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Composer germson 第一篇 A Life with Birds For nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of Londons yeoman warders, _ better known to tourists as beefeaters.David,64,livesin a three-bedroomed flat right at the top of the Byward Tower, one of the gatehouses. From our bedroom we have a marvelous(a.奇妙的，不可思议的) view of Tower Bridge and the Thames, says David. The Tower of London is famous for. its ravens(n.乌鸦，黑色的鸟), the large black birds which have lived there for over three centuries. David was immediately fascinated(着迷，吸引) by the birds and when he was _ offered_ the post of Raven Master eight years ago he had no _ hesitation_ in accepting it. The birds have now become my life and Im always _ aware of the fact that I am _ maintaining _ a tradition. The legend(传奇，传说) says that if the ravens leave the Tower, England will fall to enemies, and its my job to _ make sure this doesnt happen! David devotes about four hours a day to the care of the ravens. He has grown to love them and the _ fact that he lives right next to them is ideal. I can keep a close eye on them all the time, and not just when Im working. At first, Davids wife Mo was not _keen on the idea of life in the Tower, but she too will be sad to leave when he retires next year. When we look out of our windows, we see history all around us, and we are taking it in and storing it up for our future memories. 第二篇 A Lucky Break Actor Antonio Banderas is used to breaking bones, and it always seems to happen when hes doing sport. In the film Play It to the Bone he plays the part of a middleweight(n.中量级拳击手) boxer alongside Woody Harrelson. During the making of the film Harrelson kept complaining that the fight scenes werent very convincing(a.有说服力的，令人信服的), so one day he suggested that he and Banderas should have a fight for real. The Spanish actor wasnt keen on the idea at first, but he was eventually persuaded by his co-star to put on his gloves and climb into the boxing ring(拳赛场地). However, when he realized how seriously(认真地) his opponent was taking it all, he began to regret his decision to fight. And then in the third round, Harrelson hit Banderas so hard in the face that he actually broke his nose. His wife, actress Melanie Griffith, was furious(a.暴怒的，强烈的) that he had been playing silly macho(a.雄壮的，男子气概的) games. She was right, confesses(v.承认，坦白) Banderas, and I was a fool to take a risk like that in the middle of a movie.He was reminded of the time he broke his leg during a football match in his native Malaga. He had always dreamed of becoming a soccer star, of performing in front of a big crowd, but doctors told him his playing days were probably over. Thats when I decided to take up acting; I saw it as another way of performing, and achieving recognition. What happened to me on that football pitch was, you might say, my first lucky break. 第三篇 Global Warming 全球变暖 Few people now question the reality of global warming and its effects on the worlds climate(n.气候，风气). Many scientists put the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the worlds temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before, the Earth is at risk from the forces(暴力) of the wind, rain and sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme(极端的) weather events, such as hurricanes(n. 飓风，暴风) and droughts(n.干旱，早灾), even more severe and causing sea levels all around the world to rise . Environmental groups are putting pressure on governments to take action to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide(n.二氧化碳) which is given off by factories and power plants, thus attacking(攻击) the problem at its source. They are in favour of more money being spent on research into solar(a.太阳的n.太阳能), wind and wave energy devices, which could then replace existing power stations .Some scientists, however believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere(n.大气) tomorrow, we would have to wait several(几) hundred years to notice the results. Global warming, it seems, is here to stay(停留).第四篇 A Success StoryAt 19, Ben Way is already a millionaire, and one of a growing number of teenagers who have made their fortune(财富) through the Internet. What makes Bens story all the more remarkable(a.卓越的，值得注意的) is that he is dyslexic(a.诵读困难的n.诵读困难者), and was told by teachers at his junior school that he would never be able to read or write properly . I wanted to prove them wrong , says Ben, creator and director of Waysearch, a net search engine which can be used to find goods in online shopping malls.When he was eight, his local authorities(n.权威，权力，当权) provided him with a PC to help with school work. Although he was unable to read the manuals, he had a natural ability with the computer, and encouraged by his father, he soon began charging people $l0 an hour for his knowledge and skills. At the age of 15 he set up his own computer consultancy(n.咨询公司，顾问工作), Quad Computer, which he ran from his bedroom, and two years later he left school to devote all his time to business.By this time the company had grown and I needed to take on a couple of employees to help me, says Ben. That enabled me to start doing business with bigger companies.” It was his ability to consistently(始终如一的) overcome difficult challenges that led him to win the Young Entrepreneur(n.企业家，主办者) of the Year award in the same year that he formed Waysearch, and he has recently signed a deal worth $25 million with a private investment(n.投资，投入) company, which will finance(为供给资金) his search engine.第五篇 Traffic in Our CitiesThe volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This causes many problems, including serious air pollution, lengthy(a.漫长的，冗长的) delays, and the greater risk of accidents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade people to change their habits and leave their cars at home.One possible approach is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by increasing charges for parking and bringing in tougher(严格的, 强硬的) fines for(因而罚(款) anyone who breaks the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, known as road pricing, is already being introduced in a number of cities, using a special electronic card fixed to the windscreen(n.汽车挡风玻璃) of the car. Another way of dealing with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the outskirts of the city, and strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre. Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus service for the final stage of their journey.Of course, the most important thing is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up the comfort of their cars, public transport must be felt to be reliable(a.可靠的，可信赖的), convenient(方便的) and comfortable, with fares(票价) kept at an acceptable level.第六篇 Teaching and learningMany teachers believe that the responsibilities for learning lie with(是的责任) the student. If a long reading assignment(n.任务，作业) is given, instructors expect students to be familiar with the information_in the reading even if they do not discuss it in class or take an examination. The idea _ student is considered to be one who is motivated(v.刺激，激发的积极性) to learn for the sake of(为了) learning_, not the one interested only in getting high grades. Sometimes homework is returned with brief written comments but without a grade. Even if a grade is not given, the student is responsible for learning the material assigned. When research is assigned _ , the professor expects the student to take it actively and to complete it with minimum guidance. It is the students responsibility to find books, magazines, and articles in the library. Professors do not have the time to explain how a university library works; they expect students particularly graduate students to exhaust(v.耗尽，使筋疲力尽;彻底讨论) the reference _ sources_ in the library. Professors will help students who need it, but prefer that their students should not be too(太) dependent on them. In the United Stats professors have many other duties besides teaching, such as administrative(adj.管理的,行政的) or research work. Therefore, the time that a professor can spend with a student outside of class is limited . If a student has problems with classroom work , the student should either _ approach _ a professor during office hours or make an appointment(n.约定，约会).*第七篇 The Difference between Man and Computer What makes people different from computer programs? What is the missing element(n.元素，成分，要素) that our theories dont yet account_ for? The answer is simple: People read newspaper stories for a reason: to learn more about _ what_ they are interested in. Computers, on the other hand, dont. In fact, computers dont even have interests;there is nothing in particular(尤其, 特别) that they are trying to find out when they read. If a computer program_ is to be a model of story understanding, it should also read for a purpose.Of course, people have several goals that do not make sense to attribute to computers. One might read a restaurant guide in order to satisfy hunger or entertainment(n.娱乐，消遣) goals, or to find a good place to go for a business lunch. Computers do not get hungry, and computers do not have business lunches.However, these physiological(adj.生理学的,生理的) and social goals give rise to several intellectual(adj.智力的，聪明的) or cognitive(adj.认知的，认识上的) goals. A goal to satisfy hunger gives rise to(引起, 导致) goals to find information about the name of a restaurant which serves the desired type of food, how expensive the restaurant is,the location of the restaurant, etc. These are goals to _ acquire information or knowledge, what we are calling learning _ goals. These goals can be held by computers too; a computer might_ want to find out the location of a restaurant, and read a guide in order to do so in the same way as a person might. While such a goal would not arise out of hunger in the case of the computer, it might well(很可能) arise out of the goal to learn more about restaurants.*第八篇 Look on The Bright Side Do you ever wish you were more optimistic(adj.乐观的，乐观主义的), someone who always expected to be successful? Having someone around who always fears the worst isnt really a lot of fun . We all know someone who sees a single cloud on a sunny day and says, It looks like rain. But if you catch yourself thinking such things,its important to do something about it(代前面整句话，指这个状况、情况、事实).You can change your view of life, according to psychologists(心理学家). It only takes a little effort, and youll find life more rewarding(adj.有益的，值得的，有报酬的) as a result . Optimism，they say，is partly about self-respect and confidence but its also a more positive way of looking at life and all it has to offer . Optimists are more likely to start new projects and are generally more prepared to take risks. Upbringing(教养，养育，抚育) is obviously(adv.明显地，显然地) very important in forming your attitude to the world. Some people are brought up to depend too much on others and grow up(成长) forever blaming(v.责备，归咎于) other people when anything goes wrong. Most optimists,on the _other hand, have been brought up not to regard failure as the end of the worldthey just get on with their lives. *第九篇 The First Bicycle第一辆自行车 The history of the bicycle goes back more than 200 years. In 1791, Count(伯爵) de Sivrac delighted onlookers(观众) in a park in Paris as he showed off his two-wheeled invention, a machine called the celerifer. It was basically an enlarged version of a childrens toy which had been in use for many years. Sivracs celerifer had a wooden frame, made in the shape of a horse,which was mounted on a wheel at either endTo ride it, you sat on a small seat, just like a modem bicycle,and pushed hard against the ground with your legsthere were no pedals(踏板，脚蹬子). It was impossible to steer(驾驶，操纵，控制) a celerifer and it had no brakes(闸，刹车),but despite these problems the invention very much appealed to the fashionable young men of Paris. Soon they were holding races up and down the streets. Minor injuries were common as riders attempted a final burst(爆发，突发，爆炸) of speed . Controlling the machine was difficult, as the only way to change direction was to pull up the front of the celerifer and turn it round while the front wheel was spinning in the air. Celerifers were not popular for long,however,as the combination of no springs(弹簧), no steering and rough roads(起伏路) made riding them very uncomfortable. Even so,the wooden celerifer was the origin of the modem bicycle.*第十篇 Working Mothers Carefully conducted(v.实施，实行) researches that have followed the children of working mothers have not been able to show any long-term problems, compared with children whose mothers stayed at home. My personal view is that mothers should be allowed to work if they wish. Whether we like it or not, there are a number of mothers who just have to work. There are those who have invested(投资) such a big part of their lives in establishing(建立) a career that they cannot afford to see it lost. Then there are many who must work out of pure economic(经济上的) necessity . Many mothers are not cut out to be full-time parents. After a few months at home with a much loved infant(婴儿，幼儿), they feel trapped(v.使陷入困境，使受限制) and isolated(使隔离，使孤立). There are a number of options(选项，选择) when it comes to choosing childcare. These range from child minders(照顾者) and nannies(保姆) through to Granny(奶奶) or the kind(好心的) lady across the street. In reality , however,many parents dont have any choice; they have to accept anything they can get. Be prepared! No matter how good the childcare may be,some children are going to protest(抗议) wildly(激烈的) if they are left. This is a perfectly normal stage of child development. Babies separate well in the first six months,but soon after that they start to get a crush(依恋, 压烂) on Mum and close family members . Make sure that in the first week you allow plenty of time to help your child settle in(安顿下来).All children are different. Some are independent, while others are more attached to their mothers. Remember that if you want to do the best for your children, its not the quantity(数量) of time you spend with them，its the quality that matters.
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