新视野大学英语第二册读写教程的完形填空原文解读

1AI am frequently asked the question, ”Can you use chopsticks?”. I have lived in Korea, Japan, and China. In each country, I have, more often than not and without having requested one, been given a fork when one was available. I have politely refusde and said that I would be fine with chopsticks. Sometimes, I have to make further explanation. Chopsticks are the least of my worries when I am eating in an Asian home or restaurant. In fact, learning how to use chopsticks takes me nothing but a few weeks. This is not to say I was skillful, though. Learning how to use chopsticks is easy for me, whereas learning the rituals and how to conduct myself at the table is quite difficult. Just how many times do I have to say “no, thank you” when I really mean “no, thank you, I truly am full”? How do I get away with refusing more food without offending someone? If I insist and I still get more, is it appropriate just not to eat it? This would be impolite where I come from. I have enjoyed many great meals and my interactions with the people have been great. I am increasingly aware that I will never be able to give back as much as I have received. I don’t know how I can ever thank all of the people who introducde me to eating in Asia. 3BI didn’t marry for all the “right reasona”. Love had nothing to do with marriage. And, for my husband’s part, well, I suspect love was on his mind either. He marride me because I made him feel yound. He was such an ordinary man going through his very ordinary midlife crisis. He was divorced, looking for younger women and a career change. That didn’t bother me, though. He was still fairly charming, pretty hansome and abore all rich. I married for money, and I don’t have any doubt about it. My friends don't applaud my decision, but I can also tell that they wish, at least a little bit, for some of the same things that I now enjoy. They always prefer to spend a lot of time by my swimming pool than at their common little homes. And another thing, they are always complaining about their “beloved”. “He’s always watching how much I spend.” “It's become more like a business relationship than a marriage.” My husband, however, doesn’ t care how much I spend and our marriage never became a business because it already was one. You could say, we have a mutual understanding. We are very realistic about the whole thing. It is painful for my friends when they realize that love is just an illusion.Marriage for never existed for me. And, he’ll never divorce me. He’d lose too much money. 4CLove is important because without it life has no meaning or purpose. Love allows us to do more than we could ever accomplish without its power. So often we take good care of our physical needs. We make sure our bodies are fed, cleaned, clothed, exercised and rested. However, we tend to overlook the most important need-love. Of course, as a society, love is not overlooked. Popular media constantly places great emphasis on what we need to do to atract “love”. But being loved is not as powerful an emotional need as that desire to love someone else. They need to love and care for others is built into us biologically. This need is what allows parents to give up sleep and food while raising their children. This need is what allows people to put themselves at risk to save others from natural disasters or threats. Love means to children, hold dear.and treasure. We do not hurt, or cause pain to those we love; rather, we seek to alleviate their suffering. It’s not about wanting to possess or control others; it’s about wanting to set them free. Love is the power that allows the wheel of life to continue turning, for when we love we look beyond our own needs and desires. We sacrifice our time, our energy, our wishes, and sometimes even ourslves because of love. It is love that allows emergency services personnel to face danger. It is love that allows soldiers to risk everting. The ultimate definition of love is not about feeling good but rather doing good. 5D“Knock it off!” Billy would not cease banging his foot on the tanle. Mrs. Stewart had lost all patience in telling him to stop. Her words were falling on deaf ears. She had asked her son to quit doing something that was borthing her so many times that she hardly even knew the words were coming from her mouth. Billy had got used this. He just ignored his mom’s expressions like these. He banged on without a pause. She used to try to phrase her words in positive ways like,”When you bang on the table that way, it upsets me. Would you mind doing something else that it is a little quieter?” There was warmth in her voice and she had all of the best intentions. But when she actually managed to get Billy’s attetion in this way, he simply replied,”But I’m bored.” She tried offer him a bunch of alternatives but nothing worked and it all because too tedious. It had become noticeableeven to herself that she was increasingly using negative expressions. Mrs.Stewart seems to understand that even if she shouts she can’t expect Billy to respond immediatelly. But she still believes that to keep applying the pressures might work someday. Children may learn that arguing no longer works because of her continuous shouting. 6EWhat’s in a name? You fate could have been entirely different if you had been given a different name at your birth. Some of us recognize that our name dose not necessarily tit and start using a different name rather than the one we were given. Many of us choose to use our middle name so we can be true to our parents, and at the same time be more confident. Some people who have changed their name claim that their professional lives improved. They feel better about themselves so they are more likely to achieve more. But those who have changed their names are not just being overly sensitive. Names themselves convey some information causing others to make judgments based solely on them. Here is an example: A magezine declined to print a writer’s name simply because the editor thought it suited a baseball player more than an art critic. Another example: A woman at a party became embarrassed when she wanted to be introduced to a man she had declined because of his name. One study showed that teathers give different grades to the identical essays written by boys with different names. Similarly, girls’ popularity can be related to their names. Yet, which name works and which does not depand on the times. The good qualities of a well-liked president or actor can often influence how a name is seen. But if a name becomes too well-known, it might also fall out of favor as parents look for something a little more unique for their child. 7FI was in a bad temper. It was just like the stress in my life that was running out of control. I could probably attribute it to financial stress. My company was cutting jobs and they were evaluatingf each worker’s performance. Thi s was inevitable in those days of rising competition and strinking companies. The companies were getting smaller because of the hopeless economic conditions. I knew I was being considered as one of the workers they would let go though I had been overworking. Or maybe it was my home life. My wife and I had gotten in an argument and my 19-year-olddaughter announced that she was leaving the house to move in with her boyfriend. I am usually not a person of quick temper, but yesterday was different. I rode my bike to work as usual; it’s about 20 kilomiters. I had stopped for a red light and then proceeded when the light turned green. I had assumed the car coming from my right would stop, but instead it went right on through the red light and nearly hit me. I barely had time to react.I grabbed my bike lock and threw it at his car, hitting his rear window and making a crack. The driver stopped and got out of his car. I laid my bike down and picked up the bick lock from the ground for protection. Then he reached for his phone to call the police. 10GIn the summer of the 1940, the German air force attempted to win air advantage over southern Britain and the English Channel by destroying the Royal Air Force(RAF and the British aircraft industry. This attempt came to be known as the Battle of Britain. The Germans had invcaded Belgium and the Netherlands in May 1940,using the Lightning War technique that largely relied on close coordination between ground troops and the air force. Although the air force proved effective in this role, it was not trained for the longerrange operations that became part of the Battle of Britain. It is widely believed that had the Germans succeeded in their aim of destroying the RAF, they would have been able to invade Britain relatively easily. This was, after all, at a time when the country was the only European power resisting Nazi Germany, even though she did enjoy great support from her partners. Although the fear of a German invasion was real, it was perhaps unfounded. When planning the air attacks the Germans made the mistake of regarding the English Channel as a relatively minor obstacle, little more than a wide river crossing. In addition even if Hitler had achieved his aim of destroying the RAF, Germany might still have failed to establish a foothold, because the British Royal Navy was enormously strong. There was nothing to stop them from withdrawing their aircraft out of range of the German fighters.。