1、A. How to be a successful language learner? 怎样成为一名成功的语言学习者“Learning a language is easy, even a child can do it!” “学习一门语言很容易,即使小孩也能做得到。 ”Most adults who are learning a second language would disagree with this statement. 大多数正在学习第二语言的成年人会不同意这种说法。For them, learning a language is a very difficult task. 对
2、他们来说,学 习一门语言是非常困难的事情。They need hundreds of hours of study and practice, and even this will not guarantee success for every adult language learner. 他们需要数百小时 的学习与练习,即使 这样 也不能保证每个成年语言学习者都能学好。Language learning is different from other kinds of learning. 语言学习不同于其他学习。Some people who are very intelligent an
3、d successful in their fields find it difficult to succeed in language learning. 许 多人很聪明,在自己的领域很成功,但他们发现很难学好一门语言。 Conversely, some people who are successful language learners find it difficult to succeed in other fields. 相反,一些人学 习语言很成功,但却发现很难在其他领域有所成就。Language teachers often offer advice to language
4、learners: “Read as much as you can in the new language.” 语言教师常常向 语言学习者提出建 议:“ 要用新的语言尽量多阅读”“ Practice speaking the language every day. 每天练习说这种语言”“Live with people who speak the language. 与说这 种语言的人住在一起”“Dont translate-try to think in the new language. 不要翻译尽量用 这种新的语言去思考 ”“ Learn as a child would learn;
5、 play with the language. 要像孩子学语言一样去学习新语言,放松地去学习语言。 ”But what does a successful language learner do? Language learning research shows that successful language learners are similar in many ways. 然而,成功的语言学习者是怎样做的呢 语言学习研究表明,成功的 语言学习者在许多方面都有相似之处。First of all, successful language learners are independent
6、learners. 首先,成功的语言学习者独立学习。They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language. 他们不依赖书本和老师,而且能找到自己学习语言的方法。Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. 他们不是等待老 师来解释,而是自己尽力去找到语言的句式和规则。They are goo
7、d guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. 他们寻找线索并由自己得出结论,从而做出正确的猜 测。 When they guess wrong, they guess again. 如果猜错,他们就再猜一遍。They try to learn from their mistakes.他们都努力从错误中学习。Successful language learning is active learning. 成功的 语言学习是一种主动的学习。Therefore, successful learners do not wai
8、t for a chance to use the language; they look for such a chance. 因此,成功的语 言学习者不是坐等时机而是主动寻找机会来使用语言。They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. 他们找到(说)这 种语言的人进行练习 ,出 错时请这些人纠正。They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to re
9、peat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. 他们不失时机地进行交流,不怕重复所听到的话,也不怕说出离奇的 话,他 们不在乎出 错,并 乐于反复尝试。When communication is difficult, they can accept information that is inexact or incomplete. 当交流困难时,他 们可以接受不确切或不完整的信息。It is more important for them to lea
10、rn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every word. 对他们来说,更重要的是学习用这种语言思考,而不是知道每个词的意思。Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. 最后,成功的 语言学习者学习目的明确。They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. 他们想学习一门语
11、言是因为他们对这门语言以及说这种语言的人感兴趣。It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. 他们有必要学习这门语言去和那些人交流并向他们学习。They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it. 他们发现经 常练习使用这 种语言很容易,因 为他们想利用这种语言来学习。What ki
12、nd of language learner are you? 你是什么样的 语言学习者 If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. 如果你是一位成功的语言学习者,那么你大概一直在独立地,主 动地,目的明确地学习。On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might do well to t
13、ry some of the techniques outlined above. 另一方面,如果你的语言学习一直不太成功,你不妨 试试上面提到的一些技巧。01-B. Language 语 言When we want to tell other people what we think, we can do it not only with the help of words, but also in many other ways. 当我们想告诉别 人我们想什么时,我们不但可以借助于词语, 还可以用其他表达方法。For instance, we sometimes move our head
14、s up and down when we want to say “yes” and we move our heads from side to side when we want to say “no.“ 比如,当我 们想说“是”时,我们有时会上下点头,而当我们想说“ 不” 时,我们会左右摇头。People who can neither hear nor speak (that is, deaf and dumb people) talk to each other with the help of their fingers. People who do not understand
15、 each others language have to do the same. 那些既听不见也不会说话的人(也就是聋哑人)借助于手势相互交谈。那些彼些不懂对方语言的人也用这种方式交谈。The following story shows how they sometimes do it. 下面这个故事就说明了人们有时是怎样借助于手势进行交谈的。An Englishman who could not speak Italian was once traveling in Italy. 一个不会说意大利语的人曾到意大利去旅行。 One day he entered a restaurant a
16、nd sat down at a table. 一天,他走进一家饭店,在桌边坐下。 When the waiter came, the Englishman opened his mouth, put his fingers in it, took them out again and moved his lips. 侍者过来时,这个英国人张开嘴,将手指放进嘴中,然后拿出来,并上下翕动嘴唇。 In this way he meant to say, “Bring me something to eat.“ 他用 这种方法说:“给我拿点吃的东西。 ”The waiter soon brought
17、 him a cup of tea. 侍者很快 给他端来一杯茶。The Englishman shook his head and the waiter understood that he didnt want tea, so he took it away and brought him some coffee. 英国人摇摇头,侍者明白他不想要茶,于是将茶端走,又端来咖啡。The Englishman, who was very hungry by this time and not at all thirsty, looked very sad. 英国人一脸不高兴的样子,他这时 一点也不
18、渴,只是非常饿,He shook his head each time the waiter brought him something to drink.每次侍者给他端来喝的他都 摇头 。The waiter brought him wine, then beer, then soda-water, but that wasnt food, of course. 侍者给他端来了葡萄酒,接着又拿来了啤酒,汽水。当然这些都不是食物。 He was just going to leave the restaurant when another traveler came in. 他正要离开这家饭店
19、时,另外一位旅行者进来了。When this man saw the waiter, he put his hands on his stomach. 这位旅行者看见侍者,就把手放在胃部。That was enough: in a few minutes there was a large plate of macaroni and meat on the table before him. 这就足够了,几分 钟后他面前的桌子上就放了一大盘通心粉和肉。As you see, the primitive language of signs is not always very clear. Th
20、e language of words is much more exact. 由此可 见,原始的手 势语 并不总能很明白地表达意义,而词汇语言就准确多了。Words consist of sounds, but there are many sounds which have a meaning and yet are not words. 词由声音组成,但 许 多声音有意义却不是 词。For example, we may say “Sh-sh-sh” when we mean “keep silent.” 例如,我们会说“sh-sh-sh”来表示“ 请安静”。When babies la
21、ugh, we know they are happy, and when they cry, we know they are ill or simply want something. 当婴儿笑时,我 们知道他 们很快乐;当他 们哭时,我们知道他们病了或只是想要什么东西。It is the same with animals. 动物也是一样。 When a dog says “G-r-r” or a cat says “F-f-f” we know they are angry. 狗发出“ G-r-r”的声音或猫发出“ F-f-f”的声音时,我 们知道他们在发怒。But these sou
22、nds are not language. 但这些声音不是语言。Language consists of words which we put together into sentences. 语言包括词,我 们将这些词组成句子。But animals can not do this a dog can say “G-r-r” when he means “I am angry,” but he cannot say first “I” and then “am” and then “angry.” 但动物不需要这样 做,狗在表示“ 生气了”时会发出“ G-r-r”的声音,但它不会先说“ I”
23、,再说“ am”然后再说“angry” 。:A parrot can talk like a man; it can repeat whole sentences and knows what they mean. 鹦鹉能像人那样说话,能重复整个句子并知道句子的意思。We may say that a parrot talks, but cannot say that it really speaks, because it cannot form new sentences out of the words it knows. 我们可以说鹦鹉能模仿人类的语言,但不能说它真会说话,因 为它不能
24、用它所知道的词组成新的句子。 Only man has the power to do this.只有人才有能力做到 这一点。02-A. Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes 税,税,还是税Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life: death and taxes。美国人常说,人的一生有两件事可以肯定会 发生:死亡和税收。 Americans do not have a corner on the “death“ market, but many pe
25、ople feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes. 美国人并不 垄断死亡市 场,但许多人却感到美国以最重的赋税领先于世界。Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. 税指人们为支持政府而缴纳的资金。 There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal, state, and city; therefore
26、, there are three types of taxes. 在美国通常有三级政府:联邦政府,州政府及市政府,因此就存在三种税。Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. 收入超过几千元的工薪人士必须向联邦政府缴纳一定比率的税金。 The percentage varies from person to person. It depends on their salar
27、ies. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax (14 to 70 percent) increases as a persons income increases. 这一比率因人而异,取决于各人的工资数。联邦政府实行累进收入所得税制,也就是说,税率( 14%70% )随个人收入的增加而增加。With the high cost of taxes, people are not very happy on April 15, when the federal t
28、axes are due.由于高额税收,人们在 4 月 15 日很不愉快,因为这一天是缴纳税款的日子。The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty-seven states. 第二种税是缴纳给州政府的,这些州包括纽约,加利福尼亚,北达科他以及其他 47 个州中的任何一个。Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of cour
29、se, the percentage for the state tax is lower. 一些州的收入所得税的收取办法同联邦政府的相似,当然其税率要低一些。 Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item which you buy in that state. 一些州设有销售税,即对你在该州所购买 的任何商品所收的一定比率的税金。For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty-five cen
30、ts. 比如,某人想买一包 25 美分的烟。 If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty-seven cents. 如果该 州收取 8%的销售税,那么买这包烟要花 27 美分,这一钱数就包括销售税。 This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues. The state t
31、ax laws are diverse and confusing. 一些州利用收入所得税外加销售税的办法来提高税收,各州的税收法规五花八门,令人费解。The third tax is for the city. 第三种税是向市政府缴纳的。This tax comes in two forms: property tax (people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise tax, which is charged on cars in a city. 这 种税有两种:一种是 财产 税(拥有房屋的人都必须交税),另一种是本国消费
32、税,即对城市汽 车所征收的税金。 The cities use these funds for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal buildings. 城市将这些资金用于教育,警察和消防部门,公共设施及市政建设。Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. 由于美国人须付高 额税金,所以他们经常感到每周有一天
33、纯粹是在为缴税而工作。 People always complain about taxes. 人们总是在抱怨税收太高。They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. 他们常常抗议政府滥用他们的税金。 They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. 他们说政府将太多的钱花在无用且不符合 实际的项目上了。Although Americans have different views on man
34、y issues, they tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high. 尽管美国人在很多问题上有不同的看法,但他们在一个话题上的意见总是一致的:税收太高。02-B. Advertising 广 告Advertising is only part of the total sales effort, but it is the part that attracts the most attention. 作广告只是整个促 销活动的一部分,但正是这一部分最引人注目。 This is natural enough because advert
35、ising is designed for just that purpose. 这极为自然,因为广告就是为这一目的而设计的。 In newspapers, in magazines, in the mail, on radio and television, we constantly see and hear the messages for hundreds of different products and services. 在报纸 上, 杂志上,邮件上以及收音机和电视机里,我们经常会听到或看到数百条有关不同产品和不同服务的信息。 For the most part, they ar
36、e the kinds of things that we can be persuaded to buy food and drinks, cars and television sets, furniture and clothing, travel and leisure time activities.一般说来,我们会被 说服去购买这些不同的产品和服务食品和饮料,汽车和电视机,家具和服装,旅游和休 闲活动等。The simplest kind of advertising is the classified ad. 最简单的广告是分类广告。Every day the newspaper
37、s carry a few pages of these ads; in the large Sunday editions there may be several sections of them. 每天报纸上都登有几 页这类广告;在周日扩大版上会有几部分这类广告。 A classified ad is usually only a few lines long.一条分类广告通常只有几行。 It is really a notice or announcement that something is available. 这实际上不过是一则通知或通告,说明可以买到什么 东西。Newspap
38、ers also carry a large amount of display advertising. 报纸上还刊有大量展示广告.Most of it is for stores or for various forms of entertainment. 其中大部分是为商店或各种形式的娱乐活动所作的广告。 Newspapers generally reach an audience only in a limited area.报纸通常所及的只是一个有限地区的 读 者, To bring their message to a larger audience, many who want
39、to put out their ads use national magazines. 因此,许多想刊登广告的人都用国家级杂志将信息带给更多的读者。Many of the techniques of modern advertising were developed in magazine ads. 许多现代广告技术在杂志广告中得以发展。The use of bright colors, attractive pictures, and short messages is all characteristic of magazine ads. The most important purpo
40、se is to catch the eye.使用鲜艳的颜色,吸引人的画面以及简短的语言信息构成了杂志广告的特色,其最主要的目的就是引人注目。 The message itself is usually short, often no more than a slogan which the public identifies with the product. 信息本身一般 较短,通常只不过一句简短的话,公众将这句话与该产品联系起来。The same techniques have been carried over into television advertising. Voices a
41、nd music have been added to color and pictures to catch the ear as well as the eye. 这些技术已被用于电视广告,用色彩和画面再加上声音和音乐来吸引观众的听觉和视觉。Television ads are short usually only 15,30, or 60 seconds, but they are repeated over and over again so that the audience sees and hears them many times. 电视广告很短,通常只有 15 秒, 30 秒
42、或 60 秒,但它们一遍又一遍地重复,使 观众能够多次看到画面,听到声音。Commercial television has mixed entertainment and advertising.商 业电视融合了娱乐节目和广告。 If you want the entertainment, you have to put up with the advertising-and millions of people want the entertainment. 如果你想收看娱乐节目,你就得忍受电视广告而数以百万计的人们都想收看娱乐节目。The men and women in the sal
43、es department are responsible for the companys advertising, They must decide on the audience they want to reach.公司销售部的人员负责公司的广告。 They must also decide on the best way to get their message to their particular audience. 他们必须确定广告要吸引的群体,还必须确定将信息传达给特定群体的最佳途径。They also make an estimate of the costs before
44、 management approves the plan. In most large companies management is directly involved in planning the advertising. 他们还要估算出广告的成本,然后交管理人员批准。在 许多大公司,管理人员直接参与策划广告。03-A. The Atlantic Ocean 大西洋The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. 大西洋是把亚,欧,非 这个旧世界把南北美洲 这个新发现 的世界相隔开的一片大洋。 For