【thatll】iBT备考日志

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【听力---SSS---September 22, 2009】

Scary Music Scarier with Eyes Shut
In the journal Public Library of Science ONE, researchers report that listening to scary music with eyes shut may intensify the emotional experience.

Scary music plays a key role in ramping up the fear factor in movies. The soundtrack has such an effect that I put my hands over my ears during the most frightening moments. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University report that scary music is even scarier if you shut your eyes.

ramp：
intransitive verb
1 a : to stand or advance menacingly with forelegs or with arms raised b : to move or act furiously
2 : to creep up---used especially of plants
3 : to speed up, expand, or increase especially quickly or at a constant rate---used with up *ramping up to full speed*
transitive verb [4ramp (electrical waveform)] : to increase, expand, or decrease especially quickly or at a constant rate---usually used with up or down *ramp up production*

In research published in the Public Library of Science ONE, they say this effect may lead to new ways to treat neurological diseases. Volunteers listened to Hitchcock-style music twice: once eyes open and once eyes shut. With eyes closed, their amygdalas（负责恐惧的中心核，amygdala表示扁桃体） lit up（light up的过去分词形式，被点燃了，使兴奋起来）. That’s the region of our brains that processes emotions. Volunteers said they also felt the emotional effects of the music much more in the dark.

Scientists say shutting our eyes might synch up（同步） different brain activities, allowing our brains to “better integrate the highs and lows of the emotional experience.” The researchers hope that these findings could lead to music-based therapies for conditions like depression and schizophrenia（精神分裂症）.

As for me, during some of those scary movie scenes, music does sneak through my hands into my ears—good thing I leave my eyes open.
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scare---scary----scarce---scant---scanty
【scare】
transitive verb   : to frighten especially suddenly  : ALARM
intransitive verb   : to become scared
noun：
1 : a sudden fright
2 : a widespread state of alarm  : PANIC

【scary】
1 : causing fright  : ALARMING  *a scary story*
2 : easily scared  : TIMID
3 : feeling alarm or fright  : FRIGHTENED

【scarce】
1 : deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand  : not plentiful or abundant
2 : intentionally absent  *made himself scarce at inspection time*

【scant】
1 dialect    a : excessively frugal  b : not prodigal  : CHARY
2 a : barely or scarcely sufficient;  especially   : not quite coming up to a stated measure  *a scant teaspoon*  b : lacking in amplitude or quantity  *scant growth*
3 : having a small or insufficient supply  *he's fat, and scant of breath ?Shakespeare*
transitive verb：
1 : to provide an incomplete supply of
2 : to make small, narrow, or meager
3 : to give scant attention to  : SLIGHT
4 : to provide with a meager or inadequate portion or supply  : STINT

【scanty】
: limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or extent

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【recourse】

n.
1，The act or an instance of turning or applying to a person or thing for aid or security: have recourse to the courts.
2，One that is turned or applied to for aid or security: His only recourse was the police.
3，Law. The right to demand payment from the endorser of a commercial paper when the first party liable fails to pay.

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Eadweard J. Muybridge (April 9, 1830 – May 8, 1904) was an English photographer, known primarily for his important pioneering work, with use of multiple cameras to capture motion, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the celluloid film strip that is still used today."

In 1855 Muybridge arrived in San Francisco, starting his career as a publisher's agent and bookseller. He left San Francisco at the end of that decade, and after a stagecoach accident in which he received severe head injuries returned to England for a few years. He reappeared in San Francisco in 1866 as a photographer named Muybridge and rapidly became successful in the profession, focusing almost entirely on landscape and architectural subjects. (He is not known to have ever made a photographic portrait, though group shots by him survive.) His photographs were sold by various photographic entrepreneurs on Montgomery Street (most notably the firm of Bradley & Rulofson), San Francisco's main commercial street, during those years.

Stanford and the galloping（奔马） question

In 1872, former Governor of California Leland Stanford, a businessman and race-horse owner, had taken a position on a popularly-debated question of the day: whether all four of a horse's hooves left the ground at the same time during a gallop. Stanford sided with this assertion, called "unsupported transit", and took it upon himself to prove it scientifically. (Though legend also includes a wager of up to $25,000, there is no evidence of this.) Stanford sought out Muybridge and hired him to settle the question.[2] Muybridge's relationship with Stanford was long and fraught, heralding both his entrance and exit from the history books.
To prove Stanford's claim, Muybridge developed a scheme for instantaneous motion picture capture. Muybridge's technology involved chemical formulas for photographic processing and an electrical trigger created by the chief engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, John D. Isaacs.
In 1877, Muybridge settled Stanford's question with a single photographic negative showing Stanford's racehorse Occident airborne in the midst of a gallop. This negative was lost, but it survives through woodcuts made at the time.
By 1878, spurred on by Stanford to expand the experiment, Muybridge had successfully photographed a horse in fast motion using a series of twenty-four cameras. The first experience successfully took place on June 11 with the press present. Muybridge used a series of 12 stereoscopic cameras, 21 inches apart to cover the 20 feet taken by one horse stride, taking pictures at one thousandth of a second. The cameras were arranged parallel to the track, with trip-wires attached to each camera shutter triggered by the horse's hooves.
This series of photos, taken at what is now Stanford University or in Sacramento, California (there is some dispute as to the actual location), is called The Horse in Motion, and shows that the hooves do all leave the ground — although not with the legs fully extended forward and back, as contemporary illustrators tended to imagine, but rather at the moment when all the hooves are tucked under the horse as it switches from "pulling" from the front legs to "pushing" from the back legs.
The relationship between the mercurial Muybridge and his patron broke down in 1882 when Stanford commissioned a book called The Horse in Motion as Shown by Instantaneous Photography which omitted actual photographs by Muybridge, relying instead on drawings and engravings based on the photographs and gave Muybridge scant credit for his work.
The lack of photographs was likely simply due to the printing constraints of the time but Muybridge took it as a slap in the face and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Stanford.

There was the Zoopraxiscope, developed by photographer Eadweard Muybridge in 1879, which projected a series of images in successive phases of movement. These images were obtained through the use of multiple cameras. The invention of a camera in the Edison laboratories capable of recording successive images in a single camera was a more practical, cost-effective breakthrough that influenced all subsequent motion picture devices.

While there has been speculation that Edison's interest in motion pictures began before 1888, the visit of Eadweard Muybridge to the inventor's laboratory in West Orange in February of that year certainly stimulated Edison's resolve to invent a motion picture camera. Muybridge proposed that they collaborate and combine the Zoopraxiscope with the Edison phonograph. Although apparently intrigued, Edison decided not to participate in such a partnership, perhaps realizing that the Zoopraxiscope was not a very practical or efficient way of recording motion. In an attempt to protect his future inventions, Edison filed a caveat with the Patents Office on October 17, 1888, describing his ideas for a device which would "do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear" -- record and reproduce objects in motion. Edison called the invention a "Kinetoscope," using the Greek words "kineto" meaning "movement" and "scopos" meaning "to watch."

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杰克森·波洛克(J.Jackson Pollock 1912-1956)

　　美国抽象表现主义画家。是二次世界大战以后，在世界范围里新美国绘画的象征。


　　波洛克是抽象表现主义的先驱，是20世纪最有影响力的艺术家之一，以其在帆布上很随意地泼溅颜料、洒出流线的技艺而著称，他的作品往往具有难以忘怀的自然品质。

　　波洛克1912年1月生于美国怀俄明州的科迪城。早年在纽约学生联盟学画时,对默西哥画家西盖罗斯、奥罗斯科有极大兴趣,后又追随H·霍夫曼的画法。1912年1月28日生于怀俄明州的科迪城，1956年8月 11日在纽约州驾车失事丧生。他最初对雕塑感兴趣，曾在纽约学生联盟随T.H.本顿学画。但他感兴趣的是D.A.西凯罗斯、J.C.奥罗斯科的作品。之后又迷恋H.霍夫曼的画。

　　30年代末至40年代初，为联邦艺术计划部工作。1943年举行个人画展，从此得到美国现代派美术收藏家P.古根海姆的资助。 1945年波洛克从纽约市迁往郊区长岛，开始了他的行动绘画的创作。《整整五浔》(1947)是用油彩和铅在画布上创作的,顿时名声大噪,毁誉不一。 1946～1950年的作品或者用优雅的线，如《蓝色无意识》（19

46）；或者在画面厚涂繁复的色彩，如

《灼眼》(1946)。1951年，他的画风突然变得平静、柔和，出现暗示具体物象的模糊轮廓。这期间，他的部分作品是黑白的,如《黑与白·第5号》(1952)；部分是色彩布满整个画面的滴流画，如《集中》(1952)；还有厚彩作品，如《气味》(1955)。波洛克在成名之后陷入极端的矛盾和苦闷之中。他对自己的行动绘画似乎失去信心，几乎停止创作。在失望之余，他的精神状态变得异常，常常酩酊大醉。

　　1930年开始移居纽约，进入美国现代画家本顿所领导的纽约艺术学生联合会学习。这时他所作的大多是小幅风景画，1938～1943年间，他的第一批参展作品显示了某种摹仿毕加索、米罗、甚至马宋等画家的性质，除了运用象征和发挥超现实主义的幻想之外，手法是半抽象的。

　　1943年开始举行个人展览,得到美国现代派艺术收藏家古根海姆的资助,从此波洛克在美国和西欧名噪一时.1945～1946年间,波洛克从纽约迁往郊区长岛，开始他的行动派绘画创作。

　　波洛克行动绘画的创作过程很奇特，他先把画布钉在地板上,然后用棍棒浇上油漆，随着画家自己的

的走动，任其在画布上滴流,他说,他的创作是潜意识的冲动，“当我画画时,我不知道在画什么,只有以后,我才看到我画了什么。”

　　波洛克的油画有着令人愉悦的美，是因为它们与自然界不规则的事物一样符合分形法则。所谓分形，就是部分与整体具有同样的形状。当我们观察海岸线时，会吃惊地发现海岸线的一部分与整个海岸线具有同样的形状，这就是分形，大自然中到处充满了这种分形艺术。

　　波洛克的行动绘画的作画过程:

　　波洛克的行动绘画的作画过程一般是：把画布钉在地板上，围着画布像踏着舞步似地走动，用棍棒蘸上油漆，任其在画布上滴流。他还摒弃画家常用的工具，并且将沙、玻璃碎片或其他东西掺杂在颜料里面，使其成为稠厚的流体。他声称,预先不知道画什么,而是经过一个认知的阶段后，才看到了自己到底画了什么。波洛克的行动绘画，是为了摆脱手腕、手肘和肩膀的限制，便于画家表现无法自控的内在意识和行动。在这方面，波洛克的抽象表现主义或行动绘画是继承了超现实主义的表现潜意识的观念和自动主义手法的。

　　波洛克的作品，反映了美国民族不墨守成规、勇于进取、不断开掘宏观世界和内在意识深处的精神，也表现了他们在高度工业化社会中的忧虑、焦灼和不安。

Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality and struggled with alcoholism all of his life.

Pollock was introduced to the use of liquid paint in 1936 at an experimental workshop operated in New York City by the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. He later used paint pouring as one of several techniques on canvases of the early 1940s, such as "Male and Female" and "Composition with Pouring I." After his move to Springs, he began painting with his canvases laid out on the studio floor, and he developed what was later called his "drip" technique. The drip technique required paint with a fluid viscosity. Therefore, Pollock turned to synthetic resin-based paints called alkyd enamels, which, at that time, was a novel medium. Pollock described this use of household paints, instead of artist’s paints, as "a natural growth out of a need".[5] He used hardened brushes, sticks, and even basting syringes as paint applicators. Pollock's technique of pouring and dripping paint is thought to be one of the origins of the term action painting. With this technique, Pollock was able to achieve a more immediate means of creating art, the paint now literally flowing from his chosen tool onto the canvas. By defying the convention of painting on an upright surface, he added a new dimension, literally, by being able to view and apply paint to his canvases from all directions.

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阿兹特克的农业文化

      大约在十二世纪，印第安人阿兹特克部落为了躲避敌人的追击，从北方的故乡迁徙到墨西哥河谷。传说有一天，战神对正在寻找栖息地的阿兹特克人说：“你们去寻找一只鹰，它栖息在一株仙人掌上，口中还衔着一条蛇，找到之后，那个地方就是你们居住的地方。”


　　阿兹特克人遵照战神的指示，来到了特斯科科湖畔的一个岛上，果然看到一只鹰叼着一条蛇站在仙人掌上的奇特景象。于是他们便在岛上居住下来，开始建立新的城市，并把这个城市称之为“特诺奇蒂特兰”，意为“仙人掌之地”。

      在十六世纪初西班牙人入侵美洲之前，阿兹特克统一了周围的部落，发展到鼎盛时期全国有人口六百万。都城特诺奇蒂特兰有三十万人口，是当时世界上最繁华的城市之一。


　　阿兹特克人以务农为主，主要种植玉米、豆类、蔬菜、棉花和烟草。由于小岛的面积有限，他们在岛屿四周建了许多人工岛。他们先在湖面上打桩，然后扎上木筏，铺上河泥，最后在上面种植庄稼，这种人工岛是浮在湖面上的；或者在沼泽地带筑起挡土墙，在挡土墙间堆上许多芦苇作基础，再在芦苇上铺上湖底的沃土。人工岛的边缘和角落种有柳树，以防泥土流失。这些人工岛，阿兹特克人称为“查那巴斯”，欧洲人则形象地叫它“水上花园”。

Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.
Often referred to as "floating gardens," chinampas were stationary artificial islands that usually measured roughly 30 by 2½ meters, although they were sometimes longer. They were created by staking out the shallow lake bed and then fencing in the rectangle with wattle. The fenced-off area was then layered with mud, lake sediment, and decaying vegetation, eventually bringing it above the level of the lake. Often trees such as willows were planted at the corners to secure the chinampa. Chinampas were separated by channels wide enough for a canoe to pass.
The earliest fields that have been securely dated are from the Middle Postclassic period, 1150 – 1350 CE. Chinampas were used primarily in Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco near the springs that lined the south shore of those lakes. The Aztecs not only conducted military campaigns to obtain control over these regions but, according to some researchers, undertook significant state-led efforts to increase their extent.[1] Chinampa farms also ringed Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, which was considerably enlarged over time due to the use of chinampas. Smaller-scale farms have also been identified near the island-city of Xaltocan and on the east side of Lake Texcoco. With the destruction of the dams and sluice gates during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, many chinampas fields were abandoned, although remnants are still in use today in what remains of Lake Xochimilco.
The primary chinampas crops were maize, beans, squash, amaranth, tomatoes, and chilies, although chinampas were also used to grow flowers. It is estimated that food provided by chinampas made up one-half to two-thirds of the food consumed by the city of Tenochtitlán. Chinampas were fertilized using lake sediments as well as human excrement.
The word chinampa comes from the Nahua word chināmitl, meaning "square made of canes".

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【听力---SSS---September 23, 2009】

Drink Now, Pay Later
A study with animals in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that alcohol abuse in adolescence leads to a lifetime of poor decision-making skills.

We all know that drinking can cloud judgment. That’s why you should never e-mail an ex after you’ve had a few. But for teenagers, doing dumb（ : lacking intelligence  : STUPID） things now because of alcohol may be just the start. Because research with animals suggests that drinking during adolescence can set you up for a whole lifetime of bad decisions. The study is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

People who abuse alcohol when they’re young don’t always make good choices as adults. But it’s been unclear whether the drink gives them the stupids, or whether folks prone to poor choices are predisposed to（本来爱好...，有...的倾向；易患...病） drink.

One way to tackle the question is by studying alcohol intake in animals, like rats. But rats don’t like to drink. So to make the alcohol more palatable, scientists infused it into a tasty “gel matrix”. Yes, the researchers gave teenage rats Jello shots. And the animals’ decision-making ability stayed impaired well into adulthood…as measured by their tendency to chase after rewards with associated high risk rather than taking a sure thing. So, young party animals, remember the words of Faber’s Dean Wormer: “Drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

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【翠花姐的习作】
题目：humorous friend and intelligent friend一个聪明的朋友比一个幽默的朋友重要(2008-1-5)

“A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself”. This quote aptly shows the important role that a friend plays in our life. Different qualities of friend are valued variously according to different people. In my opinion, I believe that an intelligent friend more important than a friend with a delight sense of humor. And intelligence here does not only mean wisdom, but more about abundant experiences and the ability of understanding.
首先给出了什么是朋友的一种引用定义。这是一种很好的开头方式，但是这样的开头需要足够的积累，不是一般人能做到的。当然了，如果你的语言功底包括中文和英文都足够好的话，自己编一个作为应用的也未尝不可。适当的运用合适的副词能够很好的表达我们自己的思想。different---different很好的过度句。然后过渡到自己的opinion。但是由于题目里涉及的概念太宽泛。作者在这里给intelligence给了一个自己比较想讨论的范围。这种释义的方式在逻辑上很重要。

To begin with, an intelligent friend provides us with intellectual support when we are in troubles or difficulties. Such support can be wise advice for our problems, careful analysis of our dilemma, and personal assist of our burden. Just as an old saying goes, “no road is long with good company”. With brilliant friends standing by us, no difficult is terrifying. Take me as an example. I fell into a mess when I was choosing my major in university. I became so frustrated because I felt confused about my future. My friend Susan, an intelligent and artistic college student, calmed me down and gave helpful suggestions with her perspectives and experiences. Under her assist I finally decided my major. Susan also helped me in various problems such as school work difficulties, boyfriend issues, and so on. In brief, this intelligent friend braces me up and cheers me on in difficulties.

聪明的朋友能给与我们智力支持！

Moreover, we can learn from our intelligent friends and improve ourselves. Intelligent friends can tell us things we do not know or we do not want to tell ourselves. From their extensive knowledge we can enrich our horizon; and their straightforward words help us face our flaws so we can improve and progress. Also, their inspirations and perseverance motivates us to pursue higher goals. Besides, intelligent friends can lead us to know more wise people and afford us with more opportunities. In a word, intelligent friends can help perfect ourselves and bring out the best in us.
聪明的朋友能给我们树立学习的榜样从而提升自己！

Finally, it tends to be easier to build a healthy and mutual beneficial friendship with bright friends. Intelligent people have a comparatively higher capacity of understanding and empathy. So usually an intelligent friend is more sensible, reasonable, and considerate. They know the week point in friendship so they try to overcome or avoid it; they can sense our gloomy mood even through a text message and come to our side; they hardly ask for irrational demands, and they can always solve a discord quickly. In brief, we can expect longer and more wonderful friendship with intelligent friends.
聪明的朋友也能使得我们之间的友谊更加的牢固和长久！

To sum up, while friends should believe in and help each other, intelligent friends usually do not require reasons and conditions. They are good friends, but also teachers, mentors, and guides in our lives. So that’s why I regard intelligence as more important than a sense of humor.

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【翠花姐习作】
题目：Do you agree or disagree with the statement: you (student) should take the most difficult class in colleague or at university, even if you cannot get the top grades (or marks) in them. （08-1-13）

People usually says that, “Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth; tame the dragon and the gift is yours.” However, people seldom consider about the cost to tame the dragon, or whether their ability permits them to do so. It is the same with the topic here. Although some students may get certain “gift” from taking the most difficult class, generally speaking, however, I don not agree with this viewpoint.
还是以引用语开头，然后一个however提出了自己对于这个引用语的见解。然后一个过渡句回到了主题，然后顺势带出了自己的观点。

To begin with, not all students are suitable to challenge themselves with the most difficult class. Admittedly, no pain no gain. Nevertheless, the difficulty is different to various students. In college or at university, students should study what is most suitable to them instead of what is most difficult. To some eminent students their abilities permit them to take the most difficult class, because they can actually learn something. To other students, their might even hardly understand the lectures in the most difficult class, and their low grades getting from the class simply mean that they learn nothing from such class. So such students should choose classes that are not too difficult for them. In short, difficult levels are diverse according to various students, and it is not wise to recommend every student to take the most difficult class.
每个人是不一样，我们选课是要选适合自己难度的，而不是盲目的去选学校课程设置里最难的。

Besides, comparing to the possible improvement from such class, students may sacrifice more. Just as discussed above, not every student is competent enough to take the most difficult class, so students’ cost for the most difficult class may outweighs the potential gain. On one hand, students may spend a lot of time on such classes, which might lead to little result. Such time and energy can be better used in studying other courses and get more achievements. On the other hand, students may lose self-confidence in themselves for their low grades. They may gradually doubt their own capacities if they keep getting such low grades. In brief, to most students the most difficult class will have much more negative influence on them than positive rewards.

我们选课需要去评估我们的得失。有的时候是花时间花力气最终却落得个两手空空。甚者，还伤害到自己，使自己失去自信，怀疑自己能力等。

What’s more, it is rational and understandable for students to have some practical considerations. Firstly, students should think about the value of the most difficult class for them. If they can seldom use the knowledge learned from such course in the future, it is meaningless to take such courses. Secondly, students may also care about their overall performance. Relatively lower grades in such courses may jeopardize their GPA, and it is possible for them to lose their scholarship or even job opportunities in the future.
我们还需要从实际考虑，对于以后的求学工作等问题上加以考虑。

To sum up, not every student has the sharp sword to kill or tame the dragon, and the gift in the dragon’s month is not suitable for everyone. So I do not agree that student should take the most difficult class, even if they cannot get the top grades.

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【quotes】
“Success is that old ABC -- ability, breaks, and courage.”


Charles Luckman

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”


Winston Churchill

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision”


Peter F. Drucker

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”


Mary Anne Radmacher

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”


John Quincy Adams

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.”


August Wilson

“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act.”


Andre Malraux

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【count】
transitive verb  
1 a : to indicate or name by units or groups so as to find the total number of units involved  : NUMBER  b : to name the numbers in order up to and including  *count ten*  c : to include in a tallying and reckoning  *about 100 present, counting children*  d : to call aloud (beats or time units)  *count cadence*  *count eighth notes*
2 a : CONSIDER, ACCOUNT  *count oneself lucky*  b : to record as of an opinion or persuasion  *count me as uncommitted*
3 : to include or exclude by or as if by counting  *count me in*
intransitive verb  
1 a : to recite or indicate the numbers in order by units or groups  *count by fives*  b : to count the units in a group
2 : to rely or depend on someone or something ? used with on  *counted on his parents to help with the expenses*
3 : ADD, TOTAL  *it counts up to a sizable amount*
4 a : to have value or significance  *these are the people who really count*  *his opinions don't count for much*  b : to deserve to be regarded or considered  *a job so easy it hardly counts as work*
  ----and counting : with more to come  *in business for 50 years and counting*
  ----count heads or     count noses : to count the number present
  ----count on : to look forward to as certain  : ANTICIPATE  *counted on winning*

【matter】intransitive verb
1 : to form or discharge pus  : SUPPURATE  *mattering wound*
2 : to be of importance  : SIGNIFY

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【听力---SSS---September 24, 2009】

Water On The Moon
Studies in the journal Science report that instruments on three different spacecraft have found evidence for widespread trace amounts（微量） of water on the moon.

trace的一个词条：
a : a minute and often barely detectable amount or indication *a trace of a smile* b : an amount of a chemical constituent not always quantitatively determinable because of minuteness

For all you space buffs（太空爱好者） who like to keep track of where the water is, it looks like you can add our very own moon to your list. Because according to a trio of papers appearing in the journal Science, the lunar surface is wetter than we realized.

Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts brought a bunch of moon rocks back home. For the most part those samples showed no traces of water whatsoever. Those that seemed even the slightest bit moist were thought to have been contaminated by water from Earth—because the containers they were stored in turned out to be leaky.

whatsoever=whatever：作为副词表示：
: in any case : whatever the case may be --- sometimes used interjectionally to suggest the unimportance of an issue or decision between alternatives *go see a movie, watch TV,* whatever*

But now scientists say they’ve spotted water right on the moon’s surface. Using instruments on three different spacecraft, the scientists detected the chemical signature of good old H2O. And they think the water springs from the moon itself. The lunar soil is nearly 50 percent oxygen, and the scientists think that hydrogen comes from the solar wind that pounds（连续撞击） the moon’s surface.

Put the two together and you get wet. Not too wet, of course. There’s probably only about a quart（容积单位） of water in every ton of lunar soil. That’s dryer than the Sahara. But wetter than we thought.

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1，to assume their share of responsibility for dealing with global challenges including climate change and non proliferation


2，the tasks exceed the capacity of the United States alone and that collective efforts, are needed including by critics of past U.S. policy


3，This cannot be solely America's endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought in word and deed（确实） a new era of engagement with the world. And now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.


4，The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple（ : to connect for consideration together） an unwavering（不动摇的，坚定的） commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians


5，If they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people, if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East, then they must be held accountable


6，The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise.

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【写作】
题目：創意（being creative）是否比計畫（planning carefully）更能find the best solution to a problem（08-02-01北美）


我们对于这两者采取的当然是都不可或缺的态度，正如翠花姐所说：
If I were asked which weapon I prefer to use to win a battle—shield or spear, I think I would lose using any weapon alone. It can be vividly compared to this topic. When finding solutions to a problem, a careful plan is like a strong shield protecting us from going into a chaos, while creativity is like a sharp spear helping us solve problems efficiently. We need both of them.
这个立意很好，这个比喻也很好，在借用名人名言：
President Eisenhower, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
所的就是这个意思。也就是说计划和创意者两者一个是基础是保障，没有这个不行。但是光有这个也不行，必须得有制胜的法宝武器。这两者的关系就是这样。好的计划为创意的出现提供了沃土及为实现这个创意提供了保障。

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Can You Be Truly Honest?


Honesty, we say, is the best policy. And yet, it’s hardly news to anyone that in much of our lives, dishonesty rules. Salespeople lie about the benefits of one product over another, or about how useful those “extended service plans” really are. Partners lie about whether they liked dinner, or about what they did last night after work. Employees lie about the reason a project is overdue, or about how much money is in the register. Customer service people lie about what your warranty covers, or about how reliable their products are. And of course politicians lie about… the color of the sky and the existence of stones.

We look down on dishonesty, but we do it all the time. We all know that “little white lies” are a kind of social lubricant, making everything run that much more smoothly. Why have a fight with your spouse over an outfit when it’s so much easier to just say “you look great, honey”? Why make a friend feel buyer’s remorse over their new car purchase by telling them all the terrible things you’ve read about it’s reliability?

It’s hard to be completely honest. And yet, I wonder if we don’t let ourselves get so deep into the habit of saying things that are convenient rather than true that we lose sight of the truth in every area of our lives? And whether in losing the ability to be truthful for the sake of being truthful, we don’t lose a little bit of ourselves?
What is honesty?On the surface, honesty is a fairly simple thing: the accurate representation of the way the world is, at least from your perspective. This is easy enough to comprehend when you’re stating a fact: “the sky is blue” is either true or false; honesty means saying the true thing. It’s slightly less clear when talking about opinions: “the babaganoush is tasty” is not true or false in any absolute sense – it is only true in relation to the taste of the person reporting on it. In this case, honesty means declaring your actual opinion – even though to another person, it might be wrong.

But beyond the dictionary sense of what the word itself means, there’s the way that being honest acts in the world. Honesty isn’t just a word, it’s a characteristic of an act, behavior, or personality. It’s the difference, for example, between an “honest living” and a dishonest one – the criminal might not tell a single lie in the course of his or her day, but we wouldn’t necessarily call him or her “honest”.

As a way of being and doing in the world, honesty is about trust – it’s about convincing others that we are to be trusted, and it’s about trusting others to be able to deal with the truth as we report it. Consider some of the situations that might lead us to be dishonest:

• We want something from someone, and have nothing to offer in return.
• We are afraid we’ll be punished for something.
• We are afraid we’ll hurt someone’s feelings.
• We don’t want someone to think badly of us.
• We don’t want someone to do better than us.
• We are protecting someone.
• We are protecting ourselves.
• We are protecting other people’s image of ourselves.
• We are protecting our own image of ourselves.
• We dislike someone.

These are all purposely vague, and possibly overlapping depending on particular situations. The point isn’t to catalogue every possible reason for lying, but to demonstrate that most often, dishonesty is provoked by fear and danger.

Thus, the salesperson lies because he is afraid of losing a sale. The significant other lies because she is afraid of hurting his or her partner’s feelings (and thus possibly losing the partner himself). The employee lies because she is afraid of getting fired, or of getting arrested. The spouse lies because he is afraid of breaking up his marriage. The student lies because she is afraid of failing a class. The criminal lies because he is afraid of being arrested, or of calling down revenge on himself. The doctor lies because she is afraid the patient will sue her (and she could possibly lose her license). The politician lies because he dislikes everyone – and because he is afraid of losing the next election.

Think of all the times you might have been dishonest, even just a little, even just by telling a little white lie? What were you afraid of?

How does it feel to live in fear? How does it feel to give in to it?

Fear and Loathing on Life’s PathI said before that honesty is about trust. When we are dishonest with people, it is because we fear something. We fear that being honest will allow them to hurt us in some way, or we fear that being honest will hurt them in some way (and that, in turn, would hurt us – after all, we have no problem honestly listing the faults of people we dislike!).

Ultimately, honesty makes us vulnerable, and dishonesty protects us. But at what cost? Every dishonesty is an admission that we don’t trust the person we’re lying to – we don’t trust them not to hurt us, and we don’t trust to trust us enough to know we don’t intend to hurt them. Either way, a lie says you think little of the person you’re lying to. It may not say it out loud – most of the time we lie because we are reasonably certain the other person will never find out the truth – but even if they don’t know, we know. Can you really think highly of a person you don’t trust?

That’s harsh, I know, and I’m not necessarily advocating we give up every tiny white lie and less-than-full-disclosure; more, I’m suggesting that we think good and hard before allowing ourselves even the smallest dishonesty, lest it become a habit – not just a habit in the sense of the way we act, but a habit in the way we see other people, especially those close to us.

This applies especially to the lies we tell ourselves. If dishonesty stems from a lack of trust, what does it mean when we lie to ourselves? And how much damage does it do us in the long run to not trust our own feelings, our own actions, our own being? Most of the time we know when we’re lying to ourselves – we see the truth behind our own actions and we excuse or justify that truth away.

Can you be truly honest? Do you have what it takes to approach the world full of trust?Not stupidly or naively – you don’t have to tell your social security number to everyone who asks. although you don’t have to lie about why you won’t disclose it, either – just honestly. And if you could be totally honest, at least with the people who matter most in your life, what would change? Would it be better or worse? Finally, if you could be totally honest with your own self, would you be happier or sadder? I think these questions are worth examining – honestly.


你能真正做到诚实吗？



我们说，诚实是最好的办法。然而，
对于我们这些大部分生活都为不诚实所统治的人来说，这几乎算不上什么新闻。 销售向别人撒谎说自己产品的好处，或者讲那些“扩展服务计划”怎么怎么的有用。同事骗对方说自己很喜欢昨天的晚餐或昨晚工作之后做的某件事情。员工编造项目延期的原因或者登记在案的资金数目。客服人员忽悠保障范围或者产品的可靠性。当然还有政治人物...拿天空的颜色和石头的存在性来扯淡。
我们看不起不诚实，但自己却总是如此。大家都明白，那些“善意的谎言”是一种社交润滑剂，可令一切运转得更为顺畅。如果只需说上一句“亲爱的你看起来美极了”要来得容易得多，又何必要为一套服装吵上一架呢？又为什么要把了解到的所有可靠性的可怕事实告诉朋友，让其对新购的车后悔不迭呢？
很难做到完全诚实。但我在想，如果我们深陷其中，怎么方便怎么说，而非说出事实，这会不会让我们看不到自己生活的真相？ 除了失去拥有诚实的能力之外，我们自身难道就没失去了点什么吗？
什么是诚实？从表面上看，诚实是相当简单的一件事情：起码是从个人的视角对世界样子的精确表述。这个是很容易理解的，比如说要你指出一个事实：“天是蓝的”是对的还是错的时，诚实意味着说出正确的东西。但在谈论观点的时候就稍微有点不那么清晰了：“芭芭卡奴士(baba ganoush)很好吃” 从任何绝对意义上来讲都没有对错之分 – 它只有在与这个人所报告的口味联系在一起时才是真的。这种情况下，诚实意味着说明你真实的观点 – 即便对于另一个人来说，这有可能是错的。
但在世界本身意味者什么的字面意义之上，还有一层意思是指在这个世界里诚实地行事。 诚实不仅仅是一个词语，它还是行为、举止或性格的特征。 比如说，“实诚地生活”和不诚实的生活是不同的 – 犯罪份子一整天可能都不会说谎，但我们不会称之为“诚实的”。
作为世界之存在或行为，诚实关乎信任 – 关乎让他人认同我们是可信任的，在我们描述事实的时候相信他人能处理好真相。想想看以下的一些可能会导致不诚实的情况：

• 我们想从别人那里得到某样东西，但没有任何回报
• 我们害怕会因为某件事收到惩罚
• 我们害怕会伤害某人的感情
• 我们不希望别人把自己往坏处想
• 我们不想别人做得比自己好
• 我们在保护别人
• 我们在保护自己
• 我们在保护自己在他人眼里的形象
• 我们在保护自己眼中的个人形象
• 我们不喜欢某人

这些都属于有目的地拐弯抹角，并视情况不同交错重叠出现。 这里并不是要把所有撒谎的原因穷举出来，而是为了说明大多数情况下，不诚实是由于恐惧和危险引起的。
因此，销售撒谎是因为他害怕失去定单。一个重要他人撒谎是因为害怕伤害到对方的感情（并因此可能会失去对方）。员工撒谎是因为害怕自己被解雇或被捕。 配偶撒谎是因为害怕婚姻破裂。学生撒谎是因为害怕课程不通过。罪犯撒谎是因为害怕被抓或招致复仇。医生撒谎是因为害怕病人起诉（自己很可能就要失去执照）。政治家撒谎是因为他不喜欢大众 – 并害怕失去下一次选举。
想一想所有你可能不诚实的时候，哪怕只有一点点，那怕只是善意的谎言，你又在害怕什么呢？
活在恐惧中的感觉如何？向它屈服的感觉又如何呢？
人生之路的恐惧与厌恶我前面说过诚实与信任有关。我们对他人不诚实的时候是因为害怕。我们害怕诚实令其以某种方式伤害到我们或他人自己 (而这反过来又将会伤害到我们 – 毕竟坦诚地指出我们不喜欢的人的过失是没什么问题的！).
最后，诚实令我们易受伤害，而不诚实则能保护自己。但代价呢？ 每一次不诚实就是一次承认，承认我们并不信任所撒谎的人 – 我们不相信他们不会伤害自己，我们对对自己缺乏足够的信任，明白到我们并不是要去伤害对方。无论哪一种方式 ，撒谎都意味着你没有为所撒谎之人着想。只是没有大声说出来罢了 – 大部分情况下，我们撒谎是因为我们有理由相信他人永远也无法了解到真相 – 但即便他们不知道，我们是知道的。 你能真正做到尊重一位自己不信任的人吗？
现实是残酷的，我知道，我也不主张放弃善意的谎言和有选择的披露；还有，我建议，在允许自己哪怕有一丁点儿不诚实之前都要先好好想想，让它成为习惯 – 不仅仅是自己行为的习惯，还包括我们看人，尤其是亲近者的习惯。
这一条尤其要用到我们对自己撒的谎上。
如果不诚实源于缺乏信任，我们对自己撒谎又意味着什么呢？ 始终不相信自己的感受、自己的行为乃至自己，这又会对我们自身造成多大的伤害呢？ 大多数情况下，我们知道自己只是在欺骗自己 – 我们明白自己行为背后的真相，却找借口去篡改真相。
你能真正做到诚实吗？ 你拥有它通往完全信任的世界的办法吗？别傻啦 – 你不必把自己的社会保险号告诉每个问到你的人。同样，如果你不想把东西泄露出去你也不必撒谎 – 实话实说就行。如果你能做到以诚待人，起码对于那些自己生命中最重要的人如此，又有什么会改变呢？是更好还是更糟？最后，倘若你能做到以诚待己，你会更高兴还是更沮丧呢？我认为这些问题值得好好想想 – 真的。

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英国野生生物摄影奖 - 2009年获奖作品

[size=1.1em]简介
英国野生生物摄影奖旨在庆祝及表扬所有在英国执业的摄影师人才，同时强调英国自然历史的财富和多样性。以下是获奖的作品，这些作品正在伦敦的胡珀斯画廊（Hoopers Gallery）展出，到10月16日为止，然后在英国各地巡回展览。


这张令人惊叹的豆娘（注释：Damsel Fly，蜻蜓目(Odonata)束翅亚目(Zygoptera)昆虫的通称，与蜻蜓有别）轮廓图像，入选“隐匿的英国”（Hidden Britain）组别，摄影师罗斯·霍迪诺特（Ross Hoddinott）获得5000英镑奖金和今年的英国野生生物摄影师称号。

“栖息地”（Habitat）组别获奖作品：拂晓时一头休闲的雄鹿，摄影师：本·霍尔（Ben Hall）



年轻的英国野生生物摄影师，18岁以下（Young British Wildlife Photographer Award – under 18）组别获奖作品：红松鼠，摄于诺森伯兰郡（Northumberland）的基尔德森林（Kielder forest），摄影师：威尔·尼古尔斯（Will Nicholls）





“我的地区的野生生物”（Wildlife in my locality）组别获奖作品：静谧，疣鼻天鹅栖息在渠面上，摄影师：诺尔·班尼特（Noel Bennett）



“动物行为”（Animal behaviour）组别获奖作品：乌鸦打架，摄影师：大卫·斯莱特（David Slater）





“动物肖像”（Animal portraits）组别获奖作品：塘鹅肖像，摄影师：本·霍尔（Ben  Hall）



“海岸和海洋”（Coast and marine）组别获奖作品：灰海豹，摄影师：亚历山大·马斯特（Alexander Mustard）





“都市野生生物”（Urban wildlife）组别获奖作品：终极鸟群，摄影师：罗恩·吉尔（Lorne Gill）

thatllUID: 2538832

【听力---SSS---September 25, 2009】

Antennae Key To Butterfly Navigation
A study in the journal Science shows that monarch butterflies' sun-related directional sensing is governed by antennae, not the brain.

Every year, millions of monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles to alight in one specific forest in Mexico. How do they know what direction to flutter? Scientists had thought that an insect GPS system in their brains steered them in the right direction.

Now, a new study published in the journal Science overturns that idea. Because sun-related directional sensing actually resides in the butterfly’s antennae, say scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The researchers remembered a half-century old study that noted that if butterflies lost their antennae mid-flight, they became disoriented. So they put butterflies in a flight simulator（飞行模拟器） and tried to convince them to fly south. Those with their antennae intact had no problem orienting and flying south. But those without their antennae just couldn’t do it.

Next they painted some butterflies’ antennae black, blocking light sensing. Those insects couldn’t orient themselves. But when researchers covered antennae in clear paint, the butterflies could once again fly in the correct direction.

Butterfly antennae were already known to sense odor, wind, even sound. Now it seems that they’re also vital for getting lonely Lepidopterans back to Mexico to mingle—and make the next generation of monarchs.

【学习】：
1，monarch butterfly: a large migratory American butterfly (Danaus plexippus) that has orange-brown wings with black veins and borders and a larva that feeds on milkweed

2，alight：不及物动词
1 : to come down from something (as a vehicle): as  a : DISMOUNT  b : DEPLANE
2 : to descend from or as if from the air and come to rest  : LAND, SETTLE
3 archaic   : to come by chance

3，steer：
transitive verb  
1 : to control the course of  : DIRECT;  especially   : to guide by mechanical means (as a rudder)
2 : to set and hold to (a course)
intransitive verb  
1 : to direct the course (as of a ship or automobile)
2 : to pursue a course of action
3 : to be subject to guidance or direction  *an automobile that steers well*

4，reside：
1 a : to be in residence as the incumbent of a benefice or office  b : to dwell permanently or continuously  : occupy a place as one's legal domicile
2 a : to be present as an element or quality  b : to be vested as a right