Unit 1Man has a blood tie with nature and nobody can live outside nature. Nature provides us with everything we need: the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.For quite a long time after man began to live in the realm of nature, he lived in fear of its destructive forces. He used to regard nature with its elemental forces as something hostile to him. And even the forest was something wild and frightening to him. Very often, he was unable to obtain the merest daily necessities though he worked together with others stubbornly and collectively with his imperfect tools. Through his interaction with nature, man changed it gradually. He cut down forest, cultivated land, transferred various species of plants and animals to different climatic conditions, changed the shape and climate of his environment and transformed plants and animals. He subdued and disciplined electricity and compelled it to serve the interests of society.Nonetheless, with the constant expansion of agriculture and industry, man has robbed nature too much of its irreplaceable resources, polluted his own living environment and caused about 95% of the species that have existed over the past 600million years to become extinct and still many others to be endangered. The previous dynamic balance between man and nature is on the verge of breaking down. Man is now faced with the problem of how to stop, or at least to moderate the destructive effect of technology on nature.The crisis of the ecological situation has become a global problem. The solution to the problem depends on rational and wise organization both of production itself and care for Mother Nature. This can only be done by all humanity, rather than by individuals, enterprises or separate countries.1 realm2 elemental3 obtain4 stubbornly5 transferred6 transformed7 subdued8 expansion9 irreplaceable 10 extinct 11 dynamic 12 verge 13 moderate 14 ecological 15 rationalUnit 2Technology is a "hot" issue nowadays. The defenders of technology stress its advantages while the opponents emphasize its disadvantages. Neither side has ever taken the time to look at the opposite point of view.The defenders of technology hold that with technology, people's living conditions have been greatly improved. For example, the boom in productivity has made goods better andcheaper. Therefore, things that were once luxuries, such as jet travel and long-distance phone calls, have become necessities. Medical technology, in particular, has benefited us a lot, especially in prolonging life expectancy.On the other hand, the opponents of technology argue that technology makes life obviously worse. Telemarketing, traffic jams, and identity theft are all phenomena that make people consciously unhappy. In addition, many people believe technology disrupts relationships and fractures community. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the relationship between happiness and technology has been an eternal subject for social critics and philosophers, though economists and social scientists have seldom touched on the topic. However, in 1974 the economist Richard Easterlin did groundbreaking work on the relationship between prosperity and well-being. In his famous paper entitled"Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot?", Easterlin showed that there was no real correlation between a nation's income level and its citizens' happiness in the developed countries.In fact, technology is neither good nor bad. It depends on what we want to do with it. Therefore, the responsibility belongs exclusively to humans who have to acquire a socialconscience, to respect human beings, nature and its balances.1 emphasize2 opposite3 improved4 luxuries5 benefited6 obviously7 consciously8 fractures9 eternal 10 groundbreaking 11 entitled 12 correlation 13 depends 14 exclusivelyUnit 4Most people have work to do. With work, they can enjoy their lives. However, people who did physical labor were looked down upon in the past. Many people were compelled to take manual labor because it was an absolute necessity for them to earn a living and to support their families. By contrast, people who did mental work were highly respected. Under the influence of this idea, even today some people still idealize their future when making choices for their career. What they care most about is whether the job can give them enough social status rather than whether they can realize their values in it. In their eyes, those who do manual labor should still be classified as inferior in social status.In fact, there is no essential difference between those who work with their hands and those who work with their mind. Whether a job is labor or work does not depend on the jobitself but on people's attitude towards it. As long as you like your job, you will think you are fortunate enough to take it and you will do it enthusiastically.1 enjoy2 physical3 compelled4 necessity5 support6 mental7 idealize8 status9 values 10 classified 11essential 12 mind 13 attitude 14 fortunateUnit 5What does success mean to you? Does it mean wealth, fame, power or something else? Different people have different pursuits in life so they understand success in different ways. Some people chase money their whole lives. To them, more money means more success. Some people run after fame. With fame and reputation, they can gain the admiration and love of many others. However, some people dedicate themselves to the well-being of society.Doubtlessly, money is something that can be used as a reward to those who have done valuable work. Those who perform their work excellently should be paid sufficiently. But success cannot be measured in monetary terms, nor in terms of the amount of power one may exercise over others. After all,money and power can assure people neither of happiness nor of respect from others.Fame, too, is a flawed measure of success. Momentary fame can bring great joy to those who have it for a time. But they are very likely to become the slaves of their celebrity because of the public’s demands. In addition, they will easily become the target of everyone who disagrees with them and of the media as well. To be frank, if one is unable to fully enjoy life and liberty, the short-lived success is nothing but illusory.Therefore, to achieve the right kind of success is vitally important. As long as one can combine his own material needs and spiritual satisfaction with those of the well-being of society, he should be held in high regard.1 chase2 reputation3 dedicate4 reward5 sufficiently6 measured7 assure8 Momentary9 celebrity 10 target 11 frank 12 liberty 13 illusory 14 regardUnit 6Truth is a fact accepted as true, for which proof exists. Truth is a great principle, without which beauty may fade and love may wither. Those who uphold truth have a strong sense ofresponsibility. Those who hold firmly to truth are faithful to their duty and the people they serve. They commit themselves to the well-being of others. With aspirations to make a contribution to society, they are ready to correct their own mistakes, if any. It can be said that they are men of moral integrity who never ask for gratitude in return.Truth dawns upon us slowly but surely. In the long quest for truth, people have accumulated precious knowledge and experience. However, truth also needs nourishment just as plants need water, because many people are too preoccupied with petty and sometimes even mean concerns to respond to the great beauty of truth when it flowers or they frequently fail to appreciate truth when it is tendered.In short, truth is an invaluable asset to the whole of humanity. Stick to the truth and we will weave a timeless pattern, and earn the respect and esteem of others, elevate the world today above its present imperfections and place ourselves in the proud position of promoting the good of the humanity.1 wither2 sense3 faithful4 commit5 aspirations6 gratitude7 dawns8 accumulated9 nourishment 10 preoccupied 11 flowers12 tendered 13 weave 14 elevate单元1人有配合性质的血，没有人可以生活以外的性质。
