大学英语快速阅读教程(第一册第四单元)

Book OneUnit FourPassage OneDirections: You will have 10 minutes to read this passage quickly and answer the following questions from A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.Youth SpeakIf you think the English language is getting shorter, you may be right. From news bytes to text-messaging to famously shorter attention spans, we're saying less—and relying on slang more.Why?With so much of our daily communications taking place online these days—and that doesn’t include just e-mail, but text-messaging on increasingly teenier devices—it seems everyday English has been reduced to a code of accepted abbreviations, mysterious combinations of numbers and letters, and even symbols masquerading as facial expressions. :)Often in all lowercase(小写字母) letters.Certain numbers, “2” and “4” in particular, play starring roles—replacing, respectively, “to” and “for”—but the far more interesting development is the embrace of the number “3” for the letter “e” (“b3” and “th3”), and the number “8” for the sound it makes (“gr8” and “l8r” for “great” and “later”).While some of these brave new acronyms(首字母缩拼词) can actually be self-explanatory (“u” for “you” and “ur” for “your”) or fairly logical (“b4” for “before”), or can highlight the sounds the letters ma ke (“qt” for “cutie” and “cu” for “see you”) or act as abbreviations (“cuz” for “because”), or can be just straightforward acronyms (“bff” for “best friends forever”), some do border on strange (“peeps” for “people”).Some terms that have been in circulati on for quite a while are pretty recognizable: “lol” (“laughing out loud”), “btw” (“by the way”), and “imho” (“in my humble opinion”).Some, meanwhile, are puzzling: “iykwim” (“if you know what I mean”), “mtfbwy” (“may the force be with you”), and “wysiwyg”(“what you see is what you get”).At times, this alphabet-soup vernacular (本国语，俗语) feels absolutely confusing to everyone but linguists and computer geeks. But it’s difficult to argue with it s speed—or even its necessity—when forced to use a toothpick-sized device to reply to an office memorandum (备忘录) while driving a car (not recommended or legal but, unfortunately, all too common).With the exception of “peeps,” though, all of the above examples are mostly used in written slang. Spoken slang is a whole o ther story. And it’s here that the younger generation truly has its say (pun intended).Today’s slang changes faster than yesterday’s password. That’s because words that were popular only a couple of years ago have lost favor—among t oday’s teens—for no reason at all. These include: “sweet”, “excellent”, and “awesome” (which all mean “good”).But, then, slang is short-lived by nature. In order for slang to be slangy, it has to have a feeling of perpetual newness. Slang is like fashion: never “in” for long. Americans eventually tire of even the most popular words, and by natural selection, only the strong survive.So what’s in these days? Meaning this month?If you use “hot” (meaning “good” and also “attractive”), you’ll seem with it, and alternatively —at least from a temperature point of view—if you use a word that has appealed to every generation since the Great Depression, you’ll seem, well, “cool.”“Cool” is positively prehistoric(陈旧的) by slang standards. It originated during the jazz culture of the late 1930s, but every generation since has embraced it as its own.In fact, many expressions meaning the same thing as cool—bully, groovy, hep, crazy, bodacious, far-out, rad, swell—have not had the staying power of cool.“Cool” is common not just with today’s teens but with their parents as well. The inherent attraction of slang, after all, is in each generation’s opportunity to shape its own lexicon. The result is a playful body of language that’s used for its sense of linguistic fun.In the 1930s and 1940s, it was the swing and jitterbug culture that invented the hip talk of the day. In the 1950s, it was the Beat poets and fast-talking radio disc jockeys. In the 1960s, it was the hippies. Today’s slang originates from hip-hop culture and rap music.After all, slang is, by definition, more clever than standard English. It’s catchy, and it can produce flashes of humor and even poetry.（665 words）Questions1. Because of our daily communications taking place online these days, everyday English hasbeen reduced to the following by the youth but ____________________.A) symbols as facial expressions B) combinations of numbers and lettersC) a code of accepted abbreviations D) combinations of drawings and letters2. “W hat you see is what you get” can be abbreviated in _______________.A) wysiwyg B) wyciwyg C) wuciwug D) wuciwyg3. How can slang be slangy?A) It should be long-lived by nature.B) It should have a feeling of perpetual newness.C) It should be admitted by the public.D) It should be admitted by the government.4. Many expressions have the similar meaning with “cool” except _______.A) groovy B) crazy C) in D) rad5. Today’s slang shows _____________.A) the hippies B) the hip talk of the dayC) hip-hop culture and rap music D) online languagePassage TwoDirections: In this part,y ou will have 10 minutes to go over the passage quickly and decide questions 1-8 according to the passage. If it is true you fill “T” in theparenthesis, if not or false fill “F” in parenthesis before the sentence.Jack LondonJohn Griffith London (1876-1916) was born in San Francisco of an unmarried mother of wealthy background, Flora Wellman. His father may have been William Chaney, a journalist, lawyer, and major figure in the development of American astrology (占星术). Because Flora was ill, Jack was raised through infancy by an ex-slave, Virginia Prentiss, who would remain a major maternal (似母亲的) figure while the boy grew up. Late in 1876, Flora married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran. The family moved around the Bay area before settling in Oakland, where Jack completed elementary school. Though the family was working class, it was not so impoverished as London’s later accounts claimed.As an adolescent, the boy adopted the name of Jack. He worked at various hard labor jobs, served on a fish patrol to capture poachers (偷捕者), sailed the Pacific on a sealing ship, joined Kelly’s Army of unemployed working men, wandered around the country, and returned to attend high school at age 19. In the process, he became acquainted with socialism and was known as the Boy Socialist of Oakland for his street corner speech. He would run unsuccessfully several times on the socialist ticket as mayor. Always a prolific reader, he consciously chose to become a writer to escape from the horrific prospects of life as a factory worker. He studied other writers and began to submit stories, jokes, and poems to various publications, mostly without success.Spending the winter of 1897 in the Yukon provided the metaphorical gold for his first stories, which he began publishing in the Overland Monthly in 1899. From that point he was a highly disciplined writer, who would produce over fifty volumes of stories, novels, and political essays. Although The Call of the Wild (1903) brought him lasting fame, many of his short stories deserve to be called classics, as does his critique of capitalism and poverty in The People of the Abyss (1903). London’s long voyage (1907-09) across the Pacific in a small boat provided material for books and stories about Polynesian and Melanesian cultures. He was instrumental in breaking the taboo (禁忌) over leprosy (麻风病) and popularizing Hawaii as a tourist spot.London was among the most publicized figures of his day, and he used his fame to support socialism, women’s suffrage (选举权), and eventually, prohibition (禁酒令). He was among the first writers to work with the movie industry, and saw a number of his novels made into films. His novel The Sea-Wolf became the basis for the first full-length American movie. He was also one of the first celebrities to use his endorsement for commercial products in advertising, including dress suits and grape juice.Because he was an autodidact (自学成功的人), London’s ideas lacked consistency and precision. For example, he clearly accepted the Social Darwinism and scientific racism commonly accepted during his time, yet he seem troubled that the “inevitable white man,” as he called him, would destroy the rich cultures of various native groups he had encountered over the years. Although he supported women’s suffrage and created some of the most independent and strong female characters in American fiction, he was patriarchal (家长制的) toward his two wives and two daughters. His socialism was extremely strong, but countered by his strong drive towardindividualism and capitalist success. These contradictory themes in his life and writing make him a difficult figure to reduce to simple terms.Often troubled by physical illnesses, during his thirties London developed kidney disease of unknown origin. He died of renal (肾脏的) failure on November 22, 1916 on the ranch. Because his writings were translated in several dozen languages, he remains more widely read in some countries outside of the United States than in his home country. Study of his life and writings provides a case through which to examine the contradictions in the American character, along with key movements and ideas during the Progressive era.Following London’s death, for a number of reasons a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges it. But its persistence has resulted in neglect of his full literary works and his significance as an influential figure in turn-of-the-century social history.(704 words) True or False( ) 1. Flora Wellman and William Chaney married before London was born.( ) 2. His family was very poor, so he’s never been to high school.( ) 3. In order not to be a factory worker, he chose to become a writer.( ) 4. His life in the Yukon in 1897 provided the materials for his first stories.( ) 5. He refused to make his novels into movies.( ) 6. H e supported women’s suffrage and created some of the most independent and strong female characters in American fiction, and he is also a very kind and easy-going father. ( ) 7. He died of kidney disease in 1916.( ) 8. Not until his death were his writings translated in several dozen languages.Passage ThreeDirection:In this part, you’ll have 15 minutes to read the passage quickly and answer the questions followed. For questions 1-7, mark Y (for YES) if the statement agrees withthe information given in the passage. N (for NO) if the statement contradicts theinformation given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is notgiven in the passage.The Mystery of Oak IslandEvery buried treasure has a strange history, but none is more mysterious than the Oak Island treasure. One of the 364 islands of Mahone Bay, tiny Oak Islan d lies just beyond Nova Scotia’s coast. Every team who has searched for it during 182 years has failed. Even today no one knows just what is buried there. Experts agree that it is the world’s most perfectly buried treasure.The treasure spot was first discovered in 1795, when three boys beached their canoe on Oak Island. On a hill near the shore they found a giant oak tree with a short limb (大树枝) sticking straight out from its trunk. The limb was long dead, but it still showed signs of deep cuts—perhaps from a heavy rope. Under the sawed limb they discovered a round depression in the ground, as though the earth had settled after something was buried there. It could mean only one thing. Something heavy had been lowered into the ground with a rope wrapped around the limb: a treasure chest?The next day the boys returned to the island with shovels (铁铲) and picks. Three meters down they hit something hard. It was a platform of rough oak planks (厚板), fifteen centimeters thick. They removed the planks and dug on. At six meters and at nine meters wood barriers stopped their work again.Exhaustion and an early winter sent the boys back home to Nova Scotia. When they asked about Oak Island, old-timers told them it was jinxed (使…倒霉). Fifty years ago, strange ships had anchored there, and strange noises had sounded across the bay. One night two fishermen rowed close enough to see men in the light of fires that roared like thunder. They went ashore to find out what was happening—and were never seen again.The boys wanted to return, but could find no one to help them. Years later, with the help of a local doctor, they raised some money and hired a small crew. They brought a winch (绞车) and block (滑轮) to the island. In 1803 they began to dig.Every three meters they found oak planks in the way. At twenty-seven meters they uncovered a new puzzle. It was a flat stone with strange writing. No one at that time could read it, and the stone passed from hand to hand. One hundred twenty-five years later, a professor of languages translated the writing. It read: “Beneath this stone, two million pounds are buried.”The crew was optimistic about the discovery and they dug even harder. At twenty-nine meters below the surface, a worker pushed a metal rod nearly one meter into the wet ground and stuck wood. Sure that this was the final barrier to the treasure, but when the men returned to work the next morning, they found water had filled the shaft (井筒、隧道)! They pumped for weeks, but the pit filled with water as fast as they emptied it. Winter came, and all work stopped.The next summer the crew dug a new shaft to drain the flooded treasure pit. At thirty- three meters into the second shaft, three workers began to tunnel sideways toward the treasure. As their shovels broke through the last few meters of dirt, tons of water burst suddenly into the new shaft.They escaped, but the water rose to eighteen meters. The crew ended the search.Forty years later, some of the same people tried again. Using a horse-powered drill, they hit a wooden case at thirty meter. When they raised the drill, they found three pieces of gold chain in its bit (钻头). A shout went up. They had hit the treasure. Only twenty-three meters of water separated them from it now!Because the water was salty, they believed that the two pits were connected to the ocean. A search of Smuggler’s Cove, about 150 meters away, r evealed a well-hidden drain with five openings that sucked the Atlantic Ocean into the pit. They built a dam to hold the ocean back, but the strong tide broke it down. Then they dug a shaft over thirty meters deep on the pit’s south side to keep the water out. However they failed again.World War II put a stop to treasure hunts, but when it was over, new groups of treasure seekers arrive at Oak Island every summer. Who thought of this grand puzzle? No one really knows. The people who buried the treasure, hi dden so well that the newest equipment can’t dig it up, still hold the great secret.(756 words) Questions( ) 1. The Oak Island treasure is regarded as the world’s most perfectly buried treasure by experts around the world.( ) 2. Four boys discovered the treasure spot first in 1795.( ) 3. The boys found a platform of rough oak planks three meters deep.( ) 4. Old-timers told the boys there were some treasures on the Oak Island.( ) 5. The boys began to dig the Oak Island in 1801.( ) 6. At twenty-seven meters, the boys uncovered a flat stone engraved with English which read beneath this stone, two million pounds are buried.( ) 7. At twenty-nine meters below the surface, a worker pushed a metal rod nearly one meter into the wet ground and stuck wood.Fill in the blanks8. At thirty- three meters into the second shaft, as their shovels broke through the last few metersof dirt, _______________burst suddenly into the new shaft.9. They shouted up during their digging, because when they raised the horse-powered drill, theyfound ________________________________ at thirty meter.10. They believed that the two pits were connected to the ocean, because ________________.Passage FourDirections: In this part, you will have15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information givenin the passage.Container Gardening: Low Space? No ProblemEnhance your patio, garden, or apartment with these great ideas If you have little or no space for a traditional garden, then container gardening is your best option. Container gardens can also be a charming way to decorate your patio(天井), entryway or deck. Although container gardens generally require more watering and feeding, they are quite easy to maintain and care for.Choosing your Container:Containers are not limited to terra cotta(赤陶土) pots and formal urns(瓮). Use your imagination! Pick a style that suits the surroundings, but that also suits the plant or plants you wish to grow in it. Consider the style and color you are working with. Deep blue and strong greenish blue containers may be a great way to agree with hot color plants, but they may not suit a mediterranean-style garden (terra cotta would be more appropriate). With the increasing range of colors and styles of containers available today, sizable, stylish containers are easy to find, so make the containers part of the grand scheme instead of just a place to plant.The only must for choosing your container is that it must have drainage holes. Another consideration when choosing your container is whether or not you need a container that can hold up to freezing temperatures. Soil expands when it freezes, so if you live in a cold climate, it’s best to choose a forgiving material, such as wood.Designing your Container GardenDon’t just place pots any way. It’s best to consider the space first and then decide on the plants and containers that will create the desired effect that suits your style. Experiment with kinds of containers together.Recommended plants for containersWhen choosing plants for containers, again consider your zone and how you will over-winter these containers. This of course is not a consideration if you are using annuals; annuals are great options for containers as they provide constant color and eliminate (排除) over-wintering issues.Most herbs make great container plants. Old stand-bys like rosemary, thyme, and oregano have been grown in containers for centuries. Some herbs, however, like dill or tarragon, do not do well in container culture and are best grown in the bed.Maintenance considerationsThink about how much maintenance you are willing to give your containers. Succulents(多汁植物) such as cacti or sedums are great low-maintenance plants, especially for hot, dry areas. Rock garden or mediterranean plants are also well suited for the dryer conditions that are usually found in containers. If you live in a frost-free area, tropicals can be long-lived and striking container plants. In colder areas cold-hardy perennials are good bets to return year after year; be sure to use rock hard plants like hostas or rudibeckias and be sure you are using frost-proof containers. If you have a glassed in porch or a bright garage you can over-winter less hardyperennials or shrubs; be VERY sure to check water conditions at least once a month (plants use far less water during winter months but they still need some).Planting your Container:To start, don’t forget that your container is going to be much heavier once it is planted, so it is best, if possible, to plant your container where you would like it to be situated. Layer the bottom of your container with rocks, pieces of pottery, or chipped wood in order to assist with drainage but prevent soil loss through the drainage holes. Use a good soil and add time release fertilizer. Fill the container with soil up to where you want the roots to rest. Gently loosen the rots of the plants and rest it on the soil, filling in around it with the remaining soil to about one-inch from the top of the container. Water your container thoroughly after planting. It is a good idea to cover the topsoil with pebbles (小圆石), chipped wood, dried moss, pine cones, or any other material that will help keep the soil from drying out.During hot weather, it’s best to water early in the morning or in the late evening to avoid evaporation (蒸发). You will also need to make sure that you feed your plants on a regular basis with a good fertilizer. If you provide the necessary ingredients to keep your plants happy, containers can be a keystone in the small space or urban garden.(715 words) Questions1. According to the author, __________ may suit a mediterranean-style garden.A) Deep blue containers B) strong greenish blue containersC) terra cotta containers D) hot color containers2. When choosing a container, you must choose the one ___________.A) which must have drainage holesB) which must hold up to freezing temperaturesC) which must agree with the surroundingsD) which must be stylish and colorful3. People choose annuals as great options for containers because __________.A) they will die every yearB) they are beautiful and variousC) they provide constant color and have no over-wintering issuesD) they are easy to care for4. If you live in hot, dry areas, you’d better choose _________ for containers.A) hostas B) rudibeckias C) cacti D) both A and B5. So as to assist with drainage but prevent soil loss through the drainage holes, we should Layerthe bottom of your container with something but ________.A) rocks B) pieces of pottery C) chipped wood D) clay and dirt6. The purpose of cover the topsoil with pebbles, chipped wood, dried moss, pine cones, or anyother material is ________________________.A) to help keep the soil from drying outB) to decorate the containersC) to help keep the nutrients(营养物质) from losingD) to protect the roots7. According to the author, which of the followings is not false?A) You need to make sure that you feed your plants with a good fertilizer regularly.B) As soon as you have good fertilizer you should feed your plants.C) You should feed your plants with all kinds of fertilizers.D) In fact, all plants needn’t fertilizers.Fill in the blanks8. Container gardens are quite easy to maintain and care for, but they generally require________.9. I f you live in a cold climate, it’s best to choose a forgiving material for your containers, suchas wood, for ______________________________.10. Because your container is going to be much heavier once it is planted, it is best to _________.。