使用说明 …………………………………………………………………………………6
Chapter 1 基础篇
Passage 1 Fall in Love with Afternoon Tea 爱上下午茶 ……………………………9
Passage 2 Vocabulary Size:Lexical Facts 词汇量:关于词汇的事实 …………13
Passage 3 A Generation of Junk Food Eaters? 吃垃圾食品成长的一代? ………17
Passage 4 How the Majority of Couples Want a Boy as Their First Child? 为何多数夫妻头胎想要男孩? ………………………………………………………21
Passage 5 Happiness Is a Choice 幸福是一种选择 ………………………………25
Passage 6 A Formula for a Successful Life 成功人生的公式 ……………………29
Passage 7 Several Tips for Safe Baby Bathing 宝宝洗澡的几点安全提示 ………33
Passage 8 Going on Holiday Is Good for Your Health 度假有益健康 …………37
Passage 9 The Influence of Digital Age on Teens 数字时代对青少年的影响 …41
Passage 10 Pets in America 美国宠物 ………………………………………………45
Passage 11 Online Classes Might Revolutionize Colleges 网络课程可能带来高校的 彻底改革 …………………………………………………………………49
Passage 12 Story of Wild Cat 野猫的故事 …………………………………………53
Passage 13 Black Friday in America 美国的“黑色星期五” ………………………57
Passage 14 World Digital Library on the Internet 互联网上的世界数字图书馆 …61
Passage 15 The 10,000-Hour Rule 一万小时理论 …………………………………65
Passage 16 As Kids Say It 童言无忌 …………………………………………………69
Passage 17 By the Grapevine 小道消息 ……………………………………………73
Passage 18 Suspended Coffee 待用咖啡 …………………………………………77
Passage 19 The Big Easy and Sin City 大快活城和罪恶之城 ……………………81
Passage 20 Ready to Save? 准备好存钱了吗? ……………………………………85
Passage 21 A Perfume Inspired by Coffee 咖啡味香水 ……………………………89
Passage 22 Cup Noodles:The Food That Have Conquered the World 碗装方便 面:征服全世界的食品 …………………………………………………93
Passage 23 Lost in Hawaii, Found in Taiwan 失之夏威夷,得之台湾岛 …………97
Passage 24 3D Printers Arrive in US Store 3D打印机登陆美国商店 ……………101
Chapter 2 提升篇
Passage 1 Working Mothers Warning 对职场妈妈的忠告 ………………………106
Passage 2 Print Newspaper or the Web? 纸质报纸还是网络? ……………………112
Passage 3 A Child''s IQ Can Be Determined by“ How Much Weight It Gains in Its First Month of Life”
孩子的智商可能由出生后第一个月的体重增量决定………………………………………………………………………………118
Passage 4 Why Extroverts Love a Party and Quiet People Prefer a Night in为什么外向的人喜欢聚会而安静的人喜欢宅在家 ……………………………124
Passage 5 Is “Organic” Labelled Food Healthier and Tastier? 贴上有机标签的食品更健康美味吗? ………………………………………………………130
Passage 6 Eat Three Meals a Day at Work 一日三餐吃在办公桌上 ……………136
Passage 7 Two Hearts Really Do Beat as One If You''re in Love 两颗相爱的心真的一起跳动 …………………………………………………………………142
Passage 8 The Cheapest Way to Diet? 最廉价的减肥方式? ………………………148
Passage 9 Balling up Your Right Hand Tightly Helps Memory 紧握右拳有助于记忆………………………………………………………………………………154
Passage 10 Women Make Better Business Decisions Than Men 女性比男性更善 于做商业决策 ……………………………………………………………160
Passage 11 Night Owls Are Linked to High Income Earners 夜猫子收入更高 ………………………………………………………………166
Passage 12 The Odds in a Coin Flip Aren''t Quite 5050 抛硬币的几率并非 5050………………………………………………………………………172
Passage 13 Heating Pad or Ice Pack? 热敷还是冷敷? ……………………………178
Passage 14 IBM Says Computers Will See, Taste, Smell, Touch and Hear Things Better in the Future IBM 预测未来计算机将具备五感 ………………184
Passage 15 6 Ways to Prevent Your Budget from Failing 防止预算失败的六个妙招………………………………………………………………………………190
Passage 16 You Are What You Wear 衣如其人 ……………………………………197
Passage 17 One in Ten PINs Can Be Correctly Guessed First Time 110的密码猜 一次即可破解 ……………………………………………………………203
Passage 18 Bilinguals Have Faster Brains When They Get Older 双语者年老后大 脑反应速度更快 …………………………………………………………210
Passage 19 The Psychology of Discounting 打折心理学 …………………………216
Passage 20 Love, Korean-style 韩式爱情 …………………………………………222
Passage 21 Google Glass Raises Privacy Concerns 谷歌眼镜引发隐私担忧 ……228
Passage 22 More Young Adults Live with Parents 越来越多的年轻人与父母同住………………………………………………………………………………234
Passage 23 Slow Travel, Cheap Travel 慢游加穷游 ………………………………240
Passage 24 Does Listening to Music While Working Make You Less Productive? 边听音乐边工作会影响工作效率吗? …………………………………246
Chapter 3 实践篇
Passage 1 Rise in Childhood Obesity Is Slowing Worldwide 全球儿童肥胖症增速趋缓 ………………………………………………………………………253
Passage 2 Mini-Bibliography for Audrey Hepburn 奥黛丽·赫本小传 ……………262
Passage 3 Wedding of Modern Brides 现代新娘的婚礼 …………………………270
Passage 4 A Word for Autumn 秋日小语 …………………………………………279
Passage 5 Romance of Paris Fades for Chinese Tourists Targeted by Thieves 中国游客成小偷目标,巴黎浪漫黯然失色 ……………………………288
Passage 6 In China, Losing Sleep over Choice of Schools 中国:择校令人彻夜难眠………………………………………………………………………………297
Passage 7 Stray Birds 飞鸟集 ………………………………………………………307
Passage 8 Sorry, But Do You Speak English? 对不起,你说的是英语吗? ……315
Passage 9 Fit-lifters in Bricks-and-mortar Shops 实体店里的试衣族 …………324
Passage 10 Choice Blindness 选择的盲目性 ………………………………………332
Passage 11 Home vs. Office: Where Should You Work? 工作场所之争:回家还是 坐班? ………………………………………………………………………341
Passage 12 Things 20-Year-Olds Don''t Get 20来岁的年轻人还没明白的事 ……350
Passage 13 Why You Should Read Every Day? 为何要每日读书? ………………359
Passage 14 Rubber-band Creates Millionaire 橡皮筋造就百万富翁 ………………369
Passage 15 Do We Still Need the Telephone? 我们还需要电话吗? ………………378
Passage 16 Is It Better to Rent or to Buy? 买房划算还是租房划算? ……………387
Passage 17 Smartphones in China:Taking a Bite out of Apple 咬了苹果一口的中国智能手机 …………………………………………………………………396
Passage 18 Why Is Starbucks So Expensive in China? 星巴克咖啡在中国为何如此昂贵? ……………………………………………………………………405
Passage 19 A Two-Wheel Tour Through Big Apple 大苹果骑行记 ………………414
Passage 20 Why Pay for a Degree to Learn a Foreign Language? 为外语学位教育 花钱值得吗? ……………………………………………………………423
Passage 21 Young Chinese Shunning Factory Jobs 中国的年轻人不愿在工厂工作………………………………………………………………………………432
Passage 22 Speech at the Graveside of Karl Marx 在马克思墓前的讲话 ………441
Passage 23 Mother 母亲 ………………………………………………………………450
Passage 24 America Unconquerable 北美是不可征服的 …………………………459
附 录 文章中文翻译 ……………………………………………………………467
內容試閱:
passage 1 爱上下午茶
Step 1 阅读行不行
Fall in Love with Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea, that most essence of English custom is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition. It was not until the mid 19th century that the concept of “afternoon tea” first appeared.
Afternoon tea was introduced to England by Anna, the seventh Duchess1 of Bedford, in the year of 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o''clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably2 late at eight o''clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter and cakes be brought to her room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her. This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880''s upper-class and society women would change into long gowns3, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o''clock.
High tea, a term often confused with afternoon tea, usually takes the place of supper. During the Industrial Revolution, working class families would return home tired and exhausted.The table would be set with dinner foods like meat, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese and of course tea. It was termed “high tea” because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table.
Afternoon tea because it was usually taken in the late afternoon is also called “low tea” as it is served at a low table. Since this wasn''t a meal, but rather like a late afternoon snack meant to stave off hunger, finger foods were the common fare. Tiny, dainty4 sandwiches, scones5 and pastries6 were served with afternoon tea. Finger foods afforded one the opportunity to take a petite bite and easily maintain a conversation. This is the most important, as one is not merely taking tea to gain nourishment or satisfy hunger, but to take time to relax, converse and enjoy the company of dear friends. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o''clock or five o''clock in the afternoon and no one stayed after seven o''clock.
keywords and phrases:
1 duchess ''d?t??sn.女公爵;公爵夫人
2 fashionably ''f??n?bl?adv.随着流行地,赶时髦地
3 gown ga?nn.女裙;女礼服
4 dainty ''de?nt?adj.(食物)美味的,可口的;(人)娇小的,秀丽的;(物)小巧的
5 scone sk?nn.烤饼;司康饼
6 pastry ''pe?str?n.糕点;油酥糕点
phrase to know
low tea 也就是本文讲到的afternoon tea, 与high tea的区别在于用茶的时间与丰盛程度。afternoon tea一般是从下午4点开始,除了茶或咖啡等饮料之外,一般还有现烤涂抹奶油和果酱的热松饼和三明治。维多利亚时代的女人赴下午茶会,必须要穿缀有花边的蕾丝裙,她们会把腰束紧,而且喝茶时要滴滴润饮,点心也要细细品尝,交谈更要低声絮语,举止要优雅大方。这种古老的聚会方式流传至今,礼仪早已化繁为简不少,但是正确的冲泡方式、优雅的摆设和精致的茶点,还是被视为传统而继续流传下来。
high tea 是指下午5、6点之间的正式茶点,点心要装在两三层高的点心盘中,通常除了松饼和三明治,还会有更加丰富的蛋糕、甜品、奶酪甚至冷肉,丰盛的程度有点和晚饭合并到一起的意思。至于下午茶中最关键的茶,老派的做法是把茶叶直接冲泡,再用茶漏过滤掉茶渣才能倒入杯中饮用。不过,现在一般都选用袋装茶包,冲泡比较方便。喝茶时可以加入一些新鲜的柠檬片及牛奶,柠檬一般多加在红茶里,而将牛奶加入茶中的做法则只有英国人比较喜欢。
stave off stave 作动词讲时,意思是“暂时挡住,避开(某事);延缓,推迟(令人不快的事物)”。 因此该短语的意思是“推迟,暂时避开”,例如:to stave off hunger illness表示“暂时解除饥饿 缓解病情”。
Step 2 手写行不行
★ 公爵夫人非常富裕,她的钱似乎怎么也花不完。have money coming out of one''s ears
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★ 那个女孩穿着总是很时髦。fashionably
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★ 新款的结婚礼服销路很好。be a great success
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★ 小姑娘身上的连衣裙很漂亮。dainty
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★ 年轻的绅士们一边喝茶吃烤饼一边聊天。scone
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★ 点心金黄酥脆。 pastry
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Step 3 口语行不行
Q1: What is your general impression on the British? 你对英国人总的印象如何?
Q2:Please talk about Chinese tea in brief. 请简单谈一下中国茶。
Q3:Do you like drinking tea? Why? 你喜欢喝茶吗?为什么?
试题解答篇
Step 2 手写行不行答案
1. The Duchess was so wealthy that she seemed to have money coming out of her ears.
2. The girl always dresses fashionably.
3. The new wedding gown was a great success.
4. The little girl wore a dainty dress.
5. The young gentlemen chatted over tea and scones.
6. The pastry is golden and crisp.
Step 3 口语行不行答案
1. In my view, the best known quality of the British is“reserved”. They do not talk very much to strangers, do not show much emotion, and seldom get excited. To those who are fond of flowery expressions, the Englishman may appear uncomfortably cold. In their relations with others they value at least a show of modesty. Self-praise is felt to be impolite. If a person is, let me say, very good at tennis and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will seldom reply “Yes,” because people will think him conceited. He will probably give an answer like,“I''m not bad.” or “I think I''m very good,” or “Well, I''m very keen on tennis.”
2. Chinese tea is a beverage from the leaves of tea plants boiled with water, which are ordinarily used for tea in China. Tea leaves are processed by traditional Chinese methods. The Chinese drink tea throughout the day, including during meals, as a substitute for plain water for health or simple pleasure. In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows their respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea. In the past, people of lower rank served tea to higher-ranking people. Today, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, sometimes parents may pour a cup of tea for their children, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants. However, the lower-ranking person should not expect the higher-ranking person to serve him or her tea in formal occasions.
3. I love tea. Besides water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world. Almost every culture in the world has a tea tradition of one sort or another, and these traditions are often central to the act of meeting and greeting friends and newcomers. Having an appreciation of tea and tea rituals can often get me past many language or cultural barriers when traveling overseas. Besides, many coffee-drinkers can''t stand the taste on its own, and must add milk, cream, and or sugar in order to make it palatable. Tea on the other hand is much less harsh bitter on its own, and is widely enjoyed without additives of any kind. Tea may also help boost metabolism, which can help dieters to lose weight faster.