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Unit 1The Evolving Notion of Home“Home, sweet home” is a phrase that expresses an essential attitude in the United States. Whether the reality of life in the family house is sweet or not so sweet, the ideal of home has great importance for many people. This ideal is a vital part of the American dream. This dream, dramatized in the history of nineteenth-century European settlers of the American West, was to find a piece of land, build a house for ones family, and start a farm. These small households were portraits of independence: the entire family mother, father, children, even grandparents living in a small house and working together to support each other. Everyone understood the life-and-death importance of family cooperation and hard work. Although most people in the United States no longer live on farms, the ideal of home ownership is just as strong in the twentieth century as it was in the nineteenth. When U.S. soldiers came home after World War II, for example, they dreamed of buying houses and starting families. So there was a tremendous boom in home building. The new houses, typically in the suburbs, were often small and nearly identical, but they satisfied a deep need. Many saw the single-family house as the basis of their way of life. For the new suburbanites of the 1950s and 1960s, however, life inside their small houses was very different from life on a farm. First, the family spent much less time together in the house. The father frequently drove, or commuted, as much as an hour to work each morning. The children went to school all day and played after school with neighborhood children. The suburb itself was sometimes called a bedroom community because people used their houses basically for sleeping. Second, the suburb was not a stable community: Families moved frequently as the fathers sought upward mobility better-paying jobs and bigger houses. Although the idea of home was still as precious as always, it had taken on a different meaning. In the 1970s and 1980s, as more women entered the labor force, the family spent even less time together. But the picture is changing: People can now telecommute, or work at home, while being linked to the office by means of their computers. More and more people can now stay at home. So the old expression could change from “Home, sweet home” to “Home, sweet office,” but the emphasis on the ideal of home will most likely stay the same.不断发展的家的概念“家,甜蜜的家”是一个短语,表达一个基本态度在美国。是否现实家庭生活的房子是甜的或不那么甜,最理想的家有许多人重视。这个理想是美国梦的一个重要部分。这个梦想,戏剧化的19世纪美国西部的欧洲移民的历史,是找到一块土地,建造一座房子的家庭,并开始一个农场。这些小的家庭肖像画的独立性:整个家庭母亲,父亲,孩子,甚至爷爷奶奶生活在一个小房子和工作在一起,互相支持。每个人都明白生死攸关的家庭合作和努力工作的重要性。虽然大多数美国人不再生活在农场,居者有其屋的理想一样强大的二十世纪十九。二战后美国士兵回家时,例如,他们梦想开始买房子和家庭。所以是一个巨大的房屋建筑的繁荣。新房子,通常在郊区,通常是小,几乎相同,但它们满足需要。许多人认为独栋的房子作为他们的生活方式的基础。为新郊区居民的1950年代和1960年代,然而,生活在自己的小房子非常不同于生活在农场。首先,家庭花费更少的时间在一起。爸爸经常开车,或减刑,每天早晨一个小时的工作。孩子们去上学,和邻居的孩子玩放学后。郊区本身有时被称为一个卧室社区,因为人们使用他们的房子基本上睡觉。第二,郊区没有一个稳定的社区:家庭移动频繁的父亲寻求向上流动,更好的工作和更大的房子。虽然家里的想法仍总是宝贵的,它在一个不同的意义。在1970年代和1980年代,随着越来越多的女性加入劳动力大军,家庭花费更少的时间在一起。但这幅画正在改变:人们现在可以远程办公,或在家工作,而与办公室的电脑。现在越来越多的人可以呆在家里。所以旧的表达式可以改变从“家,甜蜜的家”到“家,甜蜜的办公室”,但强调家庭的理想很可能保持不变。Unit 2Charcoal Drawing Four to five decades ago, when cameras were not common, people who wanted to have their photograph taken as a memento had to go to a photographic studio. Techniques in photographic processing were rudimentary then, and photographs gradually turned yellow and the colours faded. Many people wanted to have images of their elder relatives or ancestors, so they went to roadside charcoal-portrait artists. Mr. Fung Kwok, now sixty-one years old, has been working as a charcoal-portrait artist for more than thirty years. As a young man, he studied western painting and sketching in Guangzhou, and in 1957, he came to Hong Kong where he made a living producing oil paintings for export. But the trade was in decline at that time, so his life was hard. By chance, he saw a roadside artist drawing charcoal portraits, and being trained in sketching, Mr. Fung learned some tricks of the trade after making the artists acquaintance. He decided to set up a stall on Shanghai Street to draw charcoal pictures. “In the beginning, I felt very uneasy running a roadside stall. People just examined and criticized you,” says Mr. Fung. “I told myself that I had to do it to make a living. Eventually, I got used to it and built up my confidence. Business was fair in the early 1970s. I drew an average of ten pictures every month, six to seven Hong Kong dollars for a small picture and 30 to 40 dollars for a bigger one. When China opened up in the early 1980s, many mainland Chinese requested their relatives in Hong Kong to have a charcoal portrait made because artists specializing in drawing these portraits were rare in mainland of China. I have also recently had foreign tourists as customers. Most of them like charcoal portraits of their children.” To draw a charcoal portrait, the photograph provided by the customer must first be reprinted and enlarged. The artist then makes an outline pencil drawing on a piece of drawing paper in proportion to the enlarged photograph. Color is added with a woollen brush, using black carbon powder. The background is also painted with a big woollen brush, while the details, such as facial features, hair and the folds of clothing, are drawn with a smaller brush. The current price for a charcoal portrait ranges from 600 to 2,000 dollars. A full-length portrait is more expensive than a half-length one, and extra payment is required for a complicated photograph.素描四到五年前,当相机并不常见,人想要他们的照片作为纪念品去摄影工作室。在摄影处理技术是基本的,照片逐渐变黄,颜色褪色。许多人想要图片的老亲戚或祖先,所以他们去路边charcoal-portrait艺术家。Fung先生郭,现在六十一岁,一直作为charcoal-portrait艺术家三十多年了。作为一个年轻人,他在广州学习西方油画和素描,在1957年,他来到香港谋生为出口生产油画。但当时的贸易正在衰落,因此他的生活十分艰苦。一个偶然的机会,他看见一个路边艺术家绘画木炭肖像,Fung先生和草图的培训,学到了一些技巧后贸易使艺术家的熟人。他决定建立一个摊位在上海街头画木炭的照片。“一开始,我感到非常不安的路边摊。人们只是检查和批评你,”Fung先生说。“我告诉自己,我必须做它谋生。最终,我习惯了,我的信心。业务是公平的在1970年代早期。我画了平均每月十照片,6到7港元为一个小图片,30到40美元买一个更大的问题。在1980年代初,当中国打开了许多中国内地请求他们的亲戚在香港有一个木炭肖像因为艺术家专攻画这些肖像是罕见的在中国大陆。我最近也有外国游客作为客户。他们中的大多数喜欢孩子木炭的画像。“画木炭肖像,客户提供的照片必须先转载和放大。然后艺术家作一概述铅笔绘制在一张绘图纸的比例放大照片。添加颜色羊毛刷,使用黑碳粉。背景还画着一个大羊毛刷,而细节,如面部特征,头发和衣服的褶皱,是用一个小刷子。木炭肖像的当前价格范围从600到2000美元。全身肖像更昂贵的比一个半身像,和额外的付款需要一个复杂的照片。Unit 3My First JobThe Parking-Lot Sweeper Both of my parents came from different towns in Mexico. I was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles. Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me, my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They imbued(灌输) in us the concepts of family, faith and patriotism. I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard-box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented a space in a little strip mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr. Bens Coiffure. The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. To pick up trash, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. Id sleep in the car on the way home. I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic, and learned at an early age the importance of balancing lifes competing interestsin my case, school, homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week cutting hamburger slices at a fast-food joint while taking a full load of college-prep courses. The hard work paid off. I attended the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly. In these jobs and in everything else Ive done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families, that is something we should honor.我第一次停车场清洁工我的父母来自不同的城镇在墨西哥。我出生在埃尔帕索,德克萨斯州,当我四岁的时候,我的家人搬到在东洛杉矶房地产项目。即使我们努力维持生计,我的父母对我强调,我的四个兄弟姐妹多么幸运的我们生活在一个伟大的国家,有着无限的机遇。他们被灌输(灌输)在美国家庭的概念,信仰和爱国主义。我得到了我的第一份真正的工作是在我10岁的时候。我爸爸,本杰明,弄伤了他的背在纸箱厂工作,成为了一个发型师。他租了一个空间小的购物中心和给他的商店的名字本先生的头饰。购物中心的主人送给爸爸一份折扣房租打扫停车场每周三个晚上,这意味着在3点起床。捡起垃圾,爸爸用小机器,看起来就像一个割草机。妈妈和我把垃圾桶,捡起垃圾。两三个小时才干净。我在回家的路上在车里睡觉。我干了两年,但我学到的教训已经持续了一生。我获得了纪律和强烈的职业道德,在早期学会平衡生活的竞争的重要性interests-in我而言,学校、家庭作业和工作。这真的帮助我在高中最后一年的时候,当我每周工作40小时减少汉堡包片在一个快餐店,而满载college-prep课程。努力得到了回报。我参加了美国军事学院,并获得研究生学位从哈佛大学法律和商业。后,我加入了一个大洛杉矶律师事务所和当选为加州州议会。在这些工作和我所做的一切,我从未忘记那些夜晚在停车场。经验告诉我,所有的工作,如果有尊严的人工作养活自己和他们的家庭,这是我们应该尊重。Unit 4Improving Your Memory At a party, Nora was introduced to five friends of the host. The host said, “Nora, Id like you to meet Marti and her husband Miles. Marti works at the reading lab with me; I m sure Ive told you about her. And this is Sherry, Alexis, and Tom.” Nora said hello to each one and went into the kitchen to find her roommate. A few minutes later, Nora could not remember the names of any of the people she has just met. She complained to her roommate, “I just dont have a good memory.” How is your memory? It is probably only when your memory fails that you think about it. An occasional slip of memory is normal. The key to “managing” your memory, and improving it, is to understand how memory works. In order to remember something, you first need sensory input. In other words, a stimulus is recorded by one of your senses. For example, a plane flies over your house and you hear it, or a cake is burning in the oven and you smell it. But sensory input is not enough. Your eyes and ears might be seeing and hearing numerous sights and sounds, but you can only focus on a few at any one time. The ones you focus on are the ones you are most likely to remember. To improve your memory retention, you must consciously intend to remember certain sights, sounds, or other stimuli, and focus on them. For example, at a party like the one Nora attended, you might be introduced to several people. If you feel it is important to remember their names, focus on their names and faces and make an effort to remember them. If necessary, use word association to help you remember. Without intention to remember, you probably wont retain the name in the first place. Or you may forget it as soon as you hear it because you did not make any special effort to remember. The conscious effort, however, is not enough for a lasting memory. You will remember the sensory input you focused on only for a short time if you do not do something to place it in your long-term memory. You need to review the new information within 24 to 48 hours to remember it over time. Regular review will ensure that you never forget the information. Improving your memory using this technique is not difficult. Practice it often to improve your retention skills. Pay attention to the input, your intent to remember, and of course, your review.提高你的记忆力介绍了在一个聚会上,诺拉五主人的朋友。主持人说:“诺拉,我想让你见见马蒂和她的丈夫英里。马蒂在阅读实验室工作与我,我确定我已经告诉过你关于她的。这是雪莉,亚历克西斯,汤姆。诺拉说你好每一个走进厨房,发现她的室友。几分钟后,诺拉不记得名字的她刚刚见过的人。她向她的室友抱怨说,“我只是没有一个好的记忆力。“你的记忆吗?这可能是只有当你的记忆失败,你考虑一下。偶尔的记忆是正常的。“管理”你的记忆的关键,并改善它,是理解记忆是如何工作的。为了记住某件事情,你首先需要感觉输入。换句话说,记录下你的一个感官刺激。例如,一架飞机飞过你的房子和你听到它,或一块蛋糕在烤箱,你闻到它燃烧。但感觉输入是不够的。你的眼睛和耳朵可能看到和听到许多景象和声音,但你只能关注一些在任何时候。你关注的是你最容易记住的。来提高你的记忆力,你必须有意识地打算记住特定的景象,声音,或其他刺激,并关注它们。举个例子,在一个聚会上像诺拉,你可能会介绍给几个人。如果你觉得重要的是要记住他们的名字,关注他们的名字和脸,努力记住他们。如果有必要,使用单词联想来帮助你记住。没有打算记住,你可能不会保留的名字放在第一位。或者你可能忘记当你听到它,因为你没有做过什么特殊的努力,记住。然而,有意识的努力是不够的,持久的记忆。你会记得的感官输入你只关注短时间内如果你不采取行动,把它在你的长期记忆。你需要查看新信息在24至48小时内记住它。定期检查将确保你永远不会忘记的信息。提高你的内存使用这种技术并不难。通常提高保留技能练习。注意输入,记住你的意图,当然,你的评论。Unit 5College: A Transition Point in My Life When I first entered college as a freshman, I was afraid that I was not “up to it.” I was afraid of being off by myself, away from my family for the first time. Here I was surrounded by people I did not know and who did not know me. I would have to make friends with them and perhaps also compete with them for grades in courses I would take. Were they smarter than I was? Could I keep up with them? Would they accept me? I soon learned that my life was now up to me. I had to set a study program if I were to succeed in my courses. I had to regulate the time I spent in my study and the time I spent in socializing. I had to decide when to go to bed, when and what to eat, when and what to drink, and with whom to be friendly. These questions I had to answer for myself. At first, life was rough. I made mistakes in how I used my time. I made mistakes in overdoing the time I put into making friends. I also made mistakes in how I chose my first friends in college. Shortly, however, I had my life under control. I managed to get myself to class on time, do my first assignments and hand them in, and pass my first exams with grades that satisfied me. In addition, I developed a small circle of friends with whom I felt comfortable and with whom I could share my fears. I set up a routine that was really my owna routine that met my needs and that I established for myself. As a result, I began to look upon myself from a different perspective. I began to see myself as an individual responsible for my own welfare and responsible for the welfare of my friends and family. It felt good to make my own decisions and see those decisions turn out to be wise ones. I guess that this is all part of what people call “growing up.” What did life have in store for me? At that stage in my life, I really was uncertain where I would ultimately go in life and what I would do with the years ahead of me. But I knew that I would be able to handle what was ahead because I had successfully jumped over this important hurdle in my life: I had made the transition from a person dependent on my family for emotional support to a person who was responsible for myself.大学:一个转折点,我的生活当我第一次进入大学的新生,我害怕,我没有”。“我是怕了自己,第一次离开我的家人。在我周围都是些我不认识的人,谁不知道我。我得和他们交朋友,或许还为在课程的成绩我会和他们竞争。他们比我聪明吗?我能跟上吗?他们会接受我吗?我很快了解到,我的生活现在是我。我不得不设定一个研究计划如果我成功在我的课程。我必须控制时间我花在学习和社交的时间我花了。我必须决定什么时候上床睡觉,什么时候,吃什么,喝什么,与人友善。这些问题我回答了。首先,生活很粗糙。我犯了错误在我如何使用我的时间。我犯了错误在过分投入交朋友。我也犯了错误,在大学里我选择了我的第一个朋友。不久,然而,我有我的生活。我设法让自己按时上课,先做我的作业和手,和通过我第一次考试成绩满意我。此外,我开发了一个小的朋友圈,我感到舒适,我可以分享我的恐惧。我建立了一个程序,是我一手牵着程序,满足我的需要,我建立了我自己。因此,我开始从不同的角度看待自己。我开始把自己作为一个个体负责我自己的福利和负责我的朋友和家人的福利。感觉自己做决定,这些决定被证明是明智的。我想这是所有的一部分,人们所说的“成长”。生活在商店为我什么?在我生命中的这个阶段,我真的不确定,我最终会在生活和我与我的未来。但我知道我能应付未来是什么,因为我已经成功地跳过这个重要的障碍在我的生活:我从一个人依赖我的家庭情感支持自己的人负责。Unit 6Moral Issues Do Americans have any morals? Thats a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennetts book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they? To begin with, moral values in America are like those in any culture. In fact, many aspects of morality are universal. But the stories and traditions that teach them are unique to each culture. One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his fathers favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.” Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honestybeing open and directcan offend people. But Americans still believe that “honesty is the best policy.” Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. A story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill. The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, “I think I can, I think I can.” At last, the train was over the top of the hill. “I thought I could, I thought I could, ” chugged the happy little train. Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. The story of “The Good Samaritan” from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveller lying on the road. The traveller had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need. In less dramatic ways, millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindnesses shown to them. In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennetts best-sellerover 800 pageshighlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface. But no matter how long or short the list, moral values are invaluable. They are the foundation of American cultureand any culture.道德问题美国人还有道德吗?这是一个很好的问题。许多人坚持认为,对于对和错只是个人意见。不过,有些声音在呼唤美国人回到传统的道德价值里去。美国前教育部长威廉j班尼特编辑1993年的美德。班奈特认为伟大的道德故事可以建造性格。班奈持这本书的成功显示了许多美国人仍然相信道德的价值。但他们是什么呢?首先,道德价值在美国就像在任何文化。事实上,许多道德的观点是全球一致的。但则有不同的故事和传统来教导它们每个文化。美国人最基本的道德价值之一是诚实。众所周知的乔治。华盛顿砍樱桃树的故事,即将此道德教导地极为清楚。小乔治时砍倒了爸爸最心爱的樱桃树在试他新斧头时。当他的父亲问他,乔治说,“我不能说谎。我用我的斧头砍了它。”而不是惩罚,乔治收到表扬说真话。有时候美国人仍然相信“诚实是最开放和direct-can冒犯。但美国人仍然相信“诚实是最好的政策。”另一个为美国人所尊崇的美德是毅力。一个故事讲的是一个小火车,不得不爬陡峭的山坡。山非常陡峭,小火车很难试图克服它。但是火车一直拉,同时说:“我想我能,我想我能。“最后,火车是在山顶上。“我以为我可以,我以为我可以,”快乐的小火车。美国美德的同情可能是女王。“好撒马利亚人”的故事从圣经中描述一个流露同情心的人。在他去某城市的途中,一个撒玛利亚人的人看到一个可怜的旅客躺在路上。旅客被殴打和抢劫。这位仁慈的撒玛利亚人非但没有经过,停下来帮助这位有需要的人。在戏剧方面,成千上万的美国人正在悄悄传递的善意。这绝不能简要描述涵盖所有美国人所尊崇的道德述尽。勇气、责任心、忠诚、感恩和许多其它可以讨论的。事实上,班尼特的best-seller-over 800 pages-highlights十种美德。即使班奈特也承认他只触及表面。但无论多么长或短,道德价值都是无价的。他们是美国文化和任何其它国家的文化的基础。Unit 7E-Mail to Understanding On September 11, 2001 our friendship changed for ever Growing up in Australia, I wanted a pen friend. I was 13, and asked earnestly for someone to talk to. So I logged onto all of the pen friend sites I could find on the Internet, scanning them for any girls of my age from different countries. Only one girl replied: the Egyptian. When I opened my e-mail inbox and saw the reply, I was excited, to say the least. I had a thirst for knowledge about religion and culture, but most of all for that bond between two people called friendship. Her name was Noran Hussein. She lived in the centre of Cairo. We started off by telling each other about the basics of our lives. Gradually we worked up to discussing issues and problems concerning the world. I asked her about her religion, Islam. It was truly amazingon the World Wide Web, out of millions of people, I had found a best friend. As the years passed, we counselled each other and shared secrets. Our e-mails were always passionate, but we never tried to convert each other. Our friendship was built on trust and respectthe foundations any good relationship should rely on. As my interest in Norans culture grew, I started to become aware of where I was heading in life. I considered my future career options and entertained the idea of one day joining the United Nations. I wanted to work with people of different cultures and religions, and to travel to far-off places like Cairo. I realised that I had been granted a unique opportunitygradually, without my noticing it, Noran had been educating me. Once I had been ignorant and did not know how to handle different opinions, but with Norans help I had grown to accept people as they are.
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