Have you ever seen an old movie called Three Coins in the Fountain? It is about three young American women (search) for permanent romance in Rome and they all find it. Far-fetched Hollywood? Well, from the world history point of view, romance did, in fact, set down its roots in Rome.
The word romance evolved in Latin from Roma to Romanicus of the Roman language, to the Old French romanz escrive, means "to write in a Romance language," and on to the English romance.
The Romance languages (compose) of seven groups of languages that all have Latin their basis. These languages include French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. The common people in ancient Rome spoke is referred to as Vulgar Latin, an informal speech, as opposed to the classical Latin of the more educated. Most language experts agree that Vulgar Latin is the chief source of the Romance languages.
Medieval Romances were tales (write) primary in French verse about brave heroes. The notion of having a romance with another person is thought (develop) sometime during the Middle Ages. In the late 18th century and on through the 19th, a romance was not a love story a work of prose fiction that contained far-fetched, mysterious events. Romances of this period (include) English Gothic novels like The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.
What exactly is a twentieth-century romance? Does it have any relationship with the lively, popular novels written today, with their fantastic plots of love affairs? Or did the playwright Oscar Wilde have it right in The Picture of Dorian Gray: "When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving , and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance."
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A. risky B. solution C. adaptation D. genetic E. require F. definitely G ruined H. inconvenience I. occur J. qualify K. completely |
SEATTLE-For the more than 10 million Americans with colorblindness, there's never been a treatment, let alone a cure, for the condition that leaves them unable to distinguish curtain colors.
Now, for the first time, two University of Washington professors have teamed with a California biotech firm to develop what they say may be a : a single shot in the eye that can reveal the world in full color.
Jay and Maureen Neitz, who have studied the vision disorder for years, have found a new way to deliver genes that can replace missing color-producing proteins in certain cells, called cones, in the eyes.
The trouble will when people are born without one or more of the three types of color-sensing proteins normally present in the cones of the retina(视网膜). The most common type is red-green colorblindness, followed by blue-yellow colorblindness. A very small proportion of the population is colorblind, seeing only shades of gray.
Colorblindness is often a/an disorder. It affects mostly men, who can inherit a mutation(变异)on the X chromosome(染色体)that weakens their perception of red and green. A much smaller part of cases are in women, who have two X chromosomes, which gives them a better chance of avoiding effects of any genetic imperfection.
Most people think of colorblindness as a/an or disability, mainly causing problems with unmatched shirts and socks. But the Neitzes say the condition can have profound impacts-limiting choices for education or careers, making driving dangerous, and forcing continual to a world designed for color vision.
"There are an awful lot of people who feel like their life is because they don't see color," said Jay Neitz, 61, a professor, who confirmed in 1989 that dogs are colorblind, too.
People may not as commercial pilots, for instance, if they're colorblind. Other careers that can be restricted include those of chefs, decorators, electricians and house painters, all of which detailed color vision.
Undoubtedly, the Neitzes' findings have brought great benefits to those who are born unable to distinguish between red and green. But that technique is , requiring surgery, so the Neitzes are looking for another way to do the job.
Kimiyuki Suda should be a perfect customer for Japan's car-makers. He's a young, successful executive (主管) at an Internet-services company in Tokyo and has a handsome 1 . He used to own Toyota's Hilux Surf, a sport utility vehicle. But now he uses 2 subways and trains." It's not inconvenient at all," he says. Besides, "having a car is so 20th century."
Suda reflects a worrisome 3 in Japan; the automobile is losing its emotional appeal, 4 among the young, who prefer to spend their money on the latest electronic devices. 5 mini-cars and luxury foreign brands are still popular, everything in between is 6 . Last year sales fell 6.7 percent, if you don't count the mini-car market. There have been larger one-year drops in other nations: sales in Germany fell 9 percent in 2009 7 a tax increase. But experts say Japan is 8 in that sales have been decreasing steadily over time. Since 1994, yearly new-car sales have fallen from 7.8 million to 5.4 million units in 2009.
Alarmed by this state of 9 , the Japan Automobile Manufactures Association (JAMA) 10 a comprehensive study of the market in 2008, it found that a 11 wealth gap, demographic (人口结构的) changes and 12 lack of interest in cars led Japanese to hold their 13 longer, replace their cars with smaller ones or 14 car ownership altogether. JAMA 15 a further sales decline of 1.2 percent this year. Some experts believe that if the trend continues for much longer, further consolidation (合并) in automotive industry is likely.
"Time is a problem for kids," states a new report for a new Swiss watch. Children in some countries "learn time slowly" because "they don't wear watches" and "parents don't really know how to teach them time." The kids grow up with this handicap and become adults —— and then can't get to work on time. Is there an answer to this problem? Of course —— it's the Flik Flak made by a famous Swiss watch company.
The Flik Flak is being marked as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10. The watch itself does not teach kids how to tell time, of course; it merely "captures their imagination" by presenting the "hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the "minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flik. Flik points to corresponding "blue" minute on the dial, while Flak point to red hour number. The characters and the colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time.
The watch comes equipped with a standard battery and a nylon band. Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flik Flak, calls it "kidproof": if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing machine. The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25. Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing for kids to tell time; it's quite another for them to be on time.
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As a Switch card, it lets you pay for all sorts of goods and services, whenever you see the Switch logo. The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have enough money (or an agreed overdraft (透支)) to cover it. It is also a cheque guarantee card for up to the amount shown on the card. And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 cash machines across the UK.
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In Central America, scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. These findings show that the Maya developed their civilization centuries earlier than experts thought. While Europe was still in the midst of the Dark Ages, these Maya had charted the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics and calendar. Without advantage of metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel, they were able to construct vast cities. Their legacy in stone, which has survived in an impressive fashion at places, lives on as do the seven million descendants (后嗣) of the classic Maya civilization.
Scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. Experts call the time between the year 250 and the year 1900 the Classic Maya Period. It was a period of great civilization. Until now, scientists think that earlier Maya people were simple farmers. The discoveries show that they used writing, drew pictures and built complex structures. Three separate teams made the discoveries in the rainforest of Guatemala (危地马拉).
Scientists have found some things they say are more than 2000 years old. For example, a team found two masks inside the main pyramid in a city. These masks are three meters tall. They are cut in the image of a sun god. The Maya used the pyramid as a temple. The masks may have been a part of ceremonies led by a king.
At Waka, scientists found the burial place of a woman they think was a Maya queen. They believe she ruled more than 1,200 years ago. Her bones were lying on a stone table. Many jewels surrounded her remains. The team also found pieces of green stone that appeared to be the remains of the kind of war helmet worn by rulers. Scientists say the discovery will help them understand how Maya women shared power with men. Not many burial places of important royal women have been found. Also in northern Guatemala, scientists found a stone showing an 8th-century king playing a game of ball with visiting rulers. It is the third such stone found at the city of Cancuen. They also found large pieces of stone with writing and pictures of leaders. A Guatemalan expert called it one of the greater masterpieces of Maya art ever discovered in Guatemala.
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A. Second, ants think winter all summer B. If they go somewhere and you try to stop them C. Ants think summer all winter D. Summer and winter are both important to ants E. However, they will come out at once when it gets warm F. Because it is important to be realistic. |
Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept -- the ant philosophy (哲学).I think everybody should study ants.
They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. , they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, and they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.
. That's an important viewpoint. You can't be so naive (天真的) as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.
An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? . In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.
The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And on the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down. . They can't wait to get out.
And here's the last part of the ant-philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.
Wow, what a great seminar to attend -- the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.
In spite of all of the years spent in school preparing to enter the workplace, many recent graduates say that they struggle with the transition from classroom to career world and have difficulty adjusting to life on the job.
Writer and editor Joseph Lewis suggests one reason why this is the case. Lewis believes that most of our school experiences—from childhood through university—are fairly predictable, while life in the working world is far more ambiguous. In school, for example, the pattern stays more or less the same from year to year. In the workplace, however, constant change is the norm, and one has to adapt quickly. A project you are working on this month might suddenly change next month or next week, and it's often hard to anticipate what you'll be doing six to twelve months from now.
Another problem that graduates entering the workforce encounter is that they are unprepared to think analytically. In school, many students including those in college, spend a lot of time memorizing facts and repeating what they "learned" on tests. But in the workplace employees are often expected to think critically and make decisions about their work, not just follow a supervisor's instructions.
Finally, many recent graduates say that one of the biggest difficulties they face is adapting to teamwork on the job. In some ways, school does prepare one for collaborative nature of the workplace. Learners sit in classes every day with many other students. They must listen to others' opinions, participate at times in group discussions, and learn how to get along outside the classroom. Nevertheless, in school, a student normally works independently to complete most tasks and receives a grade according to how well he or she has done. In the workplace, however, employees must regularly interact with others and are often dependent on their co-workers for their success.
