Unit 11.Bob and I became brother-like friends in our childhood. We played, dined and discussed our ambitions together. Once grown up, he started for the West to make his fortune while I became a policeman in New York. Before his departure, we had dinner together and we agreed that we would meet at the same place exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.Then came the day we were supposed to meet. I was on my beat then. Walking up to the appointed place which had been turned into a hardware store, I saw a man standing there with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. Before I could speak, he told me that he was waiting for a friend by the name of Jimmy Wells. When he struck a match to light his cigar, I saw a pale face with keen eyes and a scar. I recognized him immediately. It was Bob, and it was also the face of the man wanted by the Chicago Police. For a moment I felt like telling him to escape right away. After all, we had been friends for so many years and he had traveled all the way to see me! But then my sense of duty told me the right thing to do. I said good-bye to him and continued my patrol, his last words still ringing in my ear: "I'll wait for half an hour. Jimmy will keep his promise if he's alive ..." I then sent for a plain clothes man and had Bob arrested.2.An Important Friend in My LifeLi Qiang, one of my classmates, is fun to be with. He is always wearing a broad smile as if life is forever "sunshine and butterflies". One day, I revealed to him my worries and anxieties: I, an ordinary-looking girl, was 177 centimeters tall, even taller than any of the boys in my class. I thought no boy would like to date me. Besides, I was very poor at my academic courses.He suggested that I should learn to be myself and then he introduced me to a fashion show team of the university. Encouraged, I decided to change myself. After a 3-month training program on weekends, I could perform beautifully as a model, and surprisingly, I could concentrate on the required academic courses as well. The applauses I won at each fashion show and the scholarship I earned proved that being myself was terrific. Since then, my life has changed a lot. Thus, Li Qiang became an important friend of mine.Last semester, we began to help young people who suffer pressures from physical defects, academic failures or financial problems. We set up a Confidence Club. Those who come to us for help find our work definitely beneficial. Our friendship has led me into a sparkling, rewarding life.Unit 21.Male-female relations are indispensable to adults all through their lives.But different generations handle them differently. Our parents' generation lived in an era of constraints, restraints, respect, admiration, and plenty of romance. They kept a distance from people of the opposite gender in order to preserve the holiness of love and relationships.My generation, on the other hand, began with countless crushes for the opposite sex just because of their superficial charm. Harmless as it was, the love was as brief as soap bubbles. As we grew up, we came to the stage of developing real relationships, believing that love demanded a lot of give and not so much of take.By comparison, the younger generation is more open-minded and less restricted in handling the matter of love and relationships. They jump on the bandwagon of love with so much haste that it is difficult for them to distinguish between physical attraction and mental compatibilities.In short, the younger generation focuses more on physical beauty, closeness and passion, and they tend to seek what they want from the relationships. The other two generations give priority to inner charm, intimacy, emotion and sharing in dealing with relationships.2.What Do Girl Students Look for in Love and Life?In order to know about girl students' opinion about love and life, a survey with girl students was conducted in 2005 in two universities —ChongqingUniversity of Technology and Business and East China Normal University. The survey sought answers to two questions: What do you look for first in a boyfriend? What's the most important thing for a happy life?About one third of the students chose personality as the top factor in choosing a boyfriend, followed by 27 percent focusing on abilities. Next came common interests and goals, favoured by 17 percent, with only 14 percent of students claiming appearance to be uppermost in their minds. Fewer still, 11 percent, rated economic status as the first consideration.As to their views about a happy life, nearly seventy percent of the girls attached the greatest importance to marriage and family. "Career" was given top priority by just under 20 percent, while even fewer, around 9 percent, believed that money was the key to a happy life.Based on the survey, we may conclude that nowadays, girl students generally hold a rational attitude towards love and life. Admittedly, the improved material conditions of life explain why girls take economic status and money rather lightly. But contrary to the popular view that girls are more concerned about self-development in the workplace and social status, they still regard marriage and family life as central to a happy life.Unit 31. Man Does Not Live by Bread AloneNo one would doubt the truth that man's existence relies essentially onmaterial things. We need them to get fed, clothed and sheltered. Once we are living near the breadline, we'll feel frustrated and miserable.However, our contentment does not merely lie in material things. This is especially the case in modern times. The fast-developing economy has noticeably improved our lives and fulfilled most of our material needs. Then there comes the need of spiritual satisfaction, which is derived from good health, close friends, a loving spouse, well-raised children, a home built on love, a clear conscience, a worthy goal and an enjoyable job. While material things may lose their charm over time, spiritual satisfaction will bring us lasting happiness.Therefore, to live a happy life, we should focus more on those things that meet our spiritual demands. After all, when our need for bread is met, happiness will not come unless we feel spiritually satisfied.2. I Really Made ItI will never forget the awful feeling in my first Oral English class at college.I tried hard to listen to every word the teacher spoke, but what she was saying made no sense to me. Bitterly, I admitted that I was so poor at listening and speaking in English.I wept several times, cursing my middle school for failing to provide adequate listening and speaking practice. But finally I calmed down because the familiar words rang in my ears: There must be a way out. I had a rather solid foundation of English vocabulary and grammar. What was left for me todo was to increase my listening input and speaking output. I made it a rule that every morning I would do reading aloud by the campus lake for 40 minutes, and every evening I would stay in the language lab, listening to English for at least an hour.Then at the end of the second year came my happiest moment: I got the Scholarship for Academic Excellence. I wore a broad smile when the president granted me the award. I then came to realize that happiness can only be gained through hard work.Unit 41.AIDS Across the EarthAIDS has killed and is threatening to kill millions all across the earth. Several million infections are reported by WHO each year. The virus does not care whether you are black or white, male or female, young or old. It will attack you as long as you are a human. Today, AIDS has become the leading killer of young adults and is turning the children whose parents suffer the disease into orphans. It is no exaggeration to say that we live under the shadow of AIDS.There are several possible causes for such a situation: unsafe sexual intercourse; sharing or reusing contaminated needles; transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products; an infected person's pregnancy, givingbirth and breastfeeding, etc. Unfortunately, our ignorance, prejudice and silence have carried the situation to a desperate extreme. Patients are isolated or treated as outcasts by their families and their communities. AIDS victims feel ashamed to be identified as such and try hard to hide their disease. For this reason, they cannot get immediate medical treatment. Our harmful attitudes towards the disease and its victims have actually placed more people at risk.In our fight against this deadly disease, we should educate people on how to avoid being infected with the disease and how to lead a healthy and secure life and, more importantly, how to treat AIDS patients properly. Only in this way can we really bring AIDS under control.2.Why Do the Young Adults Kill Themselves?Young adults are in the prime of their lives and are supposed to pursue their dreams and enjoy themselves. Yet it was reported in the Guardian that suicide is the main cause of death among young adults in China. Why have so many young people ended their lives?Three factors are thought to account for the high suicide rate: increasing stress, loneliness and a lack of medical support for depression. The most pressing one, I think, is stress. Take my college life for example. From the firstday I entered the university, I have been living under pressure. I used to worry that I could not quite fit into the campus life; I also feared that I might not catch up with my classmates in my studies or could not live up to my parents' expectations. Now I am deeply concerned about whether I can find a desirable job after graduation. Endless pressures give rise to stress. Loneliness is another problem. Many young people find they just feel helpless when they are suffering intolerable sadness or frustration.Suicide is a great tragedy, especially for the young. If we can find ways to relieve them of their stress and offer timely help, we may save many young lives.Unit 51.The Significance of Lifelong EducationDecades ago, due to the low standard of living in China, only a small percentage of the nation's population could receive college education. Once given the opportunity, one would surely secure a well-paid and much-respected job, which he or she would probably do for a lifetime. Therefore, to secure a college degree used to be the ultimate goal of a person's education.Today, however, we are living in what is called a "knowledge society", where creative ideas and innovations are generated at a fantastic speed. Onemust constantly renew one's knowledge and upgrade one's skills so as to meet the needs of the changing world. Moreover, at the stage of general education, it is pointless for a person to attempt to know everything. When one is required to settle down to be a specialist in a specific field, one has to make an in-depth study of the subject one is supposed to know. In this sense, general education can provide students with only a passport to lifelong education. As Robert Maynard Hutchins once said, the object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.In my opinion, life in modern society is not only a process of "learning to live" but also a process of "living to learn". The slogan "Live and Learn" can best reflect the concept of lifelong education.2.Should Family Schooling Exist?Meng Mu Tang, a private school in Shanghai, is modeled after the educational system of ancient Chinese home schools, which favored rote memorization and recitation of classic works. But the local education authorities in Shanghai have declared it illegal according to a report in 21st Century. Should family schooling exist? What role should it play?In my opinion, family schooling should be permitted to play a positive role in the current educational system in China. Every family should be free to choose the form of education that best suits their children's interests andnatural gifts. Although the existing education system in China has remarkably improved, it does not fit each child perfectly. Since family schooling provides a means to develop a person's talents and unique interest, Meng Mu Tang, as a private school geared to a specific group of children, should not be banned in haste. In view of the current dynamic, quality-minded educational reforms in China, we should permit family schooling to enrich and diversify our educational system.On the other hand, home schooling should adapt itself to the modern world. To prepare children for the future, it should equip them with knowledge and innovative power so that they can cope with the development of the modern world. While tapping children's innate talents on an individual basis, family schooling should never neglect their all-round development. Meng Mu Tang may not be a perfect private school, but we should let it live and have a try so that family schooling may eventually become an indispensable component of our formal education.Unit 61.The Significance of Lifelong EducationDecades ago, due to the low standard of living in China, only a small percentage of the nation's population could receive college education. Once given the opportunity, one would surely secure a well-paid andmuch-respected job, which he or she would probably do for a lifetime. Therefore, to secure a college degree used to be the ultimate goal of a person's education.Today, however, we are living in what is called a "knowledge society", where creative ideas and innovations are generated at a fantastic speed. One must constantly renew one's knowledge and upgrade one's skills so as to meet the needs of the changing world. Moreover, at the stage of general education, it is pointless for a person to attempt to know everything. When one is required to settle down to be a specialist in a specific field, one has to make an in-depth study of the subject one is supposed to know. In this sense, general education can provide students with only a passport to lifelong education. As Robert Maynard Hutchins once said, the object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.In my opinion, life in modern society is not only a process of "learning to live" but also a process of "living to learn". The slogan "Live and Learn" can best reflect the concept of lifelong education.2.Should Family Schooling Exist?Meng Mu Tang, a private school in Shanghai, is modeled after the educational system of ancient Chinese home schools, which favored rote memorization and recitation of classic works. But the local educationauthorities in Shanghai have declared it illegal according to a report in 21st Century. Should family schooling exist? What role should it play?In my opinion, family schooling should be permitted to play a positive role in the current educational system in China. Every family should be free to choose the form of education that best suits their children's interests and natural gifts. Although the existing education system in China has remarkably improved, it does not fit each child perfectly. Since family schooling provides a means to develop a person's talents and unique interest, Meng Mu Tang, as a private school geared to a specific group of children, should not be banned in haste. In view of the current dynamic, quality-minded educational reforms in China, we should permit family schooling to enrich and diversify our educational system.On the other hand, home schooling should adapt itself to the modern world. To prepare children for the future, it should equip them with knowledge and innovative power so that they can cope with the development of the modern world. While tapping children's innate talents on an individual basis, family schooling should never neglect their all-round development. Meng Mu Tang may not be a perfect private school, but we should let it live and have a try so that family schooling may eventually become an indispensable component of our formal education.Unit 71.My favorite Sports Team: the Chinese Women's Volleyball TeamIn quite a few sports, Chinese women athletes outshine men athletes. As a girl, I always feel proud of our women table tennis players, badminton players, women divers and gymnasts. But my greatest enthusiasm always goes to the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team, who, though it has undergone some ups and downs, always presents a positive, inspiring image to the public.I've never missed any major TV shows involving the Chinese women's team. I can't help getting excited watching the girls shine in court, with their amazing spikes and blocks, and their never-ceasing courage and faith in winning the match. There are times when they lose the game, sometimes with embarrassing result like 0:3; there are years when they suffer a lot of injuries and new players do not match up to the veterans, yet, one must admit that the Chinese girls have been practising very hard all the way.Recent years has witnessed a difficult period for the team when Russian, American, Cuban, and Brazilian teams are rising in ranking and winning championships, but I still have faith in our team and give them my support. I wish them good luck in the coming Olympics.2.Benefits from Hosting the Olympic GamesJuly of 2001 witnessed a wave of national excitement in our land: Beijinghad won the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. It symbolized the strength of our country and roused our national pride.Since then a lot of changes have taken place in Beijing. Citizens of Beijing are now enjoying better transportation facilities, and the physical environment has improved significantly. With the construction of athletic venues, municipal infrastructure and other relevant facilities, new job opportunities have been created. A boom in Olympic-related businesses and industries has taken place not only in Beijing but also elsewhere.Hosting the Olympic Games is also a mega cultural event. It is a good opportunity to increase the international profile of the host city. Now more and more people are drawn to Beijing, and there has appeared a new boom in tourism. Preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games have given rise to numerous cultural and educational programs focusing on the citizens' commitment and dedication to this international event. Such programs have not only generated a widespread interest in sports but have also promoted the citizens' social, cultural and ethical visions. We must try our best to capitalize on this opportunity as fully as we can.Unit 81.How to Survive in a Competitive SocietyCompetition in present-day society is fierce and cruel. It exists in differentlines of work. For example, different musicians compete for each seat in their orchestra, and different orchestras compete for the privilege of making recordings with prestigious studios. Footballers compete for positions within the same team, and they work together to compete against other teams for championships. In short, whatever we do, we may feel the pressure of competition.However, instead of deploring competition, we should see the interrelationship between competition and cooperation. Cooperation and competition exist side by side and they are both unavoidable in human society. For example, while competing with other factories, producers and distributors of the same factory must cooperate and make coordinated efforts to satisfy the needs of customers. Business rivals have to cooperate with one another when their common market is threatened. Therefore, competition alone will not bring us success in what we are doing.In the face of competition, we should keep acquiring new skills and updating our knowledge so as to enhance our competitive ability. At the same time, we should learn the techniques of cooperating with others in the most effective manner.2.Should We Offer Seats to Elderly People on the Bus During Rush Hours?I am amazed to read what a blogger says about offering bus seats to the elderly. He claims that "it's the young who need it more" because they go to work early in the morning and feel exhausted after a day's work. The blogger also argues that it is unfair to offer seats to the elderly since they already enjoy free rides, and suggests that during rush hours senior citizens be denied such treatment.I could never bring myself to agree with the blogger. Taking good care of the elderly is a universally accepted standard of conduct. In my opinion, offering seats to our elders is not just an indication of good manners; it is a moral issue. I always consider it my moral obligation to help others. Yes, you may feel comfortable for a while by remaining in your seat, but you will lose your character and moral values in the long run.Respecting the elderly is also our social convention. It is precisely out of our love and respect for the elderly that such special benefits as free rides are offered to them. No one can deprive senior citizens of their right to go out by bus at any time they like, and what's more, we should make sure they get special care when the bus is fully packed with passengers.Caring for the elderly and being taken care of can be a mutually satisfying experience for everyone involved. It is through performing such small acts as offering seats to the needy that we learn to contribute to the building of a harmonious society.。
