托福阅读专项 高级Summary

托福阅读专项高级Summary

Unit1

1. Darwin and Wallace

Charles Darwin is known as the discover of the theory of revolution . He formulated his theory while on a voyage around the world,during which he observed difference

among animal species .His key insight was that species evolve through a process of natural selection. He delayed published the theory for fear of religious controversy .

Alfred Russel Wallace discovered the theory later and told Darwin about it. That

prompted Darwin to publish his book On the Origin of Species.

2. The Chicago School of Economics

The university of Chicago had become the leading center of economic thought in the United States. Its views have become known as the Chicago School. In the

1960s ,it was led by Milton Friedman ,who favored a monetarist approach. He

believed in controlling the economy by regulating the money supply. He advocated

a strong role for the Federal Reserve in setting interest rates and selling treasury

bonds.

3. Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism was a philosophy that arose in New England in the mid-1800s . It was first expressed in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Nature. Transcendentalists believed in looking within oneself for an understanding of nature, not in society’s creations such as organized religion. They preached meditation and self-reliance in order to rise above,or transcend ,our physical senses. Transcendentalists attempted to design towns, such as Brook Farm ,where they could practice their beliefs.

However, all these experiments failed.

4. White Fight

After World War II, blacks began moving north in greater numbers while looking for jobs. White began to move out to avoid the poverty and decline in school systems that they felt were caused by this black influx. Real estate agents cooperated in the white flight by secretly selling homes to blacks in formerly white communities . Once this blockbusting occurred, whites would put their houses up for sale, allowing the real estate agents to earn more commissions. White flight caused racial disparity in the public schools. Courts decisions have tried to equalize these differences by ordering the busing of school children .

5. Thomas Hunt Morgan

Thomas Hunt Morgan wanted to find out how the body passed traits to later

generations. He designed experiments fruit flies. When one fly was born with an

uncommon eye color-a mutation ,Morgan was able to reproduce it in the fly’s offspring.

This led him to conclude that eye color was passed by chromosomes, thread-like