第一篇：1 A Speech of Obama
A Speech of Obama For that is the true genius of America – that America can change.Our union can be perfected.And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.She was born just a generation past slavery;a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky;when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope;the struggle and the progress;the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.Yes we can.When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose.Yes we can.When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.Yes we can.She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.Yes we can.2 Chanel: Fashion Designer.Chanel would not have defined herself as a feminist in fact, she consistently spoke of femininity rather than of feminism yet her work is unquestionably part of the liberation of women.She couldn't afford the fashionable clothes of the period, so she rejected them and made her own, using the sports jackets and ties that were everyday male attire around the racetrack , where she was climbing her first social ladders.Throughout the 1920s, Chanel's social, sexual and professional progress continued, and her eminence grew to the status of legend.She had almost married one of the richest men in Europe, the Duke of Westminster;when she didn't, her explanation was, “there have been several Duchesses of Westminster.There is only one Chanel.” The single element that most ensured Chanel's being remembered even when it would have been easier to write her off, is not a piece of clothing but a form of liquid gold, Chanel No.5, in its Art Deco bottle.It was the first perfume to bear a designer's name.She was always quotable: “Fashion is not simply a matter of clothes.Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind.One intuits it.It is in the sky and on the road.” It is fitting, that Chanel was often photographed holding a cigarette or standing in front of her famous Art Deco wall of mirrors.Fashion tends to involve a good dose of smoke and mirrors, so it should come as no surprise that Gabrielle Chanel's version of her life involved a multitude of lies, inventions, cover-ups and revisions.But as Prada said to me: “She was really a genius.It's hard to pin down exactly why, but it has something to do with her wanting to be different and wanting to be independent.” Writing is a Lonely Life.-Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech.No writer who knows the great writers who did not receive the Prize can accept it other than with humility.There is no need to list these writers.Everyone here may make his own list according to his knowledge and his conscience.It would be impossible for me to ask the Ambassador of my country to read a speech in which a writer said all of the thing which are in his heart.Things may not be immediately discernible in what a man writes, and in this sometimes he is fortunate;but eventually they are quite clear and by these and the degree of alchemy my that he possesses he will endure or be forgotten.Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.Organizations for writers palliate the writer's loneliness but I doubt if they improve his writing.He grows in public stature as be sheds his loneliness and often his work deteriorates.For he does his work alone and if he is a good enough writer he must face eternity, or the lack of it, each day.For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment.He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed.Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed.How simple the writing of literature would be if it were only necessary to write in another way what has been well written.It is because we have had such great writers in the past that a writer is
driven far out past where he can go, out to where no one can help him.I have spoken too long for a writer.a writer should write what he has to say and not speak it.Again I thank you.Music to your ears can be music for your heart.Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, U S researchers reported on Tuesday.They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels dilated in much the same way as when laughing, or taking blood medications.When blood vessels open more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.Elastic vessels also resist the hardening activity of atherosclerosis.“We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but to add this to an overall program of heart health,” said Miller, who presented his findings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.Miller's team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music.They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music.they said that made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound tests designed to show blood vessel function.Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music.Listening to music they disliked, in most cases in this group heavy metal, narrowed blood vessels by six percent.Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style i5 Anecdotes of Lincoln: Lincoln's Beard.Lincoln's face is familiar to people all around the world, at least his face when he was wearing a beard.But he didn't wear a beard until later in his life.In 1860, Abe Lincoln was the Republican Party nominee, the man the recently formed Republican Party chose as its candidate for President of the United States.Just a few weeks before the presidential election, Lincoln received a short letter.It was from a girl who lived in New York State.Her name was Grace Bedell.Grace wrote to Lincoln about his homely face, but in a polite way.This was over a hundred and fifty years ago, so Grace didn't use modern English grammar in her letter.But she did write a very interesting letter.Here are some parts of it: I am a little girl only 11 years old, but I want you should be the President of the United States very much so I hope you won't think me very bold to write such a great man as you are...And then Grace went on, I have got four brothers and part of them will vote for you anyway, and if you will let your whiskers grow, I will try to get the rest of them to vote for you.You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin.All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you, and then you would be President...Lincoln took Grace Bedell's advice, and over the next two weeks he did not shave.By election day on November 6th of 1860, he already had enough whiskers to make a short beard.And he did get elected.Maybe his new beard had something to do with that.And he did wear the beard for the rest of his life.6 Fight for Liberty.Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder.Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts.You are not machines.You are not cattle.You are men.You have the love of humanity in your hearts.You don't hate, only the unloved hate.Only the unloved and the unnatural.Soldiers, don’t fight for slavery, fight for liberty.In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written “the kingdom of God is
Within man”, not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men, in you, the people.You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness.You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.Then in the name of democracy let's use that power, let us all unite.Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security.Look up!Look up!The clouds are lifting, the sun is breaking through.We are coming out of the darkness into the light.We are coming into a new world.a kind of new world where men will rise above their hate and brutality.The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly.He is flying into the Rainbow, into the light of hope, into the future, that glorious future that belongs to you, to me and to all of us.Look up.Look up.7 Phaeton.Phaeton was the son of Apollo by cymene.The mother had filled the lad’s head with so many stories of his father’s glory that the youth was quite proud.Wherever he went he told those stories again and again.When one of his playmates asked him to show his skill of coming down from sky, he felt quite hard to do it.He came back to his mother, she sent her son east wards to pray to Apollo for help.The sun god graciously received his son and heard the story.Then he took an oath by the Styx, ready to give help according to the boy’s request.But he was surprised to hear that the boy’s hope was to drive his fiery carriage.He told his son of the dangers on the way, but failed to stop him from the try.Phaeton joyfully jumped on the carriage and set off.Very soon he lost his way.He grew pale at the great height and the vast sky in front of him and behind.The horses ran wild.Unable to hold them, phaeton dropped them in fear.Straight down to the earth the carriage dashed.Rivers were dried up.Crops hung down and withered.Men’s cries of suffering rose up from the burnt earth.The enraged Zeus soon found the cause of the trouble, and without hesitation gave one of his most powerful thunderbolts at the proud and careless boy.Phaeton dropped straight down into a river.Both parents were sad over the loss of their son.8 Thisbe.Thisbe was a Babylonian maid.From her childhood shelved Pyramus who lived in the nearby house.But, as the two families were not on good terms they were not allowed to meet one another.All they could do was to stand on each side of the wall and hear one another’s loving voice.The lovers agreed to meet each other under a white mulberry tree in the woods outside the city.Night came.Thisbe stole out and arrived first at the meeting-place.She was just looking around for her lover when a lioness appeared.The sight of the bloody jaws of the beast was enough to send the screaming girl running, leaving her veil behind.The lioness did not care to chase, but cut the veil and made it dirt with its jaws and claws.Hearing the wild roaring and a sharp cry, Pyramus rushed on to the meeting place, sword in hand, only to find that both lioness and the girl had gone.His eyes fell on the dirty veil and he instantly guessed what had happened to his beloved.In despair he kissed the veil, drew his sword and plunged it into his breast.When Thisbe returned to join her boy-friend she found him rolling in his death pain.She showered tears and kisses on his cold pale face, hoping to get him back to life.He opened his eyes and tried to speak, but death had come to lead him away.With a cry of anger, Thisbe fell on Pyramus’ sword and went to keep him company in the lower world.9 The Apple of Discord.The wedding of Peleus and the sea-goddess Thetis were held and all gods were invited.But the absence of one goddess was clearly noticeable.It was Earls, the goddess of discord.As she planted seeds of discord wherever she went, it was natural that her presence at the ceremony was not desirable.She had good reason to feel angry.So she decided to make fun of the group at the party.Eris slipped into the hall after the couple left and rolled on the floor a golden apple, having the words, “For the fairest”.It caused a violent quarrel among the three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.Zeus found it advisable to send them before a shepherd boy on Mt Ida, Paris by name, for judgment.Hermes, the messenger, took the apple in his hand and led the goddesses away.On this particular day, as Paris was taking care of his sheep on the mountain side, the youth was surprised to see four human beings standing before him.Hermes told him about his mission and left.The three holy beauties then competed with each other, showing themselves up before the shepherd.Hera promised to make him king of Asia.Athena undertook to help him get imperishable fame in war;whereas Aphrodite offered to secure for him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.The primitive instinct of the boy thus moved, Aphrodite won the prize, and the other two goddesses left in anger and became deadly enemies of Troy.10 Venice hoteliers offer free rubber boot.Venice hoteliers are urging tourists to enjoy the tourist mecca despite chronic flooding, offering free rubber boots for guests to slosh around the Renaissance city.“Venetian hoteliers and Mayor Massicot Braccia reassure tourists who want to come in Venice: Don't worry, there is no danger: high water is a phenomenon that quickly disappears,” says an industry website.a special 190 euros(250 dollar)a night package includes “free use of rubber boots to walk during the high water,” along with a map showing where special platforms are erected along the canal city's streets during the flooding.The lagoon city was flooded 50 times between 1993 and 2002, but by far the worst incident was on November 4, 1966, when it was submerged by 1.94 meters of water amid catastrophic flooding throughout Italy.Every new flood revives debate over an elaborate project to place hinged panels at the inlets leading into the lagoon.Braccia is among critics of the so-called Moses Project, which was launched in 2003 and is not expected to reach completion until 2012.Under the scheme, 78 steel panels will lie on the seabed until activated when high tide is more than 1.1 meters above normal.Compressed air will then force the panels to rise up on their hinges, forming a slanting barrier to the incoming tide from the Adriatic Sea.Another approach under consideration is to raise the city's buildings.Under Operation “Rialto”, piston-supported poles would be placed beneath each structure and gradually lift buildings by up to a meter.11 Arethusa.Arethusa was once a fairy maiden huntress.She carried bow and arrows for Artemis in her hunting.She was so devoted to her work that she cared for neither admiration nor love.One sunny summer day, she felt hot and found a cool stream quite attractive.She jumped into the delightful stream and swam happily.Presently, she heard bubbling in the stream and was surprised to find it was the thundering voice of the river-god Alpheus.The maiden swam to the shore and fully naked ran away.Taking a human form, the river-god followed closely.Onward they sped over hills and valleys, across dark heights and over broad plains, until the waters of the western sea lay stretched out right before them.Helplessly the exhausted Arethusa cried to her patroness for help.Artemis instantly cast a cloud over her body, but the pig headed Alpheus was not to be tricked.Then a cold sweat broke from the maiden’s arms and legs.The drops of water fell from all over her body.She had been turned into a spring!Alpheus recognized her new form and presently took his former shape to join with Arethusa and enjoy her company.Artemis then broke the ground and Arethusa sank down and flowed all the way through the under world from Southern Greece to Sicily.She rose up again at Syracuse, only to find that the river god had endured the darkness of the lower world and turned up as a stream as well.Mixing his waves with hers,he gained her love in the end.12
Pandora.After the stealing of fire, Zeus became increasingly unkind to men.One day he ordered his son Hephaestus to build an image of a beautiful maiden out of clay.He then asked the gods and goddesses to award her with different kinds of gifts.Among others, Athena clothed her in an attractive coat and Hermes gave her the power of telling lies.a charming young lady, she was the first woman that ever lived.Zeus called her Pandora.Because she had received from each of the gods and goddesses a gift.The gift was harmful to men.Zeus decided to send her down to men as a present.So Hermes then brought her to Epimethius, brother of Prometheus.The greatness of her beauty touched the hearts of all who looked upon her, and Epimethius happily received her into his house.He had quite forgotten Prometheans' warning: never to accept anything from Zeus.When he was busy with teaching men the art of living, Prometheus had left a big cask in the care of Epimethius.He had warned his brother not to open the lid.Pandora was a curious woman.One day, when Epimethius was out, she lifted the lid and out it came unrest and war, Plague and sickness, theft and violence, grief sorrow, and all the other evils.The human world was hence to experience these evils.Only hope stayed within the mouth of the jar and never flew out.So men always have hope within their hearts.13 Japanese men suggest ―men only‖ seats.Many women taking the crowded train in Tokyo opt for women-only carriages during the rush hour to avoid gropers.Now, for fear of being accused of groping, some are asking for carriages reserved for men as well.Ten shareholders of Libuse Holdings, which runs trains in the Tokyo area, have petitioned for carriages reserved for men.“There have been many cases of groping, as well as false charges of groping, on Libuse Railway,” the shareholders said in a notice seeking a vote at the company's annual meeting next Wednesday.“ While measures against groping, such as setting women-only carriages, have been effective to a certain extent, no measures have been taken against false charges of groping...In the spirit of gender-equality, a male-only carriage must be introduced.” False accusations of groping were highlighted when Japan's Supreme Court overturned in April the conviction of a professor for groping a girl on a Tokyo train.Judges pointed out a need to be careful in such cases when the accuser was the only source of evidence, media said.But the shareholder request for men's carriages may not be implemented, as Seibert's board of directors opposes the idea.“The reality is that we have few requests from Libuse Railway users for setting up male-only carriages,” the board said in its reply to the shareholder request.In Tokyo, around 2,700 people were arrested for groping in 2007, data from the police showed.Many crowded train lines, including Libuse lines, designate a carriage just for women during the rush hour.Bridgeland and Hartmann report that the ―short sleepers‖ had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens.But at about age 15 or so, the men voluntarily began cutting down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work, and other activities.These men tended to view their nightly periods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions in their daily routines.In general, these “short sleeps” appeared ambitious, active, energetic, cheerful, conformist(不动摇)in their opinions, and very sure about their career choices.They often held several jobs at once, or workers full-or part-time while going to school.And many of them had a strong urge to appear “normal” or “acceptable” to their friends and associates.来源：考试大
When asked to recall their dreams, the “short sleepers” did poorly.More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering.In similar fashion, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was to deny that the problem existed, and then to keep busy in the hope that the trouble would go away.The sleep patterns of the “short sleepers” were similar to, but less extreme than, sleep patterns shown by many mental patients categorized as manic(疯人).The “long sleepers” were quite different indeed.Bridgeland and Hartmann report that these young men had been lengthy sleeps since childhood.They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were quite concerned when they were occasionally deprived of their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest.They tended to recall their dreams much better than did the ―short sleepers.‖
Many of the “long sleepers” were shy, anxious, introverted(内向), inhibited(压抑), passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves(particularly in social situations).Several openly states that sleep was an escape from their daily problems.15 Writing for myself This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental images.Vivid memories came flooding back of a night in Belleville when all of us were seated around the supper table — Uncle Allen, my mother, Uncle Charlie, Doris, Uncle Hal — and Aunt Pat served spaghetti for supper.Spaghetti was still a little known foreign dish in those days.Neither Doris nor I had ever eaten spaghetti, and none of the adults had enough experience to be good at it.All the good humor of Uncle Allen's house reawoke in my mind as I recalled the laughing arguments we had that night about the socially respectable method for moving spaghetti from plate to mouth.Suddenly I wanted to write about that, about the warmth and good feeling of it, but I wanted to put it down simply for my own joy, not for Mr.Fleagle.It was a moment I wanted to recapture and hold for myself.I wanted to relive the pleasure of that evening.To write it as I wanted, however, would violate all the rules of formal composition I'd learned in school, and Mr.Fleagle would surely give it a failing grade.Never mind.I would write something else for Mr.Fleagle after I had written this thing for myself.When I finished it the night was half gone and there was no time left to compose a proper, respectable essay for Mr.Fleagle.There was no choice next morning but to turn in my tale of the Belleville supper.Two days passed before Mr.Fleagle returned the graded papers, and he returned everyone's but mine.I was preparing myself for a command to report to Mr.Fleagle immediately after school for discipline when I saw him lift my paper from his desk and knock for the class's attention.
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