1、第一篇 A Life with Birds For nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of Londons yeoman warders(伦敦塔看守), _ better（更） known to tourists as beefeaters. David, 64, lives in a three-bedroomed flat right at the top（顶部） of the Byward Tower, one of the gatehouses. “ From（从） our bedroom we have
2、 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（以而著名） 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(提供)_ the p
3、ost of Raven Master eight years ago he had no _ hesitation（犹豫）_ in accepting it. “The birds have now become my life and Im always _ aware（意识到）of the fact that I am _ maintaining （保持）_ 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
4、 to _ make（确保） sure this doesnt happen!“ David devotes（献身于） about four hours a day to the care of the ravens. He has grown to love them and the _ fact（事实） that he lives right next to them is ideal. “I can keep（关注） a close eye on them all the time, and not just when Im working.“ At first（起初）, Davids
5、wife Mo was not _keen（对感兴趣） 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（所有） around us, and we are taking it in and storing it up for our future memories.“ 有鸟陪伴的生活作为伦敦塔的守卫者之一的 David Cope 在那里工作了近 17
6、年，被游客们称为 Beefeaters。David，64 岁，生活在 Byward 塔顶部的一个三居室的单元里，一个警卫室。David 说：“从我们的卧室看去，我们可以看到伦敦塔桥和泰晤士河的一个美好景色。伦敦塔以大黑色的鸟-乌鸦而著名，它们已经在那里生活了三个多世纪。David 立刻被这种鸟迷住了，当他在八年前被提供乌鸦主人的职位时他毫不犹豫地接受了它。 “这种鸟类现在已成为我的生命，我总是警觉到我在保持一个传统。传说中说，如果乌鸦离开了伦敦塔，英国将落到敌人的手中，我的工作就是确保这种情况不会发生！David 每天大约用四个小时的时间来护理乌鸦。他已经爱上了它们，而他紧挨在它们的旁边生活是
7、最佳选择。 “我可以在所有的时间内密切关注它们，不仅仅是在工作的时候。 ”起初，David 的妻子 Mo 对生活在塔里的想法并不热衷，但 David 明年即将退休，她要离开时也会很伤心。 “当我们透过我们的窗口向外看，我们看到历史环绕在我们身边，我们正接受它并为我们未来的记忆存储它。 ”第二篇 A Lucky Break Actor Antonio Banderas is used to breaking bones, and it always seems to happen when hes doing(做) sport. In the film Play It to the Bone h
8、e plays（扮演一个） the part of a middleweight(n.中量级拳击手) boxer alongside Woody Harrelson. During（过程中） the making of the film Harrelson kept（连续） complaining that the fight scenes（场面） 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 Spanis
9、h actor wasnt keen（对热衷） on the idea at first, but he was eventually（最终） 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（对手） was taking it all, he began to regret his decision to fight. And then in the third
10、 round, Harrelson hit Banderas so（太以至于） 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（冒险） a risk like that
11、 in the middle of a movie.“He was reminded（提醒） of the time he broke his leg during a football match in his native Malaga. He had always dreamed（梦想） 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 tak
12、e up（开始） acting; I saw it as another（另外） way of performing, and achieving recognition. What happened to me on that football pitch（场） was, you might say, my first lucky break.“ 幸运的骨折演员 Antonio Banderas 经常骨折，而且它似乎总是发生在运动时。在影片拳拳到骨中，他与 Woody Harrelson 肩，扮演一个中量级拳击手。在影片制作过程中，Harrelson 不停地抱怨整个打斗场面并不是很令人信服，
13、所以一天，他提议他和 Banderas 应该进行一场真正的打斗。这位西班牙演员起初到这一想法并不热衷，但最终还是被他的搭档说服了，他戴上他的手套，爬上了拳击台。然而，当他意识到他的对手是全心全意投入进来时，他开始后悔自己要打斗的决定。在第三轮，Harrelson 狠狠地打在 Banderas 的脸上，以至于居然打破了 Banderas 的鼻子。女演员 Melanie Griffith 他的妻子对他进行这样一场“傻男子气概的游戏”非常愤怒。 “她是对的”Banderas 承认道， “我在电影拍摄过程中进行这样一个冒险真是一个傻瓜。 ”他记起在他的故乡马拉加进行的一场足球比赛，那次他的腿骨折了。他
14、一直梦想成为一个足球明星，在众多观众前比赛。但他的医学告诉他，他的比赛生涯也许就要结束了。 “就在那时我决定开始演戏，我认为这是另外一种比赛并且能够得到认可。可以这么说，发生在那次足球场上的事对我而言，是一次幸运的骨折。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（把归咎于） the blame for recent natural disasters
15、on the increase in（在） the worlds temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever(任何时候) before, the Earth is at risk(危险) from the forces(暴力) of the wind, rain and sun. According(据说) to them, global warming is making extreme(极端的) weather events, such(例如) as hurricanes(n. 飓风，暴风) and droughts(n.干旱，早
16、灾), even more severe(严重 ) and causing sea levels all around the world to rise(上升) . Environmental groups are putting pressure(压力) on governments to take action to reduce the amount(数量) of carbon dioxide(n.二氧化碳) which is given off(排放) by factories and power plants, thus attacking(攻击) the problem at i
17、ts source. They are in favour(赞成) 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(装置) .Some scientists, however(然而) believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphe
18、re(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).全球变暖现在很少有人质疑全球变暖的现实及其对世界气候的影响。许多科学家把全球气温上升归咎于最近的自然灾害，他们确信，地球现在比以住任何时候都更受到风、雨和太阳这些力量的威胁。据他们说，全球变暖制造了极端的天气事件，例如飓风、干旱，甚至更为严重的以至于世界各地的海平面上升。环保团体对政府施加压力，要求政府采取行动减少工厂和发电厂排
19、放的二氧化碳，攻击它的资源问题。他们都赞成把更多的资金用到研发太阳能、风能和波浪能装置上，以取代现有的发电站。然而，还有一些科学家，他们相信即使明天我们不再排放二氧化碳和其他气体到大气层中，我们也将不得不等待几百年才能得到结果。全球变暖似乎要在这里停留。第四篇 A Success StoryAt 19, Ben Way is already a millionaire, and one of a growing number of teenagers who have made(制造) their fortune(财富) through the Internet. What(这) makes
20、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(告知) by teachers at his junior school that he would never be able to read or write properly(正确地) . “I wanted to prove them wrong(错了) “, says Ben, creator and director of Waysearch, a net search engin
21、e 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(提供) him with a PC to help with school work. Although he was unable(不能 ) to read the manuals, he had a natural ability with the computer, and encouraged(鼓励) by his father, he soon
22、began charging(收费) people $l0 an hour for his knowledge and skills. At the age of 15 he set(创建) 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(精力) all his time to business.“By this time the company had grown an
23、d I needed to take on a couple(一些) of employees to help me“, says Ben. “That enabled me to start doing(做) business with bigger companies.” It was his ability to consistently(始终如一的) overcome(克服 ) difficult challenges that led him to win the Young Entrepreneur(n.企业家，主办者) of the Year award in the same
24、year that he formed Waysearch, and he has recently signed a deal worth(价值) $25 million with a private investment(n.投资，投入) company, which will finance(为供给资金) his search engine.一个成功的故事19 岁时，Ben Way 已经是一个百万富翁了，他是越来越多的通过互联网获得财富的青少年之一。而使得Ben 的故事更引人注意的是他有诵读困难，并且曾被他的初中教师告知他将永远不能正确读写。 “我要证明他们错了。 “Ben 说。他后来成
25、为 Waysearch 的创建者和董事长，Waysearch 是一个在网上购物商场查找货物的网络搜索引擎。Ben 八岁时，他所在的地方当局提供给他一台个人电脑以帮助学校工作。虽然他不能阅读使用指南，但他对计算机有一种天赋，在父亲的鼓劢下，Ben 很快就开始以自己的知识能力收费- 每小时 10 英镑。15 岁时，Ben 成立了自己的电脑顾问公司-夸德电脑，他在自己的卧室里运营（这个公司） ，两年之后，他离开了学校，并将所有的精力投入到公司经营当中。“此时公司已经发展壮大，我需要雇用几个员工帮助我” ，Ben 说， “这使我开始与更大的公司做生意。 ”正是他持续不断地克服困难挑战的能力使他赢得了“
26、年度最佳青年企业家” ，也是同年，他成立了 Waysearch。最近，他与一家私人投资公司签署了价值 2500 万英镑的交易，这家公司为他的搜索引擎提供资金。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（的风险） acc
27、idents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade(说服) people to change their habits and leave their cars at home.One possible approach(方法) is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by increasing(增加) charges for parking and bringing(收益) in tougher(严格的, 强硬的
28、) fines for(因而罚(款) anyone who breaks(打破) the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, known(为所熟知) as “road pricing“, is already being introduced in a number(一些) of cities, using a special electronic card fixed(固定在 上) t
29、o the windscreen(n.汽车挡风玻璃) of the car. Another way of dealing(处理) with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the outskirts(效区) 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(最后的) stage o
30、f their journey.Of course, the most important thing(的事) is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up(放弃) 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(保持) at an acceptable level.我们的城
31、市交通当今世界，许多城市的交通量在不断扩大。这导致了许多问题，包括严重的空气污染、长时间拥堵，以及交通事故发生概率的增大。显而易见，我们必须要有所行动，但往往说服人们改变他们的生活习惯，使他们把车留在家里是很困难的。一种可行的方法是通过增加停车收费和加强违规罚款而使人们使用汽车的成本变得更加昂贵。此外，在每天的不同时间，一些特殊路段将对司机另行收费。这个被称为“道路收费”的系统被一些城市所引用，它使用一种特殊的电子卡固定在汽车的挡风玻璃上。另一种处理这个问题的方法是在城市的郊区提供廉价的停车场，并严格控制进入城市中心的车辆数量。司机和乘客乘坐特殊巴士完成他们最后的旅程。当然，最重要的事情还是提
32、供良好的公共交通。然而，要让人们放弃他们汽车的舒适，公共交通必须要让人感觉可靠、便利、舒适，同时票价也要保持在一个可接受的水平。第六篇 Teaching and learningMany teachers believe that the responsibilities(职责) 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（信息）_in
33、 the reading even if they do not discuss it in class or take an examination. The idea （理想） _ 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（学习）_, not the one interested only in getting high grades. Sometimes homework is returned with（带回来） brief wr
34、itten comments but without a grade. Even if a grade is not given, the student is responsible（对负责） for learning the material assigned. When research is assigned （选定）_ , the professor expects the student to take it actively and to complete it with minimum(最少的) guidance. It is the students responsibili
35、ty to find books, magazines, and articles in the library. Professors do not have the time to explain how(如何) a university library works; they expect students particularly (尤其) graduate students to exhaust(v.耗尽，使筋疲力尽;彻底讨论) the reference _ sources(资源) _ in the library. Professors will help students wh
36、o need it, but prefer(更喜欢) that their students should not be too(太) dependent on them. In the United Stats professors have many other duties besides(除之外) 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
37、limited(有限的) . If a student has problems with classroom work , the student should either _ approach(接近)_ a professor during office hours or make an appointment(n.约定，约会).教与学许多教师认为学习是学生的责任。如果教师布置了一篇阅读的任务，即使他们没有在课堂上讨论过或者考试过，他们还是期望学生熟悉这篇读物里的信息。理想的学生被认为是那种为了学习而有动机地学习而不是那种只对高分感兴趣的学生。有时被发回来的作业上只有简短的评价，并无分数
38、。即使不给分数，学生也有责任学习布置的材料。当一项研究课题被选定时，教授们期望学生积极去做并且以最少的指导完成。在图书馆查找书籍、杂志和论文是学生的责任。教授们没有时间去解释一个大学的图书馆如何运行；他们期望学生，尤其是研究生阅尽图书馆中的文献资源。教授们愿意帮助需要帮助的学生，但是更希望学生不要太过依赖他们。在美国，教授除了上课以外还有其他职责，比如管理工作或研究工作。因此一个教授能分给学生的课外时间是有限的。如果一个学生对课堂作业有问题，他应该在办公时间找老师或者预约。*第七篇 The Difference between Man and ComputerWhat makes people
39、 different from computer programs? What is the missing element(n.元素，成分，要素) that our theories dont yet account(解释 )_ for? The answer is simple: People read newspaper stories for a reason: to learn more about _ what(那些) _ they are interested in. Computers, on the other hand, dont. In fact, computers d
40、ont even (甚至 ) 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（程序）_ 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（合理） to attribute t
41、o computers. One might read a restaurant guide in （为了） order to satisfy hunger or entertainment(n.娱乐，消遣) goals, or to find （寻找） 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 goal
42、s give rise （导致） 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（信息） about the name of a restaurant which serves（供应） the desired type of food, how expensive the restaurant is,the location of the restauran
43、t, etc. These are goals to _ acquire（获取） information or knowledge, what we are calling learning（学习）_ goals. These goals can be held by computers too; a computer might（可能）_ “want“ to find out the location of a restaurant, and read a guide in order to do so in（以方式） the same way as a person might. Whil
44、e such a goal would not arise（起于） 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.人与电脑的区别是什么让人有别于电脑程序？我们的理论还没有解释的缺少的要素是什么？答案很简单：人们阅读报纸故事为了学习更多他们感兴趣的东西，而电脑不是。事实上，电脑甚至连兴趣都没有，当它们试图阅读时它们没有寻找任何特别的东西。如果一个电脑程序是理解故事模式，那它也是为了某个意图去阅读。诚然，人类的
45、意图若是被强加到电脑身上便没有任何意义。一个要可能会读就餐指南，只是为了解决饥饿或是有娱乐目的，也可能是为了寻找一个吃商务餐的好地方。电脑不会饿，也不吃商务餐。然而，这些心理和社会目标会导致一些智力或者认知目标。一个想要解决饥饿的意图会促使这样的念头产生：找到一个提供我们想要的食物的餐厅，这餐厅叫什么名，价位如何，在什么位置等。我们把这些为了获取信息或者知识的目标叫做学习目标。电脑也能有这些目标；一台电脑也许“想要”寻找餐厅的方位，并且为了做得像一个人一样去阅读一个指南。虽然这样的目标就电脑来说不是产生于饥饿，但电脑很可能从这个目标去获得更多关于餐厅的信息。*第八篇 Look on The B
46、right SideDo you ever wish you were more optimistic(adj.乐观的，乐观主义的), someone who always expected（期望） to be successful? Having someone around who always fears（恐惧） the worst isnt really a lot of fun（乐趣）. We all know someone who sees a single cloud on a sunny day and says, “It looks like（像） rain. “ But
47、if you catch yourself thinking such things,its important to do something about（对此） it(代前面整句话，指这个状况、情况、事实).You can change your view of life, according（根据） 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（结果）. Optimism，they say，is
48、partly about self-respect and confidence but its also a more positive way of looking at life and all it has to offer（提供）. Optimists are more likely（很有可能） 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
49、attitude（态度） to the world. Some people are brought up to depend（依赖于）too much on others and grow up(成长) forever blaming(v.责备，归咎于) other people when anything goes（发生） wrong. Most optimists,on the _other（另一方面） hand, have been brought up not to regard（把看作） failure as the end of the worldthey just get on（继续） with their lives. 看光明的一面你曾经想要让自己变得更乐观吗？想过让自己变成一个总是期待成功的人吗？若是周围有个总是往事情最坏处考虑的人，我们一定没有什么乐趣-就像我们都知道某些人看到天空有一片云便要说下雨。但是你要是发现自己也这样想了，那就要必要针对它采取一些措施了。根据心理学家的说法，人们可以改变对生活的看法。只需一点儿努力，你将发现生活会回报给你的更好。人们说乐观主义在一定程度上是自尊和自信，但它也是对待生活和它所给予的一种积极态度。乐观主义者更有可能开
