ancient German degree signifying the highest level of advanced scholarly attainment, was introduced. With the establishment of the seminar system, graduate student learned to question, analyze, and conduct their own research.At the same time, the new university greatly expanded in size and course offerings, breaking completely out of the old, constricted curriculum of mathematics, classics, rhetoric, and music. The president of Harvard pioneered the elective system, by which students were able to choose their own course of study. The notion of major fields of study emerged. The new goal was to make the university relevant to the real pursuits of the world. Paying close heed to the practical needs of society, the new universities trained men and women to work at its tasks, with engineering students being the most characteristic of the new regime. Students were also trained as economists, architects, agriculturalists, social welfare workers, and teachers.。
新概念英语第二册每课短文(1-50)
1Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat. The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned round. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it.I turned round again. …I can't hear a word!‟ I said angrily.…It's none of your business, ‟ the young man said rudely. …This is a private conversation!‟2It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunchtime. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. …What a day!‟ I thought. …It's raining again. ‟ Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. …I've just arrived by train, ‟ she said. …I'm coming to see you. ‟…But I'm still having breakfast, ‟ I said.…What are you doing?‟ she asked.…I'm having breakfast, ‟ I repeated.…Dear me, ‟ she said. …Do you always get up so late? It's one o'clock!‟3Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer, I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian. Then he lent me a book. I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Every day I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up early and bought thirty-seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!4I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.5Mr. James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried the first message from Pinburst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance the first three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private…telephone‟service6Who is Percy Buttons? I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street. Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door. he asked me for a meal and a glass of beer. In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs. I gave him a meal. he ate the food and drank the beer. Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away. Later a neighboor told me about him. Every body knows him. His name is Percy Buttons. He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.7The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!8Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town. Nearly everybody enters for…The Nicest Garden Competition‟each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Frith's garden is larger than Joe's. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables, but Joe's garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool. I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work. Every year I enter for the garden competition too, and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town!9On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted, …It's two minutes pas t twelve! The clock has stopped!* I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.10We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our family for a long time . The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago . Recently it was damaged by a visitor . She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it . It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.11I was having dinner at a restaurant when Tony Steele came in. Tony worked in a lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Tony saw me and came and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed money from me. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me twenty pounds. To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately. …I have never borrowed any money from you, ‟ Tony said, …so now you can pay for my dinner!‟12Our neighbour, Captain Charles Alison, will sail from Portsmouth tomorrow. We'll meet him at the harbour early in the morning. He will be in his small boat, Topsail. Topsail is a famous little boat. It has sailed across the Atlantic many times. Captain Alison will set out at eight o'clock, so we'll have plenty of time. We'll see his boat and then we'll say goodbye to him. He will be away for two months. We are very proud of him. He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.13The Greenwood Boys are a group of pop singers. At present, they are visiting all parts of the country. They will be arriving here tomorrow. They will be coming by train and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station. Tomorrow evening they will be singing at the Workers' Club. The Greenwood Boys will be staying for five days. During this time, they will give five performances. As usual, the police will have a difficult time. They will be trying to keep order. It is always the same on these occasions.14I had an amusing experience last year. After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town. On the way, a young man waved to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him 5 in French and he replied in the same language. Apart from a few words, I do not know any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly reached the town, when the young man suddenly said, very slowly, …Do you speak English?‟As I soon learnt, he was English himself!15The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me. I felt very nervous when I went into his office. He did not look up from his desk when I entered. After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad. He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries. Twenty people had already left. I knew that my turn had come.…Mr. Harmsworth, ‟I said in a weak voice.…Don't interrupt, ‟he said.Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra thousand pounds a year!16If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic policeman will soon find it. You will be very lucky if he lets you go without a ticket. However, this does not always happen. Traffic police are sometimes very polite. During a holiday in Sweden, I found this note on my car:…Sir, we welcome you to our city. This is a“No Parking”area. You will enjoy your stay here if you pay attention to our street signs. This note is only a reminder. ‟If you receive a request like this, you cannot fail to obey it!17My aunt Jennifer is an actress. She must be at least thirty-five years old. In spite of this, she often appears on the stage as a young girl. Jennifer will have to take part in a new play soon. This time, she will be a girl of seventeen. In the play, she must appear in a bright red dress and long black stockings. Last year in another play, she had to wear short socks and a bright, orange-coloured dress. If anyone ever asks her how old she is, she always answers, …Darling, it must be terrible to be grown up!‟18After I had had lunch at a village pub, I looked for my bag. I had left it on a chair beside the door and now it wasn't there! As I was looking for it, the landlord came in.…Did you have a good meal?‟he asked.…Yes, thank you, ‟I answered, …but I can't pay the bill . I haven't got my bag. ‟The landlord smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes he returned with my bag and gave it back to me.…I'm very sorry, ‟he said. …My dog had taken it into the garden. He often does this!‟ 19…The play may begin at any moment, ‟ I said.…It may have begun already, ‟ Sus an answered.I hurried to the ticket office. …May I have two tickets please?‟I asked.…I'm sorry, we've sold out, ‟ the girl said.…What a pity!‟Susan exclaimed.Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office.…Can I return these two tickets?‟ he asked.…Certainly, ‟ the girl said.I went back to the ticket office at once.…Could I have those two tickets please?‟ I asked.…Certainly, ‟ the girl said, …but they're for next Wednesday's performance. Do you still want them?‟…I might as well have them,‟ I said sadly.20Fishing is my favourite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this does not worry me. Some fishermen are unlucky. Instead of catching fish, they catch old boots and rubbish. I am even less lucky. I never catch anything ---- not even old boots. After having spent whole mornings on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. …You must give up fishing!‟ my friends say. …It's a waste of time. ‟ But they don't realize one important thing. I'm not reallyinterested in fishing. I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all!21Aeroplanes are slowly driving me mad. I live near an airport and passing planes can be heard night and day. The airport was built years ago, but for some reason it could not be used then. Last year, however, it came into use. Over a hundred people must have been driven away from their homes by the noise. I am one of the few people left. Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by a passing plane. I have been offered a large sum of money to go away, but I am determined to stay here. Everybody says I must be mad and they are probably right.22My daughter, Jane, never dreamed of receiving a letter from a girl of her own age in Holland. Last year, we were travelling across the Channel and Jane put a piece of paper with her name and address on it into a bottle. She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again, but ten months later, she received a letter from a girl in Holland. Both girls write to each other regularly now. However, they have decided to use the post office. Letters will cost a little more, but they will certainly travel faster.23I had a letter from my sister yesterday. She lives in Nigeria. In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year. If she comes, she will get a surprise. We are now living in a beautiful new house in the country. Work on it had begun before my sister left. The house was completed five months ago. In my letter, I told her that she could stay with us. The house has many large rooms and there is a lovely garden. It is a very modern house, so it looks strange to some people. It must be the only modern house in the district. 24I entered the hotel manager's office and sat down. I had just lost ￡50 and I felt very upset. …I left the money in my room, ‟ I said, …and it's not there now. ‟ The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothing. …Everyone's losing money these days, ‟ he said. He started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained ￡50. …I found this outside this gentleman's room, ‟ she said. …Well, ‟ I said to the manager, …there is still some honesty in this world!‟25I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but veryclearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. …I am a foreigner, ‟ I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other andsm iled. Then he said something and I understood it. …You'll soon learn English!‟ he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?26I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is …about‟. Of course, many pictures are not …about‟ anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday. …What are you doing?‟ she asked. …I'm hanging this picture on the wall, ‟ I answered. …It's a new one. Do you like it?‟She looked at it critically for a moment. …It's all right, ‟ she said, …but isn't it upside down?‟ I looked at it again. She was right! It w as!27Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food smelled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the campfire. But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent!28Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. He has just bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with cars and their owners. When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has parked a car outside his gate. Because of this, he has not been able to get his own carinto his garage even once. Jasper has put up …No Parking‟signs outside his gate, but these have not had any effect. Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate. It is one of the ugliest faces I have ever seen. I asked him what it was and he told me that it was Medusa, the Gorgon. Jasper hopes that she will turn cars and their owners to stone. But none of them has been turned to stone yet!29Captain Ben Fawcett has bought an unusual taxi and has begun a new service. The …taxi‟ is a small Swiss aeroplane called a …Pilatus Porter‟. This wonderful plane can carry seven passengers. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land anywhere: or snow, water, or even on a ploughed field. Captain Fawcett's first passenger was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains. Since then, Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places. Once he landed on the roof of a block of flats and on another occasion, he landed in a deserted car park. Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request from a businessman. The man wanted to fly to Rockall, a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean, but Captain Fawcett did not take him because the trip was too dangerous.30The Wayle is a small river that cuts across the park near my home. I like sitting by the Wayle on fine afternoons. It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river bank as usual. Some children were playing games on the bank and there were some people rowing on the river. Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard and it went towards a passing boat. Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat, but he did not hear them. The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water. I turned to look at the children, but there weren't any in sight: they had all run away! The man laughed when he realized what had happened. He called out to the children and threw the ball back to the bank.31Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a young man. Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but as a boy he used to work in a small shop. It was his job to repair bicycles and at that time he used to work fourteen hours a day. He saved money for years and in 1958 he bought a small workshop of his own. In his twenties Frank used to make spare parts for aeroplanes.At that time he had two helpers. In a few years the small workshop had become a large factory which employed seven hundred and twenty-eight people. Frank smiled when he remembered his hard early years and the long road to success. He was still smiling when the door opened and his wife came in. She wanted him to repair their grandson's bicycle!32People are not so honest as they once were. The temptation to steal is greater than ever before----especially in large shops. A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, So it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. Then the woman simply took the shop assistant was her daughter. The girl …gave‟ her mother a tree dress once a week!33Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her. One afternoon she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm. Towards evening, the boat struck a rock and the girl jumped into the sea. Then she swam to the shore after spending the whole night in the water. During that time she covered a distance of eight miles. Early next morning, she saw a light ahead. She knew she was near the shore because the light was high up on the cliffs. On arriving at the shore, the girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen. That was all she remembered. When she woke up a day later, she found herself in hospital.34Dan Robinson has been worried all week. Last Tuesday he received a letter from the local police. In the letter he was asked to call at the station. Dan wondered why he was wanted by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he is not worried anymore.At the station, he was told by a smiling policeman that his bicycle had been found Five days ago, the policeman told him, the bicycle was picked up in a small village four hundred miles away. It is nowbeing sent to his home by train. Dan was most surprised when he heard the news. He was amused too, because he never expected the bicycle to be found, It was stolen twenty years ago when Dan was a boy of fifteen!35Roy Trenton used to drive a taxi. A short while ago, however, he became a bus driver and he has not regretted it. He is finding his new work far more exciting. When he was driving along Catford Street recently, he saw two thieves rush out of a shop and run towards a waiting car. One of them was carrying a bag full of money. Roy acted quickly and drove the bus straight at the thieves. The one with the money got such a fright that he dropped the bag. As the thieves were trying to get away in their car, Roy drove his bus into the back of it. While the battered car was moving away, Roy stopped his bus and telephoned the police. The thieves' car was badly damaged and easy to recognize. Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car and both men were arrested.36She is going to set out from the French coast at five o'clock in themorning. Debbie is only eleven years old and she hopes to set up a new world record. She is a strong swimmer and many people feel that she is sure to succeed Debbie's father will set out with her in a small boat. Mr. Hart has trained his daughter for years. Tomorrow he will be watching her anxiously as she swims the long distance to England. Debbie intends to take short rests every two hours. She will have something to drink but she will not eat any solid food. Most of Debbie's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast. Among them will be Debbie's mother, who swam the Channel herself when she was a girl.37When was the last time this country hosted the Olympic Games?The Olympic Games will be held in our country in four years' time. As a great many people will be visiting the country, the government will be building new hotels, an immense stadium, and a new Olympic-standard swimming pool. They will also be building new roads and a special rail way ling. The Games will be held just outside the capital and the whole area will be called…Olympic City‟. Workers will have completed the new roads by the end of this year. By the end of next year, they will have finished work on the new stadium. The fantastic modern buildings have been designed by Kurt Gunter. Everybody will be watching anxiously as the new buildings go up. We are all very excited and are looking forward to the Olympic Games because they have never been held before in this country.38My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned tosettle down in the country. He had no sooner returned than he bought a house and went to live there. Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold. After so many years of sunshine, Harrison got a shock. He acted as if he had never lived in England before. In the end, it was more than he could bear. He had hardly had time to settle down when he sold the house and left the country.39While John Gilbert was in hospital, he asked his doctor to tell him whether his operation had been successful, but the doctor refused to do so. The following day, the patient asked for a bedside telephone. When he was alone, he telephoned the hospital exchange and asked for Doctor Millington. When the doctor answered the phone, Mr. Gilbert said he was inquiring about a certain patient, a Mr. John Gilbert. He asked if Mr. Gilbert's operation had been successful and the doctor told him that it had been. He then asked whenMr.Gilbert would be allowed to go home and the doctor told him that he would have to stay in hosptial for another two weeks. Then Dr. Millington asked the caller if he was a relative of the patient.…No,‟the patient answered, …I am Mr. John Gilbert.‟41…Do you call that a hat?‟I said to my wife.…You needn't be so rude about it,‟my wife answered as she looked at herself in the mirror.I sat down on one of those modern chairs with holes in it and waited. We had been in the hat shop for half an hour and my wife was still in front of the mirror.…We mustn't buy things we don't need,‟I rema rked suddenly. I regretted saying it almost at once.…You needn't have said that,‟my wife answered. …I needn't remind you of that terrible tie you bought 10 yesterday.‟…I find it beautiful, ‟I said. …A man can never have too many ties.‟…And a woman ca n't have too many hats，‟she answered.Ten minutes later we walked out of the shop together. My wife was wearing a hat that looked like a lighthouse!42As we had had a long walk through one of the markets of Old Delhi,we stopped at a square to have a rest. After a time, we noticed a snake charmer with two large baskets at the other side of the square, so we went to have a look at him. As soon as he saw us, he picked 5 up a long pipe which was covered with coins and opened one of the baskets. When he began to play a tune, we had our first glimpse of the snake. It rose out of the basket and began to follow the movementsof the pipe. We were very much surprised when the snake charmer suddenly began to play jazz and modern pop songs. The snake, however, contin ued to …dance‟slowly. It 10 obviously could not tell the difference between Indian music and jazz!43In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E. Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, they soon 5 ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it cleared themountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles 10 away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.44she ran through a forest after two men. They had rushed up to her while she was having a picnic at the edge of a forest with her childrenand tried to steal her handbag. In the struggle, the strap broke and, with the bag in their possession, both men started running through the trees. Mrs. Sterling got so angry that she ran after them. She was soon out of breath, but she continued to run. When she caught up with them, she saw that they had sat down and were going throughthe contents of the bag, so she ran straight at them. The men got such a fright that they dropped the bag and ran away. …The strap needs mending,‟ said Mrs. Sterling later, …but they did not steal anything.‟45The whole village soon learnt that a large sum of money had been lost. Sam Benton, the local butcher, had lost his wallet while taking his savings to the post office. Sam was sure that the wallet must have been found by one of the villagers, but it was not returned to him. Three months passed, and then one morning, Sam found his wallet outside his front door. It had been wrapped up in newspaper and it contained half the money he had lost, together with a note which said:…A thief,yes, but only 50 per cent a thief!‟Two months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note:…Only 25 per cent a thiefnow!‟In time, all Sam's money was paid back in this way. The last note said:…I am 100 per cent honest now!‟When a plane from London arrived at Sydney airport, workers began to unload a number of wooden boxes which contained clothing. No one could account for the fact that one of the boxes was extremely heavy. It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box. He was astonished at what he found. A man was lying in the box on top of a pile of woollen goods. He was so surprised at being discovered that he did not even try to run away. After he was arrested,the man admitted hiding in the box before the plane left London. He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. The man was ordered to pay ￡3,500 for the cost of the trip. The normal price of a ticket is ￡2,000!47A public house which was recently bought by Mr. Ian Thompson is up for sale. Mr. Thompson is going to sell it because it is haunted.He told me that he could not go to sleep one night because he heard a strange noise coming from the bar. The next morning, he found that the doors had been blocked by chairs and the furniture had been moved. Though Mr. Thompson had turned the lights off before he went to bed, they were on in the morning. He also said that he had found five empty whisky bottles which the ghost must have drunk the night before. When I suggested that some villagers must have come in for a free drink, Mr. Thompson shook his head. The villagers have told him that they will not accept the pub even if he gives it away.48Dentists always ask questions when it is impossible for you to answer.My dentist had just pulled out one of my teeth and had told me to rest for a while. I tried to say something, but my mouth was full of cotton wool. He knew I collected match boxes and asked me whether my collection was growing. He then asked me how my brother was。
新概念英语必背范文
新概念英语必背范文英文回答：1. My understanding of the article.The article discusses the importance of education and how it can empower individuals to achieve their full potential. The author argues that education is not simply about acquiring knowledge, but also about developingcritical thinking skills, fostering creativity, and instilling a love for learning. Education can break cycles of poverty and inequality, and it can give people the tools they need to lead fulfilling and productive lives.2. My thoughts and reflections on the article.I agree with the author's assertion that education is essential for individual and societal progress. Education has the power to transform lives and create a better world for all. It is important to invest in education and toensure that everyone has access to quality education. I also believe that education should not be limited to formal schooling, but should be a lifelong pursuit. We should all be committed to learning and growing throughout our lives.3. The article's relevance to my own life.The article's message about the importance of education resonates deeply with me. I am a strong advocate for education and I believe that it is the key to a better future. I am committed to making education accessible to all, and I am passionate about inspiring others to pursue their educational goals.中文回答：1. 我对这篇文章的理解。
新概念英语美文欣赏
三一文库（）〔新概念英语美文欣赏〕*篇一：新概念英语美文欣赏(第一册)BetheMasterofYourTimeTimeistricky.Itisdifficulttocontrolandeasytomoretim ethanyouneed.Forexample,atthebeginningofasemester,y oumayfeelthatyouhaveplentyoftimeonyourhands.Buttowa rdstheendofthetermyoumaysuddenlyfindthattimeisrunni ngout.Youdonthaveenoughtimetocoverallyourduties,soy ougetworried.Whatistheanswer?Control!Timeisdangerous.Ifyoudontcontrolit,itwillcontrolyou .Ifyoudontmakeitworkforyou,itwillworkagainstyou.Soy oumustbecomethemasteroftime,notitsservant.Asafirst-yearcollegestudent,timemanagementwillbeyournumberon eproblem.WordsandExpressions:mastern主人，硕士，大师trickyadj狡猾的，机敏的runout（of）用完，耗尽，到期，期满AntelopeandLionInAfrica,whentheantelopewakesupeverymorning,thefirs tthingthatcomestohismindis,"Imustbeabletorunfastert hanthefastestlion,orIwillbekilledbyalion."Andatjustthesam etime,thelionwakesoutofhisdream,andthefirstthingfla shingintohismindis,"Imustbeabletocatchupwiththeslow estantelope;otherwiseIwillstarvetodeath."So,almostatthesamemome ntboththeantelopeandthelionjumptotheirfeetandstartr unningtowardstherisingsun.Suchislife-whetheryouareanantelopeoralion,yououghtt odashforwardwithouthesitationwhenthesunrises.WordsandExpressions:antelopen羚羊；羚羊皮革dashv猛掷；冲撞AttitudeThelongerIlive,themoreIrealizetheimpactofattitudeon life.Attidtude,toone,ismoreimportantthanfacts.Itism oreimportantthanthepast,thaneducation,thanmoney,tha ncircumstances,thanfailures,thansuccesses,thanwhato therpeoplethink,say,ordo.Itismoreimportantthanappea rance,giftedness,orskill.Itwillmakeorbreakacompany, achurch,ahome.Theremarkablethingiswehaveachoiceeverydayregardingt heattitudewewillembraceforthatday.Wecannotchangeourpast.Wecannotchangethefactthatpeop lewillactinacertainway.Wecannotchangetheinevitable. Theonlythingwecandoistoplayontheonestringwehave,and thatisourattitude.Iamconvincedthatlifeis10%whathappenstomeand90%howIr eacttoit.Andsoitiswithyou.Weareinchargeofourattitudes.WordsandExpressions:impactn影响giftednessn天资、天赋inevitableadj不可避免的、必然的HanginThereDifficultiesariseinthelivesofusall.Whatismostimport antisdealingwiththehardtimes,copingwiththechanges,a ndgettingthroughttotheothersidewherethesunisstillshiningjust foryou.Ittakesastrongpersontodealwithtoughtimesandd ifficultchoices.Butyouareastrongperson.Ittakescourage.Butyoupossesstheinnercouragetoseeyou through.Ittakesbeinganactiveparticipantinyourlife.B utyouareinthedriversseat,andyoucandeterminethedirec tionyouwanttomorrowtogoin.Hanginthere...andtakecaretoseethatyoudontlosesightoftheonethingthatisconstant,beautiful,andtrue:Everyt hingwillbefine--anditwillturnoutthatwaybecauseofthe specialkindofpersonyouare.So...beginningtodayandlastingalifetimethrough--Hang inthere,anddontbeafraidtofeellikethemorningsunisshi ning...justforyou.WordsandExpressions:dealwith处理，解决*篇二：新概念优美英文背诵短文50篇Unit1:TheLanguageofMusicApainterhangshisorherfinishedpicturesonawall,andeve ryonecanseeit.Acomposerwritesawork,butnoonecanheari tuntilitisperformed.Professionalsingersandplayersha vegreatresponsibilities,forthecomposerisutterlydepe ndentonthem.Astudentofmusicneedsaslongandasarduousa trainingtobecomeaperformerasamedicalstudentneedstob ecomeadoctor.Mosttrainingisconcernedwithtechnique,f ormusicianshavetohavethemuscularproficiencyofanathl eteoraballetdancer.Singerspracticebreathingeveryday ,astheirvocalchordswouldbeinadequatewithoutcontrolledmuscularsupport.Stringplayerspracticemovingthefin gersofthelefthandupanddown,whiledrawingthebowtoandf rowiththerightarm—twoentirelydifferentmovements.Singersandinstrumentshavetobeabletogeteverynoteperf ectlyintune.Pianistsaresparedthisparticularanxiety, forthenotesarealreadythere,waitingforthem,anditisth epianotuner’sresponsibilitytotunetheinstrumentforthem.Buttheyha vetheirowndifficulties;thehammersthathitthestringha vetobecoaxednottosoundlikepercussion,andeachoverlap pingtonehastosoundclear.Thisproblemofgettingcleartextureisonethatconfrontss tudentconductors:theyhavetolearntoknoweverynoteofth emusicandhowitshouldsound,andtheyhavetoaimatcontrol lingthesesoundwithfanaticalbutselflessauthority.Techniqueisofnouseunlessitiscombinedwithmusicalknow ledgeandunderstanding.Greatartistsarethosewhoaresot horoughlyathomeinthelanguageofmusicthattheycanenjoy performingworkswritteninanycentury.Unit2:SchoolingandEducationItiscommonlybelievedinUnitedStatesthatschooliswhere peoplegotogetaneducation.Nevertheless,ithasbeensaid thattodaychildreninterrupttheireducationtogotoschoo l.Thedistinctionbetweenschoolingandeducationimplied bythisremarkisimportant.Educationismuchmoreopen-endedandall-inclusivethansc cationknowsnobounds.Itcantakeplaceanywhe re,whetherintheshowerorinthejob,whetherinakitchenor onatractor.Itincludesboththeformallearningthattakes placeinschoolsandthewholeuniverseofinformallearning .Theagentsofeducationcanrangefromareveredgrandparen ttothepeopledebatingpoliticsontheradio,fromachildto adistinguishedscientist.Whereasschoolinghasacertain predictability,educationquiteoftenproducessurprises .Achanceconversationwithastrangermayleadapersontodi scoverhowlittleisknownofotherreligions.Peopleareeng cation,then,isavery broad,inclusiveterm.Itisalifelongprocess,aprocessth atstartslongbeforethestartofschool,andonethatshouldbeanintegralpartofone’sentirelife.Schooling,ontheotherhand,isaspecific,formalizedproc ess,whosegeneralpatternvarieslittlefromonesettingto thenext.Throughoutacountry,childrenarriveatschoolat approximatelythesametime,takeassignedseats,aretaugh tbyanadult,usesimilartextbooks,dohomework,takeexams ,andsoon.Theslicesofrealitythataretobelearned,wheth ertheyarethealphabetoranunderstandingoftheworkingof government,haveusuallybeenlimitedbytheboundariesoft hesubjectbeingtaught.Forexample,highschoolstudentsk nowthattherenotlikelytofindoutintheirclassesthetrut haboutpoliticalproblemsintheircommunitiesorwhatthen ewestfilmmakersareexperimentingwith.Therearedefinit econditionssurroundingtheformalizedprocessofschooli ng.Unit3:TheDefinitionofPricePricesdeterminehowresourcesaretobeused.Theyarealsot hemeansbywhichproductsandservicesthatareinlimitedsu pplyarerationedamongbuyers.ThepricesystemoftheUnite dStatesisacomplexnetworkcomposedofthepricesofalltheproductsboughtandsoldintheeconomyaswellasthoseofamy riadofservices,includinglabor,professional,transpor tation,andpublic-utilityservices.Theinterrelationsh ipsofallthesepricesmakeupthe―system‖ofprices.Thepriceofanyparticularproductorserviceisl inkedtoabroad,complicatedsystemofpricesinwhichevery thingseemstodependmoreorlessuponeverythingelse.Ifoneweretoaskagroupofrandomlyselectedindividualsto define―price‖,manywouldreplythatpriceisanamountofmoneypai dbythebuyertothesellerofaproductorserviceor,inother wordsthatpriceisthemoneyvaluesofaproductorserviceas agreeduponinamarkettransaction.Thisdefinitionis,ofc ourse,validasfarasitgoes.Foracompleteunderstandingo fapriceinanyparticulartransaction,muchmorethantheam ountofmoneyinvolvedmustbeknown.Boththebuyerandthese llershouldbefamiliarwithnotonlythemoneyamount,butwi ththeamountandqualityoftheproductorservicetobeexcha nged,thetimeandplaceatwhichtheexchangewilltakeplace andpaymentwillbemade,theformofmoneytobeused,thecred ittermsanddiscountsthatapplytothetransaction,guaranteesontheproductorservice,deliveryterms,returnprivi leges,andotherfactors.Inotherwords,bothbuyerandsell ershouldbefullyawareofallthefactorsthatcomprisethet otal―package‖beingexchangedfortheasked-foramountofmoneyinorderth attheymayevaluateagivenprice.Unit4:ElectricityThemodernageisanageofelectricity.Peoplearesousedtoe lectriclights,radio,televisions,andtelephonesthatit ishardtoimaginewhatlifewouldbelikewithoutthem.Whent hereisapowerfailure,peoplegropeaboutinflickeringcan dlelight,carshesitateinthestreetsbecausetherearenot rafficlightstoguidethem,andfoodspoilsinsilentrefrig erators.Yet,peoplebegantounderstandhowelectricityworksonlya littlemorethantwocenturiesago.Naturehasapparentlybe enexperimentinginthisfieldformillionofyears.Scienti stsarediscoveringmoreandmorethatthelivingworldmayho ldmanyinterestingsecretsofelectricitythatcouldbenef ithumanity.Alllivingcellsendouttinypulsesofelectricity.Asthehe artbeats,itsendsoutpulsesofrecord;theyformanelectro cardiogram,whichadoctorcanstudytodeterminehowwellth eheartisworking.Thebrain,too,sendsoutbrainwavesofel ectricity,whichcanberecordedinanelectroencephalogra m.Theelectriccurrentsgeneratedbymostlivingcellsaree xtremelysmall–oftensosmallthatsensitiveinstrumentsareneededtoreco rdthem.Butinsomeanimals,certainmusclecellshavebecom esospecializedaselectricalgeneratorsthattheydonotwo rkasmusclecellsatall.Whenlargenumbersofthesecellare linkedtogether,theeffectscanbeastonishing.Theelectriceelisanamazingstoragebattery.Itcanseedaj oltofasmuchaseighthundredvoltsofelectricitythrought hewaterinwhichitlive.(Anelectrichousecurrentisonlyo nehundredtwentyvolts.)Asmanyasfour-fifthsofallthece llsintheelectriceel’sbodyarespecializedforgeneratingelectricity,andthes trengthoftheshockitcandelivercorrespondsroughlytole ngthofitsbody.Unit5:TheBeginningofDramaTherearemanytheoriesaboutthebeginningofdramainancie ntGreece.Theonmostwidelyacceptedtodayisbasedontheas sumptionthatdramaevolvedfromritual.Theargumentforth isviewgoesasfollows.Inthebeginning,humanbeingsviewe dthenaturalforcesoftheworld-eventheseasonalchanges-asunpredictable,andtheysoughtthroughvariousmeanstoc ontroltheseunknownandfearedpowers.Thosemeasureswhic happearedtobringthedesiredresultswerethenretainedan drepeateduntiltheyhardenedintofixedrituals.Eventual lystoriesarosewhichexplainedorveiledthemysteriesoft herites.Astimepassedsomeritualswereabandoned,butthe stories,latercalledmyths,persistedandprovidedmateri alforartanddrama.Thosewhobelievethatdramaevolvedoutofritualalsoargue thatthoseritescontainedtheseedoftheaterbecausemusic ,dance,masks,andcostumeswerealmostalwaysused,Furthe rmore,asuitablesitehadtobeprovidedforperformancesan dwhentheentirecommunitydidnotparticipate,acleardivi sionwasusuallymadebetweenthe"actingarea"andthe"auditorium."Inaddition,therewereperformers,and,sincecon siderableimportancewasattachedtoavoidingmistakesint heenactmentofrites,religiousleadersusuallyassumedth attask.Wearingmasksandcostumes,theyoftenimpersonate dotherpeople,animals,orsupernaturalbeings,andmimedt hedesiredeffect-successinhuntorbattle,thecomingrain ,therevivaloftheSun-asanactormight.Eventuallysuchdr amaticrepresentationswereseparatedfromreligiousacti vities.Anothertheorytracesthetheatersoriginfromthehumanint erestinstorytelling.Accordingtothisviestales(aboutt hehunt,war,orotherfeats)aregraduallyelaborated,atfi rstthroughtheuseofimpersonation,action,anddialogueb yanarratorandthenthroughtheassumptionofeachoftherol esbyadifferentperson.Acloselyrelatedtheorytracesthe atertothosedancesthatareprimarilyrhythmicalandgymna sticorthatareimitationsofanimalmovementsandsounds.*篇三：新概念三经典教材精选的美文十篇新概念三经典教材精选的美文十篇新概念三Lesson14Anoblegangster贵族歹徒TherewasatimewhentheownersofshopsandbusinessesinChi cagohadtopaylargesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnforp rotection.Ifthemoneywasnotpaidpromptly,thegangsters wouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghisshop .Obtainingprotectionmoneyisnotamoderncrime.Aslongag oasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwoo d,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpa ylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbyga ngsters.Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohanHawkwoodarrivedinItalywi thabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.Hesoonmadea nameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovan niAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwithe achother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhow erewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeac e,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchint oacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffe rtogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmad elargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItalian sregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeight y,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturedpaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryofthemostvaliant soldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue.曾经有一个时期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板们不得不拿出大笔的钱给歹徒以换取"保护"。
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A Puma at large逃遁的美洲狮
Where must the puma have come from?
Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously. However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.
The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat' only five yards away from her. It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered. The search proved difficult, for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening. Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes. Several people complained of "cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from? As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country, this one must have been in the possession of a private collector and somehow managed to escape. The hunt went on for several weeks, but the puma was not caught. It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.。