1、Unit1人们生活在大自然的王国里。他们大自然的居民，也是大自然的改造者。随着社会的进步和经济的发展，人们对大自然的直接依赖越来越少，而对其间接的依赖却越来越多。人类与大自然的血肉相连，谁都无法生存于大自然之外。然而，人与自然之间原来存在的动态平衡已经出现崩溃现象。人口爆炸、生态失衡、资源匮乏等问题已成为阻碍人类社会进一步发展的主要因素。斯铂金教授认为，要解决这一问题，人类唯一的选择就是明智地协商好生产和大自然的关爱之间的关系。Human beings live in the realm of nature. They are not only dwellers in nature, but
2、also transformers of it. With the development of society and its economy, people tend to become less dependent on nature directly, but indirectly their dependence grows.Human beings are connected with nature by “blood” ties. No one can live outside nature. However, the previous dynamic balance betwe
3、en man and nature has shown signs of breaking down. Problems such as the population explosion, ecological imbalance and the shortage of natural resources have become major factors keeping human society from being further developed.Professor Spirkin holds that the only choice for human beings is the
4、wise organization of production and care for Mother Nature.Unit3许多人都想出名，因为声誉能带给他们公众的赞扬和敬意。在大多数情况下，声誉还会帮助名人获取财富。可是，真正能成名的人毕竟是少数，而大多数人，包括大多数艺术家，出名的可能性都不大。诚然，有些人在一生中某些时刻遭受的失败的确能激发他们更加努力奋斗，从而取得最终成功。譬如，美国发明家托马斯爱迪生在发明电灯泡时，就是尝试了几百种材料后才最终找到适用于灯泡的熔丝（fuse）的。然而，遗憾的是，对于大多数人来说，失败往往就是他们奋斗的结束。所以，在我看来，成功是一回事，出名是另一回
5、事。不管你是否出名，只要你尽力了，你就算成功了。Many people want to be famous because fame can bring them both honor and respect from the public. In most cases, fame can also help them gain wealth. But, after all, very few people can really become famous while most people, including most artists, are unlikely to become fam
6、ous.It is true that some failure for some people at certain times in their lives does motivate them to strive even harder so as to achieve final success. For example, Thomas Edison, the famous American inventor, had tried hundreds of materials before he finally found the suitable fuse for the electr
7、ic bulb. However, unfortunately, for most people failure is the end of their struggle.Therefore, in my opinion, success is one thing and fame is another. As long as you have tried your best, youre already successful whether you are famous or not.Unit4有些人认为只要自己准时上下班就算完成任务了，从不思索什么是工作和为什么要工作。其实， “工作”涉及
8、智慧、热情、想象力和创造力等等各方面的素质。要做好工作，工作者必须有奉献精神，能够吃苦耐劳，此外他还应该具有主动性和创造性。所谓主动性，就意味着工作者要随时把握住机会，展现自己非凡的工作才能。其次，工作者要弄清楚自己所从事的工作的性质和意义，对自己的所作所为负起责任，以旺盛的热情投入到工作中去。如果能做到这一点，他就会发现，工作不再是一种负担，而是他们生活中不可缺少的一个重要组成部分。不管从事什么工作，他总能从工作中找到价值和乐趣，在平凡的岗位上取得不平凡的业绩。Some people think that theyve fulfilled their tasks as long as the
9、y go on duty and come off duty on time. They never think about what is meant by “work” and why they should work at all. In fact, “work” involves such qualities as wisdom, enthusiasm, imagination and creativity.To do his work well, a worker must have a spirit of dedication, and be capable of bearing
10、hardships and standing hard work. In addition, he should have initiative and creativity. Having initiative means the worker should be ready to grasp every opportunity to display his outstanding ability.In addition, a worker should make clear the nature and significance of the work he does, be respon
11、sible for whatever he is doing and plunge himself into the work with vigorous enthusiasm. If he can do so, he will find a job no longer a burden but an indispensable part of his life. Whatever he does, he can always find values and pleasure in the work and achieve extraordinary results in otherwise
12、ordinary work.Unit5萨拉和迈克尔本来是一对双双从业的夫妻，有一套房子，两部汽车，还贷了一大笔款，买了一艘大船。俩人都忙于各自的工作，有时周末还要到外地出差。所谓的家庭生活仅局限于下班后的几个钟头。他们的确挣钱不少，可是他们厌烦了这样的快节奏的生活方式。所以，女儿出生后不久，他们便决定改变自己的生活方式。他们把两份全职工作换成了两份兼职工作，努力缩减消费。他们卖掉了原理那幢富丽堂皇的房子，搬进了自己亲手设计的、漂亮又节能的小住宅。他们缩减了家当，把那些昂贵但有长期闲置的杂物都处理掉了。他们还卖掉了那艘大船，和另外一家人共享一艘小船，照样能享受海上航行的乐趣。他们处理了一辆多余的
13、汽车和职业装，也放弃了一些昂贵的嗜好；他们很少在外面吃饭，由此也减少了许多开支。如今他们不再冲动购物，只把钱花在最基本的必需品上。人们可能以为他们对自己太吝啬了，其实不然。他们选择这种简单节能的生活方式完全是自愿的行为。这样做绝不是因为他们物质匮乏。他们认为，简朴的生活方式无论是对社会还是对个人都有好处。Sara and Michael used to be a two-career couple with a home of their own, two cars and a large boat bought with a large loan. They were both busy w
14、ith their respective work and sometimes they had to make business trips at weekend. The only time for their so-called home life was restricted to the few hours after work. Indeed, they had made a lot of money, but they got fed up with such a fast-paced lifestyle. So soon after their daughter was bor
15、n, they decided to change their lifestyles.They traded their two full-time careers for two part-time jobs, and tried hard to curtail their consumption. They sold their splendid house and moved into a smaller but pretty and energy-efficient home designed by themselves. They downsized their possession
16、s and discarded all the expensive clutter. They also sold their big boat and shared a smaller one with another family so that they could still enjoy sailing on the sea. They gave up the extra car and their professional wardrobes. They also gave up expensive hobbies. They seldom ate out, thereby redu
17、cing a lot of expenses. Now they no longer purchase things on impulse and only spend money on the bare necessities.One may think that they are too stingy toward themselves. But that is not the case. For them it is a voluntary act to have chosen this simple and frugal lifestyle. It is by no means dep
18、rivation. They believe that a frugal life is beneficial to both society and the individual.Unit6真理是什么？真理是人们对客观世界及其规律的正确反映。真理让人们充满希望，让人生充满光彩，所以许多人把追求真理作为人生的最终目标。人类历史上有许多人为了追求真理，献出了自己宝贵的生命，对人类做出了杰出的贡献。真理是绝对的，又是相对的。我们说真理是绝对的，是因为真理能够客观地反映事物的本质。但是，任何真理都只是人们对事物发展在一定阶段的正确认识，所以它又是相对的，不断发展的。真理的光芒有时可能会黯淡，但永远不
19、会熄灭。对某些人来说，真理也许太遥远，实际上真理可能就在我们身边，只要我们用心去寻找，就一定会追求到真理。What is truth? Truth is the correct reflection of peoples knowledge about the objective world and its laws. Truth makes people full of hope and life full of brilliance and glory. Therefore, many people regard the pursuit of truth as the ultimate g
20、oal of their lives. In human history, many people devoted their lives to the pursuit of truth and made outstanding contributions to mankind.Truth is both absolute and relative. We say that truth is absolute because truth can objectively reflect the essentials of things. However, any truth is but peo
21、ples correct understanding of the development of things at a certain stage. Therefore, truth is relative and develops constantly.Sometimes, the brilliance of truth may dim but it will never die out. For some people, truth may seem beyond their reach. In fact, it is close at hand. We can find truth as long as we keep pursuing it heart and soul.
