To say that the novel is dead or dying is to utter a cliche. The evidence is stri-kingly abundant. Yet, paradoxically, never before have so many been written so well. Libraries have been ransacked and techniques have been anatomized. The how of writing a novel has been mastered. But the why of a novel's very being—its significant content—is sadly wanting. And it is this fatal error, this almost exclusive obsession with style and technique that has alienated the novelist from his potential audience. Zola was a Naturalist: a reflector of life rather than an interpreter. He had a story to tell, and his means of telling it was always secondary to the story itself. One may often groan under the weight of his cumbersome sentences, excessive detail, and quaint moralizing, but interest never flags. The man's energy and vigor is larva-like. You are pushed, shoved, and carried along—a willing captive. For in his hand the dazzling Second Empire comes alive in all its tinsel glamour and decadence. Zola's approach to his material was quasi-scientific, almost clinical. He had a case to prove. (And not an existential one!) Man was a victim of his heredity and environment, and no matter how he writhed or struggled in his chains, there was no escape. Society was the arch-villain from whom there was no reprieve. Thus, Zola was never concerned with the subtleties of individual psychology. Man in the mass was his sole quarry—man and his institutions built on corruption, hypocrisy and vice. The publication of Nana (1880) created a storm of protest. It was banned in England, but that was to be expected. And it sold exceedingly well. It was excoriated as being a dirty book, written by a monster and designed to corrupt the morals of both young and old. Years later, a similar fate befell many of the works of that arch-sedu-cer, Theodore Dreiser. Strangely enough, however, the book's advent did not noticeably increase the battalion of streetwalkers. Poor Nana dies much too horrible a death. And her brief period of splendor hardly compensates for the hideous price she has to pay. The truth is that Zola was an impassioned moralist. He used Nana—the slum child—as weapon to flay the shams and pretensions of a profligate society. For Zola to have given us his superb portrait of Nana would have been triumph enough. But his intent and purpose was so much more! Nana, after all, was mere witless pawn, spawned by a corrupt society whose licentiousness was equaled only by its gross materialism. It fed on sensation and thrived on injustice. And it is this society that Zola pilloried with all his matchless weapons. What were they? First and foremost, an intimate knowledge of his subject matter. Secondly, his unparalleled descriptive powers. Actually, Zola does more than merely describe. He literally makes you taste and smell. You are seated at Nana's Nero-like banquets. You are in Nana's intoxicating dressing room. You are a participant in the mass frenzy at the races. And finally, you are present—in the very room—at Nana's death. Everything is painted in livid colors—all the swirl, the ebb and the flow, the pulsating excitement of a society hellbent on destroying itself. Lastly, Zola's outraged moral sense, which gives added weight to his scathing indictment.
There are a number of beauty contests across the world, the most famous perhaps being the Miss World Pageant. Some people believe that these contests are an important platform to celebrate the beauty and wisdom of women. The following are opinions from two women writers. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize the arguments on both sides and then 2. give your comment on the statement that beauty contests are beneficial to women.Naomi Wolf, writer, and author of Beauty Myth The most obvious detrimental effect of beauty pageants is enforcing an inappropriate body perception for men and women. Unlike the majority of so-called "average" women, the beauty of such contests' participants is cherished and rehearsed; this is the case when natural beauty is heavily supported by the efforts of visagistes and dressers. Though pageants represent the absolute minority of the society, their appearances set high, unrealistic standards for how women of all ages should look like. Young girls who try to live up to these standards, mature women complaining about their bodies, men who demand their wives/girlfriends to look like beauty pageants—all of them are affected by the illusions propagated by beauty contests. Another perception issue arises from the very nature of beauty contests—the objectification of women. Despite proclaimed gender equality, physical attractiveness remains one of the major requirements for women today. No matter how progressive and tolerant people strive to be, they still make their first impression about other people by their appearance, and this is natural. However, the idea of beauty contests implies evaluating women solely on their physical shape, ignoring all other aspects of individuality. Interviewing, meant to show a contestant's personality, is a fraud; as one of the former pageants wrote, none of the judges wanted to hear about deep problems, asking about the most challenging childhood experiences. This turns a woman into a media object, or even a product, which can be assessed and then either approved or rejected; due to the popularity of beauty contests, such attitude is being widely propagated.Elizabeth Day, feature writer for The Observe In an environment where women are valued on solely on their appearance, and in which there are more opportunities for men, beauty contests give women an opportunity to improve their situations. Winning a beauty contest can be a first step toward a successful life in the future; the most attractive earn 12% more, according to a survey in The Observer. Many Hollywood actresses are former beauty queens, and they would not have reached their success without the beauty contests they won. In addition, the winners of high-profile beauty contests are able to publicize charities and causes they feel strongly about—they have a public platform they could not otherwise have gained. Beauty pageants can also empower in other ways: The Miss America competition is the largest provider of scholarship assistance for women in the world; indeed it pioneered assistance for women in higher education in the 40's and 50's.
Christopher Plummer is a Canadian actor who has starred in stage, television, and film productions on both sides the Atlantic Ocean.
PASSAGE TWO
PASSAGE TWO
PASSAGE FOUR
Female-only buses have been introduced in many countries with varying degrees of success. Some think these buses can more or less protect women from groping and harassment. But some hold that such single-sex transport is a relatively discrimination. The following two excerpts introduce the implementation of this practice in Mexico and China respectively. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the two excerpts, and then 2. give your comment on this practice.Excerpt 1 Groping and verbal harassment is an exasperating reality for women using public transportation in Mexico City, where 22 million passengers cram onto subways and buses each day. Acting on complaints from women's groups, the city rolled out "ladies only" buses, complete with pink signs in the windshields to wave off the men. As word spreads about the buses, the women seem delighted, while some men forced to wait a few minutes longer have shown their anger. Still others have stumbled on board despite the signs, much to their embarrassment. On Thursday, when a man mistakenly climbed aboard on one of the female-only buses, the women immediately began teasing him and shouting that he should read the "ladies only" sign. The man blushed and mumbled an apology, then ignored the taunts until he got off several stops later. Mexico City's female-only buses run along three busy routes throughout the day for now, but the city plans to add them to 15 other routes by April, said Ariadna Montiel, who directs the public bus system. "Women were asking for this service because of the sexual harassment, especially groping and leering," Montiel said. And while some men have complained that they have to wait longer for a bus, she said the women are thrilled: "The women are really happy and we have been getting a lot of e-mail and letters from them."Excerpt 2 The introduction of a women-only bus, a relatively new concept in China, in Zhengzhou has riled some local men and sparked an online debate. The new summer service will run during morning and evening rush hours in the eastern city of Zhengzhou, in an effort to cut the number of groping incidents, Dahe Daily reports. The local bus company says it'll protect women from being harassed when wearing lighter clothing, and also help breastfeeding mothers feel more comfortable. Women interviewed on board the bus said they were pleased with the service. But some local men are less impressed. One tells that harassment isn't common on public transport: "The bus company has made a fuss over it—this measure will cause men to feel humiliated." Another man complains: "I had to wait a really long time for another bus to arrive because I wasn't allowed on." A video that has gone viral shows an elderly man remonstrating with the driver after being denied boarding. "You're discriminating against me! This is a public bus!" he shouts. Others appear unfazed, and wander off in search of another service. It's become a hot topic of debate on microblogging site Weibo, with lots of women welcoming the idea, although one notes: "Not all men are bad, but aren't all men being discriminated against here?" There's support from male users too, although some think it promotes a general distrust of men. Many also feel an exception should have been made for the elderly man in the video.
太阳与大家有关，人们跟着太阳起床，随着太阳的沉没而沉睡，等待明天的太阳。大家喜欢太阳，等着看日出，《日出的印象》是举世绘画名作，“夕阳无限好”是千古名句。太阳赋予大自然色彩，太阳在人间创造了阴影。没有了阴影，也就看不清光明，有了阴影才认识世界原来是立体的。总是生活在阴影里不健康，生活中没有阴影也不健康，太阳控制着人们的健康，生死存亡。
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PASSAGE FOUR
中国民族自古以来从不把人看作商于一切，在哲学文艺方面的表现都反映出人在自然界中与万物占着一个比例较为恰当，而非绝对统治万物的主宰。因此我们的苦闷，基本上比西方人为少为小；因为苦闷的强弱原是随欲望与野心的大小而转移的。农业社会的人比工业社会的人享受差得多，因此，欲望也小得多。况中国古代素来以不滞于物，不为物役为最主要的人生哲学。
并非我们没有守财奴，但比起莫里哀与巴尔扎克笔下的守财奴与野心家来，就小巫见大巫了。中国民族多数是性情中正平和、淡泊、朴实，比西方人容易满足。
那地方像海南岛的冬天那么温暖。
With a team of the researchers at Tokyo National University, he set about measuring brain volumes of a thousand people of different ages with different jobs.
Some Theories of HistoryI. The problems of understanding history History with written records: the records may be【T1】 1 and inaccurate.【T1】 2 History before writing: we can only make a partial【T2】 3.【T2】 4II. Some theories have been proposed to give【T3】 5 to human history【T3】 6Theory 1 Man continually【T4】 7 in terms of his potentials and【T4】 8his abilities to【T5】 9 these potentials.【T5】 10 Modern man is superior to his ancestors【T6】 11, physically and morally.【T6】 12 A branch of the theory: man rose to a【T7】 13 before.【T7】 14Theory 2 Man's history is a【T8】 15 of stages of development, whose pattern is【T8】 16the【T9】 17 and fall of civilization.【T9】 18 Whether modern man is superior to his ancestors depends onwhat【T10】 19 of civilization he is in.【T10】 20Theory 3 In this theory, the first two theories【T11】 21 with each other.【T11】 22 It is known as the【T12】 23 of history.【T12】 24Theory 4 This theory views human history from the【T13】 25【T13】 26of【T14】 27 groups.【T14】 28 Human history can be interpreted as the【T15】 29 of class struggle.【T15】 30 Some Theories of HistoryI. The problems of understanding history History with written records: the records may be【T1】 31 and inaccurate.【T1】 32 History before writing: we can only make a partial【T2】 33.【T2】 34II. Some theories have been proposed to give【T3】 35 to human history【T3】 36Theory 1 Man continually【T4】 37 in terms of his potentials and【T4】 38his abilities to【T5】 39 these potentials.【T5】 40 Modern man is superior to his ancestors【T6】 41, physically and morally.【T6】 42 A branch of the theory: man rose to a【T7】 43 before.【T7】 44Theory 2 Man's history is a【T8】 45 of stages of development, whose pattern is【T8】 46the【T9】 47 and fall of civilization.【T9】 48 Whether modern man is superior to his ancestors depends onwhat【T10】 49 of civilization he is in.【T10】 50Theory 3 In this theory, the first two theories【T11】 51 with each other.【T11】 52 It is known as the【T12】 53 of history.【T12】 54Theory 4 This theory views human history from the【T13】 55【T13】 56of【T14】 57 groups.【T14】 58 Human history can be interpreted as the【T15】 59 of class struggle.【T15】 60
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得病以前，我受父母宠爱，在家横行霸道，……
Passage Four