|
|
|
|
|
|
Fast
Reading
|
| |
Now we are going to do some reading exercise.
The passages we are going to read are GREAT INVENTIONS
and THE HIGH COST
OF LIVING. Let’s do them. Please remember you must finish
doing each of them within 4 minutes and a half.
|
|
|
Chinese
translation |
There
have been many great inventions, things that changed the way
we live. The first great invention
was one that is still very important today---- the wheel. This
made it easer to carry heavy things and to travel long distances.
For hundreds of years after that there were
few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel. Then in
the early 1800's the world started to change. There was little
unknown land left in the world. People didn’t have to explore
much anymore. They began to work instead to make life better.
In the second half of the 19th
century many great inventions were made. Among
them were the camera, the electric light and the radio.
These all become a big part of our life today.
The first part of the 20th century
saw more great inventions. The helicopter
in 1909. Sound movies in 1926. The computer in 1928. And jet
planes in l930. This was also a time when a new material was
first made. Nylon came out in l935. It changed the kind of clothes
people wear.
The middle part of the 20th century brought
new ways to help people get over
diseases. They worked very well. They made people healthier
and let them live long lives. By the 1960's most people could
expect to live to be at least 60.
By this time most people had a very good life.
Of course new inventions continued to be made. But man now had
a desire to explore again. The world is known to man but the
stars are not yet. Man began looking for ways to go into space.
Russia made the first step. Then the United States took a step.
Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have
made their steps into space.
In 1969 man took
his biggest step away from earth. Americans first walked
on the moon. This is certainly just a beginning though. New
inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never
yet dreamed of.
Chinese translation 
伟大的发明
曾经有过许多伟大的发明，这些发明改变了我们的生活方式。最早的伟大发明至今仍然极其重要--这就是车轮。车轮的发明使得运送重物和长途旅行变得更加容易。
千百年来，还没有什么发明能和车轮的发明所带来的效用相媲美。在这以后，即，从十九世纪初期以来，
世界开始发生变化，世界上几乎再没有什么人类没有涉足的领域了。人们不再去开发，而是工作，以便
使生活更美好。
十九世纪的后半叶出现了许多伟大的发明，其中包括照相机、电灯和无线电。这些都已成为我们生活的重要
组成部分。
二十世纪的上半叶出现了更多的伟大发明，诸如1909年的直升飞机、1926年的有声电影、1928年的计算
机1930年的喷气式飞机。这也正是应用新材料的时代，1935年尼龙的使用改变了人们的衣着。
二十世纪中期带来了医药的新发展，增加了人们的抗病力。它们产生了积极效果，增进了人类健康，延长
了人类的寿命。到二十世纪的六十年代，人均寿命已达60岁。
迄今为止，大多数人过着优越的生活。当然，新的发明还在不断出现，但是如今人类又有了开发的欲望。
人类已熟知地球，但对星球还知之甚少，于是人类开始探索太空。俄国率先迈出了第一步，然后是美国紧步后
从那以后，其他国家，包括中国和日本，也开始步入太空。
1969年，人类第一次从地球跨出了最大的一步：美国人第一次在月球上行走。当然这仅仅只是开端。有朝
一日，新的发明将使我们能够去做早先做梦也未想到的事情。
|
Comprehension
Exercise 
 |
Key
|
|
| 1. c 2. d 3. c 4. d 5. b 6.c |
|
|
l. ______________
inventions had had as much effect as the wheel before the l9th
century.
a. Quite a number of
b. Some
c. Few
d. Many other
2. In the early 1800’s, people began to work
in order to make _____________.
a. explorations
b. life better
c. discoveries
d. a trip into space
3. Nylon came out nearly at the same time as
____________.
a. the radio
b. the camera
c. jet planes
d. the movies
4. People can live longer lives because _____ to help
cure diseases have worked very well.
a. doctors
b. new methods
c. medicines
d. new hospitals
5. Wan didn't have a desire to explore a lot
_________.
a. at the beginning of the l800's
b. in the l960's
c. until the 20th century
d. in the last two centuries
6. This passage talks mainly about __________.
a. how inventions affect people's lives
b. when the electric light was invented
c. which country made the first step into space
d. why cars were very important
7. We can safely come to the conclusion that
people’s lives will be made even better
through ________.
a. new discoveries
b. greater inventions
c. better ways to help get over diseases
d. all of the above |
|
16. The High Cost of Living
|
Chinese
translation |
Many families
in the United States have a large income
now than ever before, but people are finding it difficult to
make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is wondering, "What
happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left
to put away."
Why isn't a dollar worth as much as it used
to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is,
100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy.
The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists
say that the cost of living is the money that a family must
pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent,
clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost
of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar
has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy
as many things with it.
No one fully understands why the cost of living
keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers
can make prices go up. As workers earn more money, they have
more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there is
a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods
go up. At the same time, if there's a shortage of goods, the
prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more
and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies withhold
gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.
Families need to know what happens to their
money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living,
so many people plan a family budget. A budget
is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add
up to more than your income, you must find ways to save
money. Maybe you're spending too much on entertainment. Or if
you're spending too much on clothes, you may want to sew your
own clothes. Budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as
the cost of living increases. |
Comprehension
Exercise
|
Key
|
|
| 1. c 2. b
3.d 4. d 5.
b 6. a 7.
a |
|
|
1. What has troubled
many families in the United States?
a. A not-large-enough
income.
b. Nothing is
left over to put away.
c. The increasing
cost of living.
d. A shortage
of certain goods.
2. _________ determines the value of the dollar.
a. The government.
b. The cost of
living
c. The economist
d. The bank
3. Why does the cost of living keep increasing?
a. There are
always shortages of goods.
b. The workers
are getting lower and lower pay.
c. The government
makes no interference.
d. People demand
more and better goods.
4. According to the writer, ____ fully understand(s) why
the cost of living keeps increasing.
a. some people
b. few people
c. only economists
d. no one
5. Which of the following is true?
a. Housewives
needn't know anything happening to the market.
b. People are
most concerned about the of money.
c. There seems
no need for everyone to know about the rising cost of living.
d. The prices
will go up if more goods are produced.
6. According to the passage, when people find
it hard to make ends meet, they ________.
a. find ways
to save money
b. do extra work
to earn more money
c. try some other
means of making money
d. lodge a protest
against the high cost of living
7. Budgeting helps _______.
a. one to make
his income meet the cost of living
b. the government
to battle the rising cost of living
c. merchants
to produce more goods
d. the workers
to earn more money |
|
|
|
|
|
