初中英语背诵100篇
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初中必背英语短文《My School Day》I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is my messy hair in the mirror. "Oh no!" I say to myself. I quickly grab my comb and try to fix it. My mom shouts from downstairs, "Hurry up, you'll be late for school!"I run down the stairs and sit at the table. There's a plate of toast and a glass of milk waiting for me. I take a big bite of the toast and almost choke because I'm in such a rush. My little sister is sitting across from me, giggling. "You look like a chipmunk with your cheeks full," she says. I glare at her and say, "Mind your own business, little rascal."I grab my backpack and rush out the door. On the way to school, I meet my best friend, Tom. "Hey, Tom! Wait up!" I shout. He turns around and smiles. "You're always running late," he says. We start walking together and talking about the latest video game we both like.When we get to school, the bell rings just as we step into the classroom. Our teacher, Mr. Smith, gives us a stern look. "Just in time, boys," he says. I quickly take my seat and take out my books.The first class is English. I like English, but sometimes it can be a bit boring when we have to do grammar exercises. I start daydreaming a little bit, thinking about the weekend and all the fun things I can do. Suddenly, I hear Mr. Smith call my name. "John, can you answer this question?" I stand up, feeling a bit embarrassed because I wasn't paying attention. I stutter,"Um... I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. I didn't hear the question." He shakes his head and says, "Pay attention next time, John."After English class, it's time for PE. This is my favorite class! We go out to the playground and play basketball. I'm on a team with Tom and some other classmates. We're playing against another team. The game is really intense. Tom passes the ball to me and shouts, "Shoot, John!" I jump up and take a shot. The ball goes in! "Yes!" I yell, and my teammates give me high - fives.Lunchtime comes and we all go to the cafeteria. There's a long line, but finally I get my tray of food. I sit down with Tom and some other friends. One of my friends, Jack, says, "The food here is not too bad today."I take a bite of my sandwich and say, "Yeah, it's better than yesterday." We start chatting and laughing, sharing stories about our morning classes.In the afternoon, we have math class. Math is not my strong suit. I struggle with some of the equations. I turn to Tom and whisper, "Tom, can you help me with this problem?" Tom nods and leans over to explain it to me. Thanks to him, I finally understand how to solve it.The school day finally ends. I walk home with Tom again. We talk about how the day went. "Today was a good day, despite almost being late," I say. Tom agrees. When I get home, I flop down on the couch and think about all the things that happened at school today. It was a normalday, but full of little adventures and interactions with my friends and teachers.《我的校园一日》早上我醒来,看到镜子里自己乱糟糟的头发。
小故事记住初中英语1600词(30篇)一. A Young Officer and an Old Soldier (1)A very new,young officer was at a railway station. He was going to visit his mother,and he wanted to telephone her to tell her the time of his train.He looked in all his pockets,but found that he did not have the coins for the telephone, so he went outside and looked around for someone to help him.【汉语翻译】年轻军官与老兵(1)一位新上任的(new)年轻军官(young officer)在火车站(railway station)候车。
他要去看望(visit)他的母亲(mother)。
他想打电话(want to telephone sb.)告诉(tell)母亲他的列车(train)到站的时间。
但寻遍了所有的口袋(pocket),却发现(find)他没有打电话用的硬币(coin),于是他走到车站外面(outside),环顾四周(look around)想找人帮忙(help)。
一. A Young Officer and an Old Soldier (2)At last an old soldier came by, and the young officer stopped him and said,“Have you got change for ten pence?”“Wait a moment,”the old soldier answered, beginning to put his hand in his pocket.“I'll see whether I can help you.”“Don't you know how to speak to an officer?”the young man said angrily.“No w let's start again Have you got change for ten pence?”“No,sir,”the old soldier answered quickly.【汉语翻译】年轻军官与老兵(2)最后(at last)有名老兵(old soldier)路过,年轻的军官拦住他道:“你有十便士(pence)的零钱(change)吗?”“等会儿(wait a moment)。
经典英文美文>01 The Language of MusicA painter hangs his or her finished picture on a wall, and everyone can seeit. A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for thecomposer is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long andas arduous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, formusicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer. Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords wouldbe inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practicemoving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow toand fro with the right arm -- two entirely different movements.Singers and instrumentalists have to be able to get every note perfectly intune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes arealready there, waiting for them, and it is the piano tuner's responsibilityto tune the instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties: thehammers that hit the strings have to be coaxed not to soundlike percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear.This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts studentconductors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how it should sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sounds withfanatical but selfless authority.Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledgeand understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home inthe language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any century.01 音乐的语言画家将已完成的作品挂在墙上,每个人都可以观赏到。
初中英语背诵名篇篇一:《The Last Leaf》Once upon a time, there were two young artists, Johnsy and Sue, living together in a small apartment. They were very good friends and shared a common dream – to become famous artists one day.However, one autumn, Johnsy fell ill with pneumonia. She was weak and lost all hope. Looking out of the window, she noticed a vine with leaves slowly falling off. Convinced that she would die when the last leaf fell, she became obsessed with counting the leaves day and night.Concerned about her friend, Sue sought help from an old painter, Mr. Behrman, who lived downstairs. He had never achieved success as an artist but had a big heart. Mr. Behrman agreed to assist Sue and tried to change Johnsy's pessimistic mindset.As the bitter cold winter approached, the leaves continued to fall one by one, but the peculiar thing was that a single leaf stubbornly clung to the vine outside Johnsy's window. The more she counted, the more determined she became to fight against her illness and survive.Meanwhile, Mr. Behrman secretly started painting a masterpiece on the wall of the building opposite Johnsy's window. He used all his skills to create a beautiful image of the last leaf, so real that it seemed to be hanging from the vine. The worsening weather conditions did not deter his determination.When Johnsy saw the painted leaf, she was deeply moved. She realized how precious life was and how foolish it hadbeen to give up hope. The last leaf became a symbol of strength, resilience, and the power to overcome adversity.Miraculously, Johnsy's health gradually improved, andwith the arrival of spring, she fully recovered. She and Sue were filled with gratitude towards Mr. Behrman, who had saved her life through his artwork."The Last Leaf" teaches us the importance of hope and the indomitable human spirit. It reminds us that even in the face of challenges and despair, there is always a chance for a miracle. This timeless story inspires us to cherish life, embrace optimism, and appreciate the beauty around us.篇二:《The Necklace》In a small town in France, there lived a young woman named Mathilde. Although she was beautiful, Mathilde was discontented with her humble lifestyle and yearned for wealth and luxury. One day, her husband surprised her with an invitation to a fancy ball hosted by the Minister of Education.Excited yet desperate to look her best, Mathilde borrowed a stunning diamond necklace from her friend, Madame Forestier. At the ball, she amazed everyone with her beauty and elegance. Mathilde felt like a true princess for the first time in her life.However, tragedy struck when Mathilde discovered that she had lost the borrowed necklace on her way back home.Terrified of Madame Forestier's reaction, she decided to replace it without telling her friend. She and her husband borrowed a large sum of money and purchased a new necklace identical to the one lost.Life became a constant struggle for the couple as they worked tirelessly to repay their debt. They experiencedpoverty and hardship, all because of Mathilde's desire for material possessions. Ten long years passed before they could finally pay off the debt.One day, Mathilde saw Madame Forestier again and decided to reveal the truth about the necklace. Surprisingly, her friend nonchalantly exclaimed that the original necklace she had borrowed was merely a cheap imitation, worth only a fraction of the price they had paid to replace it.Mathilde was devastated. She realized that her vanity and obsession with wealth had caused unnecessary suffering for her and her husband. The necklace became a symbol of their downfall, a reminder of the dangers of materialism and the importance of being content with what one has."The Necklace" teaches us the valuable lesson of appreciating the present and not falling victim to desiresfor wealth and status. It reminds us that true happiness lies in inner contentment and genuine relationships, rather thanin the pursuit of material possessions.These iconic stories, "The Last Leaf" and "The Necklace", captivate readers with their thought-provoking messages and timeless themes. Through the power of storytelling, they encourage us to reflect on our own lives, values, and priorities. Let us embrace their wisdom and strive for a better future, both for ourselves and the world around us.。
英文作文背诵100首1. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and I feel alive.2. The wind is blowing, the leaves are rustling, and I am at peace.3. The rain is falling, the earth is nourished, and I am grateful.4. The snow is falling, the world is quiet, and I am content.5. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, andI am joyful.6. The waves are crashing, the sand is warm, and I am free.7. The mountains are majestic, the air is fresh, and Iam in awe.8. The city is bustling, the lights are bright, and I am energized.9. The stars are shining, the night is still, and I am at ease.10. The fire is crackling, the marshmallows are roasting, and I am cozy.11. The road is long, the journey is unknown, and I am curious.12. The music is playing, the rhythm is strong, and I am dancing.13. The book is open, the words are flowing, and I am learning.14. The game is on, the competition is fierce, and I am determined.15. The food is cooking, the aroma is enticing, and I am hungry.16. The laughter is contagious, the jokes are funny, and I am happy.17. The tears are falling, the heart is heavy, and I am hurting.18. The hug is warm, the love is unconditional, and I am comforted.19. The work is challenging, the effort is worth it, and I am proud.20. The dream is big, the possibilities are endless, and I am hopeful.21. The silence is deafening, the loneliness is suffocating, and I am lost.22. The anger is boiling, the words are sharp, and I am frustrated.23. The fear is paralyzing, the future is uncertain,and I am anxious.24. The pain is unbearable, the wounds are deep, and I am broken.25. The hope is flickering, the faith is wavering, andI am despairing.26. The kindness is unexpected, the gesture is small, and I am touched.27. The forgiveness is offered, the burden is lifted, and I am grateful.28. The opportunity is knocking, the potential is great, and I am ready.29. The change is coming, the fear is fading, and I amembracing.30. The love is growing, the bond is strong, and I am whole.。
2\ Learn to live in the present moment学会生活在现实中To a large degree,the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live on the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are---always!我们内心是否平和在很大程度上是由我们是否能生活在现实之中所决定的.不管昨天或去年发生了什么,不管明天可能发生或不发生什么,现实才是你时时刻刻所在之处.Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about variety of things--all at once. We allow past problems and future concerns dominate your present moments, so much so that we end up anxious,frustrated,depressed,and hopeless. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities, and our happiness, often convincing that "someday" will be much better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future will only repeat themselves so that 'someday' never actually arrives. Jhon Lennone once said, "Life is what is happening while we are busy making other plans." When we are busy making 'other plans', our children are busy growing up, the people we love are moving away and dying, our bodies are getting out of shape, and our dreams are slipping away. In short, we miss out on life.毫无疑问,我们很多人掌握了一种神经兮兮的艺术,即把生活中的大部分时间花在为种种事情担心忧虑上--而且常常是同时忧虑许多事情.我们听凭过去的麻烦和未来的担心控制我们此时此刻的生活,以至我们整日焦虑不安,委靡不振,甚至沮丧绝望.而另一方面我们又推迟我们的满足感,推迟我们应优先考虑的事情,推迟我们的幸福感,常常说服自己"有朝一日"会比今天更好.不幸的是,如此告戒我们朝前看的大脑动力只能重复来重复去,以至"有朝一日"哟贫农公元不会真的来临.约翰.列侬曾经说过:"生活就是当我们忙于制定别的计划时发生的事."当我们忙于指定种种"别的计划"时,我们的孩子在忙于长大,我们挚爱的人里去了甚至快去世了,我们的体型变样了,而我们的梦想也在消然溜走了.一句话,我们错过了生活.Many people lives as if life is a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn't. In fact, no one have a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. Now is the only time we have, and the only time that we have any control over. When we put our attention on the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future--we won't have enoughh money,our children will get into trouble,we will get old and die,whatever.许多人的生活好象是某个未来日子的彩排.并非如此.事实上,没人能保证他或她肯定还活着.现在是我们所拥有的唯一时间,现在也是我们能控制的唯一的时间.当我们将注意力放在此时此刻时,我们就将恐惧置于脑后.恐惧就是我们担忧某些事情会在未来发生--我们不讳有足够的钱,我们的孩子会惹上麻烦,我们会变老,会死去,诸如此类.To combat fear, the best stradegy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present. Mark Twain said,"I have been through some terrible things in life, someof which actually happened." I don't think I can say it any better. Practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Your effort will pay great dividends. 若要克服恐惧心理,最佳策略是学会将你的注意力拉回此时此刻.马克.吐温说过:"我经历过生活中一些可怕的事情,有些的确发生过."我想我说不出比这更具内涵的话.经常将注意力集中于此情此景,此时此刻,你的努力终会有丰厚的报偿.3\How High Can You Jump?Flea trainers have observed a strange habit of fleas while training them. Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the cardboard box over and over and over again.As you watch them jump and hit the lid, something very interesting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They won't jump out because they can't jump out. Why? The reason is simple. They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high.Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high, that's all they can do!Many times, people do the same thing. They restrict themselves and never reach their potential. Just like the fleas, they fail to jump higher, thinking they are doing all they can do.跳蚤训练人在训练跳蚤时发现跳蚤有一个奇怪的习惯。
中考英语作文范文及详解50篇1.假如你是Li Hua,你被评为学校的“美德少年”,初中三年的学习生活即将结束,你远在英国的表妹Linda即将回国学习,她来信请你给她即将开始的初中生活提出一些建议,请根据下面的要点提示,写一封回信。
1. 要点:(1)文中不能出现真实的校名和姓名等;(2)语言要通顺,表达要正确;(3)要求包含所有要点提示,为了行文需要,可适当增加要点;(4)词数不少于60个英语单词,开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
3. 参考词汇:培养兴趣develop interests 社会新闻social news与人交流communicate with 在公共场合in publicDear Linda,I’m very glad to hear that you will come back to China and study in my school next term. Here are some suggestions foryou.___________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________Be st wishes, and I’m looking forward to seeing you earlier.Yours,Li Hua 【答案】例文Dear Linda,I’m very glad to hear that you will come back to China and study in my school next term. Here aresome suggestions for you.At school, you should study hard to learn a lot of knowledge, you should pay attention to social news, you can develop some interests such as reading books and playing sports. At home, you should communicate with your family. If you do something wrong, you should correct it. In public, you should follow the rules, especially the traffic rules, and you should pay attention to the safety, don’t go out alone at night; You should help others when they are in trouble. If you like traveling, you can go on a trip in your free time.Best wishes, and I’m looking forward to seeing you earlier.Yours,Li Hua 【详解】1、题干解读:题目要求你给的远在英国的表妹写一封信,对她即将开始的初中生活提出一些建议,要求包括在学校、在家里以及在公共场所应该怎么做给出你的建议,可适当发挥。
初中英语经典诵读100篇Unit 1 Be a Brave Seed 做一粒勇敢的种子Once upon a time, there were two seeds. They often talked with each other. One day, they lay on the ground and had a chat. The first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to be big so that I can enjoy the sun and the rain!" Later, it grew. It had a chance to enjoy the sun and the rain. The second seed said, "I am afraid of growing up. If I grow, I have to live in the soil. I might be eaten by littl e animals. How terribl e! And what's more, if I become a beautiful fl ower, a child will come and pick me. It's much better for me to wait because it is safe." It didn't grow. In spring, a chick came. The chick ate the second and l eft. See? We shoul d face our life bravely.[注释]seed [siːd] n.种子lie [laɪ] v. (lay, lain)躺soil [sɔɪl] n.土壤;土地bravely [breɪvli] adv.勇敢地从前,有两粒种子。
初中英语美文背诵文选100篇1. The First SnowThe first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs on the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course be a winding black line across the landscape; and the leafless tress, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs, no more rattling wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bell, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children. (118 words)From KavanaghBy Henry Wadsworth Longfellow2. The Humming-birdOf all animals being this is the most elegant in form and the most brilliant in colors. The stones and metals polished by our arts are not comparable to this jewel of Nature. She has placed it least in size of the order of birds. "maxime Miranda in minimis." Her masterpiece is this little humming-bird, and upon it she has heaped all the gifts which the other birds may only share. Lightness, rapidity, nimbleness, grace, and rich apparel all belong to this little favorite. The emerald, the ruby, and the topaz gleam upon its dress. It never soils them with the dust of earth, and in its aerial life scarcely touches the turf an instant. Always in the air, flying from flower to flower, it has their freshness as well as their brightness. It lives upon their nectar, and dwells only in the climates where they perennially bloom. (149 words)From Natural HistoryBy George Louise Buffon陈冠商《英语背诵文选》3. PinesThe pine, placed nearly always among scenes disordered and desolate, bring into them all possibleelements of order and precision. Lowland trees may lean to this side and that, though it is but a meadow breeze that bends them or a bank of cowlips from which their trunks lean aslope. But let storm and avalanche do their worst, and let the pine find only a ledge of vertical precipice to cling to, it will nevertheless grow straight. Thrust a rod from its last shoot down the stem; it shall point to the center of the earth as long as the tree lives. It may be well also for lowland branches to reach hither and thither for what they need, and to take all kinds of irregular shape and extension. But the pine is trained to need nothing and endure everything. It is resolvedly whole, self-contained, desiring nothing but rightness, content with restricted completion. Tall or short, it will be straight. (160 words)From Modern PaintersBy John Ruskin陈冠商《英语背诵文选》4. Reading Good BooksDevote some of your leisure, I repeat, to cultivating a love of reading good books. Fortunate indeed are those who contrive to make themselves genuine book-lovers. For book lovers have some noteworthy advantages over other people. They need never know lonely hours so long as they have books around them, and the better the books the more delightful the company. From good books, moreover, they draw much besides entertainment. They gain mental food such as few companions can supply. Even while resting from their labors they are, through the books they read, equipping themselves to perform those labors more efficiently. This albeit they may not be deliberately reading to improve their mind. All unconsciously the ideas they derive from the printed paged are stored up, to be worked over by the imagination for future profit.(135 words)From Self-DevelopmentBy Henry Addington Bruce陈冠商《英语背诵文选》5. On EtiquetteEtiquette to society is what apparel is to the individual. Without apparel men would go inshameful nudity which would surely lead to the corruption of morals; and without etiquette society would be in a pitiable state and the necessary intercourse between its members would be interfered with by needless offences and troubles. If society were a train, the etiquette would be the rails along which only the train could rumble forth; if society were a state coach, the etiquette would be the wheels and axis on which only the coach could roll forward. The lack of proprieties would make the most intimate friends turns to be the most decided enemies and the friendly or allied countries declare war against each other. We can find many examples in the history of mankind. Therefore I advise you to stand on ceremony before anyone else and to take pains not to do anything against etiquette lest you give offences or make enemies. (160 words)by William Hazlitt陈冠商《英语背诵文选》6. An Hour Before SunriseAn hour before sunrise in the city there is an air of cold. Solitary desolation about the noiseless streets, which we are accustomed to see thronged at other times by a busy, eager crowd, and over the quiet, closely shut buildings which throughout the day are warming with life. The drunken, the dissipated, and the criminal have disappeared; the more sober and orderly part of the population have not yet awakened to the labors of the day, and the stillness of death is over streets; its very hue seems to be imparted to them, cold and lifeless as they look in the gray, somber light of daybreak. A partially opened bedroom window here and there bespeaks the heat of the weather and the uneasy slumbers of its occupant; and the dim scanty flicker of a light through the blinds of yonder windows denotes the chamber of watching and sickness. Save for that sad light, the streets present no signs of life, nor the houses of habitation. (166 words)From BozBy Charles Dickens陈冠商《英语背诵文选》7. The Importance of Scientific ExperimentsThe rise of modern science may perhaps be considered to date as far as the time of Roger Bacon, the wonderful monk and philosopher of Oxford, who lived between the years 1214 and 1292. Hewas probable the first in the middle ages to assert that we must learn science by observing and experimenting on the things around us, and he himself made many remarkable discoveries. Galileo, however who lived more than 300 years later (1564 to 1642), was the greatest of several great men, who in Italy, France, Germany or England, began by degrees to show how many important truths could be discovered by well-directed observation. Before the time of Galileo, learned men believed that large bodies fall more rapidly towards the earth than small ones, because Aristotle said so. But Galileo, going to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, let fall two unequal stones, and proved to some friends, whom he had brought there to see his experiment, that Aristotle was in error. It is Galileo's sprit of going direct to Nature, and verifying our opinions and theories by experiment, that has led to all the great discoveries of modern science.(196 words)From LogicBy William Stanley Jevons陈冠商《英语背诵文选》8. Address at GettysburgFourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, ca n long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate-we cannot consecrate-we cannot hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, heave consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that form these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shallhave a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. (268 words)By Abraham Lincoln9. A Little Girl (1)Sitting on a grassy grave, beneath one of the windows of the church, was a little girl. With her head bent back she was gazing up at the sky and singing, while one of her little hands was pointing to a tiny cloud that hovered like a golden feather above her head. The sun, which had suddenly become very bright, shining on her glossy hair, gave it a metallic luster, and it was difficult to say what was the color, dark bronze or black. So completely absorbed was shi in watching the cloud to which her strange song or incantation and went towards her. Over her head, high up in the blue, a lark that was soaring towards the same gauzy could was singing, as if in rivalry. As I slowly approached the child, I could see by her forehead, which in the sunshine seemed like a globe of pearl, and especially by her complexion, that she uncommonly lovely. (159 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》10. A Little Girl (2)Her eyes, which at one moment seemed blue-gray, at another violet, were shaded by long black lashes, curving backward in a most peculiar way, and these matched in hue her eyebrows, and the tresses that were tossed about her tender throat and were quivering in the sunlight. All this I did not take in at once; for at first I could see nothing but those quivering, glittering, changeful eyes turned up into my face. Gradually the other features, especially the sensitive full-lipped mouth, grew upon me as I stood silently gazing. Here seemed tome a more perfect beauty than had ever come to me in my loveliest dreams of beauty. Yet it was not her beauty so much as the look she gave me that fascinated me, melted me. (129 words)(302 words)From Aylwinby Theodore Watts-Dunton陈冠商《英语背诵文选》11. Choosing an OccupationHodeslea, Eastbourne,November 5, 1892Dear Sir,I am very sorry that the pressure of other occupations has prevented me form sending an earlier reply to your letter.In my opinion a man's first duty is to find a way of supporting himself, thereby relieving other people of the necessity of supporting him. Moreover, the learning to so work of practical value in the world, in an exact and careful manner, is of itself, a very important education the effects of which make themselves felt in all other pursuits. The habit of doing that which you do not dare about when you would much rather be doing something else, is invaluable. It would have saved me a frightful waste of time if I had ever had it drilled into me in youth.Success in any scientific career requires an unusual equipment of capacity, industry, and energy. If you possess that equipment, you will find leisure enough after your daily commercial work is over, to make an opening in the scientific ranks for yourself. If you do not, you had better stick to commerce. Nothing is less to be desired than the fate of a young man who, as the Scotch proverb says, in 'trying to make a spoon spoils a horn," and becomes a mere hanger-on in literature or in science, when he might have been a useful and a valuable member of Society in other occupations.I think that your father ought to see this letter. (244 words)Yours faithfullyT.H. HuxleyFrom Life and Letters of Thomas Henry HuxleyBy Leonard Huxley陈冠商《英语背诵文选》12. An Important Aspect of College LifeIt is perfectly possible to organize the life of our colleges in such a way that students and teachers alike will take part in it; in such a way that a perfectly natural daily intercourse will be established between them; and it is only by such an organization that they can be given real vitality as places of serious training, be made communities in which youngsters will come fully to realize howinteresting intellectual work is, how vital, how important, how closely associated with all modern achievement-only by such an organization that study can be made to seem part of life itself. Lectures often seem very formal and empty things; recitations generally proved very dull and unrewarding. It is in conversation and natural intercourse with scholars chiefly that you find how lively knowledge is, how it ties into everything that is interesting and important, how intimate a part it is of everything that is interesting and important, how intimate a part it is of everything that is "practical" and connected with the world. Men are not always made thoughtful by books; but they are generally made thoughtful by association with men who think. (195 words)By Woodrow Wilson陈冠商《英语背诵文选》13. Night (1)Night has fallen over the country. Through the trees rises the red moon, and the stars are scarcely seen. In the vast shadow of night the coolness and the dews descend. I sit at the open window to enjoy them; and hear only the voice of the summer wind. Like black hulks, the shadows of the great trees ride at anchor on the billowy sea of grass. I cannot see the red and blue flowers, but I know that they are there. Far away in the meadow gleams the silver Charles. The tramp of horses' hoofs sounds from the wooden bridge. Then all is still save the continuous wind or the sound of the neighboring sea. The village clock strikes; and I feel that I am not alone.(128 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》14. Night (2)How different it is in the city! It is late, and the crowd is gone. You step out upon the balcony, and lie in the very bosom of the cool, dewy night as if you folded her garments about you. Beneath lies the public walk with trees, like a fathomless, black gulf, into whose silent beloved spirit clasped in its embrace. The lamps are still burning up and down the long street. People go by with grotesque shadows, now foreshortened, and now lengthening away into the darkness and vanishing, while a new one springs up behind the walker, and seems to pass him revolving like the sail of a windmill. The iron gates of the park shut with a jangling clang. There are footsteps and loud voices; --atumult; --a drunken brawl; --an alarm of fire; --then silence again. And now at length the city is asleep, and we can see the night. The belated moon looks over the roofs, and finds no one to welcome her. The moonlight is broken. It lies here and there in the squares, and the opening of the streets-angular like blocks of white marble. (195 words)(323 words)By Nathanial Hawthorne陈冠商《英语背诵文选》15. An October Sunrise (1)I was up the next morning before the October sunrise, and away through the wild and the woodland. The rising of the sun was noble in the cold and warmth of it; peeping down the spread of light, he raised his shoulder heavily over the edge of gray mountain and wavering length of upland. Beneath his gaze the dew-fogs dipped and crept to the hollow places, then stole away in line and column, holding skirts and cling subtly at the sheltering corners where rock hung over grass-land, while the brave lines of the hills came forth, one beyond other gliding.The woods arose in folds, like drapery of awakened mountains, stately with a depth of awe, and memory of the tempests. Autumn's mellow hand was upon them, as they owned already, touched with gold and red and olive, and their joy towards the sun was less to a bridegroom than a father. (152 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》16. An October Sunrise (2)Yet before the floating impress of the woods could clear itself, suddenly the gladsome light leaped over hill and valley, casting amber, blue, and purple, and a tint of rich red rose, according to the scene they lit on, and the curtain flung around; yet all alike dispelling fear and the coven hoof of darkness, all on the wings of hope advancing, and proclaiming, "God is here!" Then life and joy sprang reassured from every crouching hollow; every flower and bud and bird had a fluttering sense of them, and all the flashing of God's gaze merged into soft beneficence.So, perhaps, shall break upon us that eternal morning, when crag and chasm shall be no more, neither hill and valley, nor great unvintaged ocean; when glory shall not scare happiness, neitherhappiness envy glory; but all things shall arise, and shine in the light of the Father's countenance, because itself is risen. (153 words)(305 words)By Richard D. Blackmore陈冠商《英语背诵文选》17. Of Studies (1)Studies serve for delight, for ornamental, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar. They perfect nature, natural plants, that need proyning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. (157 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》18. Of Studies (2)Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted; others to swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; an if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. (170 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》19. Of Studies (3)Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtile; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores. Nay there is no stond or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies: like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt. (163 words)(490 words)By Francis Bacon陈冠商《英语背诵文选》20. Books (1)The good books of the hour, then, --I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend's present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussion of questions; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history; --all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age: we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worse possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print. Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered. (189 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》21. Books (2)The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant an account of the inns, the roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for occasional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a "book" at all, nor, in the real sense, to be "read". A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would-the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead: that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to preserve it. (190 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》22. Books (3)The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly, at all events. In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him; --this the piece of true knowledge, or sight, which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to seize. He would fain set it down for ever; engrave it on rock, if he could; saying, "this is the best of me; for the rest, I ate, and drank, and slept, loved and hated, like another; my life was as the vapour, and is not; but this I saw and knew: this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory, " That is his "writing"; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a "Book". (186 words)(565 words)By John Ruskin陈冠商《英语背诵文选》"Time" says the proverb "is money". This means that every moment well spent may put some money into our pockets. If our time is usefully employed, it will either turn out some useful and important piece of work which will fetch its price in the market, or it will add to our experience and increase our capacities so as to enable us to earn money when the proper opportunity comes. There can thus be no doubt that time is convertible into money. Let those who think nothing of wasting time, remember this; let them remember that an hour misspent is equivalent to the loss of a bank-note; an that an hour utilized is tantamount to so much silver or gold; and then they will probably think twice before they give their consent to the loss of any part of their time. Moreover, our life is nothing more than our time. To kill time is therefore a form of suicide. We are shocked when we think of death, and we spare no pains, no trouble, and no expense to preserve life. But we are too often indifferent to the loss of an hour or of a day, forgetting that our life is the sum total of the days and of the hours we live. A day of an hour wasted is therefore so much life forfeited. Let us bear this in mind, and waste of time will appear to us in the light of a crime as culpable as suicide itself. (250 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》25. The Value of Time (2)There is a third consideration which will also tend to warn us against loss of time. Our life is a brief span measuring some sixty or seventy years in all, but nearly one half of this has to be spent in sleep; some years have to be spent over our meals; some over dressing and undressing; some in making journeys on land and voyages by sea; some in merry-making, either on our own account or for the sake of others; some in celebrating religious and social festivities; some in watching over the sick-beds of our nearest and dearest relatives. Now if all these years were to be deducted from the tern over which our life extends we shall find about fifteen or twenty years at our disposal for active work. Whoever remembers this can never willingly waste a single moment of his life. "It is astonishing" says Lord Chesterfield "that anyone can squander away in absolute idleness one single moment of that portion of time which is allotted to us in this world. Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it!" (187 words)陈冠商《英语背诵文选》All time is precious; but the time of our childhood and of our youth is more precious than any other portion of our existence. For those are the periods when alone we can acquire knowledge and develop our faculties and capacities. If we allow these morning hours of life to slip away unutilized, we shall never be able to recoup the loss. As we grow older, our power of acquisition gets blunted, so that the art or science which is not acquired in childhood or youth will never be acquired at all. Just as money laid out at interest doubles and trebles itself in time, so the precious hours of childhood and youth, if properly used, will yield us incalculable advantages. "Every moment you lose" says Lord Chesterfield "is so much character and advantage lost; as on the other hand, every moment you now employ usefully is so much time wisely laid out at prodigious interest."A proper employment of time is of great benefit to us from a moral point of view. Idleness is justly said to be the rust of the mind and an idle brain is said to be Satan's workshop. It is mostly when you do not know what to do with yourself that you do something ill or wrong. The mind of the idler preys upon itself. As Watt has said:In works of labour or of skillLet me be busy too;For Satan finds some mischief stillFor idle hands to do. (249 words(686 words)By Robert William Service陈冠商《英语背诵文选》27. Spring The Resurrection TimeSprings are not always the same, In some years, April bursts upon our Virginia hills in one prodigious leap—and all the stage is filled at once, whole choruses of tulips, arabesques of forsythia, cadenzas of flowering plum. The trees grow leaves overnight.In other years, spring tiptoes in. It pauses, overcome by shyness, like my grandchild at the door, peeping in, ducking out of sight, giggling in the hallway. "I know you're out there," I cry. "Come in!" And April slips into arms.The dogwood bud, pale green, is inlaid with russet markings. With in the perfect cup a score ofclustered seeds are nestled. Once examined the bud in awe: Where were those seeds a month ago The apples display their milliner's scraps of ivory silk, rose-tinged. All the sleeping things wake up-primrose, baby iris, blue phlox. The earth warms-you can smell it, feel it, crumble April in your hands.The dark Blue Mountains in which I dwell, great-hipped, big-breasted, slumber on the western sky. And then they stretch and gradually awaken. A warm wind, soft as a girl's hair, moves sailboat clouds in gentle skies. The rain come-good rains to sleep by-and fields that were dun as oatmeal turn to pale green, then to Kelly green.All this reminds me of a theme that runs through my head like a line of music. Its message is profoundly simple, and profoundly mysterious also: Life goes on. That is all there is to it. Everything that is, was; and everything that is, will be. (259 words)by James J. Kilpatrick陈擎红《英语背诵散文》27. Spell of the Rising MoonAs the moon lifted off the ridge it gathered firmness and authority. Its complexion changed from red, to orange, to gold, to impassive yellow. It seemed to draw light out of the darkening earth, for as it rose, the hills and valleys below grew dimmer. By the time the moon stood clear of the horizon, full chested and round and the color of ivory, the valley were deep shadows in the landscape. The dogs, reassured that this was the familiar moon, stopped barking.The drama took an hour. Moonrise is slow and serried with subtleties. To watch it, we must slip into an older, more patient sense of time. To watch the moon move inexorably higher is to find an unusual stillness within ourselves. Our imaginations become aware of the vast distances of space, the immensity of the earth and the huge improbability of our own existence. We feel small but privileged.Moonlight shows us none of life's harder edges. Hillsides seem silken and silvery, the oceans still and blue in its light. In moonlight we become less calculating, more drawn to our feelings.(184 words)by Peter Steinhart陈擎红《英语背诵散文》28. The Enchantment of Creeks (1)。
初中英语背诵100篇01 The Language of Music时间: 2008-02-26 11:44:10 作者:来源:A painter hangs his or her finished pictures on a wall, and everyone can see it. A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long and as arduous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, for musicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer. Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords would be inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practice moving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow to and fro with the right arm—two entirely different movements.Singers and instruments have to be able to get every note perfectly in tune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes are already there, waiting for them, and it is the piano tuner’s responsibility to tune the instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties; the hammers that hit the string have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear.This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts student conductors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how it should sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sound with fanatical but selfless authority.Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledge and understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home in the language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any century.02 Schooling and Education时间: 2008-02-26 11:43:46 作者:来源:It is commonly believed in United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important.Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or in the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe ofinformal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one’s entire life.Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the working of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that there not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.03 The Definition of “Price”时间: 2008-02-26 11:43:11 作者:来源:Prices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services. The interrelationships of all these prices make up the “system” of prices. The pr ice of any particular product or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else.If one were to ask a group of randomly selected individuals to define “price”, many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a product or service or, in other words that price is the money values of a product or service as agreed upon in a market transaction. This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors. In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total “package” b eing exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.04 Electricity时间: 2008-02-26 11:42:44 作者:来源:The modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets because there are no traffic lights to guide them, and food spoils in silent refrigerators.Yet, people began to understand how electricity works only a little more than two centuries ago. Nature has apparently been experimenting in this field for million of years. Scientists are discovering more and more that the living world may hold many interesting secrets of electricity that could benefit humanity.All living cell send out tiny pulses of electricity. As the heart beats, it sends out pulses of record; they form an electrocardiogram, which a doctor can study to determine how well the heart is working. The brain, too, sends out brain waves of electricity, which can be recorded in an electroencephalogram. The electric currents generated by most living cells are extremely small – often so small that sensitive instruments are needed to record them. But in some animals, certain muscle cells have become so specialized as electrical generators that they do not work as muscle cells at all. When large numbers of these cell are linked together, the effects can be astonishing.The electric eel is an amazing storage battery. It can seed a jolt of as much as eight hundred volts of electricity through the water in which it live. ( An electric house current is only one hundred twenty volts.) As many as four-fifths of all the cells in the electric eel’s body are specialized for generating electricity, and the strength of the shock it can deliver corresponds roughly to length of its body.05 The Beginning of Drama时间: 2008-02-26 11:42:12 作者:来源:There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The on most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world-even the seasonal changes-as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used, Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium." In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and mimed the desired effect-success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival of the Sun-as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.Another theory traces the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this vies tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.06 Television时间: 2008-02-26 11:41:42 作者:来源:Television-----the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by rapid change and growth-is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.The word "television", derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin (visio: sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconductive plate within a camera) into electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.Television is more than just an electronic system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years, it has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.07 Andrew Carnegie时间: 2008-02-26 11:41:11 作者:来源:Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and , in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the product and in part from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments.Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. "He who dies rich, dies disgraced," he often said.Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthrophic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie's generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.08 American Revolution时间: 2008-02-26 11:40:48 作者:来源:The American Revolution was not a sudden and violent overturning of the political and social framework, such as later occurred in France and Russia, when both were already independent nations. Significant changes were ushered in, but they were not breathtaking. What happened was accelerated evolution rather than outright revolution. During the conflict itself people went on working andpraying, marrying and playing. Most of them were not seriously disturbed by the actual fighting, and many of the more isolated communities scarcely knew that a war was on.America's War of Independence heralded the birth of three modern nations. One was Canada, which received its first large influx of English-speaking population from the thousands of loyalists who fled there from the United States. Another was Australia, which became a penal colony now that America was no longer available for prisoners and debtors. The third newcomer-the United States-based itself squarely on republican principles.Yet even the political overturn was not so revolutionary as one might suppose. In some states, notably Connecticut and Rhode Island, the war largely ratified a colonial self-rule already existing. British officials, everywhere ousted, were replaced by a home-grown governing class, which promptly sought a local substitute for king and Parliament.09 Suburbanization时间: 2008-02-26 11:39:55 作者:来源:If by "suburb" is meant an urban margin that grows more rapidly than its already developed interior, the process of suburbanization began during the emergence of the industrial city in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Before that period the city was a small highly compact cluster in which people moved about on foot and goods were conveyed by horse and cart. But the early factories built in the 1840's were located along waterways and near railheads at the edges of cities, and housing was needed for the thousands of people drawn by the prospect of employment. In time, the factories were surrounded by proliferating mill towns of apartments and row houses that abutted the older, main cities. As a defense against this encroachment and to enlarge their tax bases, the cities appropriated their industrial neighbors. In 1854, for example, the city of Philadelphia annexed most of Philadelphia County. Similar municipal maneuvers took place in Chicago and in New York. Indeed, most great cities of the United States achieved such status only by incorporating the communities along their borders.With the acceleration of industrial growth came acute urban crowding and accompanying social stress-conditions that began to approach disastrous proportions when, in 1888, the first commercially successful electric traction line was developed. Within a few years the horse-drawn trolleys were retired and electric streetcar networks crisscrossed and connected every major urban area, fostering a wave of suburbanization that transformed the compact industrial city into a dispersed metropolis. This first phase of mass-scale suburbanization was reinforced by the simultaneous emergence of the urban Middle Class, whose desires for homeownership in neighborhoods far from the aging inner city were satisfied by the developers of single-family housing tracts.13 Skyscrapers and Environment时间: 2008-02-26 11:39:26 作者:来源:In the late 1960's, many people in North America turned their attention to environmental problems, and new steel-and-glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Ecologists pointed out that a cluster of tall buildings in a city often overburdens public transportation and parking lot capacities.Skyscrapers are also lavish consumers, and wasters, of electric power. In one recent year, the addition of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City raised the peak daily demand for electricity by 120, 000 kilowatts-enough to supply the entire city of Albany, New York, for a day.Glass-walled skyscrapers can be especially wasteful. The heat loss (or gain)through a wall of half-inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical masonry wall filled with insulation board. To lessen the strain on heating and air-conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double-glazed panels of glass, and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold mirror films that reduce glare as well as heat gain. However, mirror-walled skyscrapers raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings.Skyscrapers put a severe strain on a city's sanitation facilities, too. If fully occupied, the two World Trade Center towers in New York City would alone generate 2.25 million gallons of raw sewage each year-as much as a city the size of Stanford, Connecticut , which has a population of more than 109, 000.14 A Rare Fossil Record时间: 2008-02-26 11:39:03 作者:来源:The preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rate occurrence in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other animals, a lack of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well-preserved ichthyosaur fossils.The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in black, bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine reptiles, fish and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is thenumber of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.15 The Nobel Academy时间: 2008-02-26 11:38:34 作者:来源:For the last 82years, Sweden's Nobel Academy has decided who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, thereby determining who will be elevated from the great and the near great to the immortal. But today the Academy is coming under heavy criticism both from the without and from within. Critics contend that the selection of the winners often has less to do with true writing ability than with the peculiar internal politics of the Academy and of Sweden itself. According to Ingmar Bjorksten , the cultural editor for one of the country's two major newspapers, the prize continues to represent "what people call a very Swedish exercise: reflecting Swedish tastes."The Academy has defended itself against such charges of provincialism in its selection by asserting that its physical distance from the great literary capitals of the world actually serves to protect the Academy from outside influences. This may well be true, but critics respond that this very distance may also be responsible for the Academy's inability to perceive accurately authentic trends in the literary world.Regardless of concerns over the selection process, however, it seems that the prize will continue to survive both as an indicator of the literature that we most highly praise, and as an elusive goal that writers seek. If for no other reason, the prize will continue to be desirable for the financial rewards that accompany it; not only is the cash prize itself considerable, but it also dramatically increases sales of an author's books.16. the war between Britain and France时间: 2008-02-26 11:38:08 作者:来源:In the late eighteenth century, battles raged in almost every corner of Europe, as well as in the Middle East, south Africa ,the West Indies, and Latin America. In reality, however, there was only one major war during this time, the war between Britain and France. All other battles were ancillary to this larger conflict, and were often at least partially related to its antagonist’ goals and strategies. France sought total domination of Europe . this goal was obstructed by British independence and Britain’s efforts throughout the continent to thwart Napoleon; through treaties. Britain built coalitions (not dissimilar in concept to today’s NATO) guaranteeing British participation in all major European conflicts. These two antagonists were poorly matched, insofar as they had very unequal strengths; France was predominant on land, Britain at sea. The French knew that, short of defeating the British navy, their only hope of victory was to close all the ports of Europe to British ships. Accordingly, France set out to overcome Britain by extending its military domination from Moscow t Lisbon, from Jutland to Calabria. All of this entailed tremendous risk, because France did not have the military resources to control this much territory and still protect itself and maintain order at home.French strategists calculated that a navy of 150 ships would provide the force necessary to defeat the British navy. Such a force would give France a three-to-two advantage over Britain. This advantage was deemed necessary because of Britain’s superior sea skills and technology because of Britain’s superior sea skills and technology, and also because Britain would be fighting a defensive war, allowing it to win with fewer forces. Napoleon never lost substantial impediment to his control of Europe. As his force neared that goal, Napoleon grew increasingly impatient and began planning an immediate attack.17.Evolution of sleep时间: 2008-02-26 11:37:42 作者:来源:Sleep is very ancient. In the electroencephalographic sense we share it with all the primates and almost all the other mammals and birds: it may extend back as far as the reptiles.There is some evidence that the two types of sleep, dreaming and dreamless, depend on the life-style of the animal, and that predators are statistically much more likely to dream than prey, which are in turn much more likely to experience dreamless sleep. In dream sleep, the animal is powerfully immobilized and remarkably unresponsive to external stimuli. Dreamless sleep is much shallower, and we have all witnessed cats or dogs cocking their ears to a sound when apparently fast asleep. The fact that deep dream sleep is rare among pray today seems clearly to be a product of natural selection, and it makes sense that today, when sleep is highly evolved, the stupid animals are less frequently immobilized by deep sleep than the smart ones. But why should they sleep deeply at all? Why should a state of such deep immobilization ever have evolved?Perhaps one useful hint about the original function of sleep is to be found in the fact that dolphins and whales and aquatic mammals in genera seem to sleep very little. There is, by and large, no place to hide in the ocean. Could it be that, rather than increasing an animal’s vulnerability, the University of Florida and Ray Meddis of London University have suggested this to be the case. It is conceivable that animals who are too stupid to be quite on their own initiative are, during periods of high risk, immobilized by the implacable arm of sleep. The point seems particularly clear for the young of predatory animals. This is an interesting notion and probably at least partly true.18.Modern American Universities时间: 2008-02-26 11:37:15 作者:来源:Before the 1850’s, the United States had a number of small colleges, most of them dating from colonial days. They were small, church connected institutions whose primary concern was to shape the moral character of their students.Throughout Europe, institutions of higher learning had developed, bearing the ancient name of university. In German university was concerned primarily with creating and spreading knowledge, not morals. Between mid-century and the end of th e 1800’s, more than nine thousand young Americans, dissatisfied with their training at home, went to Germany for advanced study. Some of them return to become presidents of venerable colleges-----Harvard, Yale, Columbia---and transform them into modern universities. The new presidents broke all ties with the churches and brought in a new kind of faculty. Professors were hired for their knowledge of a subject, not because they were of the proper faith and had a strong arm for disciplining students. The new principle was that a university was to create knowledge as well as pass it on, and this called for a faculty composed of teacher-scholars. Drilling and learning by rote were replaced by the German method of lecturing, in which the professor’s own research w as presented in class. Graduate training leading to the Ph.D., an ancient German degree signifying the highest level of advanced scholarly attainment, was introduced. With the establishment of the seminar system, graduate student learned to question, analyze, and conduct their own research.At the same time, the new university greatly expanded in size and course offerings, breaking completely out of the old, constricted curriculum of mathematics, classics, rhetoric, and music. The president of Harvard pioneered the elective system, by which students were able to choose their own course of study. The notion of major fields of study emerged. The new goal was to make the university relevant to the real pursuits of the world. Paying close heed to the practical needs of society, the new universities trained men and women to work at its tasks, with engineering students being the most characteristic of the new regime. Students were also trained as economists, architects, agriculturalists, social welfare workers, and teachers.。