I once knew a young man, nineteen years of age, who lived with absolute outward (外表的) confidence and self-possession for a number of years before I discovered that he could not read or write. His various methods of trick, which were also skills of self-protection, were so skillful and so desperate (绝望) that neither I nor any of his other adult friends were aware of his entire helplessness in face of written words until we went to dinner one night at a local restaurant—and suddenly discovered that he could not read. Even here, it was not the first time we went out to eat, but something like the second or third, that Peter's desperation shocked me. The first time, he was clever enough to cover the truth. He studied the menu for a moment, then looked up to the waitress and asked her if he could have 'just a coke and a hamburger'. He told me later that he had done the same thing many times before and that he had learned to act as if he were examining the menu: 'Then I ask for a coke and a hamburger ...Sometimes they give me a hamburger on a plate with salad and potatoes...Then I ask them for a roll and make my own hamburger.' As we began to go out to eat more frequently, Peter would ask to go to Howard Johnson's. I soon discovered the reason for his choice: The photographs, attached in cellophane (玻璃纸) containers to each of the standard items on the menu, could help him not to struggle with the shape of words at all. Howard Johnson's, whether intentionally or not, had provided the perfect escape for the endangered pride of an adult who was illiterate (文盲).

人和动物是最大区别在于人能学习并使用语言。

在我看来，讨论是解决问题的好方法。

一天，苏珊(Susan) 在浏览书籍时，被一个真实故事吸引住了。

The key to our room is attached to a large plastic block with the room number on it.

Thousands of years ago, in the middle of an ocean, miles from the nearest island, an undersea volcano broke out. The hot liquid got higher and higher and spread wider and wider. In this way, an island rose up in the sea. As time went on, hot sun and cool rains made the rock split and break to pieces. Sea waves hit against the rock. In this way, soil and sand came into being. Nothing lived on the naked soil. And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other little living things there. Only plants could grow first. Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the soil, water and air. While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food. A spider made its web uselessly, because there were no insects (昆虫) for its web to catch. Insects couldn't stay until there were plants for them to eat. So plants had to be the first life on this new island.

Whenever our motherland needs me, I will respond to her call.

人们只有生病了才知道健康的价值。

Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? The [act is that family members provide over 80% of the care that elderly people need. In most cases the elderly live in their own homes. A very small percentage of America's elderly live in nursing homes. Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches about 40 years of age, their parents are usually still alive. The statistics show the change in lifestyles and responsibilities of aging (老龄化) Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents sometime after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after caregivers provide for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶) will probably take care of them because they have had fewer children than their parents did. Because Americans are living longer than ever, more social workers have begun to study ways of caregiving to improve the care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: They believe that they are the best people for the job. The social workers have also discovered three basic reasons why the caregivers take on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. Many caregivers believe they had an obligation (职责) to help their relatives. Some think that helping others makes them feel more useful. Others hope that by helping someone now, they will deserve care when they become old and dependent.

不管他们就什么，做你认为正确的事。

Auctions (拍卖)are public sales of goods, made by an officially approved auctioneer. He asked the crowd assembled in the auction room to make offers, or bids, for the various items on sale. He encouraged buyers to bid higher figures, and finally named the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called 'knocking down' the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum. The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auction, meaning 'increase'. The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war, these sales were called 'sub hash', meaning 'under the spear', a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In England in the eighteenth century, goods were often sold 'by the candle': a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. Practically all goods whose qualities varied are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit, vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. The auction rooms at Christie's and Sotheby's in London and New York are world famous. An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a 'lot', is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order; he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneer's services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible.

The good traditions of the Chinese people are certain to be passed on from generation to generation.

他试了好几次，但实验还是以失败而告终。

B：我学的是数学。英语难学吗?

What will man be like in the future—in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make a guess, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today. For man is slowly changing all the time. Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones. This is likely to bring about a physical change tool—the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger. On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life. But what about hair? It will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald. Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at. This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.

Parrots are becoming one of the most popular pets in America for good reasons. The parrot is an extraordinary bird that can be taught to talk, can be easily cared for, and can create a lively atmosphere anywhere. With the help of an energetic parrot owner, a parrot can develop an enormous vocabulary. In addition, a parrot can be trained to say 'Pretty boy' or 'Polly wants a cracker,' and it also can learn to whistle or sing. No matter what an owner decides to teach a bird, training a parrot takes much patience, but the reward is a stream of chatter. Another reason for the parrot's popularity is that this pet does not require much care. For example, even a spoiled parrot does not need a house-sitter for the purpose of daily walks and daily feeding. In fact, a parrot owner may leave his or her pet with enough food for five days and have no fear that the parrot will overeat. Still another advantage of owning a parrot is its inexpensive food, including seeds, nuts, corn, and grain—along with an apple, banana, or carrot. Perhaps the most likely reason the parrot is becoming such a well-liked pet is that it is a combination of tameness and wildness. Because the parrot can live in almost any environment, it makes a fine, tame companion for many people. In addition, because it can be easily trained, it is a delightful performer. At the same time, its colorful feathers give it an air of the mystery of the parrot's native home, the jungle. Thus, the parrot, once a highly valued gift presented to kings and noble families, is now appreciated by a growing number of people.

Closely related to our daily life are goods prices.

A：是的。如果想更好地了解英国文化，首先应该学好英语。

你应该利用课外一切机会学英语。

When I was studying English at a training center in Washington D.C. in 1998, I shared a house with two young Americans, Jim and Steve. Jim was studying French and Steve Chinese, both at the Foreign Service Institute. We shared many things in common, but we also thought and acted quite differently. Steve was interested in speaking Chinese. He always tried every opportunity to talk with me with his very English-like pronunciation. I was often touched by his diligence. However, I wanted to practice English with him, too. So we often spoke at the same time in the other's mother tongue. Jim was fresh from college and the youngest of the three. He was going out all the time. The only time we met was at breakfast. There was a small round table in our kitchen, where we sat around to enjoy our food. Steve had Chinese fast food such as dumplings or noodles, and I ate bread and boiled eggs. But Jim often just drank a cup of tea because he had nothing in his fridge. He was too busy dating pretty French girls to do any shopping. I often offered him some of my food. But Steve told me in his poor Chinese that I didn't need to do that. He said that it was Jim's own fault and that it served him right. Although he was learning Chinese, he still held his American sense of values. Two years later, I returned to China. The three of us still keep in touch, Jim now works in a travel agency in Paris. He got married to one of the pretty girls. He wrote to tell us that he can now enjoy a delicious breakfast with his beautiful wife every morning in their comfortable living room. Steve wants to work in China. And I'm helping him with this. I have introduced him to the dean of the Oversea Section of our university. He is very interested in Steve. He wants to know if Steve can work here teaching the oversea students Chinese. I have sent the message to Steve. I'm sure he'd be very happy to accept the job. However, I hope he could try harder to improve himself. Otherwise, all the overseas students would speak with his terrible pronunciation!