Lesson OnePassage 1 American MusicOne of America's most important exports is her modern music. American music is played all over the world. It is enjoyed by people of all ages in every country. Although the lyrics are in English, people who don't speak English can enjoy it too. The reasons for its popularity are its fast pace and rhythmic beat.Music has many origins in the United States. Country music, coming from the rural areas in the southern United States, is one source. Count music features simple themes and melodies describing day-to-day situations and the feelings of country people. Many people appreciate this music because of the emotions expressed by country music songs.A second origin of American pop music is the blues. It depicts mostly sad feeling reflecting the difficult lives of American blacks. It is usually played and sung by black musicians, but it is popular with all Americans.Rock music is a newer form of music. This music style, featuring fast and repetitious rhythms, was influenced by the blues and country music. It was first known as rock-and-roll in the 1950s. Since then, there have been many forms of rock music: hard rock, soft rock and others. Many performers of rock music are young musicians.American pop music is marketed to a demanding audience. Now pop songs are heard on the radio several times a day. Some songs have become popular all over the world. People hear these songs sung in their original English or sometimes translated into other languages. The words may differ but the enjoyment of the music is universal.Passage 2 Music in Different CulturesIn western culture, music is regarded as good by birth, and sounds that are welcome are said to be "music to the ears". In some other cultures, for example, the lslamic culture, it is of little value, associated with sin and evil, In the West and in the high cultures of Asia, it is said that there are three types of music. First classical music, composed and performed by trained professionals originally under the support of courts and religious establishments; second, folk music, shared by the population at large and passed on orally; and third, popular music, performed by professionals, spread through radio, television, records, film, and print, and consumed by the mass public.Music is a major component in religious services, theater, and entertainment of all sorts. The most universal use of music is as a part of religious rituals. In some tribal societies, music appears to serve as a special form of communication with supernatural beings, and its prominent use in modern Christian and Jewish servicesmay be the leftover of just such an original purpose. Another less obvious function of music is social adherence. For most social groups, music can serve as a powerful symbol. Members of most societies share keen feelings as to what kind of music they "belong to": Indeed, some minorities including, in the U.S.A., black Americans and Euro-American groups use music as a major symbol of group identity. Music also symbolizes military, patriotic and funerary moods and events. In a more general sense, music may express fifes central social values of a society. In western culture, the interrelationship of conductor and orchestra symbolizes the need for strong cooperation among various kinds of specialists in a modern industrial society. Passage 3Music comes in many forms; many countries have a style of their own. Poland has its folk music. Hungary has its czardas. Argentina is famous for the tango. The U.S. is known for just a type of music that has gained worldwide popularity.Jazz is American's contribution to popular music. While classical music follows formal European tradition, jazz is a rather free form. It is full of energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions of the people. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.The origins of jazz are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by black Americans, who were brought to the southern states as slaves.They were sold to farm owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. The work was hard and life was short, When a slaver died his friends and relatives would gather and carry the body to have a ceremony before they buried him.There was always a band with them. On the way to the ceremony, the band played slow solemn music suitable for the situation. But on the way home, the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everyone was happy. Death had removed one of their members, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music. This music made everyone want to dance. This was an early form of jazz.Music has always been important to African-Americans. The people, who were unwillingly brought to America from West Africa, had a rich musical tradition. In the fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster. And when they accepted Christianity, these songs became lovely spirituals, which have become an everlasting part of American music.Lesson TwoPassage 1 Holidays in Britain and the UsPeople in the US get a two-week paled vacation from their job every year. Most British people have four or five weeks paid holiday a year. Americans often complain that two weeks are not enough, especially when they hear about the longerholidays that Europeans enjoy. In addition, there are eight days in each European country, which are public holidays (the British call them Bank Holidays) and many of these fall on a Monday, giving people along weekend.What do people do in Britain and the US when they are on holidays? In the US, outdoor vacations are popular, for example, at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or other national parks and forests. Young people may go walking or camping in the mountains. Many people have small trailers in which to travel, or if they have a car, they may stay at motets on the journey, Disneyland and Disneyworld are also popular. In addition, people can go skiing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Some children go to summer camp for a holiday during the summer vacation from school, where they do special activities, such as sports or crafts. When Americans want a holiday for fun in the sun, they usually go to Florida, Hawaii, Mexico or the Caribbean. They may go to Europe for culture, for example, to see art, plays, and places of historic interest.In Britain, many people like to go to the seaside for holidays. There are places near the sea, such as Black pool, Scarborough and Bournemouth, where there is plenty to do, even when it rains. People also like to go to the countryside, especially to walk, in places like Scotland, Wales and the Lake District. When the British go abroad they usually want to go somewhere warm. Spain and the Spanish islands of Majorea and Lbiza are popular, as are other places in southern Europe. For skiing, people often go to the Alps.Passage 2 Welcoming the New YearEvery country in the world celebrates New '(ear but not everyone does it on the same day. The countries of North and South America and Europe welcome the New Year on January l, This practice’ began with the Romans. Julius Caesar, a Raman ruler, changed the date of the New Year from the first day of March to the first day of January. In the Middle East, New Year is on the day when spring begins. People in China celebrate it on the Spring Festival, which is the first day of their lunar calendar. The Spring Festival usually comes between January 21 and February 19. Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year, comes at the end of summer.In all of these cultures, there is a tradition of making noise. People made noise in ancient times to drive away the evil spirits from home. Today many people do it with fireworks. In Japan, people go from house to house making noise with drums and bamboo sticks. Young people in Denmark throw broken pieces of jars or pots against the sides of friends' houses.In the United States, many people stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve to watch the clock pass from one year to the next. Friends often gather together at a party on New Year's Eve, and when the New Year comes, all ring bells, blow horns,blow whistles, and kiss each other.In many European countries, families start the new year by first attending church service, which is followed by paying calls to friends and relatives. Italian boys and girls receive gifts of money on New Year's Day.New Year's Day is more joyful than Christmas in France and Scotland. In these countries Christmas is a religious holiday only, while the New Year is the time for gift-giving, parties, and visits.Passage 3 The Spring FestivalThe Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese. It comes on the first day of the first month according to Chinese lunar calendar. It marks the beginning of a new year. It is also an occasion for family reunion. Family members and relatives get together to say goodbye to the old year and greet the new one. Guonian means "passing the year. People start preparing for it half a month before it comes. They clean their houses thoroughly, decorate them and even paint them; they buy new clothes for children, and they prepare food for the big feast on the eve of the festival. On the eve of the festival, the whole extended family comes together for a big dinner.Dumplings are a must for this festival dinner in northern China, while for southerners niangao - a sticky sweet rice pudding - is the traditional food for this occasion. People stay up until midnight chatting, playing mahjong or watching TV. At the turn of the old and the New Year, people used to let off firecrackers to greet the arrival of the New Year, In the old days people believed setting off firecrackers could drive away the evil spirits.But now, people make phone calls or send messages on mobile phones to exchange New Year's greetings. Early in the morning, children greet their parents and are given Hongbao - cash tucked inside red envelopes. The Lantern Festival, on the 15th of the first month according to the lunar calendar, is considered the formal end of the Spring Festival. It is an occasion of lantern displays and folk dances everywhere. One typical food is Yuanxiao - dumplings made of sweet rice rolled into balls with all sorts of filling. The Spring Festival is a national holiday. For most people, it lasts seven days. In the past, people stayed with their families at home. Few traveled during the holiday. Nowadays things have changed.Lesson ThreePassage 1 World Trade OrganizationEstablished on January l, 1995, World Trade Organization is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It exists to promote a free-market international trade system. The WTO promotes trade by:1. reducing tariffs;2. prohibiting import or export bans or quotas;3. eliminating discrimination against foreign products and services;4. eliminating other impediments to trade, commonly called "non-tariff trade barriers".The WTO currently has 134 member countries, accounting for over 90% of world trade. Over 30 0thers are negotiating membership. The WTO's top level decision-making body is the ministerial conference which meets at least once ever3r two years, Over three-quarters of WTO members are developing countries. Special provisions for these members are included in the WTO agreements. GATT is now the WTO's principal rule book.Decisions are made by the entire membership by consensus or majority vote. The WTO's agreements have been ratified in all members' parliaments. If a trade barrier is found to be unfair, the WTO can authorize the imposition of trade sanctions to force a change in that country's law. The WTO exempts trade barriers which are designed to conserve natural resources or protect health.Critics say the WTO agreements are skewed in favor of rich countries. The West may preach trade liberalization, but it has used negotiations to prize third world markets while keeping its own barriers intact.Passage 2President Jiang Zemin said on November 16, 2000 that in the development of a “New Economy”, it is essential to take advantage of the latest developments in science and technology. He made this address at the eighth informal meeting of leaders of the APEC forum. He explained that the "New Economy" refers to the kind of economy initiated and sustained by new technologies and hi-tech industries. "The advancement of technology, led by IT and bio-technology industries, is giving rise to a new industrial revolution", Jiang said.Developing countries are faced with the difficult tasks of both transforming their traditional industries and developing new industries, Jiang noted, adding that the continued expansion of the "digital dude" has widened the wealth gap between North and South and may trigger new imbalances in the world economy."Against the background of accelerated economic globalization and the dynamic progress of science and technology, we must facilitate cooperation between developed and developing countries on exchanges of human resources, technology and infrastructure, and we must help countries develop independently to narrow the North-South gap.""Today, the development, application and impact of science and technology far transcend national boundaries. For example, every major breakthrough made in the human genome projects a crystallization of cooperation between scientists from a number of countries. Only when applied in a global context can the achievements ofscience and technology benefit people", Jiang said. He also noted that economic globalization should stress the popularization of scientific and technological knowledge.The protection of intellectual property rights should be guided by market rules in such a way that the rules will be helpful to the spread of scientific and technological knowledge, so that all countries may benefit, he added.Passage 3 The American Economic SystemAn important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to the relative demands of consumers and the supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be a bit up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system.The important factor in an economy of private ownership is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and sew ices for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.Lesson 4Passage 1 Higher Education in the United StatesSince 1945 more than one million students from all over the world have studied in the United States. In a recent single year, there were more than 150,000 foreign students who came to the United States' institutions of higher learning. They were welcomed and most were successful in their academic studies. Foreign students who study in the United States benefit a lot from the American educational system.Three developments that today's students are benefiting from started more than a century ago following the Civil War. The first of these was the rapid growth of technological and professional education to meet the urgent demands of a complex industrial and urban society. New schools of technology, engineering architecture, law and medicine flourished, The second was the provision for graduate study, suchas what had long existed in France and Germany. Harvard and John Hopkins Universities quickly took the lead in this field, but the state universities did not lag far behind. The third was the increased provision for the education of women. This included the establishment of new women's colleges, such as Vassar, Wellesley and Smith, and the adoption of co-education in all the new state universities as well as in many private institutions.These developments, the growth of technological and professional education, the provision for graduate study, and the increased educational opportunities for women, began over a century ago following the end of the Civil War.Passage 2 Education in CanadaCanada's per capita spending on education is among the world's highest. All provinces have compulsory education laws requiring that students attend school until the age of fifteen or sixteen, Elementary education includes kindergarten through the eighth grade. Canada's bilingual and bicultural heritage has had, and continues to have, a profound effect on the educational system. Since 1985, the province of Ontario has maintained publicly funded Roman Catholic and French-Language schools from kindergarten through the twelfth grade in addition to the English-Language schools. Saskatchewan and Alberta also support separate Roman Catholic schools. Quebec Province maintains a dual school system - Protestant and Catholic, each has its own school board.Higher education in Canada is offered in a variety of forms, Entrance requirements vary from one province to another. The traditional universities offer three-year general degree programs and four-year honors degree programs emphasizing a specialization. Seven of the universities are French-speaking while the others are English. All the traditional universities are concerned about the relationship between their curricula, the economy and society. Graduates in recent years have faced considerable difficulty in finding employment.The Canadian provinces maintain junior colleges, community colleges, and technical institutes. They provide a variety of courses, often short-term, that cater to individual interests. These include subjects of current events and calligraphy. Adult education has become increasingly oracular in Canada in recent years. Almost all institutions offer some adult education courses.Passage 3Millions of people are enrolled in evening adult education programs across America, Community colleges have become popular and their enrollments have increased rapidly. Large universities are offering more courses in the evenings for adult students. In this way, the demand for more education is being met. One reasonfor this is that many older people are changing their professions. They are looking for different careers. Another reason is that repair costs have increased, Adults are taking courses like plumbing and electrical repair. In this way they hope that the high costs for repairs can be avoided. Advanced technology is the most important factor for the rise in adult education. Engineers, teachers and business people are taking adult education classes. They have found that more education is needed to do their jobs well. Various courses are offered. Computers and business courses are taken by many adult students. Foreign languages, accounting and communication courses are also popular. Some students attend classes to earn degrees. Others take courses for the knowledge and skills that they can receive. The lives of many people have been enriched because of adult education.Lesson 5Passage 1 Housing Options in the United StatesFinding the right place to live in can help ensure a most rewarding experience in-the United States for international students. Depending on your situation: whether you are here alone or with a family, the duration of your stay, the amount of privacy you would like, anything from living on campus in a residence hall to private accommodation in a motel could suit your needs. As an ESL student, your housing may or may not be included in the study program. The basic choice to make is whether to live on or off campus. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.The advantages of living on campus are as follows: you will have a furnished room, easy access to campus facilities such as libraries, computer labs, sports facilities and cafeterias, access to social activities and peers, and maximum interaction with other students. Eating on campus is usually cheaper, and you don’t have to worry about transportation to and from classes. There are also some disadvantages. You may be sharing a bedroom with other students, so you will not have much privacy. You must be flexible when living with others.The advantages of living off campus are as follows: you will have privacy, more real world experiences, your own bathroom and kitchen facilities, and furnished rooms, It is possible to have visitors at any time and suitable for students with their families. However, there are some disadvantages. The rooms are not always furnished. Unless you are living with a host family, there is a lack of spontaneous social activities with people. And transportation is inconvenient. You may waste time rn transit to and from classes.Passage 2 Living on CampusAll students are required to live in the Residence Hall, which provides students with good opportunities to make friends, meet each other and enjoy a wonderfulcampus life. The Student Residence Hall is situated on the campus within short walking distance from the library, study rooms, computer science center and recreational facilities. Students will also have convenient access to the sea and other places of interest in the area. They will have quite a different life while walking along the beach, visiting places off-campus and looking for fun.At present, about 60 rooms are available and each accommodates 3 students. All rooms are fully furnished with bookshelves, cupboards, desks, one telephone, one TV and modern outlets. A shared washroom and bathroom are provided on each floor, and both have considerable facilities. There is a laundry with several washing machines on the first floor. Bedding is provided and each week a clean linen change will be arranged.A group of well-trained staff are responsible to see that all public areas are clean at all times. Security guards are always on watch on the first floor to answer questions and complaints and guarantee the safety of every resident.The Dining Hall is on the second floor of the building. Both students and the college faculty are encouraged to have meals in the College Dining Hall. Breakfast, lunch and supper are all offered and a great variety of nutritious and healthy Chinese foods also available.A small cafe is open everyday from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the third floor. Here you can find a very romantic and elegant place for sampling western food, drinking coffee or other beverages and talking to friends. Both food and service are standard.Passage 3 Academic Levels and CreditsAcademic LevelsA first-year college or university student is commonly known as a "freshman", whereas "sophomore", "junio", and "senior" designate second-, third- and fourth-year students. Collectively, these students are called "undergraduates"; students in the first two years are called "underclassmen" and in the last two years "upperclassmen". Successful completion of four years of undergraduate study entitles the student to a bachelor's degree, which is the prerequisrte for admission to graduate school. Students who begin college studies in two-year colleges earn an associate's degree and may transfer to the appropriate level of a bachelor's degree program.CreditsUndergraduate academic progress in higher education in the United States is usually measured in units called "credits", -credit hours", or "points". In schools on the semester system a credit is defined as one hour of classroom instruction, or two or three hours of laboratory experience per week for a semester. Most studentsnormally take 15 0r 16 credits a semester, but some take 17 or 18.For instructions on the quarter system, a "quarter hour" of credit is defined in the same way, but based on the 10-week term as previously noted. Three quarter credits are therefore the equivalent of two semester credits and represent the same amount of academic accomplishment. The total number of credits taken in a term is often called the class load.Ordinarily 60 or 64 semester credits are required for a two-year associate degree and 120 to 128 credits for the four-year bachelors.Lesson 6Passage 1 The Sound of BirdsThe sound of birds can be divided into three types including singing, crying and voice imitating. Singing is normally a continuous multi-syllable melody uttered by the birds and controlled by sex hormones. Some sorts of singing are quite melodious and pleasant. During the breeding cycle, the changing and pleasant cries of male birds are typical songs. Singing is an important way for a bird to defend its territory, to pronounce it has occupied a place and to warn other birds not to enter the area. The singing variety of birds' songs are different and more complicated than their common cries, which mainly happen in the breeding cycle in spring and summer. Cries are not controlled by sex hormones and can be uttered by both male and female birds. Usually bird cries are short and simple. But they can mean a lot. They are used to communicate with one another and to warn one another about dangers. The cries of birds can express calling, waming, surprise and threat. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish crying from singing. Generally speaking, cries are not affected by the change of seasons and can be made by all birds. Crying is an important way for birds to communicate with one another. V oice imitating birds imitate the crying or voice of other birds. The biological cause of voice imitating is not clear even now and it is highly probable that it will take a long time for people to discover the mystery.Passage 2 Fun Facts about Giant PandasHigh in dense bamboo forests in the misty, rainy mountains of southwestern China lives one of the world's rarest mammals: the giant panda. Only about l,000 0f these black-and-white ralatives of bears survive in the wild.Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves. Occasionally they eat other plants, fish, or small animals, but bamboo accounts for 99 percent of their diets.Pandas eat fast, they eat a lot, and they spend about 12 hours a day doing it. The reason is very simple. They digest only about a fifth of what they eat. Moreover,bamboo is not very nutritious. The shoots and leaves are the most valuable parts of the plants, so that's what a well-fed panda concentrates on eating. To stay healthy, they have to eat a lot - up to 15 percent of their body weight within 12 hours - so they eat fast.There are many species of bamboo. Only a few of these grow at the high altitudes where pandas live today. A panda should have at least two bamboo species where it lives, or it will starve.Giant pandas used to be able to move quite easily from one mountaintop to another in search of food. Nowadays the valleys are mostly inhabited by people. Pandas are shy; they are afraid to go into areas where people live. This confines pandas to very finited areas. As people continue to farm, cut trees, and develop land higher and higher up the mountain slopes, the pandas' habitat continues to become smaller.And sometimes, when all the bamboo in their area dies off naturally, pandas starve because they're unable to move to new areas where other bamboo species thrive.Conservation organizations, Chinese govemment officials and scientists are continuing to work toward solving the panda isolation problem. Maintaining "bamboo corridors" - strips of peaceful land through which pandas can travel from mountain to mountain freely - is one of the many ideas that may help save the giant panda.Passage 3 HummingbirdsIf you are lucky enough, you may find the hummingbird, the smallest bird in the animal kingdom, in a South American forest.Though the hummingbird is not bigger than a bee and weighs only 2 or 3 grams, it can fly as fast as 50 meters in a second. It can fly forwards as most birds do, and it can fly backwards as well. The strangest thing about it, however, is that it can stay still in the air, just like a helicopter.Whenever a hummingbird needs food, it will fly slowly towards a flower. It won't stand on the flower, as bees would, but just hangs over the flower and then begins to suck the honey from inside the flower with its needle-like beak.The hummingbird is very particular in designing and building its nest. It takes great pains in choosing the right materials, preferring soft ones to hard ones. Its eggs are so small that a common match box can hold as many as one hundred of them. Lesson 7Passage 1 Art in HospitalsThe medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in。
