Passage 1College LifeAmerican college and university students who live away from their families/ are generally housed in dormitories at least for their first year. / Men and women often live in the same building, / tho ugh they may live on separate floors. /Some dorms have a theme, like an international house, / where students can lean about other cul tures. / In language houses, students try to avoid speaking their native language. / The idea is to l ean a different language. /Colleges and universities often have many clubs that students can join. / These include political, r eligious and service clubs, / as well as groups for activities like singing, dancing, cooking, even lea ning how to play magic. / Schools may also have internal sports clubs. / These are for students wh o do not play for a school team / but want organized sports with other students. / And schools wil l often recognize a new club or activity if enough students are interested. /Passage 2Names in AmericaMost parents in the United States give their babies a first, middle and last name when they are bo rn. / The last name is generally their family name. / First names are a different story. /Some children's names are also the names of cities, plants or flowers. / Religious names from the Bible are also common. / Americans even choose names from other countries. / Americans are in terested in the names / that famous actors, entertainers and athletes give their children. / Some f amous people like names that have been around for many years. / Last names as first names are also popular. /Middle names have become important because many famous people use them. / A middle name is also a way for parents to honor a family member or hero. / Some parents give a girl a boy's mid dle name. / Some American women use their former last name / as middle name after they marr y. /Passage 3The Space RaceThe space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union began in October of 1957, / when the Soviets launched the first man-made satellite into orbit around Earth. / Weeks later t he second satellite was launched. /Their success added to the tensions of what was known as the Cold War, / which many people wo rried could lead to nuclear war. / And it pushed Americans to work harder to reach outer space. / Three months later, the United States launched its own satellite. / Then, in 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first person into space. / An American astronaut followed less than a month later. / The space race continued. / The finish line was the moon. / And it was reached when the crew of American spaceship landed in 1969. / Today, there is cooperation between the Russian and Ameri can space programs. / Astronauts share duties on the International Space Station. / And other co untries are expanding their space programs. /Passage 4Summer for College StudentsCollege students spend their summers in many different ways. / Many students work hard at Sum mer jobs. / They realize it can be difficult to balance college classes and a job during the school ye ar. / Summer is a good time to save up some money. /Restaurants, swimming pools, stores and ot her businesses are always looking for hardworking students. / Some students get jobs in the field they hope to enter after college. /The experience gives students a taste of the world outside of co llege. / Other college students choose to take summer classes. /Instead, they take just one or two . / The extra classes can help students to get ahead in their studies. /However, summers are not all work. / Students spend time with friends, go to a movie or take a tr ip. / A relaxing day under the summer sun / will help students forget a]l about tests and studying' /Passage 5The English LanguageEnglish is the most widespread language in the world /and is more widely spoken and written tha n any other language. / More people are trying to lean English in the world. / English is the langu age of political negotiations and international business. / It has become the international languag e of science and medicine. / International treaties say passenger airplane pilots must speak Englis h. / English is the major foreign language taught in most schools in South America and Europe. / School children in the Philippines and Japan begin learning English at an early age. / English is the official language of more than 75 countries / including Britain, Canada, the United States, Australi a, and South Africa. /In countries where many different languages are spoken,/ English is often used as an official lan guage to help people communicate./ India is a good example./ English is the common language in this country/ where at least 24 languages are spoken by more than one million people./Passage 6DatingDating is the traditional first step toward marriage. /But dating and establishing a relationship can be hard work. . /So a lot of people want to go where they can meet people with similar interests. /They might look for someone/ who share a common interest in religion or books, for example. / A lot of bookstores now have places that serve coffee and food. /Many offer special programs an d social activities for single people. /Singles may join health clubs, or sports teams or maybe even a group for people who like to take l ong walks in the wood. /If nothing else, at least they will have gotten some exercise. /Some people use dating services, /which help people choose a person they might like. /Many ne wspapers and magazines publish message/ from people who are seeking someone to date./ Ther e are also telephone dating services, video dating services and online dating services./Passage 7National Spelling BeeEvery year, the best young English language spellers from around the world / gather in Washingto n, D.C. for the National spelling Bee. / They spell complex words / that most English speakers hav e never even heard of'. /The national spelling bee takes place over two intense days of competition in a large hotel meeting room. / The spellers sit together in front of several judges./ Each speller stands when it is his or her turn. / When the judge calls out the word, / spellers can ask for help. / They can ask for the d efinition of the word or for it to be used in a sentence. / They can also ask which language the wo rd came from. / This can often help them decide how it is spelled. /Students who spell the word correctly remain in the competition. / But if the speller makes a mist ake, / a bell rings and the child must leave the group. /Passage 8SalesWhen a store sells goods or services at a cost lower than usual, it is called a sale./ Sales last for a l imited time. / Then the cost is retuned to its usual amount. /There are many kinds of sales. / For example, a “back-to-school sale” is held near the beginning o f the school year. / Parents can save money on clothes and school supplies for their children. / A “midnight madness” event Starts very late at night. / An “early bird special” sale starts very early in the morning, /usually before the sunrises. /This kind of sale is popular the day after Thanksgiving in November. / A favorite sale among many people is the “buy one, get one free,” sale. / You buy one thing and get a second one with out cost. / Another kind of sale is a “going out of business ” sale. / This is when a store owner tries to sell all the goods in the store / before closing the bus iness permanently. /buy one, get one free买一送一permanently 永久地Passage9Test of English as a Foreign LanguageIt is the most widely respected English-language test in the world, / recognized by morethan 8,000 colleges and universities in more than 130 countries. / It is called TOEFL, which stands for Test English as a Foreign Language. / TOEFL is an important test for foreign students who want to study America. / More than 4,000 American universities and other schools / require students s eek admission to take the test. / Each year, nearly a million individuals of all ages take the TOEFL l evel to demonstrate their English-language proficiency. / It measures your ability to use and unde rstand English at the university level. / And it evaluates how well you combine your four skills, / lis tening reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. / There are two formats for the TOEFL test. / The format you take depends on the location of your test center. / Nowadays, m ost test takers take the Internet-based Test. / Test centers that do not have Internet access offer t he Paper-based Test TOEFL 托福考试demonstrate 说明，显示evaluate评估；评价format形式Internet-based 基于互联网的proficiency 熟练，精通Passage10Heat StressThe most common health problem linked to hot weather is heat stress. / The causes of heat stres s include wearing heavy clothing, / physical work or exercise, hot weather and high humidity./If s everal of these conditions are present at the same time, / a person's body temperature may rise a bove safe levels. / Most people suffer only muscle pain because of heat stress. / The pain is a war ning that the body is becoming too hot. / Doctors say those suffering muscle pains should stop all activity and rest in a cool place. / Doctors say not to return to physical activity for a few hours / b ecause serious conditions could develop. / Some people face an increased danger from heat stres s. / They may have a weak or damaged heart, / high blood pressure or other problems of the bloo d system. / Severe heat is also dangerous for people who weigh too much and have too much bo dy fat, / and for people who drink alcohol. /humidity 湿度，潮湿Passage11Foreign Language Study in AmericaForeign language study starts at a very young age for many students in America. / Some students start language training at age six. / States do not require foreign language training this early in ed ucation. / But many students choose to study languages in elementary school. / The most popula r languages for young students are Spanish, French and German. /Almost 7 million students in public secondary schools in the United States / are studying a foreign language. / Each state sets its own requirements for foreign language study / at the junior high a nd high school level. / Many students graduate high school with at least two years of foreign lang uage study. / Some study a foreign language for four years. / There are different foreign language requirements at colleges and universities. / Some universities require students to have had severa l years of language education in high school. / In addition, many colleges and universities require students / to complete at least two years of foreign language study before graduating. /Passage 12Variations in British AccentsLanguage changes over time as people try to express themselves in different ways to different pe ople. / And English, although broadly the same language, / is spoken in lots of different ways buy l ots of different people. / Normally this is because people live far apart. / However, even in Britain, a relatively small place, / there are huge variations in the way people speak English. / And that is not to forget the large numbers of people who speak other languages as their first language. / Written English is much more fixed, / and changes much less quickly than spoken English. / Peopl e across Britain speak English using not only different accents, but different expressions. /For exa mple, people of different ages and from different parts of Britain / may greet you with as many di fferent words. / As people migrate into Britain, and as people move around Britain more freely, / accents change more quickly. / However, most British people can guess where another British per son from because of their accent. /broadly 广泛地 relatively 相对地 variation 变化，变体 migrate 移居Passage 13Teaching AssistantsForeign students at American colleges and universities may earn money / after they successfully complete an entry-level study program. / Those wishing to continue their education could work as a teaching assistant, or T.A /A teaching assistant usually works about twenty hours each week. / Teaching assistants are paid t o help professors teach students in entry-level study programs. /Generally, the professor gives a talk, or lecture, / to a large group of students one or two times a week. / The teaching assistant meets with smaller groups of students during the week. / The T.A. gives tests and reads any homework or reports the students may be required to write. / Teaching assistants also meet with students who seek help. / They attend teaching meetings / An d some working with science professors help to organize laboratory equipment. /Most American colleges and universities must honor legal requirements / when employing foreig n students as teaching assistants. / One of these is that the T.A. must speak English well. / entry-level入门级的 legal requirement 法定条件Passage 14Open-source SoftwareOpen-source software is computer software / that is available to the general public in source cod e form. / If a person has enough knowledge about computers and computer programming, / he o r she can change the program's source code. / The source code is like a set of directions that sho w the gram how to operate. /People change the codes so that the program will operate / in a way that will meet their needs. / Some changing the code will make the program run faster. / Or it will take problems out of the pr ogram. / These problems can cause a computer program to shut down. / People who change the source code of a computer program / share these programs with each other on the Internet. / Pr ogrammers enjoy being able to improve computer programs on their own. / They enjoy being abl e to ask other people on the Internet for help with their programs. / Working together, people ca n improve computer programs for the good of the group. /source code 源代码the general public 公众operate 运行shut down （机器）关闭 on one's own 独自地Passage 15Party TimeAmericans plan parties for marry reasons. / As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties f or weddings and religious and national holidays. / But some parties are especially American. /For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food, play music and visit with on e another. / This is called a block party. / A woman might invite a group of women to a party / call ed a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth. / Guests bring presents for the new baby . /Birthday parties are also very popular. / Many parents organize a party for their child around a th eme. / Rock star parties axe very popular for young girls and boys' / Birthday parties usually inclu de gifts and a birthday cake with candles. / Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly. /Some parents take their children's birthday parties very seriously, / even when the child is too young tofully understand the celebration. / block party街头聚会 give birth (to) 产生costly 昂贵的Passage 16TimeIf you can read a clock, you can know the time of day. / But no one knows what time itself is. / For all our success in measuring the smallest parts of time, / time remains one of the great mysteries of the universe. /One way to think about time is to imagine a world without time. / There could be no movement, / because time and movement cannot be separated. / A world without time could exist only as lo ng as there were no changes, / for time and change are linked. / We know that time has passed w hen something changes. /In the real world with time, however, changes never stop. /Some changes happen only once in a while, like an eclipse of the moon. / Others happen repeatedly, like the rising and setting of the s un. / Humans always have noted natural events that repeat themselves. / When people began to count such events, they began to measure time. /eclipse（日，月）食rising and setting of the sun日出和日落Passage 17PatentPatents are meant to protect the chances of inventors / to make money from their creations. / Th e term of a patent is up to 20 years. / During that time, the inventor controls the legal right / to m ake, use or sell the invention. / After 20 years, anyone can make or sell the invention. /A patent gives both inventors and investors time to develop and market a product. / Patents also provide a way to share and spread technical information. /Suppose you have an idea for an invention. / How do you get a patent to protect your rights? / Th e first step is to record your idea on paper. / You must be sure no one else has invented a device j ust like yours. / So you must examine the descriptions of similar devices that already have patents . / This can be a big job and take a long time. / Many inventors pay patent lawyers to do this job. /patent 专利up to 到达……之多Passage l8Central ParkCentral Park in New York City is the first m4ior city park in America. / It contains more than 340 h ectares of land. / The designer's goal is to make a beautiful natural environment / with lakes, woo ds and open areas for all the people of New York to enjoy. /About 25 million people visit Central Park each year. / These include people from other areas of A merica and from foreign countries. / Millions of people who live in New York love Central Park / a s a place to escape from their small apartments in high-rise buildings. /Every day, people walk, run or ride bicycles along the paths in Central Park. / Others walk their do gs, play baseball, / row a boat on the lake or eat a meal on the grass. / Bird-watchers can observe more than 200 kinds of birds in the park. / Many people also use the park for special events. / For example, some people choose one of the beautiful natural areas in the park / as the perfect plac e to get married. /hectare 公顷 special event 特别事件Passage l9Yard SalesYard sales do not have to be huge. / One family, or even one person, can hold a yard sale People simply collect some things they no longer want / and put them in the yard outside their h ome. / They might also place handmade signs on nearby streets to direct people to the sale. / Yard sales are a good way for people without much money / to find things for their family. / But e ven people with a lot of money like to look around. / Professional dealers might also go to yard sa les. / If they find something valuable at a low price, they can re-sell it for more. / Still other peopl e go to yard sales because they enjoy the hunt. / They like to find beautiful or unusual things / th at are being sold for less than the value. / For example, they may find a piece of old furniture / th at is worth a lot of money after it is repaired. /dealer 商人Passage 20Pressing Oil from SeedsOil is separated from seeds by using pressure. / A machine called a press is often used. / The first step in pressing the oil from seeds is to crush the seeds between two stones./ A cloth container o r bag is filled with the crushed seeds. / Then the bag is hung up. / Some of the oil will flow out of the bag and can be collected. / But some oil will remain in the crushed seeds inside the bag. / The easiest way to get the rest of the oil out / is to place heavy rocks on the crushed material. / Another method is to place several cloth bags on top of each other in a box, / Then a long woode n stick is used to slowly push a heavy cover down on the bags' / Great pressure is produced in this way. / Much greater pressure can be produced by using a machine. / The greater the pressure, / t he more oil will be produced. /seed 种子hang up 挂起来press 榨油机，压榨 flow out of 从……中流出Passage 21University DaysBritish universities start in September or October. / Courses normally last 3 years, / but some, suc h as languages, engineering or medicine, can take much longer to complete. /Students usually go to university in a different town, / so they need to get used to living alone, pa ying bills and washing their own clothes! / For many, this is a difficult time, but everyone soon be comes used to it! /Universities in Britain used to be free, / but many students now have to pay for part of their course. / Similarly, students used to receive a grant from the government. / Nowadays, they have to ap ply for student loans or take part-time jobs. / Either way, it can be difficult and many students hav e money problems. /University life is not just about studying, however. / Many students take part in drama production s or play music. / Others, of course, take part in a wide range of sports, / such as football, rugby a nd cricket. /grant 助学金，补助金 loan 贷款 cricket 板球Passage 22American Education SystemThe education system in the United States is controlled by state and local governments. / But edu cation laws are similar in each state. / For example, in all 50 states and 6 territories, / all children must attend school from the age of 6 or 7 to the age of 16. / Public schools are free of charge for grades 1 through 12. /Private schools also operate in a1l states and territories. / Some private schools are operated by c hurches and religious groups./ Other private schools are not linked to any religious organization/. Private schools must be approved by the state in which they operate. / Most private schools do n o receive government money. / The parents of private school students pay the school. /The school year usually begins in September and continues until June. / Most states require a sch ool year of 180 days. / Some schools have changed this schedule / and require students to attend school throughout the year. /territory领土，领域Passage 23Universities in the USThere are thousands of colleges and universities in the United States. / Nearly half of the high sch ool graduates in America go on to college. / Most go to large state universities. / Some of these u niversities have 40,000 or more students. / There are also many small universities with only a few hundred students. / Large universities have many buildings, / each building for a particular subje ct. / Students often must go from one class in one building to the next class in another building ac ross campus. / They may have only a few minutes between classes to go from one building to ano ther. /When students begin the university, they must take classes in many subjects. / These are the requ ired courses. / English and math are usually required courses, / and often a history and a science c ourse are required too. / Students will study mostly required courses during their first year. / Later , they will specialize, and take courses in one subject. /graduate 毕业生specialize 专攻state university 州立大学required course 必修课Passage 24Music in British SchoolsMusic plays a big part in British schools. / Pupils can learn an instrument at school. / Traditionally, school children learn classical instruments. / Younger children often learn the recorder. / As they get older, they start to play the violin or piano. / In fact, nearly one out of five music students is le arning the violin. / The piano, or keyboard, is more popular with older children at secondary scho ol, / however, more pupils than ever before are now learning the guitar, / as they think playing th e guitar is cool. /British schools do not just offer lessons for instruments, / but they have music classes for all pupil s. / In the past, the focus of classes was very much Western classical music. / But the classes now cover a far wider range of styles, including folk music and world music. / Many schools have orch estras and put on concerts each term. / It is also common for pupils themselves to form their own bands. /recorder八孔长笛folk music 民乐orchestra 管弦乐队Passage 25Summer School and Online ClassesIn the United States, summer school used to be seen mainly as a place / for high school students t o repeat classes they failed. / But summer programs have expanded. / Students often go to summ er school / so they can ease their class load during the school year. / Or it might give them more f reedom / to choose the classes they want during the regular term. /Summer school students do the same amount of work / as if they took the class during the school year. / But they do it in just one to two months. /Another choice for many students is to take classes online. / However, some online classes requir e students to come to a classroom to take tests. / Students may also have to take part in group dis cussions with the teacher online. / And there may be a required number of hours to spend logged on each day. / Yet there may also be freedom to do the work anytime, day or night. /summer program暑假课程ease the class load 减轻学业负担regular term常规学期log on 登录Passage 26American MoviesAmerican Movies do not attempt to show the lives of all the people of the United States. / Many movies contain some truth. / But even a movie that deals with true subjects / represents the idea s of the person who wrote it, / the people who acted in it and the person who directed it. / Over the years, some Americans have tried to ban some kinds of movies. / These include movies t hat are violent or show people having sexual relations. / People have taken legal action to stop su ch movies. / But court decisions have said that the right to make any kind of movie / is protected by the part of the United States Constitution / that guarantees freedom of speech. / In the United States, people have the right / to produce a bad movie or write a bad book. /People who make movies try to provide entertainment and excitement. / However, entertainment are excitement often have nothing to do with the real world. /the United States Constitution 美国宪法Passage 27The Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is America's national library. / It has more than 120 million books and oth er objects. / It has newspapers, popular publications and letters of historical interest. / It also has maps, photographs, art prints, movies, sound recordings and musical instruments. /The Library of Congress is open to the public Monday through Saturday, / except for government holidays. / Anyone may go there and read anything in the collection. / But no one is permitted tak e books out of the building. /The Library of Congress provides books and materials to the United States Congress. / It also lend s books to other American libraries, government agencies and foreign libraries. / It buys some of i ts books and gets others as gifts. / It also gets materials through its copyright office. / Anyone wh o wants copyright protection for a publication / must send two copies to the library. / This means the Library of Congress receives almost everything published in the United States. /of historical interest 有历史意义的 sound recording 录音copyright protection 版权保护United States Congress 美国国会Passage 28TheatreIn many parts of the world, "going to the theatre" is seen as an activity / which only a very few pe ople do. / "Theatre" is not often seen as being a pastime that many ordinary people do. / Ordinar y people watch TV, or go to the cinema, / or go out to eat with friends. / The theatre is for rich, u pper-class intellectuals. / Like a lot of obvious remarks, there is some truth in this. / Theatre ticket s are quite expensive. /They cost more than cinema tickets. / Theatres which show new plays are usually only in big cities. / However, even though this is true, / there are a lot of theatre companie s who are challenging this idea. / And the way they are challenging this idea is by working with sc hools. / In the UK, many theatre companies now have an "educational department". / They go int o schools and help students to understand and e4ioy the plays they do. /intellectual 知识分子 pastime 消遣娱乐 upper-class 上层社会的 remark /话语Passage 29GuitarProbably no other musical instrument is as popular around the world as the guitar. / Musicians us e the guitar for almost every kind of music. / Country and western music would not be the same without a guitar. / The traditional Spanish folk music could not exist without a guitar. / The sound of American blues music would not be the same / without the sad cry of the guitar. / And rock an d roll music would almost be impossible without this instrument. /Music experts do not agree about where the guitar first was played. / Most agree it is ancient. /S ome experts say an instrument very much like a guitar / was played in Egypt more than 1,000 yea rs ago. / Some other experts say that the ancestor of the modem guitar was brought to Spain / fr om the ancient Iran sometime in the 12th century. / The guitar continued to develop in Spain. / In。
