新学期分析理解短文.doc

1. The First SnowThe first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape; and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs, no more rattling wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children. 2. The Love of BeautyNatural beauty is an all-pervading presence. The universe is its temple. It unfolds into the numberless flowers of spring; it waves in the branches of trees and the green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea. It gleams from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And not only these minute objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, the rising and the setting sun-all overflows with beauty. This beauty is so precious, and so congenial to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to think of the multitude of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost blind to it. 3. Life Is a Long Competitive StruggleLife for almost everyone is a long competitive struggle where very few can win the race, and those who do not win are unhappy. On social occasions when it is polite to seem cheerful, the necessary demeanor is stimulated by alcohol. But the gaiety does not ring true. One finds this sort of thing only among English-speaking people. A Frenchman while he is abusing the government is as gay as a lark. So is an Italian while he is telling you how his neighbor has swindled him. Mexicans , when they are not actually starving or actually being murdered, sing and dance and enjoy sunshine and food and drink with a gusto which is very rare north of the Mexican frontier. 4. Unemployment An extract from Mary BartonDespair settled down like a heavy cloud, and now and then, through the dead calm of sufferings, came pipings of stormy winds. In times of sorrowful or fierce endurance, we are often soothed by the mere repetition of old proverbs which tell the experience of our forefathers; but now, “its a long lane that has no turning,” “the weariest day draws to an end,” etc., seemed false and vain sayings, so long and so weary was the pressure of the terrible times. Deeper and deeper still sank the poor; it showed how much lingering suffering it takes to kill men, that so few (in comparison) died during those times. But remember! We only miss those who do mens work in their humble sphere; the aged, the feeble, the children, when they die, are hardly noted by the world; and yet to many hearts, their deaths make a blank which long years will never fill up. Remember, too, that though it may take much suffering to kill the able-bodied and effective members of society, it does not take much to reduce them to worn, listless, diseased creatures, who thence-forward crawl through life with moody hearts and pain-stricken bodies. 5. The Politics in the U.K. and the U.S.To parliamentarians trained in British terminology “the government” means the cabinet: a group of the legislatures own members, chosen by it to devise public policies, to manage the legislatures major activities, and to exercise executive powers. In theory, at least, the government continues in office only so long as it commands the support of the legislature. Losing that support, it may be turned out of power at almost any moment.In contrast, the two major U.S. political parties are vast, sprawling, decentralized conglomerations of varied ideological positions whose members do not feel obliged to vote the way the party leaders tell them to do. In fact, most members come to Congress as independent entrepreneurs, willing to go along with party policy only to the extent that it does not conflict with what they perceive to be wishes and interests of their constituencies. 6. An Abstract of a Defining Article “Abstract”An abstract briefly summarizes the content and purpose of an article. It allows readers a quick survey. It should not require reference to the article or contain information not in the original. Abstracts of research papers should state the problem, method, results, and conclusions. Abstracts of reviews or theoretical articles should state the topics covered, central thesis