The Wealth of Nations 

 

BOOK I.

OF THE CAUSES OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTIVE POWERS OF LABOUR, AND OF THE ORDER ACCORDING TO WHICH ITS PRODUCE IS NATURALLY DISTRlBUTED AMONG THE DIFFERENT RANKS OF THE PEOPLE.

 

CHAPTER I.

 

OF THE DIVISlON OF LABOUR.

 

The greatest improvements in the productive powers of labour, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment, with which it is anywhere directed, or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labour. The effects of the division of labour, in the general business of society, will be more easily understood, by considering in what manner it operates in some particular manufactures. It is commonly supposed to be carried furthest in some very trifling ones ; not perhaps that it really is carried further in them than in others of more importance: but in those trifling manufactures which are destined to supply the small wants of but a small number of people, the whole number of workmen must necessarily be small ; and those employed in every different branch of the work can often be collected into the same workhouse, and placed at once under the view of the spectator.

 

In those great manufactures, on the contrary. which are destined to supply the great wants of the great body of the people, every different branch of the work employs so great a number of workmen, that it is impossible to collect them all into the same workhouse. We can seldom see more, at one time, than those employed in one single branch. Though in such manufactures, therefore, the work may really be divided into a much greater number of parts, than in those of a more trifling nature, the division is not near so obvious, and has accordingly been much less observed.

 

To take an example, therefore, from a very trifling manufacture, but one in which the division of labour has been very often taken notice of, the trade of a pin-maker: a workman not educated to this business (which the division of labour has rendered a distinct trade, nor acquainted with the use of the machinery employed in it (to the invention of which the same division of labour has probably given occasion), could scarce, perhaps, with his utmost industry, make one pin in a day, and certainly could not make twenty. But in the way in which this business is now carried on, not only the whole work is a peculiar trade, but it is divided into a number of branches, of which the greater part are likewise peculiar trades. One man draws out the wire; another straights it; a third cuts it; a fourth points it; a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head; to make the head requires two or three distinct operations ; to put it on is a peculiar business; to whiten the pins is another ; it is even a trade by itself to put them into the paper ; and the important business of making a pin is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which, in some manufactories, are all performed by distinct hands, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them. I have seen a small manufactory of this kind, where ten men only were employed, and where some of them consequently performed two or three distinct operations. But though they were very poor, and therefore but indifferently accommodated with the necessary machinery, they could, when they exerted themselves, make among them about twelve pounds of pins in a day. There are in a pound upwards of four thousand pins of a middling size. Those ten persons, therefore, could make among them upwards of forty-eight thousand pins in a day. Each person, therefore, making a tenth part of forty-eight thousand pins, might be considered as making four thousand eight hundred pins in a day. But if they had all wrought separately and independently, and without any of them having been educated to this peculiar business, they certainly could not each of them have made twenty, perhaps not one pin in a day; that is, certainly, not the two hundred and fortieth, perhaps not the four thousand eight hundredth, part of what they are at present capable of performing, in consequence of a proper division and combination of their different operations.

 

In every other art and manufacture, the effects of the division of labour are similar to what they are in this very trifling one, though, in many of them, the labour can neither be so much subdivided, nor reduced to so great a simplicity of operation. The division of labour, however, so far as it can be introduced, occasions, in every art, a proportionable increase of the productive powers of labour. The separation of different trades and employments from one another, seems to have taken place in consequence of this advantage. This separation, too, is generally carried furthest in those countries which enjoy the highest degree of industry and improvement; what is the work of one man, in a rude state of society, being generally that of several in an improved one. In every improved society, the farmer is generally nothing but a farmer ; the manufacturer, nothing but a manufacturer. The labour, too, which is necessary to produce any one complete manufacture, is almost always divided among a great number of hands. How many different trades are employed in each branch of the linen and woollen manufactures, from the growers of the flax and the wool, to the bleachers and smoothers of the linen, or to the dyers and dressers of the cloth ! The nature of agriculture, indeed, does not admit of so many subdivisions of labour, nor of so complete a separation of one business from another, as manufactures. It is impossible to separate so entirely the business of the grazier from that of the corn-farmer, as the trade of the carpenter is commonly separated from that of the smith. The spinner is almost always a distinct person from the, weaver; but the ploughman, the harrower, the sower of the seed, and the reaper of the corn, are often the same. The occasions for those different sorts of labour returning with the different seasons of the year, it is impossible that one man should be constantly employed in any one of them. This impossibility of making so complete and entire a separation of all the different branches of labour employed in agriculture, is perhaps the reason why the improvement of the productive powers of labour, in this art, does not always keep pace with their improvement in manufactures. The most opulent nations, indeed, generally excel all their neighbours in agriculture as well as in manufactures ; but they are commonly more distinguished by their superiority in the latter than in the former. Their lands are in general better cultivated, and having more labour and expense bestowed upon them, produce more in proportion to the extent and natural fertility of the ground. But this superiority of produce is seldom much more than in proportion to the superiority of labour and expense. In agriculture, the labour of the rich country is not always much more productive than that of the poor ; or, at least, it is never so much more productive, as it commonly is in manufactures. The corn of the rich country, therefore, will not always, in the same degree of goodness, come cheaper to market than that of the poor. The corn of Poland, in the same degree of goodness, is as cheap as that of France, notwithstanding the superior opulence and improvement of the latter country. The corn of France is, in the corn-provinces, fully as good, and in most years nearly about the same price with the corn of England, though, in opulence and improvement, France is perhaps inferior to England. The corn-lands of England, however, are better cultivated than those of France, and the corn-lands of France are said to be much better cultivated than those of Poland. But though the poor country, notwithstanding the inferiority of its cultivation, can, in some measure. rival the rich in the cheapness and goodness of its corn, it can pretend to no such competition in its manufactures, at least if those manufactures suit the soil, climate, and situation, of the rich country. The silks of France are better and cheaper than those of England, because the silk manufacture, at least under the present high duties upon the importation of raw silk, does not so well suit the climate of England as that of France. But the hardware and the coarse woollens of England are beyond all comparison superior to those of France, and much cheaper, too, in the same degree of goodness. In Poland there are said to be scarce any manufactures of any kind, a few of those coarser household manufactures excepted, without which no country can well subsist.

 

This great increase in the quantity of work, which, in consequence of the division of labour, the same number of people are capable of performing, is owing to three different circumstances ; first, to the increase of dexterity in every particular workman ; secondly, to the saving of the time which is commonly lost in passing from one species of work to another ; and, lastly, to the invention of a great number of machines which facilitate and abridge labour, and enable one man to do the work of many.

 

First, the improvement of the dexterity of the workmen, necessarily increases the quantity of the work he can perform; and the division of labour, by reducing every man's business to some one simple operation, and by making this operation the sole employment of his life, necessarily increases very much the dexterity of the workman. A common smith, who, though accustomed to handle the hammer, has never been used to make nails, if, upon some particular occasion, he is obliged to attempt it, will scarce, I am assured, be able to make above two or three hundred nails in a day, and those, too, very bad ones. A smith who has been accustomed to make nails, but whose sole or principal business has not been that of a nailer, can seldom, with his utmost diligence, make more than eight hundred or a thousand nails in a day. I have seen several boys, under twenty years of age, who had never exercised any other trade but that of making nails, and who, when they exerted themselves, could make, each of them, upwards of two thousand three hundred nails in a day. The making of a nail, however, is by no means one of the simplest operations. The same person blows the bellows, stirs or mends the fire as there is occasion, heats the iron, and forges every part of the nail: in forging the head, too, he is obliged to change his tools. The different operations into which the making of a pin, or of a metal button, is subdivided, are all of them much more simple, and the dexterity of the person, of whose life it has been the sole business to perform them, is usually much greater. The rapidity with which some of the operations of those manufactures are performed, exceeds what the human hand could, by those who had never seen them, he supposed capable of acquiring.

 

Secondly, The advantage which is gained by saving the time commonly lost in passing from one sort of work to another, is much greater than we should at first view be apt to imagine it. It is impossible to pass very quickly from one kind of work to another, that is carried on in a different place, and with quite different tools. A country weaver, who cultivates a small farm, must loose a good deal of time in passing from his loom to the field, and from the field to his loom. When the two trades can be carried on in the same workhouse, the loss of time is, no doubt, much less. It is, even in this case, however, very considerable. A man commonly saunters a little in turning his hand from one sort of employment to another. When he first begins the new work, he is seldom very keen and hearty; his mind, as they say, does not go to it, and for some time he rather trifles than applies to good purpose. The habit of sauntering, and of indolent careless application, which is naturally, or rather necessarily, acquired by every country workman who is obliged to change his work and his tools every half hour, and to apply his hand in twenty different ways almost every day of his life, renders him almost always slothful and lazy, and incapable of any vigorous application, even on the most pressing occasions. Independent, therefore, of his deficiency in point of dexterity, this cause alone must always reduce considerably the quantity of work which he is capable of performing.

 

Thirdly, and lastly, everybody must be sensible how much labour is facilitated and abridged by the application of proper machinery. It is unnecessary to give any example. I shall only observe, therefore, that the invention of all those machines by which labour is to much facilitated and abridged, seems to have been originally owing to the division of labour. Men are much more likely to discover easier and readier methods of attaining any object. when the whole attention of their minds is directed towards that single object, than when it is dissipated among a great variety of things. But, in consequence of the division of labour, the whole of every man's attention comes naturally to be directed towards some one very simple object. It is naturally to be expected, therefore, that some one or other of those who are employed in each particular branch of labour should soon find out easier and readier methods of performing their own particular work, whenever the nature of it admits of such improvement. A great part of the machines made use of in those manufactures in which labour is most subdivided, were originally the invention of common workmen, who, being each of them employed in some very simple operation, naturally turned their thoughts towards finding out easier and readier methods of performing it. Whoever has been much accustomed to visit such manufactures, must frequently have been shewn very pretty machines, which were the inventions of such workmen, in order to facilitate and quicken their own particular part of the work. In the first fire engines {this was the current designation for steam engines}, a boy was constantly employed to open and shut alternately the communication between the boiler and the cylinder, according as the piston either ascended or descended. One of those boys, who loved to play with his companions, observed that, by tying a string from the handle of the valve which opened this communication to another part of the machine, the valve would open and shut without his assistance, and leave him at liberty to divert himself with his play-fellows. One of the greatest improvements that has been made upon this machine, since it was first invented, was in this manner the discovery of a boy who wanted to save his own labour.

 

All the improvements in machinery, however, have by no means been the inventions of those who had occasion to use the machines. Many improvements have been made by the ingenuity of the makers of the machines, when to make them became the business of a peculiar trade; and some by that of those who are called philosophers, or men of speculation, whose trade it is not to do any thing, but to observe every thing, and who, upon that account, are often capable of combining together the powers of the most distant and dissimilar objects. in the progress of society, philosophy or speculation becomes, like every other employment, the principal or sole trade and occupation of a particular class of citizens. Like every other employment, too, it is subdivided into a great number of different branches, each of which affords occupation to a peculiar tribe or class of philosophers ; and this subdivision of employment in philosophy, as well as in every other business, improve dexterity, and saves time. Each individual becomes more expert in his own peculiar branch, more work is done upon the whole, and the quantity of science is considerably increased by it.

 

It is the great multiplication of the productions of all the different arts, in consequence of the division of labour, which occasions, in a well-governed society, that universal opulence which extends itself to the lowest ranks of the people. Every workman has a great quantity of his own work to dispose of beyond what he himself has occasion for; and every other workman being exactly in the same situation, he is enabled to exchange a great quantity of his own goods for a great quantity or, what comes to the same thing, for the price of a great quantity of theirs. He supplies them abundantly with what they have occasion for, and they accommodate him as amply with what he has occasion for, and a general plenty diffuses itself through all the different ranks of the society.

 

Observe the accommodation of the most common artificer or daylabourer in a civilized and thriving country, and you will perceive that the number of people, of whose industry a part, though but a small part, has been employed in procuring him this accommodation, exceeds all computation. The woollen coat, for example, which covers the day-labourer, as coarse and rough as it may appear, is the produce of the joint labour of a great multitude of workmen. The shepherd, the sorter of the wool, the wool-comber or carder, the dyer, the scribbler, the spinner, the weaver, the fuller, the dresser, with many others, must all join their different arts in order to complete even this homely production. How many merchants and carriers, besides, must have been employed in transporting the materials from some of those workmen to others who often live in a very distant part of the country ? How much commerce and navigation in particular, how many ship-builders, sailors, sail-makers, rope-makers, must have been employed in order to bring together the different drugs made use of by the dyer, which often come from the remotest corners of the world ? What a variety of labour, too, is necessary in order to produce the tools of the meanest of those workmen ! To say nothing of such complicated machines as the ship of the sailor, the mill of the fuller, or even the loom of the weaver, let us consider only what a variety of labour is requisite in order to form that very simple machine, the shears with which the shepherd clips the wool. The miner, the builder of the furnace for smelting the ore the feller of the timber, the burner of the charcoal to be made use of in the smelting-house, the brickmaker, the bricklayer, the workmen who attend the furnace, the millwright, the forger, the smith, must all of them join their different arts in order to produce them. Were we to examine, in the same manner, all the different parts of his dress and household furniture, the coarse linen shirt which he wears next his skin, the shoes which cover his feet, the bed which he lies on, and all the different parts which compose it, the kitchen-grate at which he prepares his victuals, the coals which he makes use of for that purpose, dug from the bowels of the earth, and brought to him, perhaps, by a long sea and a long land-carriage, all the other utensils of his kitchen, all the furniture of his table, the knives and forks, the earthen or pewter plates upon which he serves up and divides his victuals, the different hands employed in preparing his bread and his beer, the glass window which lets in the heat and the light, and keeps out the wind and the rain, with all the knowledge and art requisite for preparing that beautiful and happy invention, without which these northern parts of the world could scarce have afforded a very comfortable habitation, together with the tools of all the different workmen employed in producing those different conveniencies ; if we examine, I say, all these things, and consider what a variety of labour is employed about each of them, we shall be sensible that, without the assistance and co-operation of many thousands, the very meanest person in a civilized country could not be provided, even according to, what we very falsely imagine, the easy and simple manner in which he is commonly accommodated. Compared, indeed, with the more extravagant luxury of the great, his accommodation must no doubt appear extremely simple and easy ; and yet it may be true, perhaps, that the accommodation of an European prince does not always so much exceed that of an industrious and frugal peasant, as the accommodation of the latter exceeds that of many an African king, the absolute masters of the lives and liberties of ten thousand naked savages.

经过了几个月来的节目主持,对大家参加节目的风向有了一定的了解

为了针对不同的人群,特意设定了不同难度的翻译文章,一个星期一期,

内容分为易（★★★）,中（★★★★）,难（★★★★★）三个难度层次,翻译红色的部分
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Stamp collecting is a popular hobby that also can pay off financially. Stamps and related postal objects can be beautiful and exotic, plus they often have historical value. And as VOA's Mil Arcega reports, the stamp trade is beginning to attract serious investors.……

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The West Indian Manatee is an endangered species. Although it does not have any natural predators, human expansion has reduced its natural habitat in the coastal marsh areas and many manatees are injured……

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The most obvious risk is of rising energy costs. Indeed, the recent high price of oil and natural gas, allied to fears over the security of energy supplies from the Middle East and  ……

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The World Cup is sponsored by an international oversight organization for soccer called FIFA, which, en Francais, stands for the Federation Internationale de Football Association . Founded in 1904, FIFA is the governing body for all things soccer, from rule changes to the process by which national soccer teams make their way into World Cup competition. And what a process it is. In comparison, it makes the Major League Baseball play-offs look like a sandlot game.

The World Cup competition is held once every four years in a different host country. Even though the month long competition is held only once every four years, preliminary rounds, between a starting field of 150 national teams, begin two years before the big event. That means there's plenty of World Cup quality soccer to watch right now!

Competitions are held regionally under the auspices of regional soccer organizations including the AFC, UEFA, OFC, CONMEBOL, CAF and CONCACAF. Okay, you don't have to remember this alphabet soup. Just remember that regional competitions - and a region can be the size of Africa - lead the way to a winning team's participation in World Cup competition - the big show. And that's where the excitement, the glory and great moments in sports history are found.

Teams from large countries, like Brazil and the US, and from smaller countries, like East Timor and Nigeria, compete in numerous tournaments until the final field of national teams is winnowed down to 32. The host country's team ( Germany next) and the home country of the previous champions ( Brazil) are given a free pass - no qualifying victories required.

Once the actual World Cup tourney gets underway, loyal fans from every corner of the globe flock to the different venues to cheer on their own national teams. Flags are waved, the air is electric and the knowledgeable crowd cheers, boos and hoots as the fortunes of their teams rise and fall. The occasional soccer riot can also be expected as the fanatics from both sides take the fight into the bleachers. Security, as you might expect, is always tight.

Scalpers hawk their wares outside of each stadium and tickets always go for a premium, even in the early rounds of competition. In fact, if you're planning to attend the '06 World Cup in Germany, now's the time to pick up your tix. (Don't forget to pack the Stars and Stripes.)

So, what teams should you watch now? Well, since the competition for the World Cup began in 1930, several nations have established themselves as perennial powerhouses. Brazil always brings game, having won the Cup five times, including the last final held in 2002. Other teams to watch include the squads from Germany, Italy, England, Argentina and, of course, the up-and-comers from the US.

The World Cup is more than a game, more than a world competition, it's a world event - everywhere but in America. But that's changing quickly as more 'Yanks' discover that soccer's elegance and grace, strategy and strength make for compelling sports action and irresistible TV viewing.

So settle back in the recliner and, as you channel surf, stop to watch a few preliminary games. It won't be long before you recognize the team's star names and the background stories behind each team. Like any sport, the more you know about it, the more you'll enjoy it. Go East Timor!

from :  http://www.soccerboards.com/

 

 

	Young women in traditional Bavarian clothes toast with one-litre beer mugs during the opening day of the Oktoberfest in Munich in this September 17, 2005 file photo. The FIFA soccer World Cup 2006 final will be held in Germany from June 9 - July 9
	An unidentified woman shouts out as she drinks beer during the opening day of Munich's famous Oktoberfest, September 17, 2005
	Waitress Marion Neumeyer carries one-litre beer mugs during the opening day of the Oktoberfest in Munich September 17, 2005
	Traders arrange cheese and meat in Stuttgart's famous market hall May 15, 2006. The FIFA soccer World Cup 2006 will be held in Germany from June 9 - July 9.
	An overview shows sidewalk cafes at the 'Alter Markt' in the city of Dortmund May 22, 2006.
	Sculptures of rhinoceros painted in different colours of participating countries of the World Cup 2006 are seen in the city of Dortmund May 22, 2006
	Farmers' wives dressed in traditional Bavarian costumes ride in wooden carriages on the way to the church of Bad Toelz during the Leonhard procession November 6, 2004. The procession is an annual event that started in the 17th century to pray to St. Leonhard, the patron saint of animals
	Bavarian men in traditional clothes play their Alphorn instruments during a meeting on top of the mountain Fellhorn near the southern Bavarian town of Oberstdorf July 24, 2005
	A Bavarian tries to pull his opponent over the table during traditional Bavarian finger pulling championships, called 'Fingerhakln', in the southern Bavarian resort town of Mittenwald on July 20, 2003
	Two dogs, Zoroline (L) and Spitzerich, wearing traditional Bavarian dirndl and leather trousers, sit at a garden in Hailing near the Bavarian town of Straubing, September 11, 2005.The FIFA soccer World Cup 2006 final will be held in Germany from June 9 - July 9.
	Oktoberfest visitors ride in a roller coaster in front of Munich's landmark Frauenkirche September 20, 2004

from language tip

1,000 places to go before you die

Memorial Day traditionally marks the start of the summer vacation season in the United States. A lot of American travelers may be setting off with a renewed sense of purpose this year, thanks to a best-selling book with a lofty goal. Patricia Schultz is the author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, which profiles a lifetime's worth of travel destinations around the world: everything from the Great Wall of China to a hot air balloon safari in Kenya to a drive-in hot dog restaurant in Chicago. The book has been a U.S. best seller since it was first released by Workman Publishing Company in 2003, and with publication rights sold in some 20 other countries, it is also climbing best seller lists elsewhere in the world.

Patricia Schultz says her book grew out of her life-long passion for travel. She created a few hours of panic as a four year old, when she wandered away from a family beach vacation, and she has been roaming the world ever since. But if 1,000 Places to See Before You Die began as a labor of love, even the author was not prepared for the publishing sensation it would become. "In honesty, in the beginning if I sold a couple hundred copies I would have been elated," the author says. "That we would have two million buying this book to anxiously see where they should go next, that has amazed me."

 "The very concept of travel I think is timeless, ageless. One of the most beautiful quotes I use now and then is from St. Augustine, and it was over a thousand years ago, and he said, 'Life is like a book, and he or she who does not travel reads just one page.'"

"How did you get the idea for your book?"

"I've been writing travel guides since the 80s,so in my own head, I had been growing more seamless towards these places I've been to. As a travel writer, people are always coming to me and saying, 'I'm going here, what should I see?' Or 'We're thinking of going to Southeast Asia, but what country, or in that country, what city, and in that city, what sites?' So I was always bombarded, and I always had all these answers, and now they're in this book. I did all the homework."

It took Schultz seven years to research and write her book. She estimates she has visited about 80 percent of the sites she describes, but she also read other travel books, talked with tourism boards, and interviewed as many fellow travelers as she could find. She made her selections based on whether they evoke some sense of what she calls "the world's magic, integrity, wonder and legacy." India's Taj Mahal made the list; so, too, did the covered bazaars of Aleppo, Syria; the Moscow subway system; and whale watching on Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

"I think that the book shows it does not mean to be extravagant and over the top. There are a lot of places around the world, places you've never heard of, but there are just as many that are here in our back yards or that are doable. You don't need to break the bank, and you don't need a month to do it."

Susan Bolotin, Editor-in-chief of Workman Publishing, suggests a range of other reasons for the book's ongoing popularity. "I think it's the scope, and the really daring title, which is to acknowledge that we do all die someday, but there is a lot of stuff you want to get in before that happens. And if you are already a traveler, and if you are someone who likes to keep track of things, there is this pleasure in this feel of interactivity."

"I would also want to say that people are also responding to the fact that the book is so well written. Rather than being just a travel guide, this is really a travel book, so you can take it in your own armchair and enjoy reading about places you know you may never get to."

While Patricia Schultz and her editors worked together to make sure the entries reflected a balanced view of the world's great travel destinations, Susan Bolitan acknowledges there has been inevitable reader disagreement about the choices. Harder to argue with, however, are the author's assertions that visitors should never forget they are guests in another place--and that travel is not just what they see, but how they see it.

"I think you need to go with a real sense of curiosity and with certain expectations, or you wouldn't be making the trip happen in the first place, but leaving your mind and yourself open to serendipity, because it's the best tour guide in the end of it all." Schultz says. "You don't want to be too rigid and restricted in these packaged tours where every moment is accounted for. You want to get out there and wander and not just physically, but to leave yourself open to different experiences, which often times are the ones that stay with you for life."

As for her own most memorable experiences while researching the book, Patricia Schultz says she had a thousand of them. "I can remember in Italy the fellow who took a day off from work just so I could see Tuscany as he knew it to be. I remember we got lost once outside of Malaga in the countryside of southern Spain, and--were we crazy to get in some stranger's car? Maybe, but he showed us tapas bars and flamenco singing and 1,000-year-old caves that we never would have known had we not relied upon the kindness of strangers. I got ill once with typhoid in Africa, and it was one of the most positive experiences of my life, once I understood I wasn't going to die."

 "It's all just one magnificent travel experience waiting to happen, and it's the individual traveler I think who will determine how."

1,000 Places to See Before You Die continues to generate new lists. Next year, Workman is planning to publish a guide to a thousand places in the United States and Canada, also by Patricia Schultz. And the original book is inspiring a reality TV program, in which travelers set out to experience first-hand a sampling of those 1,000 landmarks, adventures and scenic wonders.
 

Unit 19: Who Is Liable for Customers’ Misfortunes?

 

It’s a rough world out there. Step outside and you could break a leg slipping on your doormat. Light up the stove and you could burn down the house. Luckily, if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster, a successful lawsuit might compensate you for your troubles. ①Or so the thinking has gone since the early 1980s, when juries began holding more companies liable for their customers’ misfortunes.

 

②Feeling threatened, companies responded by writing ever-longer warning  labels, trying to anticipate every possible accident. Today, stepladders carry labels several inches long that warn, among other things, that you might ---- surprise! – fall off. The label on a child’s Batman cape cautions that the toy “does not enable user to fly.”

 

While warnings are often  appropriate and necessary – the dangers of drug interactions, for example ---- and many are required by state or federal regulations, it isn’t clear that they actually protect the manufactures and sellers from liability if a customer is injured. About 50 percent of the companies lose when injured customers take them to court.

 

③Now the tide appears to be turning. As personal injury claims continue as before, some courts are beginning to side with defendants, especially in cases where a warning label probably wouldn’t have changed anything. In May, Julie Nimmons, president of Schutt Sports in Illinois, successfully fought a lawsuit involving a football player who was paralyzed in a game while wearing a Schutt helmet. “We’re really sorry he has become paralyzed, but helmets aren’t designed to prevent those kinds of injuries,” says Nimmons. The jury agreed unanimously that the nature of the game, not the helmet, was the reason for the athlete’s injury. ④At the same time, the American Law institute – a group of judge, lawyers, and academics whose recommendations carry substantial weight – issued new guidelines for tort law stating that companies need not warn customers of obvious dangers or bombard them with a lengthy list of possible ones. “Important information can get buried in a sea of trivialities”, says a law professor at Cornell Law School who helped draft the new guidelines.⑤ If the moderate end of the legal community has its way, the information on products might actually be provided for the benefit of customers and not as protection against legal liability.

 

 

UNIT 18:Leadership is more important than image

 

In his National Day Rally Speech, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong gave a candid assessment of his successor.

 

The public persona of Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he said, is that of a no-nonsense, uncompromising and tough minister. He hopes DPM Lee would let his softer side show, he said.

 

Mr Goh's intention was to highlight the importance for a leader to be approachable.

 

①Very often, whether a leader is seen as such is a result of the perception by the masses of how he relates to and mingles with the people.

 

A two-way communication exists between government leaders and the people.

 

②A leader who has an image of being close to the people can get them to better understand and accept a new policy. On the other hand, the people will be encouraged to speak their minds when the leader is open to constructive suggestions. The public will be a lot more forthcoming with their views.

 

Feedback on a wide range of issues will in turn help the government keep its fingers on the pulse of the people.

 

While the public image of a leader is important, whether or not he is popular, in the long-term interests of the nation, is much less crucial than whether or not he is capable and competent.

 

For instance, a painting with an inferior frame often has a direct and negative impact on the viewers' opinion of the artwork. But such an impression is not permanent and can be changed with a better frame. The true worth of the painting will depend ultimately on whether it is indeed a masterpiece.

 

The qualities of a leader, including moral character and self-cultivation, is shown in his sense of mission and political commitment to the nation. He must be farsighted, must persevere in what he believes in and not be sidetracked by temporary setbacks.

 

Knowledge is the basis of a leader's ability and experience is the sum of precious lessons learnt over time. But to keep up with the fast-changing world, a leader also needs to have the foresight to predict what may go wrong as well as the courage to correct it.

 

③The expertise and experience of a leader cannot be gained overnight. They are acquired over a period of time and are genuine qualities that cannot be faked.

 

A spin doctor can help a leader create an image that will appeal to the people, but cannot turn the leader into one who has the required ability and competence to lead.

 

I am no expert on politics and I have not drawn my observations from books on politics or theories by academics.

 

④With advances in information technology, we are now able to see clearly for ourselves political developments in the region via the Internet and television coverage, as if they are happening right before our eyes.

 

While there are many positive lessons to be gained, it is also not uncommon to see political leaders, for personal or party interests, wasting precious resources, time and energy squabbling or behaving in an absurd manner.

 

Singaporeans who witness all these often exclaim: “Luckily our leaders are different! Luckily this did not happen in Singapore!”

 

Political events in different places have served as a point of reference for us to understand what qualities we should look for in a leader. They have also prompted me to express my views.

 

It is inevitable that a new leader needs to make adjustments in a political succession. The people will also need time to get used to a new leader.⑤With a consensus on the way forward and a tolerant and understanding attitude, this should not be a problem.

 

How to lose the culture wars

 

 

BACK in 1992 Pat Buchanan worked the Republican convention into a frenzy by declaring that America was engaged in a “cultural war” for the “soul of America”. Mr Buchanan was right that America is particularly prone to battles over culture. ①But he was wrong to imply that these are all-out wars in which victory goes to the most uncompromising.

 

 

Take one of the thorniest subjects of all, gay marriage. Next week Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, plans to bring to the Senate floor the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), a measure that will amend the constitution to forbid gay couples from marrying. Mr Frist can count on plenty of support. ②A huge coalition of religious traditionalists, from Roman Catholics to Southern Baptists, has been assembled to help push the amendment through; Republican activists across the country are up in arms; George Bush promises to hold a pep rally in the White House Rose Garden. And yet Mr Frist will almost certainly do harm to the cause of protecting traditional marriage.

 

③This is because culture warriors ignore one important point: for the most part the culture wars take place inside individuals rather than between committed ideologies. They are as much struggles between the left and right side of the brain as they are struggles between the left and right side of politics. Consider that great American everyman, Tony Soprano. He has been horribly vexed in the current series because one of his best captains, Vito Spatafore, has been spotted in a gay night club dressed in full regalia. His mob colleagues soon beat him to death, but Tony is caught between sympathy for his friend and his macho instincts, and inevitably winds up talking to his therapist. He starts off by saying that he does not give a damn about what people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms. He then changes tune entirely; he is a “strict Catholic”, he says, and he agrees with “Senator Sanitorum” that “if you let this stuff go too far” everybody will soon be doing unmentionable things with dogs.

 

There is no sure way to win the marriage wars. But there is one sure way to lose them: ignore the fact that most people are ambivalent about gay rights, and come across as ideological bully-boys. This is exactly what the right of the Republican Party is doing at the moment. Mr Frist et al are not only trying to amend a document that most Americans believe should be amended only in the most dire circumstances; they are trying to inject the federal government into an issue that has traditionally been decided by state governments.

 

This overreach is doubly foolish. Opponents of gay marriage have already chalked up a string of victories where it counts, at state level. Thirty-seven states have now passed laws to ban gay marriage, either by referendums (19), or by statute. Supporters of the FMA argue that you need a federal ban on gay marriage to prevent marriages contracted in one state from “leaking” into another. But the 1996 Defence of Marriage Act has already solved this problem by providing that no state has an obligation to recognise gay marriages contracted in another state.

 

④Overreach is also foolish because it exposes conservatives as fair-weather federalists. The strongest conservative argument against abortion is that the Supreme Court overstepped the mark by imposing a single solution on a diverse country; but since then the Republicans have used their temporary dominance in Washington to trample on states' rights.

 

Such overbearing behaviour is not a monopoly of the right. The American left has long imposed its values on a divided country through the courts—from the abolition of school prayer to civil rights for blacks to the legalisation of abortion. And many gay activists regard themselves as exactly like blacks—oppressed citizens who are being denied their full constitutional rights because of social prejudice. One Californian same-sex couple has a marriage-rights case pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In May 2005 a federal court in Nebraska overturned the state's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, an amendment that passed with more than 70% of the vote.

 

Leave judges out of it

 

The strategy of using federal courts is a disaster in the making—a guarantee that America will be divided over gay marriage just as deeply as it is over abortion. Some gay activists argue that the best way to get around this problem is to focus on state courts, introducing gay marriage in liberal states like Massachusetts and avoiding conservative ones. But an even better way is to focus on legislatures. The best model for gay-rights activists should be California, where both houses approved a gay-rights bill without pressure from the courts, rather than Massachusetts, where marriage rights were conjured up by a handful of judges. Activists may complain that the legislative road is strewn with landmines: Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the California law. But surely these mines are less lethal than those on the judicial road, as supporters of abortion rights have discovered. Activists may also complain that majorities of people are against marriage rights. But opinion is moving in their direction: the proportion of people who support gay marriage has risen by 12 points to 39% since 1996, according to Gallup.

 

⑤A country as big and diverse as the United States is wise to leave as many intimate moral questions as possible, from the regulation of marijuana to the regulation of marriage, to the states and to their legislatures. Relying on judges rather than democratic debate risks creating a permanent culture war. The good news for America is that it has the constitutional machinery to keep the marriage wars under control—and enough people on both sides who realise that the best way to lose the argument is to overplay their hands. The FMA will certainly not get the two-thirds majority in the Senate that it needs to have a chance of passing.

 

 

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UNIT 16: Never too old to live a dream

 

By the time they reach midlife, people expect to have accomplished most of their career goals and to be considering activities to pursue in their retirement. But a growing number of Americans, especially women, are defying these expectations. ①These late bloomers dare to dispel doubts, change tracks and launch themselves into careers they had long dreamed of.

A few years ago, Prill Boyle was reading a newspaper when a story of a woman fulfilling her dream late in life caught her eye. "Wini Younker, a Kentucky woman was 65 years old," she says. "She had for 39 years kept this dream alive inside of her of joining the Peace Corp. The day I read about her, she was leaving for Ukraine."

 

Inspired by Younker's courage and persistence, Boyle decided to write about late bloomers. She was one of them, herself. She graduated from college at age 39 - about 15 years older than her classmates, and had a teaching career for nearly a decade. Then at age 49, she left the classroom to become a fulltime writer. She says, she met many other women who had similar transformations late in life. "One woman became a molecular biologist (at age 40) that had never studied biology before," she says. "And she had some patents to her name. There is a woman named Rainelle Burton from Detroit, Michigan. She had been -- in her 20s -- homeless, living in a car with a baby, and she's dyslexic. ②At age 50, this dyslexic woman that doesn't have a lot of resources at her disposal ends up writing a critically acclaimed novel, called The Root Worker."

The dozen women Boyle profiles in her book, Defying Gravity: A Celebration of Late Blooming Women, include a homemaker who was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives at age 48, a 47-year-old breast cancer survivor who discovered an eye for photography, and a medical technician who became an anthropology professor. "Her name is Patricia Symonds, she became an anthropologist in her 50s," she says. "She had not even graduated from high school in her 40s. She was hired by Brown University, an Ivy League school, at age 60. She's 71 now and she's been promoted recently by Brown."

Boyle says late bloomers are hard workers, creative and persistent. She points to Evelyn Gregory, who worked as a bank vice president until her retirement. Then, she became what she had always dreamed of, a flight attendant. Boyle explains it wasn't easy for Gregory to get herself hired because of her age-she was 71. "It wasn't overt because airlines are not allowed, legally, to say 'I'm not going to hire you because you're such and such an age," she says. "She would make it all the way through the interview process up to the last step and there would also be some reason why she was not the candidate. So rather than just saying, 'I'm too old' or 'Nobody is going to hire me,' and giving up, she got fired up by that! What she ended up deciding to do was to become a gate agent and let the corporate brass get to know her, and after 6 months of that they saw that she had all of the strength and stamina that one would need, and she made it clear that she wanted to be a flight attendant. She was hired by USA Air Express and flew for them until she was 78."

Though Jeanne Ray is not among the women profiled in Prill Boyle's book, she can relate to their experiences. At age 65, she was happy with her life as a wife, mother and nurse until one day at the grocery store. "As I walked beside the magazine section, I saw two magazines that really changed my life," she says. "One cover said, 'Beauty at age 20, 30 and 40.' And one said, 'Sex at 30, 40 and 50.' And by not saying the words '60 and beyond,' I suddenly just felt this black cloud descend on me. [I thought] Maybe it's all over and I'm just too stupid to know it."

 

③At that moment, Ray felt the urge to write about what life is like at age 60 and beyond, and how people at that age can still be vibrant, intellectual and attractive. Then she saw a video of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. And that was the inspiration behind her first novel, Julie and Romeo. "I decided that was the perfect venue for my book, but that I would make the characters, instead of very, very young, I'd make them in their 60s,and they would be from warring families," she says. "I put it together over a nine-month period of time during the night, while I was working as a nurse during the day. It was published. It went to the New York Times best-seller list. It was optioned for a movie. It was printed into 26 languages."

Jeanne Ray and Prill Boyle have teamed up on a tour to promote their books and get their message across to a larger audience: old age can be the most fulfilling period of life.

 

④"It's almost like adolescence when you have a new time to make up your mind about where you're going," Ray says. "I think a lot of people make the mistake of not seeing aging that way. I think it should be celebrated I think everyone should say, 'Thank God, I'm going to be 70 next year! I can't wait to get old.'" Boyle adds, "Let people, young people, have something to look forward to, rather than have everyone keep looking back."

 

⑤And with people now living longer than in previous generations, the two authors hope society will start to reconsider aging, encouraging people to explore their talents and pursue their dreams in midlife and beyond.

 

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Is God ambidextrous?

 

 

 

YOU cannot get more brazen than holding a political rally in a church. Last week, more than 1,000 religious activists gathered in a splendid old one in Washington, DC, to talk politics. They discussed their spiritual agenda for America, swapped stories about power struggles within their party and travelled to Capitol Hill to lobby congressmen.

 

①But this was not another example of the religious right on the march. A striking number of the men looked as if they were taking part in a beard-growing competition. Many of the women were in shocking pink . One speaker worked the crowd into a frenzy with rhetorical questions (Does God believe in invading Iraq? Does God believe in cutting taxes for the rich?) before urging them to “hug your neighbour” and “show some love”. The Southern Baptist Convention this was not.

 

②Hence the reappearance of one of those questions that has been bugging Democratic strategists for decades. Can the religious left become a force in American politics comparable to the right-wing version? Religious leftists point out that a growing number of people are disillusioned with the choice between a pious right, which thinks that Jesus cared more about gay marriage than poverty, and a secular left that believes religion has no role in the public square. They also argue that the religious left has a proud history in America, from the Social Gospel wing of the Progressive movement to civil-rights campaigning. The political marriage between religion and the right, they argue, is the exception rather than the rule.

 

Serious doubts also persist about how much the Democratic Party is willing to change to embrace religion. But some think that all they need to do is drop a few platitudes to religious voters and the God-gap will disappear.

 

The biggest problem for the religious left is that it is badly outgunned by the secular left. The Democratic Party's elites—from interest-groups to funders to activists—are determinedly secular. So are many of its most loyal voters. These crusading secularists are in a particularly militant mood at the moment, as the sales of Kevin Phillips's Bush-bashing book, “American Theocracy”, testify. The last thing they want is a religious left to counterbalance the religious right.

 

 

链接：http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6979860

杂志下载: http://51downen.ys168.com     (更新到0603)

 

 

翻译红色的两个句子，驴子和大象的故事，谁是驴子，谁是大象？读完以后，看着图说说你对这篇文章的理解

____________________________________________________

word：

Dean Says Democrats Can Win Religious Voters  EUGENE, Ore. - Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean says his party needs to attract more religious voters. Dean is to speak at this weekend's Oregon Democratic Convention, which will offer a half-day training session on religious outreach. He believes the party can do a much better of job of winning support from evangelical Christians, who typically vote Republican. But Amy Langdon, who heads the Oregon GOP, says Democrats are so out of step with religious voters on gay marriage and abortion that the approach has little chance of working.

The Republicans publicly court the powerful religious right while the Democrats have traditionally been deemed secular and even hostile to religion. It was to counter that image that first Mara Vanderslice and then the Reverend Brenda Bartella Peterson were appointed to act as advisors and reach out to religious voters.

religious left --------religious right

Pogonotrophy   "the cultivation of a beard; beard-growing"

The Pilgrims landed at Chevrolet Rock (the rock changed corporate sponsors soon after, and became known as 'Plymouth Rock') on December 11, 1620 and were shocked to find that America had a winter-time too. The men had beard-growing contests and spent much of the winter huddled around barrels of burning trash, while the women opted to stay warm by cheating on their husbands with the Native men.   Long ago, in some country near that one country where chicks don't shave their under-arms, lived a king who was a bad dude. The people who lived in this country (the actual name of the country is a mystery that has puzzled historians for centuries) were sick of being told what to do by the king, so they said "You're not the boss of me!" and packed up their shit and set sail for...The Netherlands (this part's actually true). After a few months of non-stop crack-smoking and hooker-fornicating, the posse (who had begun to refer to themselves as 'Pilgrims', after the Elton John song 'Boogie Pilgrim') decided that it would be a good idea to head over to America to spread the Gospel and a few sexually-transmitted diseases that they'd picked up in Amsterdam. The Pilgrims landed at Chevrolet Rock (the rock changed corporate sponsors soon after, and became known as 'Plymouth Rock') on December 11, 1620 and were shocked to find that America had a winter-time too. The men had beard-growing contests and spent much of the winter huddled around barrels of burning trash, while the women opted to stay warm by cheating on their husbands with the Native men. Many of the Pilgrims lost their lives that winter, but a few of them vowed to live forever or die trying, and managed to survive. The following autumn, one of the Pilgrims (his name was Norm or Bob or something like that) suggested that they have a feast and thank God for sending the Natives to help them through the winter and for making Polish people too stupid to find America. They decided to invite the Natives to the feast, and to also bring them gifts of food, clothing, and genocide as a token of their thanks. Hitler never received an invitation to the feast and he got super-pissed. The first Thanksgiving feast consisted of four turkeys, squash, a couple of McHappy McMeals, and a sixer of Miller High Life. Only about nine or ten Native Americans were able to attend the feast, due to the fact that the rest of the group had to stay behind to run the casino, but a good time was had by all, nonetheless. And the white people and Natives have coexisted happily/peacefully ever since... The End.

 

点击查看有关政治,宗教,文化的介绍

backgroud：

    宗教与政治相结合、相配合、相融合、相吻合，是美国政治的突出特征，宗教作为国家意识形态发挥过和正在发挥着不可或缺的作用。在国内政治生活中，不论是公民、总统、国会还是法院，都与宗教息息相关；在20世纪这100年间发对外关系上，从1917年俄国十月社会主义革命到1991年苏联解体，国际关系和国际政治有近80年是以两种不同社会制度和思想理论的斗争为主体的。而在那场斗争中，宗教曾起过独特的作用。所以，美国学者认为，意识形态上的反共产主义是使美国自由主义者、温和派和保守主义者意见一致的粘合剂，特别是在精英群体里。
   
    其次，宗教是美国文化的中枢，美国文化可以称之为一种宗教文化，这主要表现在两个方面：一是宗教在美国政治文化形成过程中具有重要价值；二是宗教持续不断地服务于美国自由主义及其政治和社会秩序的合法化。这里，我们既可以用教会宗教在各个时期的“奋兴”作用来归纳美国文化发展的基本脉络，也可以用公民宗教在美国民族统一道德观和价值观上的作用来表述美国文化存在的基本特征。

    再次，宗教信仰多元化是美国社会存在和发展的基本依托。克林顿总统在第二次就职演说中说：“我们拥有种族、宗教和政治上的丰富的多样性，这在21世纪将是天赐之福。那些能够在一起共同生活、共同学习和锻造团结的新纽带的人们，将会得到巨大的收获。” 不论是宗教的多样性决定了政治的多元化还是政治的多样性决定了宗教的多元化，都证明是美国宗教与政治相辅相成的关系塑铸了美国民族和国家。美国作为一个历史上形成的多种族、多宗教的移民国家，没有宗教信仰的多元化就难以体现宗教信仰自由的原则；作为一个以基督新教—天主教—犹太教三位一体的基督宗教为主流的文化体制，没有宗教信仰的多元化就失去了美国文化赖以存在的根基。在美国人判断人格的价值尺度中，宗教因素具有重要地位。

从另一个侧面讲，美国又是一个从宗教历史走来的世俗国家，这个过程本身就是一个宗教世俗化的过程。在这个过程中，宗教在社会政治生活中的作用非但没有减少，反而更加重要。本书从总统、公民、国会、利益集团、法院和外交等多方面和领域说明：在美国社会政治生活中，宗教的作用非同小可

同性恋是个非常古老的问题，很久以来它一直承载于个人层面，20世纪50年代，它逐渐侵入社会公共视野，从而与传统展开了激烈碰撞。在一些西方国家，尤其是北欧，它是以平和宽容的方式解决了问题，但在美国，它和堕胎、种族问题一样并列为美国最头疼的三大问题，而且稍不留神，就会把政治、宗教、法律牵扯在一起，从而刺痛美国的每个神经末梢。

　　一开始就和政治缠绕在一起

　　20世纪50年代，麦卡锡在美国掀起了反共高潮，在举国上下的狂躁和不安中，对同性恋的追查和迫害也不明不白地给卷了进去。1952年艾森豪威尔竞选获胜，发表10450行政命令，授权联邦政府以‘性变态’为理由撤掉或拒绝雇用任何同性恋者。1953年，国务院发表了一个报告，表示他们在国务院内抓出并解雇了531个“变态人物”。可就在麦卡锡不可一世的时候（据说当时总统都有点怕他），突然有人报料，麦卡锡的一个得力干将科恩是个同志，于是好事的人立即怀疑老麦是否和他有一腿，一直独身的麦卡锡吓坏了，他赶快结婚并收养一个女孩，可回天乏术，他的政治生命很快结束了，并于1957年匆匆死去。

　　华盛顿的反同性恋运动在全国范围造成了深远影响。在爱达荷州的波意斯，反同性恋运动被扩大化，被怀疑是同性恋的人受到有组织的打击和逮捕。镇议会关于清理同性恋的议案导致了1472个男性被捕。在一个只有10万人的小城，这个数字尤其耸人听闻。更让人不解的是，没有一个警察部门对这一行动表示过异议。

　　同性恋在当时的整个西方都被普遍认为是性倒错，是精神病的一种，甚至有医生还提出用割掉命根子来解决男同志的问题。所以毫不奇怪，美国人对大逮捕并不感到有什么不对，说不定还拯救了他们呢！但是到了1969年时，美国警察再来干涉同性恋的时候，同性恋者不再沉默，他们终于发出了怒吼，这就是著名的“石墙酒吧事件”。

　　那年6月29日凌晨1点20分，8名警察进入纽约格林威治村的石墙酒吧，这家酒馆没有卖酒执照，顾客以同性恋者为主，有许多人在嗑药。当警察要将酒吧老板押上囚车时，顾客与警察的冲突开始了，他们用酒瓶、垃圾和石块攻击警察。骚乱延续了两天。这原本是件极普通极平常的事件，但是谁也没有料到它会越闹越大。同性恋公开化了，成为一个社会问题而为美国人熟知，按照我们的标准政治词汇——同性恋者走上了美国历史舞台。从此以后，同性恋者正式在全国铺开了摊子:同性恋团体由50个激增到800个，至20世纪80年代初，数目逾千。

　　成也性，败也性

　　20世纪60年代注定是个多事的季节，由于红色激情燃烧了整个世界，美国青年也不甘落后，同性恋代表了包容，代表着对传统的一种反抗，于是很多大学生加入了为同性恋者的请命游行中，当然大部分人并没有成为gay （同性恋）。

　　激情沸腾之后，很多左派势力偃旗息鼓了，但是同性恋解放运动在整个70年代方兴未艾。这时候的同性恋解放运动的规模和社会影响都使前辈的奋斗相形见绌。他们大胆质疑社会权力结构，在婚姻家庭和财产继承等问题上努力争取自己的权利。

　　尤其是70年代美国的性解放给社会带来了极大的冲击，同性恋更加如燎原之势而成了流行的符号。到了70年代中期，同性恋行为得到社会的承认或默许，于是，几座大城市公开设立同性恋俱乐部、同性恋协会及举行各种活动，每到6月份的“同性恋自由日”，往往百万之众参与其事，其场面蔚为壮观。

　　同性恋者的高昂姿态最终激起了美国社会的强烈反弹，1977年，宗教活动领导人安妮塔·布朗特号召全国性运动来阻止同性恋维权。

　　但宗教没能遏制同性恋的发展，倒是另外一件事给同性恋以极大打击。1981年，由于艾滋病例在美国同性恋者中被发现，一时间美国的报纸上充满了“同性恋杀手”、“同性恋瘟疫”、“同性恋威胁”等字眼。保守派当道的里根政府准备将所有男同性恋者隔离或递解出国。甚至有人主张给患者臀部打上烙印，避免其他人与之性交。

　　性解放终究敌不过人类对自身生命的珍爱，比起生命而言，性的问题当然是其次的。恰在这个同性恋与艾滋病不合时宜的遭遇期，美国发生了一件著名的鸡奸案。

　　1982年8月亚特兰大警察去哈德维克家，无意中发现他与另一男子在卧室里进行“反常”性交，于是将他们逮捕。哈德维克在美国公民自由联合会的协助下，申请要求宣布乔治亚州的“反鸡奸法”违宪。在地方多层法庭系统争执不休的情况下，1985年，乔治亚州检察长鲍尔斯向最高法院申请复核，这就是“鲍尔斯述哈德维克”案件。1986年最高法院最终作出了不利于同性恋的重大判决:“宪法并未规定同性恋的鸡奸行为是受宪法保护的‘基本权力’”。该判例实际上是允许各州将同性恋者法办。

　　基督教与同性恋的不兼容

　　美国学者经常吊在嘴巴边讲的“文化战争”，实际上也包含了对同性恋的认同问题，而要找到“文化战争”的根子，还得到美国的宗教里寻找。尽管晚近几十年，美国宗教信仰成分越来越复杂，但美国的主流宗教信仰仍是围绕着《圣经》的基督教、天主教和犹太教。

　　具有强烈宗教信仰背景的美国社会的主流观点是，上帝让人类组合家庭，是基于“亚当”与“夏娃”有本质不同的上帝安排。而同性婚姻显然违背了上帝的意旨。所以，宗教团体竭力反对让同性恋婚姻正当化、法律化。

　　虽然经过20世纪六七十年代的激进和反叛的思潮，宗教的权威体制遭到了冲击，美国人的自身价值观发生了不少变化。但在美国，周末去教堂的人仍然比看体育比赛的人多。同时，严格要求服从牺牲精神的教徒在南部和小城镇并不见得失去势力，尤其像新英格兰地区和南方人民的心里还保留着许多和宗教戒律有关的行为准则。

　　1962年，禁止在公立学校举行祈祷和1972年的允许堕胎，这两项宗教保守势力极力维护的价值观终于在最高法院败北，而到了70年代末，同性恋的脚步又慢慢逼近了，很多美国人发现有点不对劲:同性恋者可以自由地把宣传品发给学生，而宗教组织却没有这种自由;最高法院禁止在教室墙壁上张贴《十诫》，而却允许把安全套发放给下一代。一批正统价值维护者们感到了恐慌，于是他们起来了，妇女、南方人、白人以及乡村和小城镇居民，在宗教的认同中联合了。1994年，一群基督教重要领导人的《福音派教徒与天主教徒联合起来》的声明，它提供了一个表达新宗教保守派思想的思维主题和政治问题的简要阐述。声明签署者呼唤“公民社会的正常秩序”，声称“政治、法律和文化必须由道德真理来保障”。

　　保守派势力的联合也刺激了同性恋者的行动，由于同性恋者毕竟占人口的绝对少数，他们的呼声在很多场合下会受到主流社会的湮没，于是他们必需寻找和建立同盟，这是取得权益进步的关键途径。正因为同性恋族群在追求平等权益的方面，与女权主义者、有色人种和其他少数民族有着共同点，他们很快就结成了联盟，以集体的力量向国会和政府施压。

　　1992年，在同性恋者的鼎力支持下，民主党的克林顿当选了总统，同性恋者的维权活动获得了一个更有利的环境。1996年在“罗默诉埃文斯”案中，最高法院推翻了1986年的判决，承认了同性恋者享有宪法保护的平等权利，此判决被誉为美国近十年来同性恋者平等权运动的最大胜利。

　　同性恋者的进取，又引发了保守派的不安。1998年，在一个寒冷夜晚，21岁的同性恋者、大学生马修·谢巴德在怀俄明州的拉莱米市郊被残忍地殴打，然后被绑在一排栅栏上等死。18个小时后，在死亡线挣扎的马修被人发现火速送到医院，但由于伤势太重，在5天后还是不治身亡。全美的媒体向拉莱米蜂拥而去。马修的死引起全美同性恋和反同性恋两大阵营的“对抗”。在当时紧张的形势下，以致马修的父亲在儿子的葬礼上发言时，被迫穿上了防弹衣。

　　娱乐:在政治和法律夹缝中

　　就在政治、法律、宗教一直在为同性恋烦恼的时候，娱乐界却发现了商机。

　　同性恋解放运动一开始就迎来了一场商业化的爆发，除了酒吧、剧院、浴池大量增加外，同性恋杂志、色情文学也有了很大发展。那些专门生产性辅助工具:皮革玩具、春药也开始火爆。尤其在纽约和旧金山同性恋集中的地方更是如此。

　　几年前，同性恋主题在美国电视节目中还是讳莫如深的话题；但到了2003年，播放跟同性恋题材擦边的就有了十多个，包括电视剧和真人秀。

　　美国第一同志电视节目当属“同志亦凡人”（Queer as Folk）了。它是由英国同名电视剧改编而来的。故事背景在匹兹堡，却在加拿大拍摄。它描写了一群住在匹兹堡的同志男女的爱情、生活与他们的日常悲喜。

　　这个节目是美国电视网络节目中收视率最高的节目之一，目前观众浏览量仍在不断攀升。随着人们对同性恋心态更加包容，一些同性恋题材开始冲刺到了白天的节目单上（白天看电视的是广大家庭妇女，当然节目要保守点），著名肥皂剧《我们生命的每一天》（DAYS OF OUR LIVES）上首次出现女同性恋接吻，这是同性题材向主流美国文化挑战的一次巨大动作。

　　在电影、电视的媒体催生下，美国的同性恋文化也日渐蔓延到普通大众生活圈。美国时下里女生很酷的生活方式就是交上几个gay friends。很多女孩子认为这是有百利而无一害的。因为同性恋男对女生没有兴趣，而且他们又可以互诉衷肠。

　　有好事者还替大家总结了gay man的几种特征:说起话来语调特别高;他从来不会主动介绍他的女朋友给大家认识，一天到晚神秘兮兮的;他冬天的时候总是围着围巾;他不喜欢打保龄球，因为他觉得这会伤了他的手;他喜欢电影 “Amelie”中文翻译成 《天使爱美丽》……

　　没有赢家

宗教
简单地说，宗教只是一种对社群所认知的主宰的崇拜和文化风俗的教化。宗教是一种社会历史现象，多数宗教是对超自然力量、宇宙创造者和控制者的相信或尊敬，它给人以灵魂并延续至死后的信仰体系。对宗教进行研究的学科是宗教学。 多数宗教认为在现实世界之外，还有超自然的力量或实体（上帝、天神、鬼、灵魂等）存在，并认为这种超自然的力量能够影响人们的命运，因而产生敬畏和崇拜的思想感情。宗教不同于迷信。宗教一般是由共同的信仰、道德规范、礼仪、教团组织等要素所构成。但是，宗教和迷信有一相同的、不可忽略的重要特点，那就是：相信未经证实的事物(trust in the absence of evidence)。从这个意义上说，宗教是一种有组织的迷信。 宗教可以大致分为自发宗教和人为宗教两大类。自发宗教是非常原始的宗教，一般是原始社会时期的宗教。而现代的宗教基本上都是人为宗教。

宗教一词的来历
中国文化认为：有创始人、有崇拜对象, 为“宗”；有一群追随者，有一定的祭祀仪式, 为“教”；西方文化的宗教“religion”是从拉丁词“re”和“legere”演变来的，意思是“再”和“聚集”，宗教就是一群人为了一个目的, 聚集在一起的意思，发展到有同一信仰，同一信念，为了这一信仰, 而到了不畏生死的地步。 值得注意的是，在中文中，宗教这个词，与英文的religous beliefs的含义本来并不对等。本来在中文中的宗教，是佛教的术语，并不是现在的内涵和外延。比如历史上，中国的道教，即不用这个名词来称呼。宗教这个词用来泛指所有宗教信仰乃是由翻译造成的词义变化。宗教这个词作为佛教专门术语的含义，即自证为宗、化他名教反而被忘却了。

宗教的起源
宗教的起源並無一致的說法。羅馬的Lucretius 認為恐懼造成最初的神。英國的Thomas Habbes 認為畏懼不可見的事物，乃宗教之自然種子。Paul, Tillich 保羅. 田立克提出，人對終極關懷 (Ultimate Concern) 的理性或非理性回答，產生了宗教。佛洛依德在其著作《圖騰與禁忌》中則認為宗教是初民對父親的敬畏心理的潛意識影射。 早在原始社会宗教就已经存在，它产生的根源和基础在于生产力发展水平低下，以及原始人对自然斗争力量的软弱。那时，宗教规范往往成为人们共同遵守的社会规范。

宗教与信仰
宗教的基础是信仰，也有人认为是蒙昧主义。宗教只要求人们相信，不要求人们问为什么。 有些观点认为，某个民族只信仰某个宗教。而从考古学的发现上得出的结论是，信仰不是天生的，是可以改变的。民族、宗教和文化既有联系，又有区别。

宗教的影响
宗教在世界上各个国家和民族中都存在。到目前为止，还没有发现哪个国家没有宗教。
宗教与政治
宗教与政治的关系很复杂，宗教信仰会影响法律。宗教也是一种社会意识形态，是上层建筑的一部分。在历史上，宗教常常被统治阶层用来作为统治人民的精神工具。另一方面，宗教也常常被反抗者用来作为反抗压迫的工具。 现代在许多国家, 公民都有宗教信仰自由，它是公民的基本权利之一。中世纪时，世界上几乎所有国家都采取政教合一的制度，国家政权与宗教合而为一，宗教首领就是国家首脑，直接掌握国家政权；设立单一的宗教成为国教，教规就是国法，公民必须信奉和遵守，公民没有信仰其他宗教或不信仰宗教的自由，否则会被认为是“异教徒”而遭到迫害。但在古代中国，由于儒家思想的影响，允许公民有信仰其他宗教的自由，但各种其他宗教必须纳入儒家伦理的框架中。 马克思主义的观点认为，当社会发展到共产主义，宗教将会消失。

世界主要宗教

- 犹太教
- 新兴宗教

- 儒教（孔教）：是否為宗教有很大爭議
- 印度教(亦称为兴都教)
  - 婆罗门教
- 基督教
  - 天主教
  - 东正教
  - 摩门教
  - 摩尼教（波斯明教）
  - 也里可溫教
  - 基督新教
- 伊斯兰教
  - 逊尼派
  - 什叶派
  - 中国伊斯兰教(回教)
- (中国)道教
- (台湾)一贯道
- (日本)神道教
- (朝鲜、韩国)天道教
- （西藏）苯教
- 越南道教
- (印度)锡克教
- (伊朗)巴哈教
- 琐罗亚斯德教(拜火教)
- 威卡教派
- 佛教

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posted @ 2006-06-04 23:58 冷咖啡 阅读(746) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏

 

小提示           每次三道题，难度较大，另外贴一些常识类型的内容           每期节目奖励有效期为一个星期(每个周日发布)

 

Furthermore, this pattern of increase was set back by five massive extinction episodes. The most recent of these, during the cretaceous period, is by far the most famous, because it ended the age of the dinosaurs, giving authority to the mammals, thus ultimately making possible the dominance of the human species over the earth. But the cretaceous crisis was minor compared with the Permian extinction 240 million years ago.

 

IF YOU meet a bear in the woods, try not to panic or scream; on no account should you turn your back and run. As markets around the world have turned grizzly over the past two weeks, some investors seem to have forgotten the old hikers' maxim. Until recently, financial markets appeared to be betting that the Goldilocks economy—neither too hot, nor too cold—was safe from the bears. The rattled markets are a reminder that sooner or later growth will slow or inflation will rise. Inflation is not about to spiral upwards but with diminishing spare capacity, it could edge up. America has an extra risk because Wall Street suspects that Ben Bernanke, the Fed's new chairman, may be a soft touch on inflation. If that suspicion persists, he will need to raise interest rates by more than otherwise—or investors will do the tightening for him by pushing up bond yields. That would make other assets look expensive. It is in the American housing market that the bear may growl loudest. By borrowing against the surging prices of their homes, American consumers have been able to keep on spending. The housing market is already coming off the boil

 

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Unit Fifteen   Gene Therapy

 

①Human genetic engineering, also know as gene therapy, is based on the premise that our genes are the defense and healing system of our body. It is our genes that protect our body from the assaults of nature; it is our genes that repair the damage caused by disease and restore us to health; it is our genes that, when they function abnormally, contribute to cancer, heart disease, and mental illness. If we want to cure a disease, therefore, we must do it at the level of the genes.

 

There are two primary ways that genes can be used to treat disease. ②The first is gene therapy, in which one or more genes are injected into the patient to replace those that are absent or not working properly. This approach has been used to treat rare enzyme disorders, including one known as ADA deficiency, and clinical trials have employed gene therapy against a broad range of disorders: heart disease, many forms of cancer, and AIDS. The second way to exploit genes to treat disease is known as small-molecule therapy. ③In this approach, a small molecule (that is, a drug) is given to the patient to modify the function of one or more genes in the body.

 

As the Human Genome Project identifies all of the 70,000 to 13, 0000 human genes and, in time, teaches us what they do, we will rapidly develop the ability to screen for defect or weaknesses in all of our genes. ④By “weaknesses” we mean genes that do not function optimally for the environment in which the individual livers, which man be unusually stressful because of diet, toxins, radiation or some other factor and therefore will result in the patient’s developing a disease. Once a defective or poorly functioning gene is discovered, we will be able to give the individual a more effective gene to replace the “weak” one. Or if the gene is making a normal product but just too much or too little of it, a small molecule (drug) can be given to regulate production. Thirty years from now, essentially every disease will have gene-based therapy as a treatment option.

 

Gene therapy is still too inefficient to be helpful in most cases. But progress is rapid, and the first treatments are expected to be available to the public over the next five years. ⑤The greatest success so far has been in stimulating new blood-vessel growth in the heart to treat heart failure or in the limbs to correct faulty circulation. Treatment of a number of genetic diseases, such as hemophilia, appears promising as well. There has also been significant progress in the use of gene therapy to deliver vaccines for protection against AIDS and several types of cancer. Most physicians expect that in the first 10 years of the new century we will see an explosion of gene- therapy treatments for many maladies that have been a scourge to human health. Genetic engineering should allow people to lead healthier, happier lives and add decades to our life span.

 

 

 

任意选择原文中的 ①②③④⑤  中的三个句子翻译沪元50奖励

 

 

 

 

本期讲解:

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Unit Fourteen The Virtue Americans Value Highly

 

A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.

 

①For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.

 

②The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, it hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn’t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.

 

Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. “③I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner – amazing.” Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.

 

As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. ④And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to “translate” cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word “friend” , the cultural implications of the visitor’s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. ⑤Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

 

 

名人名言：
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Childhood is a period of life reprocess in which human being survives for good. 

Children like dirt, while their whole body and mind crave for sunshine like flowers.

No place is more comfortable than men's own home no mater how simple and poor it is.

The wonder of life lies in its colorfulness. To make life more interesting, we have to enrich it continuously.

 

 

 

任意选择原文中的 ①②③④⑤  中的三个句子翻译沪元50奖励

 

 

 

 

本期讲解:

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Unit Thirteen Professionals and Amateurs
.

Specialization can be seen as a response to the problem of an increasing accumulation of scientific knowledge. By splitting up the subject matter into smaller units, one man could continue to handle the information and use it as the basis for further research. But specialization was only one of a series of related developments in science affecting the process of communication. Another was the growing professionalisation of scientific activity.

 

No clear-cut distinction can be drawn between professionals and amateurs in science: exceptions can be found to any rule. Nevertheless, the word “amateur” does carry a connotation that the person concerned is not fully integrated into the scientific community and, in particular, may not fully share its values. The growth of specialization in the nineteenth century, with its consequent requirement of a longer, more complex training, implied greater problems for amateur participation in science. The trend was naturally most obvious in those areas of science based especially on a mathematical of laboratory training, and can be illustrated in term of the development of geology in the United Kingdom.

 

A comparison of British geological publications over the last century and a half reveals not simply an increasing emphasis on the primacy of research, but also a changing definition of what constitutes an acceptable research paper. Thus, in the nineteenth century, local geological studies represented worthwhile research in their own right; but in the twentieth century, local professionals only if they incorporate, and reflect on, the wider geological picture. Amateurs, on the other hand, have continued to pursue local studies in the old way. The overall result has been to make entrance to professional geological journals harder for amateurs, a result that has been reinforced by the widespread introduction of refereeing, first by national journals in the nineteenth century and then by several local geological journals in the twentieth century. As a logical consequence of this development, separate journal have now appeared aimed mainly towards either professional or amateur readership. A rather similar process of differentiation has led to professional geologists coming together nationally within one or two specific societies, whereas the amateurs have tended either to remain in local societies or to come together nationally in a different way.

 

Although the process of professionalisation and specialization was already well under way in British geology during the nineteenth century, its full consequences were thus delayed until the twentieth century. In science generally, however, the nineteenth century must be reckoned as the crucial period for this change in the structure of science.

 

名人名言：
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Man's life may burn or decay. I wouldn't like to decay, but I'd like to burn.

wine（葡萄酒），spirits指的是“经过蒸馏后酒精浓度较高、含糖量较少的烈性酒”，例如：Gin（杜松子酒）、vodka（伏特加酒）、rum（朗姆酒）、whiskey（威士忌酒）、brandy（白兰地），而我们汉语中所说的“高粱酒”则可表示为Kaoliang spirits。

 

翻译句子
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1. Specialization can be seen as a response to the problem of an increasing accumulation of scientific knowledge.

 

2. By splitting up the subject matter into smaller units, one man could continue to handle the information and use it as the basis for further research.

 

3. No clear-cut distinction can be drawn between professionals and amateurs in science: exceptions can be found to any rule.

 

4. The overall result has been to make entrance to professional geological journals harder for amateurs, a result that has been reinforced by the widespread introduction of refereeing, first by national journals in the nineteenth century and then by several local geological journals in the twentieth century.

 

5. Although the process of professionalisation and specialization was already well under way in British geology during the nineteenth century, its full consequences were thus delayed until the twentieth century.

 

 

任意选择三个翻译沪元50奖励

 

 

 

 

本期讲解:

________________________________________________________

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综合考研阅读词汇修正版七○+N 期________初、中级难度

 

本帖子会集合恩波的UNIT1--UNIT70和其他的一些文章,争取能完成一个比较经典的复习材料

节目预告:

5月 7号-5月16号	1-12期                     点击浏览
5月17号-	13-24期
	25-36期
	37-48期
	49-60期
	60-70期
附注:答案一般会在5期完成之后发布前五期的,还会在下一季公布前一季的所有答案,并提供带有答案的包子下载

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请大家务必分帖回答每一期的问题,回复全部问题者,奖励3600沪元,每5贴尽量在周四之前完成，并给出前五贴的答案（见下面），并在网络优盘发布排版打印版（51downen.ys168.com）

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贵在坚持,贵在有理有条,贵在目标可行,贵在踏踏实实

切勿浮躁,切勿乱无章法,切勿朝三暮四,切勿蜻蜓点水

记住学习是自己的,不是做给人看的，要PROCESS，更要PRODUCT

___________________________________________

推荐阅读学习方法:

制定自己的学习计划，一般是在星期一开始下一季的节目

1.读文章、名人名言
2.然后翻译句子，不会的单词先不管
3.然后看《本期讲解》，修改翻译
4.第二次阅读文章、名人名言

更多资料请访问：http://51downEn.ys168.com

 

 

点击下载 UNIT 1&UNIT 2&UNIT 3&UNIT 4&UNIT 5排版打印版

点击下载 UNIT 6&UNIT 7&UNIT 8&UNIT 9&UNIT 10排版打印版

.
Unit Twelve Dance of Death
.

At the age of 21, Patrick Bissell burst upon New York as principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. Rarely had a man so young dazzled so many in the intensely competitive world of ballet. He was praised, in the word of Mikhail Baryshnikov, as “one of the brightest lights in the entire ballet world.”

 

Patrick Bissell also helped bury the American myth that ballet is for sissies. At six feet two inches tall, Patrick was a tough, hard-drinking kid from Texas with a passion for motorcycles, cowboy boots and women. He was a muscle man who could twirl ballerinas into the air and make them look as graceful as butterflies.

 

Seven months after his birth in 1957, baby Bissell was not walking, according to his mother; he was actually running. When Patrick was ten, his sister bribed him with her allowance to come to her dance class, because she needed a partner. His natural gifts of coordination and stamina were stunning, and from that point on, his destiny was dance.

 

The ballet world is notoriously brutal in its physical and emotional demands. The primary goal is absolute perfection. Unlike a professional athlete, which many believe Bissell could have become, a ballet star never has the satisfaction of knowing a final score, or of beating the competition. He competes only against himself – and for a perfectionist this may be the harshest competition of all.

 

When young Bissell set off for life, his mother believes he carried with him seeds that would lead to his destruction.

 

Every indication is that, even early in his career, Bissell was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and other drugs. But his strength and skill were so tremendous that he was able to perform the most demanding work without his managers’ knowing the truth.

 

In June 1981, only three years into his career, Bissell slashed his wrist. When the doctors reached him, Bissell slashed a bottle to use for a weapon and fought them off. Next day, he was bandaged and back onstage.

 

In the fall of 1987, the ballet company sent Bissell away for treatment to the Betty Ford Center in California. He told friends that he was ready to clean up his life. He wanted a fresh start.

 

He was released a week early and returned to New York. During December, Amy Rose, a ballerina he had become engaged to, was on tour in California and would return to New York after the holidays. Alone, Bissell got Christmas tree and decorated it for their apartment.

 

On December 23, he had a long telephone conversation with his parents. His mother begged him to join them at home. He declined, explaining that being alone during Christmas was a chance for him to show that he was strong enough to live without cocaine.

 

Four days after Christmas, Amy Rose let herself into the apartment. She discovered Patrick’s body on the living-room couch. Patrick Bissell was dead of an overdose of cocaine and other drugs. He had just turned 30.

 

名人名言：
________________________________________________________

 

A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.

Man's life may burn or decay. I wouldn't like to decay, but I'd like to burn

提高系统集成能力 improve systems integration

多予少取放活政策 the policy of giving more, taking less and loosening control

实施稳健的财政政策和货币政策 follow prudent fiscal and monetary policies

城市和国有企业厂办大集体 collectively owned factories operated by state-owned enterprises and cities

发扬成绩 build on our achievements

衰退产业援助机制 mechanisms to aid declining industries

 

翻译句子
________________________________________________________

 

1. one of the brightest lights in the entire ballet world.

 

2. He was a muscle man who could twirl ballerinas into the air and make them look as graceful as butterflie

 

3. His natural gifts of coordination and stamina were stunning, and from that point on, his destiny was dance

 

4. Unlike a professional athlete, which many believe Bissell could have become, a ballet star never has the satisfaction of knowing a final score, or of beating the competition.

 

5. His mother begged him to join them at home. He declined, explaining that being alone during Christmas was a chance for him to show that he was strong enough to live without cocaine.

 

 

 

任意选择三个翻译沪元50奖励

 

 

 

 

本期讲解:

________________________________________________________

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posted @ 2006-05-16 20:05 冷咖啡 阅读(760) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏

    半年前，我写了一篇《笔记本的十句实话实说》，没想到最近还被网友拿到论坛里，还有些好评，让我十分开心。能够将自己接触笔记本的一些心得与大家分享，是我工作的快乐。这次，我又总结了06年新情况下的笔记本注意事项，供大家采购之前参考。

笔记本最大的问题 散热

    要谈到笔记本的问题，续航力，重量都算一个，但最大的问题还是散热。进入双核时代的笔记本，最低都采用了GMA950显示核心，其功耗达到7W，已经接近低端独立显卡了，因此整个系统的发热量也进一步增加。而且就算是GMA900配奔腾M的基本配置，如果经常连续运行10小时，也有系统死机的现象发生。

    如果要把笔记本作为台式机一样使用，连续用10小时那种，我建议使用金属散热底座，200元左右，确实对笔记本的散热有很大缓解。我也曾建议笔记本厂商搭配销售这种散热底座，“你想向消费者说明我们的笔记本散热不好么？”厂商反问我。所以说，自己的本，还是要自己多心疼呀。

笔记本的内存 推荐1GB

   “内存是电脑出色性能的幕后支持,内存容量越大，电脑程序运行就越平稳、流畅。如果您打算玩游戏、图像编辑或为长久考虑，我们向您推荐1GB内存。”戴尔中国官网推荐消费者采用1GB内存。

    相比很多还在高价笔记本上采用256MB内存的厂商，戴尔以上的话还是很实在的。笔记本最大的系统瓶颈在于硬盘，2.5英寸的5400转硬盘，令人无可奈何。而大容量内存对于这种缺陷有一定的弥补作用。例如看HDTV影片，例如玩《魔兽世界》，例如一口气用PS打开几十张数码照片，1GB内存都很有帮助。而如果想用电脑运行大型数据库的话，2GB内存也不算多。

CPU的选择 推荐能降频的

    现在5999元就可以买到神舟奔腾M1.73GHz的笔记本，7099元就可以买到戴尔的14英寸宽屏奔腾M本，我真想不通为什么还要买赛扬M处理器的笔记本。赛扬M的最大缺陷不在于性能，现在Yonah核心的赛扬M420整体性能已经相当强悍，甚至超过了同频率的奔腾M725。

    不过，当我们用奔腾M笔记本时，会发现其处理器频率经常降到很低，例如500MHz或700MHz，这就大大减小了笔记本的功耗，令整个使用过程都十分安静、舒适。反观赛扬M处理器，每时每刻都处在最高频率之下，令整个笔记本处于全负荷状态，对使用者和机器都不好。要知道，处理器根据使用需求智能调节频率，这是每个厂商都没法达到的更高价值功能。

厂商品牌应扮演的角色

    其实，如果非要在ThinkPad和英特尔之间选出王者，那当仁不让的是英特尔。当英特尔推出NAPA时，ThinkPad推出T60，当英特尔几个月后先推出Merom的时候，T61也很可能出现，而当英特尔明年春推出NAPA64的时候，T62也差不多该出了。所以，一直推进技术进步的是英特尔，而非笔记本厂商。

    那么，笔记本厂商的价值是什么呢？笔者认为，笔记本厂商负责从上游采集配件，并合理的搭配，提供给消费者丰富的产品，同时承担最终的产品维护责任。但是，现在的厂商，更习惯对性能轻视，而过度重视功能。所谓功能，就是不影响性能但影响价格的部分，例如很多厂商都标配256MB内存，但却加入的指纹识别等功能，大有买椟还珠的意思。

寻找主流的黄金价格点

    那么，算上最新的迅驰技术，算上前卫的功能，什么样的笔记本价位才是合理的呢？笔者认为，现在市场的主流笔记本规格，可以分为三种：15.4英寸宽屏，14.1英寸宽屏，以及在中国更多见的13英寸宽屏。而其主流产品分为三个级别：

    高端全能型，都带有独立显卡，并采用双核处理器，价格在10000元到12000元比较合理，具体值得推荐的产品有神舟承运L240R，戴尔6400 X1400版，Acer的4262、3282，以及华硕的A8H独显版和A6J独显版；

    主流迅驰型，采用奔腾M或者双核处理器，集成显卡，并带有无线网卡，以及很多功能，例如摄像头、DVD刻录、蓝牙、炫彩屏等等，售价在7500到9500之间较为合适，具体有海尔、长城、戴尔、神舟、TCL、Acer、华硕等丰富选择。

    低端廉价型，采用赛扬M或者AMD处理器，英特尔、ATi或SiS芯片组，售价区间在4999元到6999元之间。

小结

    很多市场的变化，都最早出于厂商的战略考虑。试想一下，如果我是一个知名笔记本品牌的产品经理，最多一年时间，我必须让市场份额成长，或是让利润增加（这点更难）。为此，我可以向总部要很多资源，但业绩却必须成长。于是4999元的笔记本冲量，7999元的笔记本提升客户满意度，12999元的笔记本拉升品牌形象，便都应运而生了。而我们消费者，则被优美话术重新包装过的笔记本所迷惑，渐渐变得不知如何才是自己需要的。

    其实，我们更应该考虑厂商推一款笔记本的态度，他们对一款笔记本的定位，这有助于我们达成更准确的选择。

.
Unit Eleven Kind Bill Gates
.

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, announced last week a gift of $100 million to speed the delivery of four vaccines to developing countries. The couple, now expecting a second child, wants to give more people better access to new vaccines against a group of respiratory, intestinal and liver diseases, which together take the lives of more than 2 million children a year worldwide. On a trip to New York, Gates spoke to NEWSWEEK about the donation, the ongoing antitrust suit against Microsoft and other challenges.

 

NEWSWEEK: Why specifically this cause, and why his specific sum of money?

 

GATES: You think, “How could I (use the) resources I have to make an impact?” Contributing to the world’s health has got to be a great opportunity. These vaccination programs, from 1980 to today, went from 5 percent of kids to 80 percent getting six vaccines, and that has saved more lives than any medical effort in history. Four additional new vaccines really should be in the package; there’s just literally hundreds of thousands of kids who die because they don’t get (them). About a month ago the plan came together, and we decided to fund it very aggressively, because vaccines can have such a huge impact, and yet there hasn’t been that much private funding.

 

NEWSWEEK: Do you think about a specific amount of money or percentage of your wealth that you want over time to be giving away? 

GATES: I’m 43 years old, and contrary to what anybody might think, Microsoft’s(continued) success is anything but assured. I’ve got a full-time job there, and how well I do that, I and all the other people in the company, how well we do our job will determine the value of the part ownership of Microsoft I have. And as I get older, I might get to put more time into this. Melinda and my dad, of course, get to put quite a bit of time into it.

 

NEWSWEEK: Some people might think this is really an effort to improve your image, which has taken some hits at the antitrust trial.

 

GATES: We’ve been giving gifts for quite some time, and we’ll keep giving gifts, and we do that because we think is can have some positive impact. If I was going to pause and not give until Microsoft was non-controversial, you know, a lot of kids would go without vaccines for a lot of time.

 

名人名言：
________________________________________________________

 

Define success. Make it clear to your employees what constitutes success and how they should measure their achievements. Goals must be realistic. Project schedule, for example, must be set by the people who do the work. People will accept a “bottom-up”  deadline  they helped set. Unachievable goals undermine an organization.

                                      

翻译句子
________________________________________________________

1. The couple, now expecting a second child, wants to give more people better access to new vaccines against a group of respiratory, intestinal and liver diseases, which together take the lives of more than 2 million children a year worldwide.

 

2. Do you think about a specific amount of money or percentage of your wealth that you want over time to be giving away? 

 

3. Some people might think this is really an effort to improve your image, which has taken some hits at the antitrust trial.

 

4. If I was going to pause and not give until Microsoft was non-controversial, you know, a lot of kids would go without vaccines for a lot of time.

 

5. Define success. Make it clear to your employees what constitutes success and how they should measure their achievements.

 

任意选择三个翻译沪元50奖励

 

 

 

 

本期讲解:

________________________________________________________

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posted @ 2006-05-15 12:44 冷咖啡 阅读(652) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏

人的开始 生长在子宫内的18周大的胎儿
　　人的开始 他如同一个星际空间的漂浮物，在自己的世界里睁开了茫然的眼睛。这是一个生长在子宫内的18周大的胎儿，只有20公分长的身体已经“零件”俱全了。

掌心中的胎儿： 8周大的人类胎儿长眠在了自己的“水晶棺”中，这是人类孕育伊始的形象，它看起来更像一条幼鱼而不是人。它的手和脚刚从身体中分离出来，尾巴甚至比腿还长。

遗传变异的恐怖标本
　　这个畸形儿标本看上去极其恐怖，生命的终结对它来说也许并不是一件坏事。

正在吸毒的孕妇： 这幅照片摄影的是一个孕妇正在给自己注射毒品的情景。克拉克以一种近乎神圣的气氛来刻画这位孕妇的专心致志，因而使这一场景以及吸毒一事本身更显示一种异样的震撼。

孕育： 在简陋的地下室里，孕妇平静地注视着镜头。头上的花环使她更加漂亮，孕育的生命使她神圣。

窗前的孕妇： 整个房间显得寂静异常，仿佛可以听到胎儿的心跳的声音。

血肉联系： 刚出生的婴儿，脐带还未剪断。摄影师提醒我们，不能忘记与否认我们与母亲之间的血肉联系。

萎缩的乳房： 母子俩等待援助。母亲那皱巴巴的乳房已经萎缩了，没有能力去哺育自己的孩子。她的肚子已经开始出现严重的水肿，坚持不了几天，那冷峻的目光看得我们无法躲避。

成堆的尸体里突然出现一个张大的嘴，甚是恐怖
　　死不瞑目 几天以，那些死去的人被迅速包裹起来。尸体来不及被埋葬，只能堆在路边。成堆的尸体里突然出现一个张大的嘴，甚是恐怖。他死不瞑目，那张嘴在临死之前还在渴求食物和水。

洁净的恩赐： 这张照片已成为干旱的北部非洲的象征。1978年，在拍摄这张照片的地区，有许多儿童自出生以来还从未见到过雨——从天上掉下来的洁净解渴的恩赐。他们尽量张大嘴巴，接着滴滴甘露，惊喜之情溢于言表。

用嘴唇阅读的盲童： 一位在战争中失去双臂的盲童，正在学习用他的嘴唇阅读盲文。

秘鲁男妓之死： 在秘鲁的一家简陋的医院里，一个护士正在给一位因艾滋病而去世的男妓盖尸布。他的眼窝和口腔中都已经塞满的棉花，以缓解尸体溃烂。下午的阳光照亮了病房，那是他的葬礼，而几片拆散的纸箱则是他的棺材。

30年代的巴黎恋人： 略微有点卖弄风情的巴黎妇女正在同追求她的一个公司职员调情，她微张的红唇，含情脉脉的眼神让那男子神魂颠倒，而欲拒还迎的姿态，更让那个男子不能自持。

一个眼科医生为了给“眼睛银行”选择角膜，正从自愿捐献的死者眼睛里提取解角膜。

迷失在万尸丛中： 站在尸体纵横的荒野，小姑娘的眼睛惊恐不安。对死亡的恐惧占据了她的整个思想，既使面对的是摄影师，她仍然满腹疑惑。

面包下的眼睛： 莫斯科领取救济粮的大军里，一个小男孩眼巴巴地望着面包。拍摄角度使粥和面包都高高在上，遥不可及。在这个寒冷的世界里，众多矜持的、苍老的、犹豫的、按捺不住的手将他包围，挤在高大的人群中，他只露出了半张面孔，一只怯生生的眼睛在诉说着他最原始的渴望。

逃难途中 1996年11月5日，刚果民主共和国布卡武在图西族反叛分子和扎伊尔部队的激战过后，经过的一个男孩用手遮住弟弟的眼睛，不让他看到路边的尸体。

路上的盲人演奏者： 通过一支手杖，盲人演奏者与他身旁的男孩联系在一起而拍摄者正像图左那个小男孩一样对这一简单而本质的瞬间充满感触，它表现在尽量简单化而且模糊了的背景处理以及悲怆的人物形态上。此外道路还给人物的动作增加了时间性，使抽象与丰富并存于照片之中。

价值连城的泪珠： 这张照片以局部特写的夸张手法，展现了人们平时难以觉察的细微空间形态，使人们惊讶于曼·雷对摄影艺术的超越。

倾听山水： 单独的耳朵朝向天空和海峡，好像一个沉睡的巨人正在倾听着礁石与乌云的呼啸。耳朵、石头和天空与山水，将画面分割为三个层次，仿佛大自然进入了人类的梦境。尽管布兰德没有告诉我们这个被拍摄的人物是谁，但我们却可以充分地感觉到他那种大自然式的、娓娓道来的语言。

家音：一名逃难的阿族老妇人借了援救人员的手机与远在家乡的亲人通话，能听到家人的消息，让她激动万分。许多难民与她一样，和家人分离，数月不通音讯

躲避炸弹爆炸的游击队员
　　不变的只有炮火 既使不被击中，炸弹爆炸的声音也震耳欲聋，游击队员只好捂住耳朵。对于这名蹲在地上躲避爆炸的游击队员来说，炸弹来自苏联军队还是政府军队没有什么不同。

     本次微软发布的补丁中，均为高风险，其中包括一个系统补丁和两个应用软件补丁。

    1.Microsoft 分布式事务处理协调器中的漏洞可能允许拒绝服务

    Microsoft Windows被证实存在两处漏洞，将导致远程攻击者发起拒绝服务攻击或者执行任意命令。

    第一个漏洞起因于当处理畸形的网络消息时，Microsoft分布式协调程序中的"CRpcIoManagerServer::BuildContext"函数发生堆溢出，将允许远程攻击者发起拒绝服务攻击或者执行任意代码。

    第二个漏洞起因于当处理畸形的网络消息时，Microsoft分布式协调程序中的的"MIDL_user_allocate"函数发生错误，允许远程攻击者发起拒绝服务攻击。

    2.Microsoft Exchange 中的漏洞可能允许远程执行代码

    Microsoft Exchange服务器被证实存在漏洞将导致远程攻击者完全控制电脑。Exchange同步数据组件接口不能正确处理电子邮件中的畸形的网络日程表和虚拟日程表，从而产生缓冲区溢出漏洞。远程攻击者可以构造特殊的电子邮件并发送给存在漏洞的服务器，从而获得执行任意命令的权限。

    3.Adobe 的 Macromedia Flash Player 中的漏洞可能允许远程执行代码

    Microsoft Windows被证实存在多处漏洞允许攻击者完全控制受影响系统。当存在漏洞的系统访问一个特殊构造的网页或者SWF文件时，Macromedia Flash播放器会发生内存崩溃错误。

   

    立即下载并安装Windows相关补丁程序，升级系统，以免受害。

    详细补丁情况及下载地址：

    http://www.microsoft.com/china/technet/security/bulletin/MS06-018.mspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/china/technet/security/bulletin/MS06-019.mspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/china/technet/security/bulletin/MS06-020.mspx