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附录译文助读Module 1British and American EnglishReading and SpeakingWords,words,wordsBritish and American English are different in many ways.The first and most obvious way is in the vocabulary.There are hundreds of different words which are not used on the other side of the Atlantic,or which are used with a different meaning.Some of these words are well knownAmericans drive automobiles down freeways and fill up with gas;the British drive cars along motorways and fill up with petrol.As a tourist,you will need to use the underground in London or the subway in New York,or maybe you will prefer to get around the town by taxi(British)or cab(American)Chips or French fries?But other words and expressions are not so well known.Americans use a flashlight,while for the British,its a torch.The British queue up;Americans stand in line.Sometimes the same word has a slightly different meaning,which can be confusing. Chips,for example,are pieces of hot fried potato in Britain;in the States chips are very thin and are sold in packets.The British call these crisps.The chips the British know and love are French fries on the other side of the Atlantic.Have or have got?There are a few differences in grammar,too.The British say Have you got.? while Americans prefer Do you have.? An American might say My friend just arrived,but a British person would say My friend has just arrived.Prepositions, too,can be different:compare on the team, on the weekend(American)with in the team, at the weekend(British)The British use prepositions where Americans sometimes omit them(Ill see you Monday;Write me soon!)Colour or color?The other two areas in which the two varieties differ are spelling and pronunciation.American spelling seems simpler:center,color and program instead of centre,colour and programme.Many factors have influenced American pronunciation since the first settlers arrived four hundred years ago.The accent,which is most similar to British English,can be heard on the East Coast of the US.When the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw made the famous remark that the British and the Americans are two nations divided by a common language,he was obviously thinking about the differences.But are they really so important?After all,there is probably as much variation of pronunciation within the two countries as between them.A Londoner has more difficulty understanding a Scotsman from Glasgow than understanding a New Yorker.,词,词,词英式英语和美式英语在很多方面都有所不同。首先最明显的是在词汇方面。有数百个不同的单词在大西洋彼岸是不使用的,或者是有不同的意思。其中有些单词是熟悉的美国人在 freeways 上驾驶 automobiles,给 automobiles 加 gas;英国人在 motorways 上驾驶 cars,给 cars 加 petrol。作为游客,在伦敦你要乘坐 underground,而在纽约则是 subway,或者你更愿乘坐 taxi (英式) 或者 cab (美式)游览城市。Chips 还是 French fries?但是其他一些单词和表达方式没有这么广泛地为人所知。美国人把手电筒称为 flashlight,而英国人叫它 torch。英国人排队用 queue up,而美国人用 stand in line。有时,同一个单词在意义上有一点细微的差别,这会让人感到很困惑。比如 chips 这个词在英国是油炸的薯条,在美国却指小包装出售的非常薄的薯片。英国人把这种东西称为 crisps。英国人知道而且喜欢的薯条在大西洋对岸被称为 French fries。Have 还是 have got?在语法上,英式英语和美式英语也有一些区别。英国人说 Have you got.?而美国人却更喜欢说 Do you have.?美国人可能会说 My friend just arrived,但是英国人会说 My friend has just arrived。介词的用法也有所不同:比较一下 on the team,on the weekend (美式)和 in the team,at the weekend (英式)。英国人用介词的地方美国人有时侯可能会省略(Ill see you Monday;Write me soon!)。Colour 还是 color?另外两个不同之处是拼写和发音。美式英语的拼写好像更简单一些:用 center,color 和 program 代替 centre,colour 和 programme。自从 400 年前第一批移民的到来,很多因素影响了美式英语的发音。在美国东海岸能够听到跟英式英语非常接近的口音。当爱尔兰作家萧伯纳讲那句名言英国和美国是被同一种语言分开的两个国家的时候,他显然想到了它们的差别。但是这些真的是那么重要吗?不管怎么说,在这两个国度里,语音也肯定存在着许多音变。伦敦人要听懂来自格拉斯哥的苏格兰人说话,比听纽约人说话更难。,Turn on the TVSome experts believe that the two varieties are moving closer together. For more than a century commu nications across the Atlantic have developed steadily. Since the 1980s, with satellite TV and the Internet, it has been possible to listen to British and American English at the flick of a switch. This nonstop communication, the experts think, has made it easier for British people and Americans to understand each other. But it has also led to lots of American words and structures passing into British English, so that some people now believe that British English will disappear.However,if you turn on CNN,the American TV network,you find newsreaders and weather forecasters all speaking with different accentsAmerican, British, Australian, and even Spanish. One of the bestknown faces, Monita Rajpal, was born in Hong Kong, China, and grew up speaking Chinese and Punjabi, as well as English.This international dimension suggests that in the future, there are going to be many “Englishes”, not just two main varieties. But the message is “Dont worry.” Users of English will all be able to understand each otherwherever they are.,打开电视很多专家认为这两种语言变体越来越接近,一个多世纪以来,大西洋两岸的交流稳步发展。自从20世纪80年代以来,随着卫星电视和因特网的使用,非常便捷地听到英式英语和美式英语已经成为可能。专家们认为,这种不间断的交流使得英国人和美国人相互理解起来更加容易。但是这也致使许多美式英语单词和结构传人英式英语,以至于现在有一些人相信英式英语将要消失。然而,如果你打开美国电视网络节目CNN,你会发现新闻播报员和天气预报员都操着不同的口音美国的,英国的,澳大利亚的,甚至西班牙的。其中最熟悉的脸孔之一,慕妮塔让治派出生于中国香港,从小到大说的是汉语、一种印度土语和英语。这种国际性的广泛使用表明,在未来将有很多种英语,不仅仅是两种。但其实大家不用担心!无论在哪里,英语的使用者们都会彼此理解。Cultural CornerThe Man Who Made Spelling SimpleIn English the spelling of words does not always represent the sound.So people say/raIt/but spell it right,or write,or even rite.Combinations of letters (like ough) may be pronounced in a number of ways.And some words just seem to have too many letters.For Americans things are a little bit easier,thanks to the work of Noah Webster,a teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778.As a young man he had fought against the British in the American War of Independence,and he felt that written English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive “American” look.So he began his work on American English.His first book,The Elementary Spelling Book,suggested simplifying the spelling of English words.The book was extremely popular.By the 1850s it was selling one million copies a year,making it one of the most popular school books ever.Many of the suggestions were quickly adopted.Center instead of centre,program instead of programme,and flavor instead of flavour.Others,however,such as removing silent letters like the s in island or the final e in examine,were not.Webster is best known for his American Dictionary of the English Language,which first appeared in 1828.It introduced lots of new American words,with information about their pronunciation and use,and,of course,the new spelling.The British criticised the dictionary,but it quickly became a standard reference book in the States.Today,Websters dictionary is still the number one dictionary for American students.,简化拼写的人在英语里单词的拼写不总是代表单词的发音。因此人们说/raIt/但是拼写为 right,write,甚至是 rite。字母组合(比如 ough)可能有许多种方式的发音。而且一些单词似乎是字母过多。对美国人来说,事情(单词拼写)稍微简单些,这多亏了一位叫诺亚韦伯斯特的人,他是一位教师,于1778年毕业于耶鲁大学。他年轻的时候曾在美国独立战争中与英国人交过战,而且认为在刚独立的美国,书面英语应该有与众不同的美国人的特色。因此他开始从事他的美式英语的工作。他的第一本书,初级拼写书,提出了简化英语单词的拼写。这本书相当受欢迎。到19世纪50年代为止,该书以每年一百万册的速度销售,成为有史以来最受欢迎的学校用书之一。其中许多建议很快被采纳。center 代替了 centre,program 代替了 programme,flavor 代替了 flavour。然而其他的都没有被采纳,比如直接删掉不发音的字母,像 island 中的 s 或 examine 中最后的 e。韦伯斯特因为他编的美式英语词典而闻名,这本书最初在1828年问世。书中介绍了许多新的美国单词,有其相关的发音和用法,当然也有新的拼写法。英国人批判了这本字典,但是在美国,它很快成为标准参考书。如今,韦伯斯特词典仍然是美国学生的首选词典。Module 2A Job Worth DoingVocabulary and ReadingThe Human Traffic SignalAt 3,500 metres,La Paz,in Bolivia,is the highest capital in the world.Life is hard at high altitude,and the mountains make communications difficult.Many roads are in bad condition and accidents are frequent.One road in particular,which goes north from La Paz,is considered the most dangerous road in the world.On one side the mountains rise steeply;on the other side there is a sheer drop,which in places is hundreds of metres deep.Although there is not a lot of traffic,on average,one vehicle comes off the road every two weeks.The drop is so great that anyone inside the vehicle is lucky to survive.In theory,the road can only be used by traffic going uphill from 8 in the morning,and by traffic coming downhill from 3 in the afternoon.But in practice,few drivers respect the rules.But thanks to one man,the death toll has fallen.Timoteo Apaza is a gentle 46yearold man who lives in a village near the most dangerous part of the road,known locally as la curva del diablo(the Devils Bend)Timoteo has an unusual jobhe is a human traffic signal.Every morning he climbs up to the bend with a large circular board in his hand.The board is red on one side and green on the other.Timoteo stands on the bend and directs the traffic.When two vehicles approach from opposite directions they cant see each other,but they can see Timoteo.Timoteo is a volunteer.No one asked him to do the job,and no one pays him for it.Sometimes drivers give him a tip,so that he has just enough money to live on.But often they just pass by,taking the human traffic signal for granted.So why does he do it?Before he volunteered to direct the traffic,Timoteo had had lots of jobs.He had been a miner and a soldier.Then one day while he was working as a lorry driver he had a close encounter with death.He was driving a lorry load of bananas when he came off the road at a bend and fell three hundred metres down the mountain.Somehow he survived.He was in hospital for months.Then,a few years later,he was called out in the night to help pull people out of a bus which had crashed at la curva del diablo.This last experience had a profound effect on Timoteo.He realised that he was lucky to be alive himself,and felt that it was his mission in life to help others.And so every morning,week in,week out,from dawn to dusk,Timoteo takes up his place on the bend and directs the traffic.,人体交通标志位于海拔3500米的玻利维亚首府拉巴斯是世界上最高的首都。在高海拔地区的生活很艰苦,高山使得地区交通非常困难。许多路路况很差而且事故频发,尤其是从拉巴斯通向北边的一条路被认为是世界上最危险的路。在路的一边,山体高耸险峻,另一边悬崖陡峭,很多地方足有几百米深。尽管这条路上交通量不大,但是平均每两周就有一辆车冲出公路,掉下悬崖。悬崖落差如此之大,在掉下去的车里任何一个幸存者都是幸运的。按理,这条路上从早晨8点开始只准许上山的车通行,下午3点以后下山的车通行。但实际上,几乎没有司机遵守这些规则。但是多亏了一个人,使事故死亡率下降了。46岁的铁穆特欧安迫赛是个性格温和的人,他住在这条路最危险的一段附近的村庄,这段路被当地人称为 la curva del diablo(魔鬼弯道)。铁穆特欧有个不同寻常的工作他是人体交通标志。每天早晨,他都拿着一个大圆板爬上弯道。圆板一面是红色的,一面是绿色的。铁穆特欧站在转弯处指挥着交通。当两辆车相对开来的时候,他们彼此看不到,但都能看到铁穆特欧。铁穆特欧是个志愿者。没有人要他做这个工作,也没有人为此付钱给他。有时司机们会给他点小费,这样他能够维持生活。但是大多数情况下,司机们开着车就过去了,把人体交通标志视为理所当然。但他为什么要这样做呢?他在志愿指挥交通之前,做过很多工作。他曾是矿工,还当过兵。他做卡车司机的时候,有一次跟死神打了个照面。当正开着装满香蕉的卡车要驶过一个弯道的时候,他连人带车翻到了300多米深的山崖下。万幸的是,他活了下来。他住院住了好几个月。几年后的一天夜里,他被叫出来帮忙拉出在魔鬼弯道坠毁的公共汽车里的人。最后的这次经历对铁穆特欧产生了重大影响。他意识到他能活下来是很幸运的,而且感觉到帮助别人是他人生的使命。于是每天早晨,铁穆特欧都来到路的拐弯处站好自己的位置,开始指挥来往车辆,从拂晓到黄昏,一周又一周。Cultural CornerGrowing JobsWhat sort of jobs will people be doing ten years from now?According to a survey published by an American university,the ten fastest growing jobs will be related to computers and health.They include computer systems analysts,data analysts and database managers.But there will also be a rise in the demand for health care professionals.Some of these will be new jobs,such as bioinformaticians,who combine computer skills with knowledge of biology.Others will be more traditional.For example,more home care nurses will be needed to look after the rapidly ageing population.But many youngsters will need professional care,too:14 million Americans suffer from speech or language problems,and six million of them are under the age of 18.The number of speech pathologists(who help people who have problems speaking)is expected to double by the year 2012.And social workers will continue to be in demand.Of course there will be plenty of other new jobs,some of which we probably cant even guess.But for those who love the outdoor life,a good bet could be the leisure industry.As more and more countries open up to tourism,more travel agents will be needed,but the real demand will be for guides to take groups and even individuals on adventure holidays.For people doing this job,common sense,physical fitness and an outgoing personality are likely to be more important than computer skills.,日益增长的职业 从现在开始的十年以后,人们将从事什么类型的工作?根据美国一所大学发布的调查报告,增长速度最快的十种职业将与电脑和健康有关。它们包括计算机系统分析师、数据分析师和数据管理员。而对健康护理专家的需求也将会增长。这些职业中有一些将会是新兴职业,比如生物信息学研究者,把计算机技能和生物知识结合起来。其他的职业将更传统些。例如,需要更多的家庭护理员来照顾快速高龄化的人口。但是许多年轻人也需要专业护理:1400万的美国人有语言问题,其中的600万是在18岁以下。语言病理学家的数量(帮助有语言障碍的人)预计到2012年将翻一番。而对社会工作者的需求量仍会很大。当然也会有许多其他新兴的职业,其中一些我们很可能猜不出来。但是对于那些喜欢室外生活的人来说,休闲娱乐业应该是个很好的主意。随着越来越多的国家开放旅游业,将需要更多的旅行社,但真正需要的将是那些为旅游团,甚至为冒险度假的个人做导游的人。对从事这项工作的人来说,常识、健康的身体和外向的性格将很可能比计算机技能更重要。Module 3Adventure in Literature and the CinemaReading and VocabularyThe SteamboatThere was a big storm after midnight and the rain poured down. We stayed inside the shelter we had built and let the raft sail down the river.Suddenly,by the light of the lightning,we saw something in the middle of the river.It looked like a house at first,but then we realized it was a steamboat.It had hit a rock and was half in and half out of the water.We were sailing straight towards it.“It looks as if itll go under soon,”Jim said,after a couple of minutes.“Lets go and take a look,”I said.“I dont want to board a sinking ship,”said Jim,but when I suggested that we might find something useful on the boat,he agreed to go.So we paddled over and climbed on to the steamboat,keeping as quiet as mice.To our astonishment,there was a light in one of the cabins.Then we heard someone shout,“Oh please boys,dont kill me!I wont tell anybody!”A mans angry voice answered,“Youre lying. You said that last time.Were going to kill you.”When he heard these words,Jim panicked and ran to the raft.But although I was frightened,I also felt very curious,so I put my head round the door.It was quite dark,but I could see a man lying on the floor,tied up with rope.There were two men standing over him.One was short,with a beard.The other was tall and had something in his hand that looked like a gun.“Ive had enough of you.Im going to shoot you now,”this man said.He was obviously the one who had threatened the man on the floor.And it was a gun he had in his hand.“No,dont do that,”said the short man.“Lets leave him here.The steamboat will sink in a couple of hours and hell go down with it.”When he heard that,the frightened man on the floor started crying.“He sounds as if hes going to die of fright!”I thought.“I have to find a way to save him!”I crawled along the deck,found Jim,and told him what I had heard.“We must find their boat and take it away,then theyll have to stay here.”I said.Jim looked terrified.“Im not staying here,”he said.But I persuaded him to help me,and we found the mens boat tied to the other side of the steamboat.We climbed quietly in and as we paddled away we heard the two men shouting.By then we were a safe distance away.But now I began to feel bad about what we had done.I didnt want all three men to die.,汽船后半夜来了一场暴风雨,大雨倾盆而下。我们躲进了自己搭起来的避雨棚,让木筏顺流而下。突然间,借着闪电的光亮,我们看到河中间有东西。它一开始看上去像座房子,但后来我们意识到那是艘蒸汽船。它触礁了,一半沉在水里,一半露在水面上。我们的木筏正朝着它驶去。“看起来它快沉了,”过了一会儿,吉姆说。“我们去看看怎么回事儿。”我接着说。“我可不想上一条要沉的船。”吉姆不同意,但当我提出我们可能会在上面找到些有用的东西时,他还是同意了。于是我们划了过去,蹑手蹑脚地,悄无声息地爬上了汽船。令我们大吃一惊的是,有间船舱还亮着一盏灯。接着我们听到人的嚎叫声,“哦,哥们儿,别杀我!我跟谁也不会说的!”一个男人生气的声音回应道:“你在撒谎。上次你也是这么说的。我们要杀了你!”吉姆听到了这些后,恐惧万分,向木筏跑了过去。而我尽管害怕,但也感到十分好奇,于是就把头凑向了那扇门。四周都很黑,但我能看见一个人被绳子捆着,躺在地板上。有两个人围着他站着。其中一个是矮个,留着络腮胡子。另外一个是高个,手里拿着什么东西,看起来像是把枪。“我受够你了!我现在就要毙了你,”那个高个说道。显然他就是刚才威胁躺在地上的人的那个人。握在他手中的确实是把枪。“不,别这么干,”那个矮个说:“我们把他扔在这儿。这船过几小时就沉了,他也就跟船一起沉了。”听到这话,那个在地上已被吓傻的人开始嚎哭。“听起来他就要吓死了,”我想。“我得设法去救他!”我沿着甲板爬行,找到了吉姆,并告诉他我所听到的一切。我说:“我们必须找到他们的船并弄走它,然后他们就不得不呆在这儿了。”吉姆看上去很害怕。“我不想呆在这儿,”他说。但我说服他帮我的忙,找到了他们拴在沉船另一边的小船。我们悄悄爬进了小船,当划着小船离开时,我们听到了两个人的吼叫声。而那时我们已安全地离开了。但现在我开始后悔那么做了。我不想让那三个人都死掉。Cultural CornerThe Life of Mark TwainOften the lives of writers resemble the lives of the characters they create.Mark Twain,who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,was no exception.To start with,the authors name,Mark Twain,is itself an invention,or“pen name”. Twains real name was Samuel Clemens.“Mark Twain”,which means “watermark two”,was a call used by sailors on the Mississippi to warn shipmates that they were coming into shallow water.Like Huck,Mark Twain led an adventurous life.He left school early,and as an adolescent,determined to make his fortune in South America,set off from his home in Hannibal,Missouri,for New Orleans.He wanted to take a boat to the Amazon,where he thought he could get rich quickly.He arrived in New Orleans without a penny in his pocket only to find that there were no boats for South America.Forced to change his plans,he worked for several years as a pilot on a steamboat,taking passengers up and down the Mississippi,the great river which flows from the north of the US near the Canadian border,down to the Gulf of Mexico.Later he became a journalist and began writing stories about life on the river.Twains vivid and often amusing descriptions of life on the river quickly became popular,and established the reputation he still enjoys today as one of Americas greatest writers.,马克吐温的生活作家的生活往往和他们塑造的人物很相似。写了哈克贝利费恩历险记和汤姆索亚历险记的马克吐温也不例外。首先,作者的名字,马克吐温,本身就是创造的,或者说是“笔名”。吐温的真名是塞缪尔克莱门斯。“马克吐温”意思是“水深两英尺”,这是密西西比河上的水手们用来警告正在进入浅水区(安全通行)的同船水手们的口号。像哈克一样,马克吐温过着一种冒险的生活。他很早离开学校,青少年的时候,怀着到南美去发财致富的决心,从密苏里州的汉尼拔出发去新奥尔良。他想乘船去亚马逊,他认为在那里很快就会富起来。他身无分文,到达了新奥尔良之后却发现没有开往南美的船了。迫不得已他只好改变了计划,在一艘汽船上当了好几年领航员,主要是带着乘客进入或离开密西西比河,这条大河从美国北部的加拿大边界附近流向墨西哥湾。后来他成了一名记者开始写有关河上生活的故事。吐温对河上生活生动形象的描写很快受到欢迎,这也确立了今天他仍然享有美国最伟大的作家之一的美誉的地位。Module 4CarnivalReading and VocabularyThe Magic of the MaskThink of carnival,and you think of crowds,costumes,and confusion.The sounds and sights change from one country to another but the excitement is the same everywhere.“Carnival” comes from two Latin words,meaning “no more meat”In Europe,where it began,carnival was followed by forty days without meat,as people prepared for the Christian festival of Easter.People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season.Having fun meant eating,drinking,and dressing up.The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice.At the beginning,it lasted for just one day.People ate,drank,and wore masks.As time passed,however,the carnival period was extended,so that it began just after Christmas.For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks,doing what they wanted without being recognised.Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important,while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret.Many crimes went unpunished.The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem.Their use was limited by laws,the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century.Men were not allowed to wear masks at night;and they were not allowed to dress up as women.In later times more laws were passed.People who wore masks could not carry firearms;and no one could enter a church wearing a mask.If they broke the laws,they were put into prison for up to two years.Finally,when Venice became part of the Austrian empire,at the end of the eighteenth century,masks were banned completely,and carnival became just a memory.But in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students.They began making masks and organising parties,and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists.The town council realised that carnival was good for business,and the festival was developed for tourists.Today,carnival in Venice is celebrated for five days in February.People arrive from all over Europe to enjoy the fun.Hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes.German,French and English seem to be the main languages.But the spirit of Venice carnival is not quite the same as the great American carnivals.If the key to Rio is music and movement,then in Venice it is the mystery of the mask.As you wander through the streets,you see thousands of maskselegant or frightening,sad or amusing,traditional or modernbut you have no idea what the faces behind them look like.Nobody takes them off.If the masks come off,the magic is lost.,面具的魔力想到狂欢节,你就会想到人群、各式各样的服装和热闹非凡的场面。热闹的场面在不同的国家会有所不同,但人们的兴奋程度在各地都是相同的。“狂欢节”这个词是由两个拉丁词演变而来的,意思是“禁肉食”。在欧洲,狂欢节的起源地,狂欢节过后会有40天
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