新视野大学英语第4册完形阅读unit1-10

U1“So you want to be a rock and roll star?” asked the musician, Bob Dylan. You have decided to seek fame`s spotlight. And you will not be persuaded otherwise. What is it that lures you? Is it the worshipping fans? Or is it simply to be recognized for being truly fantastic at something? This is all quite understandable. I should warn you, though. It is difficult to sustain the public`s favor. These people will grow bored so easily. Even if you should succeed, you might not be happy. Once you win in your conquest of fame, complaints will follow. For example, people will say that your work fails to show continuity in its appeal. You see, their enthusiasm will soon dissolve. I should also tell you that there will be plenty of people who will want to exploit you during your brief stay at the top. Friends? Sure, as long as you have money you`ll have friends who will suck everything you have out of you. And don`t forget to watch your agent closely. You might need a good lawyer and an accountant, but they too will want their piece of the pie—making money out of you.I see, you understand the cruelty of the situation. However, your chase for fame can`t be discouraged by my pessimistic outlook. Go ahead then. Don`t let me stop you. But when you fail or fall right back where you started and you`re miserable, don`t accuse me of not having warned you. I`ve done all that I can for you.U2It is doubtful that there was a more successful comedy team in the 20th century than the Three Stooges. Larry, Moe, and Curly became famous for their many short movies featuring extraordinary comedy. In their movies, they found many ways of showing off funny actions. They attracted large audience and received a lot of applause. However, their movies also sparked criticism. Some people who didn`t like the Three Stooges claimed they were too violent. In a TV interview Moe and Larry were roused to defend themselves. Their coarse brand, they said, shouldn`t be taken seriously. It was just “cartoon violence”.The Stooges got their name and their start in an act called Ted Healy and His Stooges. This act began paving the way for their exceedingly successful career. Originally the team was composed of Larry, Moe and Shemp. However, Shemp left for a career in more serious movies. When Shemp left, Curly took his place. Shemp`s clumsy character returned in 1946 after Curly suffered a stroke.Moe was the heart and soul of the team, acting as both their main comic force and their director. He was responsible for scripting many of the jokes. He`d also spend time providing his services as their business manager. In 1934 the team began a series of comedy shorts that numbered more than 200 when they ceased in 1958, which won them numerous fans. Despite all the criticism, the Three Stooges are undoubtedly the most famous comedy team that history ever invented.U3The challenges faced by all child protection caseworkers are obvious. What is often not so obvious are the many rewards a caseworker career offers. People often ask why anybody in their right mind would want to be a child protection caseworker, habitually dealing with the most disadvantaged and troubled families in their community. Caseworkers routinely come across disturbing cases of child abuse and neglect, and clients who are not cooperative. Being a caseworker means being an agent of positive change, especially when the welfare sector is not just a job to you, but a professional vocation.Child protection is a difficult and challenging career path to follow, but the rewards do exist. Many of our caseworkers choose this career path out of a desire to contribute to the community. To be part of a process can ultimately change a family`s life, and caseworkers may witness their intervention equip a young person so that his or her future prospects are improved. Of course, this does not occur with every intervention. But when it happens, it is a(n) rewarding experience. And if you are wondering whether this experience makes the job worthwhile, the answer is YES!A good indicator of how outside people look at the caseworker career has been the feedback from university students. In 2006 there were 118 stdents on placements of case worker career. Those students who completed their placements in child protection told us about the great opportunity they have had to apply theory to practice; the many chances of learning new skills and trying new tasks; the sound knowledge available through training; and how valuable becoming familiar with different welfare services was to their future career.U4We are living in the age of a telecommunications revolution. In order to keep from getting left behind, many developing countries are making an intensive effort to strengthen their telecommunications infrastructure. This will help them catch up with the developed countries. It was, after all, advanced telecommunications that gave some countries an economic advantage over others during the 20th century. There is one place that developing nations are looking to improve upon. That is enabling their citizens and business to get access to the Web. They are installing advanced optical fibers. These fibers, a millimeter in diameter, can bring the information superhighway to their door.The initial investments that countries like Vietnam are making may seem too great because they still lack basic utilities, like electricity and water. However, government officials say that these movies are strategic. They are also confident that their countries will reap the benefits. They will benefit from having more reliable and up-to-date telecommunications equipment and gaining more revenues. One Vietnamese leader said, “It is understandable that people want to tackle their immediate problems first. Still, our entire future is at stake. People don`t always understand the breadth of the problem, though.” He continued, ”There are problems with using the antique communications equipment. And if we continue to use such old equipment, the gap between us and the developed world will continue to widen. Sacrifices have to be made now so that our children will have a country with opportunities equal to those they see in the developed world.” It will not be far when they can cruise alongside Americans and Western Europeans on the information superhighway.U5Have you ever experienced living alone by yourself?Sunlight disappears, awaking me to the fact that I am alone. I am a(n) solitary observer on this isolated pond in the forest. Here I sit alone as the last light of the day fades away. A lone wolf in the distance cries out. Then darkness creeps in around me.. I return to my small hut to put the kettle on the stove and sit in solitude with a hot cup of tea until I want to sleep. The fire inside the stove is low, so I use the axe to split some wood and throw them in. it gets the fire going. I had made preparations to be here for the entire summer. However, after a month I am already lacking in supplies. I didn`t expect I would be tired of this experience so soon. In the cupboards there is nothing but noodles, and half a pint of wine. I have become so sick of noodles. Still, I have to force myself to choke them down. As I bring the teacup to my lips, I consider whether I should return to civilization to gather supplies or simply abandon my adventure. My observation is that self-reliance is a bit boring. I long to share a steak dinner with my friends, to watch my niece play in the summer`s heat. Still my ego will not let me return to my family and friends just yet. I had boasted to them about how being alone would bring about inspiration to writing poetry. The fact is that I have written nothing.U6Bribery may lead to murder. A month ago reporters rushed to the scene of a crime. At the spot the detective seemed even hardly aware of their presence as he did his work. He carefully searched for clues over every inch of the house. After awhile, he bent over to pick up a small torn piece of fabric. Nothing could escape from his search. The detective suspected that this piece of fabric was torn from the murderer`s clothing during a struggle.The victim had been the finance director of a very large computer hardware manufacturer. His wife, a timid woman, shared everything she knew with the detective, including a hot quarrel her husband had with some of the company`s top executives at a banquet. There had been a scandal involving bribery at his company. He was investigating the business of many of the top executives. He had concluded that some people were giving special favors to government officials to get contracts. He often questioned their moral conscience and told them that he would accuse them if they were doing something they shouldn`t, which caused problems for him. His questioning and accusing often left him at odds with many of the executives. This time it had led to a fatal blow on his head. The detective caught sight of a crucial clue, a brass button in the corner. It was from a jacket of the top executives. Later this executives and the company`s president was arrested. Of course this is not the end of the story.U7Many Native Americans closely resemble Asians. This has led most scientists to exceedingly believe something about Native Americans. They think that most Native Americans descend from a distant group of people. These people migrated from Siberia across the Bering Strait, between 17000-11000 years ago. The exact time and route is still under question. That is, it is still a(n) matter of debate. The time they traveled and the route they took is still being argued, as is whether it happened at all.Until recently, some anthropologists argued that the migration occurred 12000 years ago. However, there are a number of difficulties with this theory—in particular, the presence of people in the Americans earlier than one might think. There is growing evidence of human presence in Brazil and Chile 11500 years ago. Therefore, other possibilities have been suggested.They may have crossed the land bridge several thousand years earlier or they may have sailed along the western coast. However, some contest this theory. They think that humans lacked skills for sailing during that era.Some consider the genetic and cultural evidence for an Asian origin overwhelming. It should be noted, however, that some other people are very upset at this idea. Many present-day Native Americans reject the above theories. They say those who put forward such theories have political motivation. They have their own traditional stories that offeraccount of where they came from. Their own stories claim that their origins are different from what scientists say. Those accounts, though, have mostly been ignored by scholars. Therefore, the origin of Americans still remains a mystery to be explored.U8Here is the story about how the American civil rights movement started in 1950s. Tired as she was, Mrs. Parks walked past the first few –mostly empty – rows of seats marked “Whites Only”. Black people were allowed to sit in these seats as long as no white person was standing. Despite the fact that Rosa Parks hated segregation laws, she had never done anything against the law. She had been fighting for civil rights for more than 10 years, but always legally. However, that day she did something that was illegal.She found and sat in a(n) vacant seat in the back of the bus. The bus continued along its route. The driver noticed that all the seats in the “Whites Only” section were already taken. And more white people had just climbed aboard. He ordered the people in Mrs. Park`s row to move to the back, where there no open seats and people had stand. No one moved at first, but when the driver barked at the black passengers a second time, they did what they were told. They all moved to the back – except Rosa Parks. She remained in the prohibited seat. Consequently, trouble occurred. Mrs. Park was thrown in jail for defying the law.This incident inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956. It also sparked the 20th-centry civil rights movement. Mrs. Parks quickly became the focus of that day. She has been remembered as a brave fighter in the civil rights movement.U9Some people have criticized the Disney management for being culturally insensitive in building a theme park in France. Disney has reacted to the accusation with comments of its own. People from Disney have said that the company is very sensitive to the idea that its park shows a(n) lack of cultural concerns. They have tried to make it more European by emphasizing European cultural elements. The legend and fairy tales which come from Europe figure prominently in the park. The creative development of the theme park, in fact, has a European base. Disney has also claimed that the park will be special. It will have a uniqueness appropriate to its European setting. All the direction signs in the park will be in two languages. They will be in French as well as in English. Some performer in the park will chat in French, Spanish and English. On the other hand, Disney will remain American. Disney does concede that the park is American. That is, it does have an American cultural focus in essence. Disney sees this as something important. It is the main selling point to attract people. The 320 million European citizens who live within a two-hour flight want to visit Disney, because it is in America. The Europeans coming to the park would be disappointed by a park will be very happy with the American culture they see represented by Disneyland. During their trip, they will experience not only the cultures of Europe, but also that of the US as well. One thing is undeniable though: All other previous theme parks in Europe have been unsuccessful. It is not yet clear how a Disney theme park will do in France.U10The concept of Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI) was first defined by Peter Salovey and John Mayer, but it became widely popular after Daniel Goleman published his best-seller Emotional Intelligence in 1995. A definition of emotional intelligence is “knowing how you and others feel and what to do about it”.The control center of our emotions is a small part of our brain called the amygdale. It scans incoming signals from our sensory organs (eyes, ears, etc.) and act as the emotional alarm center of our body. When it detects a condition that we hate, that we fear, or that could hurt us, it triggers an immediate response from the other parts of our brain that control our actions. The amygdale`s extensive web of neual connections allow it, in case of an emotional emergency, to take control of much of the rest of the brain, including the rational mind. This accounts for why we sometimes do things “without thinking”, like closing our eyes just before a flying bug hits our face or losing our control during the course of a quarrel.In a fact, the importance of EQ for individual success has emerged as a hot topic over the past decade. Many organizations are beginning to realize the importance of EQ and have started to identify the aspects of EQ that are most essential to success. Once this is done, they are able to use formal assessment tools to pick out strong candidates.It is easy to see how EQ can impact on performance as an individual contributor. Considering the increasing importance of teams in today`s working world, it is obvious that any role that requires teamwork relies heavily on interpersonal insight and proficiency. Even the smartest, most experienced worker can have a(n) negative impact on team performance if they fail to find ways to get along with others. In a more solitary role like sales, individuals still need to demonstrate high EQ to recognize how a potential customer is feeling. Success often depends on the ability to identify the customer`s needs. Those better equipped to deal with frustration and pressure may be less likely to make mistakes or become injured through poor decision-making.。