大学英语快速阅读教程(第一册第二单元)

Book OneUnit TwoPassage 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.ConfucianismConfucianism is the very base of traditional Chinese culture. It is a complete ideological (意识形态的) system created by Confucius (孔子), based on the traditional culture of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Confucianism has lasted more than 2, 000 years in China, and for that reason its influence over the history, social structure and the people of China cannot be overlooked.Confucius has proved to be the greatest influence over the Chinese character. Besides being a great educationist, thinker and unsuccessful politician, he was first of all an intellect (有才智的人) with a noble morality. He pursued truth, kindness and perfection throughout his life and his success and failure were largely due to his character, which had a permanent influence on Chinese intellect.Confucius’ career as a teacher and philosopher was brilliant and full of achievements.He promoted the ideas “to educate all despite their social status” and “to teach according to the students’ characteristics”. The first of these broke with tradition as only the high social class had the right of education. Confucius also proposed a complete set of principles concerning study. He said, “Studying without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without studying leads to laziness.” Today’s quality-education was nothing new to Confucius.Spreading knowledge was only part of his teaching; he was a living example of the concepts he promoted and this had a deep and lasting influence upon his follower s. Confucius’ private life was a model of his doctrines (学说，教条). The Analects of Confucius provide a vivid record of his teachings but although he wrote nothing personally, his words were collected and recorded by his followers.Confucius took great delight in studying and was modest enough to learn from anyone. He was never tired of teaching his followers while his pursuit of truth, ideas and perfect personality, his honesty, kindness, modesty and politeness inspired his followers and the intellects of following generations. Uniquely, only he is qualified to be called “the teacher of ten thousand generations”. It is said that among 3000 of Confucius’ followers, there were 72 who were brilliant and who succeeded in morality, literature, language, and especially politics. These politicians contributed much to the spreading, formation and development of Confucianism.Influenced by Confucianism, in Chinese culture, an intellectual is not limited in study alone. He should be successful in being a human and in his behavior. A key objective of an intellectual should be to make full use of his ability, personality and intelligence to do good for the state, society and the world at large. This idea is so precious that we cannot help asking why the products of today’s education system are far from satisfactory. Why don’t we pay attention to our ancestor’s core values instead of wasting so much of our time and energy in word puzzles!Confucianism was further developed by Mencius and Xun Zi. It was in Han Dynasty thatConfucianism was promoted to being the state ideology. Since then, Confucianism became the orthodox doctrine (正教) of Chinese society. And Confucius was respected as a Saint instead of an ordinary man.In the coming Wei and Jin Dynasties, Confucianism coexisted with Buddhism and Taoism. Up to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the struggle for dominance between the three became heated. The Song Dynasty witnessed a vital period of the development of Confucianism. Featuring Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming dynasties, Confucianism restored its orthodox role for the following 700 years.Waving the banner of science and democracy, the New Cultural Movement from 1915 attacked Confucianism. During the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism was once again under violent attack.In recent years people can look at Confucianism with a more reasonable state of mind, some even suggest returning to Confucianism for wisdom while opponents hold that Confucianism should hold the responsibility for the backwardness of China’s development and for that reason its dominance should not be revived. In any event, that would not be possible.To our delight, many scholars devote themselves to the study of Confucianism and its application to modern society. Such study is important as the Chinese language has experienced great changes over the centuries, and it is difficult for us to fully comprehend Confucius’ ideology.(700 words) Questions1. Confucianism has its influence of China.A) over the history B) over the social structureC) over the people D) all of the above2. Confucius’ career ___________ was brilliant and full of achievements.A) as a politician B) as a teacherC) as a thinker D) both B and C3. Which of the following is right about The Analects of Confucius?A) The Analects of Confucius provide a vivid record of his teachings.B) The Analects of Confucius record Confucius’ private life.C) The Analects of Confucius was written by Confucius himself.D) The Analects of Confucius perfect Confucius’ personality.4. In , Confucianism coexisted with Buddhism and Taoism.A) the Han Dynasty B) the Sui and Tang DynastiesC) the Song Dynasty D) the Wei and Jin Dynasties5. Nowadays, the study of Confucianism .A) is declining B) is difficultC) arouses many scholar’s interest D) both A and BPassage TwoDirections: In this part,y ou will have 10 minutes to go over the passage quickly and decide questions 1-9 according to the passage. If it is true you fill “T” in theparenthesis, if not or false fill “F” in parenthesis before the sentence.Three Steps to an Environmentally Responsible HomeMore and more homeowners are interested in having their homes built in an ecologically conscious manner. But what does that mean? What makes one house more environmentally sound than another? Whether you are buying a new home or upgrading (改善，改进) your present living place, here are three simple ways to go green:1. Look for products that don’t waste energy.This isn’t just cleverer for the environment—it’s cleverer for your purse. The insulators that play a large factor in our homes’ energy efficienci es are often overlooked. But the insulation (绝缘) used can greatly decrease the energy you take in. Homeowners can upgrade insulation in their existing home to fill gaps that allow warm air to escape in colder monthsCompanies like Dow offer a huge range of insulating products for new construction or reconstruction. Not only do foam (塑料泡沫) and other insulating products help preserve the energy you’re using in your home, but they can also reduce noise pollution between rooms.2. Look for products that don’t waste natural resources.Energy conservation is only one piece of the puzzle. To show true concern for the environment requires making full use of materials that don’t cause an unnecessary use of natural resources. Some of the greatest changes in the use of resources have come in wood products. Manufacturers have developed highly sophisticated technology to minimize waste and improve product performance at the same time.In hardwood flooring, Weyerhaeuser has taken a different method to conserve natural resources. The company recently introduced a “new” hardwood called Lyptus.According to Ian Firth from Weyerhaeuser Building Materials, “We spent five years conducting research and testing to bring something new to the high-grade wood flooring industry that we can honestly say is 100 percent good f or the environment.”When asked about the specific environmental benefits of Lyptus, Firth explained, “We selected a Eucalyptus hybrid as the primary species for Lyptus, but we planted it South America. In that climate, the trees we planted on plantations will grow to harvest size in about 15 years -- two to three times faster than comparable quality hardwood species grown in colder climates. This enables us to produce more flooring material faster, while using less of the earth’s resources.”Lyptus is being greeted as the newest quality hardwood. Comparable to cherry and mahogany, Lyptus is a perfect hardwood product for flooring, cabinetry, millwork and furniture. High-density characteristics enable Lyptus to take on actually any stain or finish a homeow ner’s desires, which makes it good for the environment and easy on the eye.3. Look for products that incorporate (结合，混合) recycled materials.It’s one thing not to waste raw materials; it’s another to actually turn waste into raw materials.Post industrial and post consumer waste is quickly becoming a viable source for creating new building materials. When items thrown away are given a second life instead of being thrown here and there, environmental burdens can be reduced significantly.Often it is wood that is reborn as a building product, specifically in exterior siding and trim products. When wood is recycled, these new siding products actually look like real wood, but they require much less maintenance (维护) and can be used as long as 30 years.“We use 50 percent post industrial and consumer recycled and recovered wood fibers in our TruWood siding and ChoiceTrim products,” says Less Richardson, vice president of the Collins Companies. “This allows us to maximize the use of natural resources while still offering products with the aesthetic appeal of solid wood—but with better product performance and less waste.”Exterior surfaces such as decks are the perfect place to incorporate other recycled materials. Here again, Weyerhaeuser is one of the pioneers of the industry, introducing decking materials such as ChoiceDek. A composite (复合物) made of 80 percent recycled plastic and wood fiber, ChoiceDek is actually maintenance free and never splits. Decorative railing systems, longer life spans, and an option for use in wet climates (such as port, marina and boardwalk projects) make composite decking a great choice for environmentally conscious homeowners.As long as demand for environmentally responsible products continues to grow, manufacturers will continue to develop new materials that protect the planet and perform better than their ancestors. New products allow homeowners to select products that help preserve natural resources—all without any harm to quality or style.(729 words) True or False( ) 1. More and more people want to build their homes in an ecologically conscious manner. ( ) 2. To l ook for products that don’t waste energy can save people money.( ) 3. Some of the greatest changes in the use of resources first took place in wood products. ( ) 4. A “new” hardwood called Lyptus was introduced by Weyerhaeuser company.( ) 5. Eucalyptus hybrid can grow to harvest size in about 15 years South America because of the colder climate.( ) 6. Cherry is a better hardwood product than Lyptus for flooring and furniture.( ) 7. To turn waste into raw materials is another way to save natural resources.( ) 8. Less Richardson, vice president of the Collins Companies said they could produce solid wood with better product performance and less waste.( ) 9. New environmentally responsible products allow people to have better products that help preserve natural resources.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. For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the informationgiven in the passage.Should Chess Be an Olympic Sport?What makes an Olympic sport? The games that get the official nod from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) can be controversial and sometimes confusing: rhythmic gymnastics is considered a competitive Olympic sport, but ballroom dancing is not. Handball and badminton are part of the program, yet American football is not. Among the 28 approved sports for 2012, you can find table tennis but not golf, baseball, softball or racquetball.Curling (苏格兰溜石饼运动) is also on the official Olympic list, and that really angers Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). “Curling is simply chess on ice, and it is an Olympic sport,” he says, “but classical chess is not!” Ilyumzhinov has been struggling for ov er a decade to get the board game of chess, a “sport of the mind,” accepted by the IOC.The World Bridge Federation (WBF)—representing the card game of bridge—is similarly dissatisfied. Like the chess federation, the WBF has been trying since 1995 to claim a piece of the Olympic spotlight. In their efforts, both organizations have even agreed to have their player have drug testing in order to conform to the Olympics’ anti-doping (反兴奋剂) code standards. Once again, however, both bridge and chess were denied entry last year.Neither FIDE nor WBF is taking the rejection lightly. Gaining recognition as an official Olympic sport could greatly benefit the games, raising their position in countries where they don’t get much government funding. At one point, FIDE considered suing (起诉) the IOC in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which handles international sport disputes in Lausanne, Switzerland, but later gave up. Peter Rajcsanyi, public-relations director of FIDE, admits that “our strength is not in the court” and that FIDE is now in “the process of serious talks [with the IOC] and improving relations.” To that end, the chess organization has opened an office in Lausanne with the aim of getting closer to IOC officials, as well as promoting chess as an international sport, Rajcsanyi says.Adding official sports to the Games is a difficult matter, in part because of the large size of the event. IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau says the Olympic Games are already so big that many cities can’t host them. So when IOC president Jacques Rogge took office in 2001, he limited the number of sports to 35 (28 in summer, 7 in winter) and carried on a regular review process to avoid further expanding the Olympic program. The IOC now votes on new sports and reviews existing ones, based on thorough technical analyses and specific standards, after each Olympics. (The Beijing Games will be the last to include baseball and softball; the IOC has cut them for 2012.) The IOC granted the bridge and chess organizations Recognized International Sports Fe derations status in 1995 and 1999 respectively, but says it hasn’t accepted either game into the official register because they both lack the basic feature of physical activity. “Mind sports,by their nature, cannot be part of the program,” says Moreau, though she says the IOC hasn’t rejected their bids entirely.“In the ancient Olympic Games, the element of cultural and mental activity was present,” Rajcsanyi argues. Indeed, the ancient Olympic Games included contests in music, theater, poetry and other a rts. “In the Olympic Games, until the Second World War, there were competitions that rewarded the mental efforts of people in the same manner they rewarded physical efforts,” he adds. “Today, the missing element of the intellectual competition can be reint roduced by the involvement of chess, and perhaps bridge.”Bridge fans would further disagree with the characterization of the card game as a nonphysical activity. Dan Morse, secretary of WBF and president of the American Contract Bridge League, says, “We think bridge is a sport. It requires energy, brain power and concentration ... Bridge is a sport just like baseball and football. It requires training and hard exercise. It is more than just a game.” The national Olympic committees of some countries have a lready accepted bridge as an official sport. Before the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, WBF held an exhibition competition, and the chess federation held two similar matches at the Sydney Games in 2000.For now, both FIDE and WBF will continue their efforts for Olympic acceptance. This fall, bridge and chess players will compete in the first-ever World Mind Sports Games in Beijing. More than 3,000 competitors from at least 150 nations will compete for 35 gold medals in chess, bridge, checkers, Go and xiang qi. The Mind Games, Rajcsanyi says, will “show to the world that these games require effort, competence and determination just like any other sport” and “can bring joy, happiness and spectacle to the participants and to the audience.”Georgios Makropoulos, deputy president of FIDE and the International Mind Sports Association, agrees: “We hope that this event in Beijing will be so important and so big that the IOC will understand that they need us.”(820 words) Questions( ) 1. Rhythmic gymnastics is not considered a competitive Olympic sport.( ) 2. Gaining recognition as an official Olympic sport could greatly benefit both chess and bridge a lot.( ) 3. FIDE once sued the IOC in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.( ) 4. In order to avoid further expanding the Olympic program, IOC president Jacques Rogge limited the number of sports in summer to 28.( ) 5. The IOC granted the chess organizations Recognized International Sports Federations status in 1995.( ) 6. In the ancient Olympic Games, we can find the element of cultural and mental activity. ( ) 7. Both chess and bridge are sure to be Olympic sports.Fill in the blanks8. Bridge fans don’t think the card game is _____________________.9. The chess federation held ____________________ at the Sydney Games in 2000.10. In the First World Mind Sports Games, over 3,000 competitors from at least 150 nations willcompete for 35 gold medals in _____________________________.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.Legend of Number 23In the history of NBA, there is a forever shining number—23; the owner of the number—Michael Jordan, has become a legend of basketball. He was a NBA superstar, he could do nearly everything in match: score, assist, steal, defense and so on. What’s more, hi s outstanding leadership could always encourage his teammates to behave better. He was a fighter in match, he never gave in to anyone, and he always kept fighting and never gave up. He is also a philanthropist; He is so kind-hearted that is always willing to make a contribution to the charities (慈善团体). Yes, this is Michael Jordan, as a hero respected by millions of people around the world, he has many virtues: excellent basketball skills, a never-giving-up heart, and a strong responsibility to society.Michael Jordan was born on 17 February 1963 to James R. Jordan, Sr. and Deborah Jordan at Brooklyn, New York. When Michael Jordan was still a child, his family moved to Wilmington in North Carolina.Michael is the fourth of five children and has got two elder brothers and one elder and one younger sisters. Since Michael’s father worked at an electric plant and his mother at a bank, his was not a rags-to-riches life story. The childhood of Michael Jordan was fairly comfortable and secure. He began his basketball career playing for Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina.Many would find this ironical, but this lad who was to later create history in the basketball game field was once cut out from the university team in his sophomore years. This happened because Michael Jordan’s height was just 5 feet 11 inches at that time, which was too short in order to be playing for that level. But he gained four inches by the following summer and having practiced energetically all the while, finally earned place in the university team.No one doubts later that Jordan was a talented basketball player. He had a brilliant physical quality which combines speed, leap and strength together; his inborn ability and hard training had contributed to his excellent skills. Considered to be the god of basketball, he was so good at scoring that he could score facing two or more defenders. Throughout his professional career, he scored 30.123 points per-game, ranking the first in NBA history. Besides scoring, he also did well in defense, his aggressive defense often made opponents feel uncomfortable, and his excellent performance always made millions of his fans excited. Every time when I see Jordan playing basketball on TV, I’m filled with passion, I can feel my blood is streamin g faster because of Jordan’s exciting performance. On 31st, January, 1999, He claimed his retirement from NBA in Chicago, with the glory of five MVPs, ten times “most scoring player”, 12 times ALL-STAR and millions of people’s respect.As a warrior battling towards victory, Jordan always kept fighting until he reached his objective. In the earlier period, Jordan and his Bulls were often defeated by Detroit Pistons, who seemed to had an effective method to control the games against Bulls, however, Jordan refused togive in. “As long as I am on the field, I will keep running”, said Jordan, and so he did, finally his effort was paid back, in the year 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls. Jordan really had a brave heart, facing strong competitor, he dared show his ability to win and never stop battling until he got victory. With a never-give-up heart, Jordan won hundreds of games and won over millions of people’s heart throughout his professional career.Besides his glorious personal achievements, Jordan also made a great contribution to the entire society, he had been a major spokesman for many famous brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and had added great values to the enterprises. Jordan is also active in philanthropy; in 2002, he donated his whole year’s salary to the victims in 911 incident. He is a true hero who has a strong responsibility to the society. He does his best to benefit others, and let the whole society to make a progress.By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. He was so popular not only because of his wonderful skills but also his great personalities. Some people think Jordan was born for basketball; he was always full of fighting will and could pass the passion on to others, making countless people around the world be interested in basketball. He used his actions to show that basketball is not only basketball; it’s also a kind of spirit, the spirit of keeping going, the spirit of dedicating. We will forever remember the spirit of Jordan, the legend of number 23.(790 words) Questions1. Michael Jordan’s _________ could always encourage his teammates to behave better.A) score B) defense C) assist D) outstandingleadership2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of Michael Jordan’s virtues?A) His brilliant physical quality. B) His excellent basketball skills.C) His never-giving-up heart. D) His strong responsibility to society.3. Michael Jordan was born in ________.A) in Wilmington B) in North Carolina C) in New York D) in Detroit4. Michael Jordan started his basketball career _________.A) in North Carolina University B) in Laney High SchoolC) in Detroit Pistons D) in Chicago Bulls5. Which of the following is NOT correct concerning Michael Jordan’s achievements in NBA?A) Scoring 30.123 points per-game, ranking the first in NBA history.B) 6 MVPs.C) 12 times ALL-STAR.D) 10 times “most scoring player”.6. ______, he donated his whole year’s salary to the charities.A) In 1999 B) In 2000 C) In 2003 D) In 20027. Michael Jordan had been a major spokesman for the following brands except ________.A) Nike B) McDonald’s C) Pepsi D) Coca-ColaFill in the blanks8. Michael’s father worked at an electric plant and his mother at a bank; his was not _________.9. In the year 1991, he won his first NBA championship with _______________.10. He was popular not only because of his wonderful skills but also ________________.。