上海牛津高二下課文

U1Whatisbeauty?

Sufferingtobebeautiful

ReadthetranscriptbelowfromaradioprogrammecalledHeadtoHead.

Host:Goodmorning.Today’stopicisbeauty.Whatisbeauty?And,towhatlengthscanorshouldwegotomakeourselvesmorebeautiful?Inthestudiotodayaretwobeautifulwomentohelpanswerthesequestions!SueLeslie,aformermodelwhoisnowasuccessfulbusinesswoman,andElizabethCade,awriterandlecturer.Sue,perhapswecouldstartwithyou.Isbeautyimportant?

SL:Welt,first,thanksforthecompliment,Mary.Now,Ithinkthatintoday’sworld,itisimportanttolookyourbest.Youshouldwatchwhatyoueatandkeepyourselffit.Andifthat’snotenough,thencosmeticsurgerycanchangepeople’slives.

Host:Elizabeth,what’syourviewpoint?

EC:Ithinkit’suptoeveryonetodecidewhatisrightforthem,butIdofeelthatpeopleshouldbehappywiththemselves,regardlessofhowtheylook.Thereistoomuchemphasisonappearancethesedays.Seldomdopeoplethinkabouttherealdangersofthisobsessionwithlooks,bothfromeatingdisordersandfromhavingcosmeticsurgery.Also,manypeoplefeelunhappybecausejustdon’thappentofitsociety’scurrentideasofwhatisbeautiful.

Host:Sinceyou’reahistorian,perhapsyoucouldgiveusabriefhistoricalperspectiveonthis.

EC:Well,therearelotsofexamplesofsocietiesinwhichpeoplehavedonesomehorrendousthingstotrytomakethemselveslookmorebeautiful.Forinstance,someEuropeanwomenusedtohavetheirbottomribsremovedsothattheywouldhavethinwaists.NeckstretchingwasfashionableinsomepartsofSouth-EastAsia.LnAfrica,thereweretribeswhichstretchedtheirearlobesorlips.Ithinkitisridiculousthatpeople-usuallywomen-havebeenforcedbysocietytoenduresuchconsiderablepainandsuffering.

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SL:Sodol.Buttimeshavechanged.Nooneforcespeopletocometo‘Sue’sSalon’,myhealthstud\o.They’refreetocome,andtheyenjoycomingbecauseafteracoursethere,theylookasiftheyweretenyearsyounger.SoIdon’tseeanyrealpointindiscussingallthesequainto/dcustoms.

EC:Buttherereallyisnodifferencebetweenthenandnow!Thatiswhytoday,millionsofwomenaltertheirbodies.Theyhaveeyeoperations,faceliftsandmanyotheroperationsjusttomakeotherpeoplethinktheyaremorebeautiful.

SL:Yes,butit’stheirownchoice.

EC:Idon’tagree.Societystilljudgespeopleonhowtheylook,andsoforcesthemtoworryabouttheirappearance.Judgingpeoplebytheirappearance.Issilly.Weshouldjudgethewholeperson.

Host:Well,Ithinkthatsetsoutsomeoftheissuesverywe11,sonow,let’stakeourfirstcall…

U2Laughterheals

Apracticaljoke

Readthisarticleonahumourwebsitetoseeanexampleofapracticaljoke.

We’candefineajokeassomethingyousaythatcauseslaughter,andapracticaljokeassomethingyoudothatcauseslaughter.Apracticaljokeisatrickthatisplayedonanunsuspectingvictimtomakehimorherlooksillyorembarrassed.InRichardBoston’sBookofPracticaljokes,thewritertellsthestoryofapracticaljokeplayedonaMrPottswhoworkedinanewspaperoffice.TheimpressionthatMrPottsregardedhiscolleaguesasinferiorsmadehimunpopular:’H-is1co-workersdecidedtoplayajokeonhimthatmightmakehimfeelmorehumble.

NowitsohappenedthatMrPottsalwaysworethesamehattowork.Itwasaratherunpleasant-lookinggreencolour.Whenhearrivedattheofficeeverymorningatpreciselyteno’clock,hewouldhanghishatonapegnearthedoorand.Iproceed

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tohisdesk.Whenheleftintheafternoon,hereversedtheprocess.Hetookhishatfromthepeg,placeditonhishead,said‘Goodafternoon:anddepartedforhome.

Oneday,whenhewasoutoftheroom,hiscolleaguesexaminedthehatverycarefully.Thentheywenttoanearbyshopandboughtanotherhatexactlylikeit,butquiteabitlarger.Whentheyreturnedtotheoffice,MrPottswasstillout,sotheyexchangedthenewhatfortheoldone.

Attheendoftheafternoon,MrPottsgotuptoleave.Whenheputhishatonhishead,however,itdroppeddownoverhiseyes.Afterhelefttheoffice,everyoneroaredwithlaughter.

Thenextday,toeveryone’ssurprise,MrPottsturnedupwithhishatinitsnormalposition.Hiscolleagueswerepuzzledbythis,andwhileMrPottswasouttheystudiedthehatcarefully.TheyfoundthatMrPottshadfixedsomepiecesofnewspaperroundtheinsideofthehattoreduceitsdiameterandmakeitsmaller.

ThenextdaytheydecidedtotakeMrPotts’soldhatfromthecupboardwheretheyhadconcealedit.Theymadeitsmallerinthesameway,andreplacedthenewhatwiththeoldone.Attheendoftheday,MrPottsgotuptoleaveasusual.Whenheputhishatonthistime,however,itstuckrightontopofhishead.Again,everyoneroaredwithlaughterwhenhelefttheoffice.

MrPotts’scolleagueschangedthehatseveryday.Theresultwasthatonalternatedaysheworethebighatandthenthesmallone.Intheend,thebeliefthatanillnesswasmakinghisheadchangesizefromdaytodayledMrPottstogotoadoctor.‘Nonsense’,saidthedoctor.‘Thereisnosuchdisease’.

U3

Whatdocolorstellusaboutourselvesandtheworldaroundus?Readthismagazinearticletofindout.

Thestudyofcolorandpersonalityisafascinatingmixtureofscientificfactandemotionalguesswork.SwisspsychologistMaxLuscherhasspentmostofhislifestudyingcolor,andhasdevelopedacolortestwhichhelpsexplainyourpersonality.

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AccordingtoLuscher,peoplewhochooseredonthetestareenergeticandadventurous,lookingforexcitement.Thosewhopreferbluearecalmandincontrol,andpreferapeacefullife.Greenmeansfirmness,adislikeofchangeandafearoffailure.Yellowmeansyouareopenandfree,ambitiousandoptimistic.

Eachcoloraffectsusinadifferentway.Blueandgreenoftenremindpeopleofpeaceandquiet.Blueisthecoloroftheskyandthesea,andgreenisthecolorofplantsandtrees.People’spulseratesdecreaseandtheyfeelmorerelaxedwhentheyseesafeandfamiliarcolorssuchasblueorgreen.Red,however,israreinnature.Itisthecolorofbloodandmeat,ofhuntingandinjuries.Itisalsothecoloroffire.Itisonlynaturalthatredshouldmakepeopletense.Whenpeopleseethecolorred,theirpulseratesincrease.Thedarkestnightsareblack—acoloroftenassociatedwithfear.

Inourdailylife,colorsareoftenusedbythefoodindustry.Nexttimeyouareinasupermarket,thinkaboutthecolorsaroundyouandontheproducts.Thatfoodcompaniesoftenusered,green,orangeandyellowisnotsurprising.Alloftheseareregardedasthemain‘appetite’colorsthathelppersuadepeopletobuymorefood.Fast-foodrestaurantsoftenuseredfortworeasons.Notonlydoesitstimulatetheappetite,butitalsomakespeoplefeelenergetic,sothataftertheyhaveeatentheywillleavemorequickly,thusmakingspaceformorecustomers.

Itisnosecretwhybanksliketousemoreserious,restfulcolorssuchasblue,brownandgreen.Thesepersuadepeopletothinkofthebankasasafeandreliableplace.Yellowmakesusthinkofsunshineandholidays,whichisthereasonwhytravelagentsuseit.

Colorsareusedinflags,aswell.Over80%ofcountrieshavered—thecolorofaction—intheirnationalflags.Lightblue,whichsymbolizespeace,isthecoloroftheUnitedNations.Manyenvironmentalgroupshavechosengreen,whichremindspeopleofnature,astheircolor.

Colorisapowerfultool.Itcanbeusedtohelpus,towarnus,torelaxus,tocontrolusandtomakeusbuythings.

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U4

AnexhibitionofsomeofthepaintingsofVincentVanGoghwillopenattheCulturalCentrenextweek.Readancritic’sreviewofVanGogh’slifeandwork.

VincentVanGoghisprobablytheworld’smostfamouspainter.Manypeoplewonderifhedeservessuchareputation.Certainly,hewasnotasuccessinhislifetime.Althoughheproducedmorethan800paintings,hesoldonlyone,foraboutUS$80.Nogalleryshowedhisworkduringhislife.Fewpeoplemayhaveevenheardofhim.Hisfamedevelopedslowlyafterhisdeathin1890,butithasneverstoppedgrowing.Onehundredyearslater,in1990,aJapanesebusinessmanpaidUS$82millionforoneofhisworks—aworldrecord.

HewasbornintheNetherlandsin1853.Asayoungman,hetriedmanydifferentjobs.Heworkedinanartdealer’scompany,buthemusthavedislikedit,becauseheleft.HewenttoEnglandandbecamealanguageteacher.Then,lookingforadeeperpurposeinlife,heworkedasamissionaryamongthepoorinBelgium,buthequarreledwithhissuperiorsandabandonedthatcareeraswell.Finally,hedecidedtobecomeapainter.

Fortherestofhislife,hedependedonthefinancialsupportofhisbrotherTheo,theonlypersonwhobelievedinhisability.Fortenyears,from1880to1890,VanGoghproducedhisbestpaintings,until,sadly,hetookhisownlife.

Itwouldbeeasytosaythathewasmad.Hehaddifficultygettingalongwithpeople,oftenarguingwiththem.Afteronequarrel,inlate1888,hewassoupsetthathecutoffpartofhisownearandgaveittoayounggirl.Later,from1889to1890,hespentayearinamentalhospital.Yet,formostofhislifehewascompletelysane.WeknowthisbecausehewrotehundredsofletterstoTheoexpressinghisideasandhiswork,andtheselettersshowtheclarityofhisthinking.

Doeshedeservethefamehenowpossesses?Certainly,Iadmirehisworktremendously.Hispaintingsarerealistic,notabstract.Atthesametime,theyarenotlikephotographs.Thebrightcolorsandthickstrokesofhispaintingsmakethestrongfeelingsinsidehimvisible.Evenwhenhissubjectsareflowers,treesorthesky,hispaintingsarefullofpowerful,honestemotions,emotionswhichfinallykilledhim.

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Weareundoubtedlyluckytohavethechancetoviewthesemasterpieces.VanGoghexhibitionsareveryrare.Thisistheculturaleventofthedecade.Youmayhavetospendhoursinthequeue,butdonotmissthischance—hispaintingsmightnotcomethiswayagainformanyyears.

U5

Readthisstoryfromabookonenvironmentalissues.

Lifeisaseriesofchoices,andwecannotalwaysforeseetheconsequences.HarrySaleem,anobsessmanwithtoomuchmoneyandpower,facedachoice.Outsidehisofficewaitedhispersonaldoctor,bringinghimvitalnewsabouttheonlymedicinethatcouldsavehislife.Ontheothersideoftheworld,oneofhisengineerswaitedforhisdecisiononanimportantmatterofbusiness.

Hissecretaryaskedwhethershecouldbringthedoctorin.Thebillionairebusinessmanmadehisdecision.

‘No,letthefoolwait,’growledSaleem,‘Businesscomesfirst.’Despitethehealthproblemscausedbyhishugeweight,hewasstillobsessedwithmakingmoney.Heraisedafatfinger,andoneofhisstaffhurriedtoswitchonalargetelevisionset.

Thescreenflashedtolife,andSaleem’sengineerappeared.Themantalkedbysatellitedirectlytohismasteralthoughtheywerethousandsofmilesapart.‘It’sallreadytoblow,MrSaleem,’hesaid.‘Justsaytheworld.’

HisengineerwasstandingabovePakanValleyinSouthAmerica.Afewmonthsago,ithadbeenarainforest.ThenSaleem’smenhadcome,cuttingdownallthevaluabletreesandforcingthevillagerstomoveout.Acrossthebottomofthevalley,adamhadbeenbuilt.ThiswouldprovidepowerforthefactorieswhichSaleemplannedtobuildinthearea.Thefactorieswouldbringhimvastprofits.

Hesawnoreasontodelay.Heorderedtheengineertopressthebutton.Thecamerapannedawayintothedistance,andthenacloudofdustroseup,followedshortlybyadullexplosion.Amightyriverchangeditscourse,andwaterfloodedintothedoomedPakanValley.

‘Good,that’sthat.Turnitoff.Nowgetthatdoctorinhere,’hecommanded.The

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doctorcameinwithaworriedlookandstartedtoexaminehiswealthypatient.

‘You’redoingverywell,MrSaleem,’hesaidfinally.‘Thenewmedicineissavingyourlife.Theonlydifficultyisgettingmoreofit.’

‘Canyougetmore?Moneyisnoproblem,’Saleemsaid.‘Tellmewhatyouneed,andwe’llgetit.’

‘Themainingredientofthismedicinecamefromanewly-discoveredplant—asmall,

greenorchid,’thedoctorexplained.‘We’llneedmanyofthemtomakeenough

medicine.Theyareveryrare.There’sonlyoneplaceintheworldwheretheygrow.’‘Where?’demandedthebusinessman,impatiently.

Thedoctorsmiled.‘Well,luckilytheorchidscomefromsomelandwhichyouo

wn,

sir,sotherewon’tbeanydifficultyfindingthem.They’refromaplaceinSouthAmericaknownasPakanValley.’

U6

Readthisbrochuretoseehowonecompanyengagesinanewwayofdoingbusiness.Likeallindustries,thecosmeticsindustrywantstomakemoney.Itpromisesto

makeyouyoungerandmorebeautiful.Itpromisesthatallyourdreamswillcometrue

ifyouuseacertaintypeofshampooorfacecream.Thesedreamsaresoldto

customerswithpersuasiveandexpensiveadvertisingcampaigns.Picturesofyouthful

girlsareusedtosellanti-ageingcreamstofifty-year-oldwomen.Theproductsare

presentedinexpensivepackaging,oftendoublingtheircost.

Thecosmeticsindustryalsowantstobesurethattheproductsarenotharmful.It

doesnotwantacustomertobepoisonedbyalipstick,orblindedbyanewtypeofeye

make-up.Itsproductsprovenunsafe,acompanyislikelytobesuedformillionsof

dollars.Toavoidthis,manycosmeticproductsaretestedonanimals