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2020年08月02日 01:58
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光合作用的实质-不可一世是什么意思
20 世纪初塞缪尔?厄尔曼写的这篇不足 500 字的短文《青春》一直为世人倾倒,过了这么多年它的魅力依旧。因为它给予了一种启示,教我们如何美好地生活。
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
—— Samuel Ullman
[注释]:
rosy cheeks: 玫瑰花般的脸颊
supple: readily bent; pliant 柔软的
vigor : physical or mental strength, energy, or force 精力,活力
temperamental : excessively sensitive or irritable; moody 心情变化快的,喜怒无常的
predominance : the state or quality of being predominant; preponderance 优势
timidity : shy 胆怯的,害羞的
appetite : 食欲,胃口,欲望,爱好
desert : 放弃,遗弃
wrinkle: to draw up into wrinkles; pucker 起皱
enthusiasm : great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause 狂热,热心,积极性
wireless : 无线的
infinite : having no limits 无限的,无穷的
aerial : 天线
cynicism: a scornful, bitterly mocking comment or act 玩世不恭,冷嘲热讽
pessimism: a tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable possible view 悲观,悲观主义
optimism: a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of
a situation 乐观,乐观主义
塞缪尔?厄尔曼,1840 年生于德国,童年时移居美国。他在古稀之年才开始写作,是一个了不起的人。(本文由于手抄流传等多种原因,存在多个版本,这里采用作者原文。)
2. Does It Make a Difference?
这个故事可以让我们反复思考并放飞心灵。
An old man was walking al
ong the beach one evening at low tide.
He noticed that thousands of starfish had been stranded on the sand by the receding waters. In the course of his walk he came upon a young man who was picking up some of the starfish and throwing them back into the sea.
“What are you doing?” the old man asked.
“Oh, just saving some starfish,” the young man replied.
“Well, you’re a fool,” the old man told him.
“Really?” replied the young man, “What makes you say so?”
“Well, just look at all the starfish on this beach. There are
thousands of them.”
The old man looked around and then at the young man.
“You don’t have the time nor the energy to save all of them. Your saving a few starfish is nice, but in the larger scheme of things it’s ridiculous. What difference could you possibly make?”
The young man looked at the old man for a moment. Then wordlessly, he bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it far out into the water.
“Well,” he said, putting his hands on his hips in satisfaction, “I made a big difference to that one.”
And he tossed another into the ocean, “and this one”, tossed, “and this one...”
[注释]:
starfish : 海星
strand: 搁浅,使搁浅
recede: to move back or away from a limit, point, or mark 后退
toss: the act of tossing or the condition of being tossed 投,掷
3. Jane Eyre (excerpt)
“..仿佛我们两人穿过坟墓,站在上帝脚下,彼此平等——本来就如此!”
——这是小说《简?爱》里面简和罗切斯特最经典的对白。
“No. You must stay! I swear it — and the oath shall be kept”.
“I tell you I must go!” I retorted, roused to something like passion.
“Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feeling? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips,and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you, — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities,nor even of mortal flesh — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!”
—— Charlotte Bronte
[注释]:
swear: to make a solemn promise; vow 发誓
oath: the words or formula of such a declaration or promise 誓言
retort: to present a counterargument 反驳,反击
automaton: a self-operating machine or mechanism, especially a robot 机器人
morsel: a small amount; a piece (食物)一口,少量
snatch: to gra
sp or seize hastily, eagerly, or suddenly 攫取
dash: to splash; bespatter 泼溅
obscure: of undistinguished or humble station or reputation 身份卑微的
conventionality: the state, quality or character of being conventional 惯例,俗套,老一套
mortal: of or relating to humankind; human 人类的
grave: an excavation for the interment of a corpse 墓穴,坟墓
夏洛蒂?勃朗特的《简?爱》通过简?爱的自述,描绘了一个出身贫苦家庭、长相平凡、无依无靠的女家庭教师的曲折遭遇。简,成为纯洁、热情、坦率、热爱真理、敢于追求幸福的女性的象征,因而形象鲜明。作品成功之处还在于从作者对人性的描述中,我们隐约看到了自己——卑劣或美丽的人性,而觉得心有戚戚焉。
4. A Courageous Leader
下面是一段人物描写。这段文字围绕 courageous leader 这个中心展开,文中的转折连词(but,despite,though)起到了很好的衔接作用。
Koffi Annan has a tough job. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, he has made it his goal to fight against poverty, disease and war in the world. He has called upon the nations of the world to step in and try to solve these problems together. In Annan’s view, seeing a crime and failing to prevent it is as bad as committing the crime. He believes that the idea that states can do as they please within their borders is nonsense. Many people support Annan’s goals, but wonder if they are realistic. The United Nations has little power to act on its own. It has to receive permission from its member nations, but powerful countries like the United States often disagree with, and sometimes actively oppose, Annan’s ideas. Despite the difficulties, Annan has succeeded in restoring a sense of respect to the United Nations. Though he speaks with a soft voice, and is known at the United Nations for being polite and elegant, he is also often praised for his toughness and courage. Annan’s goals may be difficult to achieve, but that hasn’t kept him from trying. Courage, he believes, will win out over cowardice in the end.
[注释]:
courageous: having or characterized by courage; valiant 勇敢的
poverty: the state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts 贫
穷,贫困
step in: 走进,干涉
commit: to do, perform, or perpetrate 犯(罪)
border: the line or frontier area separating political divisions or geographic regions; a boundary
边界,国界
realistic: of or relating to the representation of objects, actions, or social conditions as they
actually are 现实(主义)的
permission: consent, especially formal consent; authorization 许可
restore: to bring back to an original condition 恢复,使回复
elegant: characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style 文雅的,
端庄的,雅致的
toughness: able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient 坚韧, 韧性
cowardice: ignoble fear in the face of danger or pain 怯懦,胆小
科菲?安南 1938 年 4 月 8 日生于加纳,先后在加纳和美国高等学府就读,获经济学学士和管理学硕士学位。1962 年进入联合国工作,先后在联合国非洲经济委员会、 联合国总部、联合国日内瓦办事处、联合国难民署和世界卫生组织等部门工 作。1996 年 12 月 17 日,第 51 届联大任命安南为联合国第七任秘书长。2001 年 6 月 26 日,第 56 届联大批准安南连任,任期至 2006 年 12 月 31 日。
5. Learn Constantly
在这个知识爆炸的年代,我们应接受并保持“终身学习”的观念和习惯。通过不断的学
习,我们才可以更深入地了解自己、人生、大自然,也才可以获得恒久喜悦。
Learning intelligibly is one of the characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. In other words, learning spontaneously is one of man’s unique traits. Throughout the history, human have even learned acculturation, handing down their cultural heritages from generation to generation. Therefore, we can conclude that all forms of learning, inclusive of the acquisition of skill, the shaping of views, the absorption of knowledge, take a very essential part in the course of human civilization. Once learning stops, vegetation arises. To each of us, the process of learning may be full of frustrations and boredom, yet the fruit is often sweet and satisfactory. In terms of learning, I am convinced that it’s better late than never. In this knowledge explosion era, in particular, no one should withstand the trend and concept of “lifelong learning”. The more efforts we make to learn, the more we can keep life, nature and the universe in perspective. Learning is the surest way to eternal joy.
[注释]:
intelligibly: capable of being understood 易理解地
distinguish: to perceive as being different or distinct 区别,辨别
spontaneously: happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated 自然地,本
能地
acculturation: the modification of the culture of a group or an individual as a result of contact
with a different culture 文化适应,文化传入
heritage: something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition 传统
acquisition: the act of acquiring 获得
absorption: a state of mental concentration 吸收
civilization: cultural or intellectual refinement; good taste 文明,文化,文明社会
frustration: the act of frustrating or an instance of being frustrated 挫败,挫折,受挫
boredom: the condition of being bored; ennui 厌倦
convince: to bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action (使)确
信,深信
explosion: a violent bursting a
s a result of internal pressure 爆发,发出,爆炸
withstand: to resist or endure successfully 抵挡,经受住
surest : sure 的最高级
eternal: being without beginning or end; existing outside of time 永恒的,永远的
6. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
盖茨堡位于美国宾夕法尼亚州。1863 年 7 月 1 日至 3 日,北军在此重创了南军,扭转了战争局势。此战役后这里修建了一个战争牺牲者的公墓。本篇是 1863 年在公墓落成典礼上林肯的演说词。
Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us— that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
[注释]:
Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln (1809—1865), 16th president of the United States (1861—1865)
林肯,美国第十六任总统
fourscore and seven years ago: eighty-seven years ago, here referring to the year 1776, when
the United States of America declared its independence 87 年前,指 1776 年美国宣布独立时
father: forefather 祖先
brought forth: gave birth to 缔造
conceived in liberty: having liberty as an ideal of the nation 以自由为理想
dedicated to: devoted to 献身于
proposition : statement; assertion 主张;信条
that all men are created equal: that all men are born equal, one of the self-evident truths
mentioned in the Declaration of Independence 美国独立宣言明白揭示的真理:人类生而平等
endure :exist; last 存续
a portion of that field: a part of that battlefield 那个战场的一部分
final resting-place: burial-place;
cemetery 葬地;墓地
in a larger sense: broadly speaking 从广义上说
consecrate : set apart as sacred 奉为神圣
hallow : regard as holy 尊为神圣
detract : reduce in degree 减损
thus far: to this extent 到如此地步
gave the last full measure of devotion: gave the last, largest extent of devoutness 鞠躬尽瘁
perish : be destroyed or ruined 毁灭
7. Hip-hop World
饶舌歌曲方兴未艾,布袋挎裤、运动鞋、闪亮配件样样齐全!没有跳过街舞也必定看过打扮一身行头的帅哥酷妹吧?!一探劲爆的 hip-hop 文化如何攻占你的心!
Every age has its music. Jazz was once king. Rock had its day. Now rap is in the house, and the party is just getting started.
Like other musical forms—such as jazz and rock—that have their roots in the black community, rap has faced its share of criticism. Rap music was once called a fad, but it’s been around for more than two decades, and it’s more popular than ever. Rap is a way of speaking or singing rhythmically, in rhyme. Hip-hop first refers to the backing music for rap. It also refers to rap culture. Hip-hop is not just music; it’s a way of life, a culture. Look around you: wherever there are young kids hanging out, you’re sure to see the signs. Baggy jeans, sports jerseys, and baseball hats worn sideways are just a few of hip-hop trademarks that have begun appearing on the streets of somewhere.
Technically there are four elements that make up hip-hop: graffiti, break-dancing, rap music, and mixing. Most agree that the culture of hip-hop started in New York’s Bronx in the late 1970s. Early hip-hop music focused on the difficulties of living in the poor urban ghettoes. It talked to African-Americans directly about their problems. It was a way for inner-city youths to publicize the problems they faced.
The music of hip-hop is rap. It’s a style based on rhythm and spoken words. The music went hand-in-hand with break-dancing, a dance style that took off around the same time. Mixing records started as a way to produce new music cheaply. The other element, graffiti, has long been a part of urban culture. Originally used by gangs as a way to mark their territory, graffiti eventually developed into an independent form of street art.
That’s how it started, so then where did hip-hop go? Everywhere, man, it went everywhere. From England to Brazil to Japan, hip-hop spread everywhere and it spread fast. Now even the Eskimos have hip-hop!
[注释]:
Jazz : 爵士乐
Rock:to move back and forth or from side to side, especially gently or rhythmically 摇滚乐
label :to attach a label to 标签
rapper :one that raps or strikes, especially a door knocker 叩击者(物), 敲门者
rap :a quick, light blow or knock 叩击,轻拍
criticism :a critical comment or judgment 批评,批判
fad :a fashion that is taken up with great enthusia
sm for a brief period of time; a craze 时尚,一时
流行的狂热
rhythmically :of, relating to, or having rhythm; recurring with measured regularity 有节奏地
rhyme :to compose rhymes or verse 韵,押韵
backing :approval or endorsement 支持者,赞助者
graffiti :涂鸦
jersey :运动衫
ghetto :犹太人区
8. New Pictures of an Old Universe
这段科技文章看似复杂难懂,其实不难。读的同时不妨仔细分析这类文章的特点,这对于在考试中阅读理解同类文章一定有帮助。
For thousands of years humans have wondered how and when the universe first began. Now, thanks to some photographs taken by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), scientists are much closer to understanding, even seeing, the universe in its beginning years. This is all possible thanks to the WMAP satellite in orbit about one million miles above Earth. The satellite is specially designed to record one kind of cosmic energy: microwave radiation. It can use this radiation to show us what the universe looked like 13.3 billion years ago!
Wait a minute ... how can this satellite show us a picture of the
universe billions of years ago? The Big Bang created the universe in a huge explosion, and at the same time it created a specific field of radiation—called the cosmic microwave background, or CMB. This CMB still lingers in the universe today. What the satellite actually does is take pictures of the CMB.
So what did scientists learn from these new pictures? First, they learned that stars formed very soon— merely 200 million years— after the Big Bang. And they were able to confirm estimates of the universe’s age: it was born about 13.7 billion years ago. This is the age that scientists long suspected to be true, but now they have the birthday pictures to prove it!
[注释]:
microwave: a high-frequency electromagnetic wave, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength,
intermediate between infrared and short-wave radio wavelengths 微波
probe: an exploratory action, expedition, or device, especially one designed to investigate and
obtain information on a remote or unknown region 探测(器、卫星、宇宙飞船)
satellite: a celestial body that orbits a planet; a moon 卫星
orbit: the path of a celestial body or an artificial satellite as it revolves around another body(运
转)轨道
cosmic: of or relating to the universe, especially as distinct from Earth 宇宙的
radiation: energy radiated or transmitted in the form of rays, waves, or particles 辐射
explosion: a release of mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy in a sudden and often violent
manner with the generation of high temperature and usually with the release of gases 爆炸
specific: special, distinctive, or unique 特定的,明确的
linger: to be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry 徘徊
suspec
t: to have doubts about; distrust 怀疑,猜测
9. Three Days to See
下面的文字摘选自海伦?凯勒的自传《假如给我三天光明》。海伦虽然自幼丧失了视力和听觉,但却是一个生活在黑暗中而给人类带来光明的女性。她在 1904 年获得学位,成为优秀的讲师和作家。“我要把别人眼睛所看见的光明当作我的太阳,别人的耳朵听见的音乐当作我的乐曲,别人嘴角的微笑当作我的快乐。”她接受了命运的挑战,获得了超越自己的喜悦。我们为之感动的不仅是文字本身的优美和其中所含的真情,还包括字里行间所反映的那颗伟大心灵。
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
…
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.
How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In the spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush through my open finger. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the pageant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips. ——Helen Keller
[注释]:
buoyant: having or marked by buoyancy 有浮力的,轻快的
unimaginable: 想不到的,不可思议的
vista: an awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broa
d mental view 展望,回想
listless: lacking energy or disinclined to exert effort; lethargic 倦怠的,冷漠的,情绪低落的
incredulous: expressive of disbelief 怀疑的,不轻信的
accustom: to familiarize, as by constant practice, use, or habit 使习惯于
symmetry: exact correspondence of form and constituent configuration on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane or about a center or an axis 对称,匀称
silver birch: 白桦树
shaggy: having a rough nap or surface, as a textile 表面粗糙的
delightful: greatly pleasing 令人愉快的,可喜的
velvety: suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth 像天鹅绒的,柔软的
remarkable : attracting notice as being unusual or extraordinary 不平常的,非凡的,值得注意的,显著的
convolution: a form or part that is folded or coiled 回旋,盘旋,卷绕
brook: 小溪
lush: having or characterized by luxuriant vegetation 青葱的,豪华的
luxurious : fond of or given to luxury 奢侈的,豪华的
pageant: 壮观
thrilling: 颤动的, 发抖的,令人振奋的
10. Who Moved My Cheese
本篇选自广为流传的很有意思的畅销书:《谁动了我的奶酪》
从前,在一个遥远的地方,住着四个小家伙。为了填饱肚子和享受乐趣,他们每天在不远处的一座奇妙的迷宫里跑来跑去,在那里寻找一种叫做“奶酪”的黄橙橙、香喷喷的食物..
The book by Dr Spencer Johnson that Who moved my cheese features four imaginary characters: “Sniff” and “Scurry” (who are mice) and two little people “Hem” and “Haw”. Cheese is a metaphor for what makes you happy—this is the cheese of life (a good job, health, spiritual peace of mind, a loving relationship) dealing with anticipating, adapting and enjoying change and to be always ready for new changes. The story goes that the four little characters ran through a maze (the organization) daily, looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Sniff and Scurry used their instincts and a simple trial-and-error method, while Hem and Haw used their brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions but also learning from past experiences, developing more complicated methods. This often made their lives complicated and challenging.
The lessons Haw learned which we could use are:
1. Laugh at your own folly—then you can let go and quickly move on.
2. Keep life simple (don’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things).
3. Envision yourself (in realistic detail) finding something better.
4. Learn from mistakes made in the past and learn to deal with change.
5. Do not overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.
6. Notice when little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big change that might be coming.
7. If you do not adapt in time, you m
ight as well not adapt at all.
8. The biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself and nothing gets better until you change.
9. There is always new cheese out there, whether you recognize it at the time or not, and you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.
10. Some fear should be respected as it keep you out of real danger — most of our fears are often irrational and keep us from changing when we need to.
11. Change is often a blessing in disguise, as it leads us to finding better
cheese.
[注释]:
Spencer Johnson: (作家)斯宾塞?约翰逊
imaginary: having existence only in the imagination; unreal 想象的,虚构的
metaphor: 隐喻
maze: a graphic puzzle, the solution of which is an uninterrupted path through an intricate pattern
of line segments from a starting point to a goal 迷宫
instinct: an innate capability or aptitude 本能
trial-and-error: 尝试后矫正
complicated: containing intricately combined or involved parts 复杂的
folly: an act or instance of foolishness 荒唐事,傻念头
overanalyze or overcomplicate: 分析过度或过度复杂化
envision: to picture in the mind; imagine 想象,预想
inhibitor: one that inhibits, as a substance that retards or stops a chemical reaction 抑制剂
adventure: to engage in hazardous activities; take risks 冒险
disguise: appearance that misrepresents the true character of something 伪装