1、第一篇 The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C., the contests in Homers Iliad indicate a much earlier competitive tradition. Held in honor of Zeus in the city of Olympia for four days every fourth summer, the Olympic games were the oldest and most presti
2、gious of four great ancient Greek athletic festivals, which also included the Pythian games at Delphi, the Isthmian at Corinth, and the Nemean at Argos (the Panathenaea at Athens was also important). The Olympics reached their height in the 5th4th cent. B.C.; thereafter they became more and more pro
3、fessionalized until, in the Roman period, they provoked much censure. They were eventually discontinued by Emperor Theodosius I of Rome, who condemned them as a pagan spectacle, at the end of the 4th cent. A.D. Among the Greeks, the games were nationalistic in spirit; states were said to have been p
4、rouder of Olympic victories than of battles won. Women, foreigners, slaves, and dishonored persons were forbidden to compete. Contestants were required to train faithfully for 10 months before the games, had to remain 30 days under the eyes of officials in Elis, who had charge of the games, and had
5、to take an oath that they had fulfilled the training requirements before participating. At first, the Olympic games were confined to running, but over time new events were added: the long run (720 B.C.), when the loincloth was abandoned and athletes began competing naked; the pentathlon, which combi
6、ned running, the long jump, wrestling, and discus and spear throwing (708 B.C.); boxing (688 B.C.); chariot racing (680 B.C.); the pankration (648 B.C.), involving boxing and wrestling contests for boys (632 B.C.); and the foot race with armor (580 B.C.). Greek women, forbidden not only to participa
7、te in but also to watch the Olympic games, held games of their own, called the Heraea. Those were also held every four years but had fewer events than the Olympics. Known to have been conducted as early as the 6th cent. B.C., the Heraea games were discontinued about the time the Romans conquered Gre
8、ece. Winning was of prime importance in both male and female festivals. The winners of the Olympics (and of the Heraea) were crowned with chaplets of wild olive, and in their home city-states male champions were also awarded numerous honors, valuable gifts, and privileges. 答案：athletic festivalswere
9、addedforbidden to competeRomans conquered Greecewild olive浙大听力第二篇原文Why do some countries drive on the right and others on the left ?History and originAbout a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that doare mostly old British colonies. This strange quirk perplexes the rest ofthe
10、 world; but there is a perfectly good reason.In the past, almost everybody travelled 【on the left side】 of the road becausethat was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since mostpeople are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order tohave their right arm neare
11、r to an opponent and their scabbard further fromhim. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left)hitting other people.Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it 【easier to mount a horse】from theleft side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise ifwearing a
12、sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount anddismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic,so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the leftside of the road.In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States
13、 beganhauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. Thesewagons had no drivers seat;】 instead the driver sat on the left rear horse,so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sittingon the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he
14、couldlook down and make sure he kept clear of 【the oncoming wagons wheels.】Therefore he kept to 【the right side of the road.】In addition, the French Revolution of 1789 gave a huge impetus to right-handtravel in Europe. The fact is, before the Revolution, the aristocracytravelled on the left of the r
15、oad, forcing the peasantry over to the right,but after the storming of theBastille and the subsequent events, aristocrats preferred to keep a lowprofile and joined the peasants on the right. An official keep-right rulewas introduced in Paris in 1794, more or less parallel to Denmark, wheredriving on
16、 the right had beenmade compulsory in 1793.Later, Napoleons conquests spread the new rightism to the Low Countries(Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Switzerland, Germany, Poland,Russia and many parts of Spain and Italy. The states that had resistedNapoleon kept left Britain, the Austro-Hunga
17、rian Empire and Portugal.This European division, between the left- and right-hand nations wouldremain fixed for more than 100 years, until after the First World War.Although left-driving Sweden ceded Finland to right-driving Russia afterthe Russo-Swedish War (1808-1809), Swedish law including traffi
18、cregulations remained valid in Finland for another 50 years. It wasntuntil 1858 that an Imperial Russian decree made Finland swap sides.The trend among nations over the years has been toward driving on the right,but Britain has done its best to stave off global homogenisation. With theexpansion of t
19、ravel and road building in the 1800s, traffic regulations weremade in every country.Left-hand driving was made mandatory in Britain in 1835. Countries which werepart of the British Empire followed suit. This is why to this very day, India,Australasia and the former British colonies in Africa go left
20、. An exceptionto the rule,however, is Egypt, which had been conquered by Napoleon beforebecoming a British dependency.浙大英语最后一篇听力原文As the comprehensive strength of the national economy grows, the Chinese currency, the Renminbi (RMB) began to appreciate. Effects of the RMBs appreciation since July hav
21、e been felt both domestically and abroad, and will become even more significant with time. China should embrace the new opportunities that appreciation has opened-up and allow more room for the national economy to grow in the process of globalization. People need to be aware that the appreciation of
22、 the RMB may have some less desirable effects on economic growth in the short term. Currently, Chinas export market still relies heavily on cheap labor to compete in the international market. As its added value is low, the appreciation of the RMB will affect Chinas export and consequently the overal
23、l growth rate of the national economy. However, there are also many positive aspects to the appreciation of the RMB. In the long run, RMB appreciation will generate more development opportunities. People will feel richer, it will improve Chinas status and influence in the world economy and it will c
24、hange the commodity structure and the flow of investment. It will also have a significant influence on the structure of domestic production resources. First of all, it will accelerate industrial upgrading. In a market economy, the fluctuation of the foreign exchange rate involves the international b
25、alance of incomes and expenses and is an important price indicator. The appreciation of the RMB means that the price of various domestic resources, especially land and labor, will go up in relative terms and this will speed up necessary adjustments to the commodity mix and domestic industry. RMB app
26、reciation will gradually change the value of the international and domestic markets. Domestic enterprises will rely more on sales to the domestic market so that national economic growth is less dependent on export demand and a more reasonable industrial structure will form. Secondly, it will promote
27、 technical innovation. In many countries, technical innovation relies primarily on a market mechanism which makes good use of price as a lever. Chinas production process is enormously costly in terms of resources and energy, and labor is too cheap. The appreciation of the RMB will cause an increase
28、in the domestic prices of such things as land and labor as well stimulate the demand for innovation. Products for export must rely on technological innovation to be more competitive internationally. In the domestic market, enterprises are also forced to compete through technological innovation. Simp
29、ly speaking, the appreciation of the RMB will cause the formation of a market environment that is conducive to speeding up technological innovation. Thirdly, the appreciation of the RMB will benefit the people. On the one hand, it will make imported products relatively cheaper. It will also be cheap
30、er for Chinese to travel abroad. This will increase consumption. On the other hand, it will push up the market price of domestic financial assets, changing the financial market structure. If other conditions dont change, Chinese people will feel richer as the value of their money grows and further s
31、timulates domestic demand. Of greater strategic significance is the fact that the appreciation of the RMB will make the price Chinese labor price higher. RMB appreciation reflects the success of Chinese economic development after reform and opening up. It is also an important turning point in Chinas
32、 social and economic situation. The downsides to RMB appreciation shouldnt be overemphasized. The fluctuation of the RMB is the result of changes to the current economic structure and will have an important impact on the economic structure of the future. Maintaining the status quo is short-sighted and will harm the long-term interests of China. The best choice is to speed up the transformation of the economic growth mode and adapt to the appreciation of RMB to make the most from the process.
