大学新视野英语2全部课本学习知识原文.doc

!-Unit1 Americans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind.This attituderesultsina nation of people committed to researching, experimenting and exploring.Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully, the other being labor."We are slaves tonothingbutthe clock,” it has been said.Time is treated as if it were something almost real.Webudgetit, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it,accountforit; we alsochargeforit. It is a precious resource.Many people have a ratheracutesense of the shortness of each lifetime.Once thesandshave run out of a personshourglass, they cannot bereplaced.We want every minute to count. Aforeigners first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone isinarush- oftenunderpressure.City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going,restlesslyseeking attention in a store, orelbowingothers as they try to complete their shopping.Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.Working time is considered precious.Others in public eating-places are waiting for you to finish so they, too, can be served and get back to work within the time allowed.You also find drivers will beabruptand people will push past you.You will miss smiles,briefconversations, and small exchanges with strangers.Dont take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else “wasting” it beyond a certain appropriate point. Many new arrivals to the States will miss theopeningexchanges of a business call, for example.They will miss theritualinteractionthatgoeswitha welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be aconventionin their own country.They may missleisurelybusiness chats in a restaurant or coffee house.Normally, Americans do notassesstheir visitors in such relaxedsurroundingsover extended small talk; much less do they take them out for dinner, or for around on thegolfcourse while they develop a sense of trust.Since wegenerallyassess andprobeprofessionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly.Time is, therefore, alwaystickingin our inner ear.Consequently, weworkhardatthe task ofsavingtime.We produce a steady flow oflabor-savingdevices; we communicate rapidly throughfaxes, phone calls oremailsrather than through personal contacts,which though pleasant, take longer - especially given our traffic-filled streets.We, therefore,savemost personal visitingforafter-work hours or for social weekend gatherings. To us the impersonality ofelectroniccommunication has little or no relation to thesignificanceof the matterathand.In some countries no major business isconductedwithout eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation.In America, too, a final agreement will normally be signedinperson.However, people are meetingincreasinglyon television screens, conducting “teleconferences” to settle problems not only in this country but also - bysatellite- internationally. The U. S. is definitely a telephone country.Almost everyone uses the telephone to conduct business, to chat with friends, to make or break social appointments, to say “Thank you,” to shop and toobtainall kinds of information.Telephones save the feet and endless amounts of time.This isduepartlytothe fact that the telephone service issuperbhere,whereasthe postal service is less efficient. Some new arrivals will come from cultures where it is considered impolite to work too quickly.Unless a certain amount of time is allowed toelapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being consideredwereinsignificant, notworthyofproper respect.Assignments are, consequently, felt to be given added weight by the passage of time.In the U. S., however, it is taken as a sign ofskillfulnessor beingcompetentto solve a problem, orfulfilla job successfully, with speed.Usually, the more important a task is, the more capital, energy, and attention will be poured into it in order to “get it moving.”Unit2 LearningtheOlympicStandardforLoveNikolaiPetrovichAnikinwasnothalfasintimidatingasIhadimaginedhewouldbe.No,thissurelywasnottheex-Sovietcoachmyfatherhadshippedmeouttomeet. ButNikolaihewas,Petrovichandall.Heinvitedmeinsideandsatdownonthecouch,pattingtheblanketnexttohimtogetmetositnexttohim.Iwassonervousinhispresence."Youareyoung,"hebeganinhisRussian-styleEnglish."IfyouliketotryforOlympicGames,Iguessyouwillbeabletodothis.NaganoOlympicstoosoonforyou,butfor2002inSaltLakeCity,youcouldbeready.""Yes,whynot?"herepliedtotheshockedlookonmyface.Iwasapromisingamateurskier,butbynomeansthetopskierinthecountry."Ofcourse,therewillbemanyhardtrainingsessions,andyouwillcry,butyouwillimprove."Tobesure,therewerecountlesstrainingsessionsfullofpainandmorethanafewtears,butinthefiveyearsthatfollowedIcouldalwayscountonbeingencouragedbyNikolaisamusingstoriesandsenseofhumor."Myfriends,theygointhemovies,theygointhedance,theygooutwithgirls,"hewouldstart."ButI,"hewouldcontinue,loweringhisvoice,"Iampractice,practice,practiceinthestadium.Andbythenextyear,Ihadcut1-1/2minutesoffmytimeinthe15-kilometerrace!"Myfriendsaskedme,Nikolai,howdidyoudoit?AndIreplied,Yougointhemovies,yougointhedance,yougooutwithgirls,butIampractice,practice,practice."Herethestoryusuallyended,butononeoccasion,whichwelaterlearnedwashis25thweddinganniversary,hestoodproudlyinawornwoolensweaterandsmiledandwhispered,"AndItellyou,Iam26yearsoldbeforeIeverkissagirl!ShewasthewomanIlatermarry."Romanticandotherwise,Nikolaiknewlove.Hisconsistentgoodhumor,quietgratitude,perceptivity,andsinceritysetanOlympicstandardforlovethatIcontinuetoreachfor,eventhoughmyskiingdaysareover.Still,heneverbabiedme.OneFebruarydayIhadamassiveheadacheandfeltquitefatigued.Icameuponhiminaclearing,andafterapproximately15minutesofstridingintothecoldbreezeoverthewhitepowdertocatchhim,Ifussed,"Oh,Nikolai,IfeellikeIamgoingtodie.""Whenyouareahundredyearsold,everybodydies,"hesaid,indifferenttomypain."Butnow,"hecontinuedfirmly."Nowmustbeski,ski,ski."And,onskis,Ididwhathesaid.Onothermatters,though,Iwasrebellious.Once,hepacked10ofusintoaFinnishbachelorstinyhomeforalow-budgetskicamp.WeawokethefirstmorningtofindNikolaimakingbreakfastandthenmadequickworkwithourspoonswhilesittingonmakeshiftchairsaroundatinycardtable.Whenwewerefinished,Nikolaistackedthestickybowlsinfrontofmysolefemaleteammateandme,asserting,"Now,girlsdodishes!"Ithrewmynapkinonthefloorandsworeathim,"Askthedamnboys!Thisisunfair."Heneveraskedthisofmeagain,nordidhetakemuchnoticeofmyoutburst.Hesavedhispassionforskiing.Whencoaching,hewouldsingouthisinstructionskeepingrhythmwithourstride:"Yes,yes,one-two-three,one-two-three."Adearladyfriendofmygrandfather,afterviewingacopyofavideoofmetrainingwithNikolai,asked,"Doeshealsoteachdance?"Intraining,IworkedwithoutresttocorrectmistakesthatNikolaipointedoutandIaskedaftereachpassifitwasbetter."Yes,itsOK.Butthefasterkneedown,thebetter.""Butisitfastenough?"Idpersist.Finallyhewouldfrownandsay,"Billiontimesyoumakemotionthenbeperfect,"remindingmeinanIve-told-you-a-billion-timestone,"Youmustbepatient."Nikolaispatienceandmyhardworkearnedmeafourth-placenationalrankingheadingintothepre-Olympicseason,butthenImissedthecutforthe2002Olympics.Lastsummer,IreturnedtovisitNikolai.Hemademetea.anddidthedishes!Wetalkedwhilesittingonhiscouch.MissingtheOlympicTeamthepreviousyearhadmademepauseandreflectonwhatIhadgainednottheleastofwhichwasaquiet,indissolublebondwithashortmaninatropicalshirt.Nikolaitaughtmetohavethecourage,heart,anddisciplinetopersist,evenifittakesabilliontries.Hetaughtmetobethankfulinadvanceforacenturyoflifeonearth,andtoremindmyselfeverydaythatdespitethechallengesathand,"Nowmustbelove,love,love.Unit 3Marriage Across the NationsGail and I imagined a quiet wedding. During our two years together we had experienced the usual ups and downs of a couple learning to know, understand, and respect each other. But through it all we had honestly confronted the weaknesses and strengths of each others characters.Our racial and cultural differences enhanced our relationship and taught us a great deal about tolerance, compromise, and being open with each other. Gail sometimes wondered why I and other blacks were so involved with the racial issue, and I was surprised that she seemed to forget the subtler forms of racial hatred in American society.Gail and I had no illusions about what the future held for us as a married, mixed couple in America. The continual source of our strength was our mutual trust and respect.We wanted to avoid the mistake made by many couples of marrying for the wrong reasons, and only finding out ten, twenty, or thirty years later that they were incompatible, that they hardly took the time to know each other, that they overlooked serious personality conflicts in the expectation that marriage was an automatic way to make everything work out right. That point was emphasized by the fact that Gails parents, after thirty-five years of marriage, were going through a bitter and painful divorce, which had destroyed Gail and for a time had a negative effect on our budding relationship.When Gail spread the news of our wedding plans to her family she met with some resistance. Her mother, Deborah, all along had been supportive of our relationship, and even joked about when we were going to get married so she could have grandchildren. Instead of congratulations upon hearing our news, Deborah counseled Gail to be really sure she was doing the right thing."So it was all right for me to date him, but its wrong for me to marry him. Is his color the problem, Mom?" Gail subsequently told me she had asked her mother."To start with I must admit that at first I harbored reservations about a mixed marriage, prejudices you might even call them. But when I met Mark I found him a charming and intelligent young guy. Any mother would be proud to have him for a son-in-law. So, color has nothing to do with it. Yes, my friends talk. Some even express shock at what youre doing. But they live in a different world. So you see, Marks color is not the problem. My biggest worry is that you may be marrying Mark for the same wrong reasons that I married your father. When we met I saw him as my beloved, intelligent, charming, and caring. It was all so new, all so exciting, and we both thought, on the surface at least, that ours was an ideal marriage with every indication that it would last forever. I realized only later that I didnt know my beloved, your father, very well when we married.""But Mark and I have been together more than two years," Gail railed. "Weve been through so much together. Weve seen each other at our worst many times. Im sure that time will only confirm what we feel deeply about each other.""You may be right. But I still think that waiting wont hurt. Youre only twenty-five."Gails father, David, whom I had not yet met personally, approached our decision with a father-knows-best attitude. He basically asked the same questions as Gails mother: "Why the haste? Who is this Mark? Whats his citizenship status?" And when he learned of my problems with the Citizenship department, he immediately suspected that I was marrying his daughter in order to remain in the United States."But Dad, thats harsh," Gail said."Then why the rush? Buy time, buy time," he remarked repeatedly."Mark has had problems with citizenship before and has always taken care of them himself," Gail defended." In fact, he made it very clear when we were discussing marriage that if I had any doubts about anything, I should not hesitate to cancel our plans."Her father proceeded to quote statistics showing that mixed couples had higher divorce rates than couples of the same race and gave examples of mixed couples he had counseled who were having marital difficulties."Have you thought about the hardships your children would go through?" he asked."Dad, are you a racist?""No, of course not. But you have to be realistic.""Maybe our children will have some problems, but whose children dont? But one thing theyll always have: our love and devotion.""Thats idealistic. People can be very cruel toward children from mixed marriages.""Dad, well worry about that when the time comes. If we had to resolve all doubt before we acted, very little would ever get done.""Remember, its never too late to change your mind."Unti4ATestofTrueLoveSixminutestosix,saidthedigitalclockovertheinformationdeskinGrandCentralStation.JohnBlandford,atallyoungarmyofficer,focusedhiseyesightontheclocktonotetheexacttime.Insixminuteshewouldseethewomanwhohadfilledaspecialplaceinhislifeforthepastthirteenmonths,awomanhehadneverseen,yetwhosewrittenwordshadbeenwithhimandhadgivenhimstrengthwithoutfail.Soonafterhevolunteeredformilitaryservice,hehadreceivedabookfromthiswoman.Aletter,whichwishedhimcourageandsafety,camewiththebook.Hediscoveredthatmanyofhisfriends,alsointhearmy,hadreceivedtheidenticalbookfromthewoman,HollisMeynell.Andwhiletheyallgotstrengthfromit,andappreciatedhersupportoftheircause,JohnBlandfordwastheonlypersontowriteMs.Meynellback.Onthedayofhisdeparture,toadestinationoverseaswherehewouldfightinthewar,hereceivedherreply.Aboardthecargoshipthatwastakinghimintoenemyterritory,hestoodonthedeckandreadherlettertohimagainandagain.Forthirteenmonths,shehadfaithfullywrittentohim.Whenhislettersdidnotarrive,shewroteanyway,withoutdecrease.Duringthedifficultdaysofwar,herlettersnourishedhimandgavehimcourage.Aslongashereceivedlettersfromher,hefeltasthoughhecouldsurvive.Afterashorttime,hebelieved