研究生英语上Summary

Unit1 How to read a book“Some books are to be tasted ,others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested.” Francis Bacon warned readers several hundred years ago. However, what are the criteria for those books to be “chewed and digested?” How to tell good literature form bad literature? On these issues, people don’t seem to have reached an agreement.In the article, Joseph Brodsky first states that people’s life is generally much shorter than books, and that it is important for people to select good books to read. Yet, the author further argues that selecting good books from the ocean of literary works is no easy job; even book reviewers can’t help much. In the end, the author suggests that reading poetry is the way to develop good taste in literature, because it is the supreme form of human locution, the moist concise way of conveying the human experience, and offers the highest possible standards for any linguistic operation.Unit2 Recession-proofing Your CareerIn the text, Dr. Barbara Moses describes a new career development paradigm for today’s employees, that is, guaranteed jobs have already become history and it’s high time to engage in a lifelong, self-monitored process which can help to promote and prepare oneself fro a change, esp. during periods of recession. She then suggests some skills which areindispensable when responding to new work trends. She recommends discovering both your overt and covert talents, making sure a wide range of positions are available to you, and never committing to any “hot job”which exceeds either your interest or talent. Moreover, being skilled or qualified is not the only criteria. You must be able to “market “yourself, to convince the employer that you are the most suitable candidate for the job, for which purpose you have to establish a social network that can help you make your career decisions “both inside and outside of your professions.” Always follow work trends. Finally, psychological elements are also important, so never let yourself down and find a balance between the ambitious Type A and more relaxed Type B. In a word, don’t be under the misconception that your job is always secure and if you work hard you’ll surely get a good job. You must be fully responsible for the future prospects of your chosen career.Unit3 LiesPeople usually have very negative views regarding lies. Liars are frequently criticized, even cursed. Yet this passage exemplifies a different perspective, one which cruelly reveals the fact that everyone tells lies and that lies are indispensable for happiness, perhaps even our very survival. According to the author, lies are consoling elements that can soothe dying patients and help consolidate the requirements of a society. Lies make usfeel superior to other species and disguise our mortal doom. Religions abound with myths and tales, which are basically lies that provide human beings with a sense of safety. People need big lies, though they are occasionally taken advantage of, because lying disguises our mortality, our inadequacies, our fears and anxieties, our loneliness in the midst of the crowd.Unit5 Don’t let complexity stop youUN reports say global inequity is still widening over past decades, which poses a serious threat to the prosperity and stability of the world. Whatever disagreements there are, people all over the world seem to agree that, with globalization, it is high time that such a fundamental problem be solved in a sustainable way, and international cooperation can help in this regard.In this inspiring speech, Bill Gates is calling for a fairer world, one in which people use and apply discoveries for good. “Humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries –but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.”He believes, for higher education, a top mission of policy innovations is to provide students with a more global perspective.Unit6 The riddle of timeSometimes it flies, sometimes it crawls, but it always passes inexorably. We mark it, save it, waste it, bide it, race against it. We measure it incessantly, with a passion for precision. Time is so vitally enmeshed with the fabric of our existence, in fact, that it's hard even to conceive of it as an independent entity, and when we try, the result is less than enlightening.For many people, time is looked upon as a flow like a river, but for theoretical physicists, like Albert Einstein, it is seen as a dimension, like height and width. Throughout history, endless efforts have been put into accurately measuring it, and, consequently, various devices such as calendars and clocks have been devisedNature provides a very accurate timekeeper: the carbon-14 atom, which decays at a known rate during the past 50,000 years. Interesting enough, we human beings also have a body-clock, which is thought to regulate changes in body chemicals, the response of the immune system, and a cyclic rise and fall of heartbeat and blood circulation.。