英语专业四级短文朗读Word格式文档下载.docx

英语专业四级短文朗读Word格式文档下载.docx

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sHOAinWakeForest,N.C.,notifiedhimthataneighborh,adcomplainedabouthisline.TheRecksignoredthewarningandstilldrytheirclothesonaropeintheyard."

Manypeopleclaimtobeenvironmentallyfriendlybutdon'

ttakemattersintotheirownhands,"

saysReck.HOAsHagenhasdecidedtoholdofftakingaction."

I'

mnotgoingtogocrazy,"

hesays."

ButifMattkeepshislineandmoreneighborscomplain,I'

llhavetoaddressitagain."

NorthCarolinalawmakerstriedandfailedearlierthisyeartoinsertlanguageintoanenergybillthatwouldexpresslypreventHOAsfromregulatingclotheslines.ButtheissueremainsatouchyonewithHOAsandrealestateagents."

Mostaestheticrestrictionsarerooted,toadegree,inthebeliefthathomogenous（统一协调的）exteriorsaresupportiveofpropertyvalue,"

saysSaraStubbins,executivedirectoroftheCommunityAssociationInstitute'

sNorthCarolinachapter.Inotherwords,associationsworrythathousingpriceswillfallifprospectivebuyersthinktheirwould-beneighborsaretoopoortoafforddryers.

AlexanderLeedismissesthenotionthatclotheslinesdevaluepropertyassets,advocatingthattheidea"

needstochangeinlightofglobalwarming."

"

Weallhavetodoatleastsomethingtodecreaseourcarbonfootprint,"

AlexanderLeesays.

Passage2

Withinthatexclusivegroupofliterarycharacterswhohavesurvivedthroughthecenturies--fromHamlettoHuckleberryFinn--fewcanrivaltheculturalimpactofSherlockHolmes.Sincehisfirstpublicappearance20yearsago,thegentlemanwiththecurvedpipeandatasteforcocaine,themasterofdeductivereasoningandelaboratedisguise,haslefthismarkeverywhere--incrimeliterature,filmandtelevision,cartoonsandcomicbooks.

AtHolmes'

side,ofcourse,washistrustedfriendDr.Watson.Loomingevenlarger,however,wasanotherdoctor,onewhosemedicalpracticewassoslowitallowedhimplentyoftimetopursuehisliteraryambition.Hisname:

ArthurConanDoyle.Asthecreatorofthesefictionalicons,ConanDoylehashimselfbecomesomethingofacultfigure,theobjectofcountlesscriticalstudies,biographiesandfanclubs.

ConanDoylewasborninEdinburghin1859,inarespectablemiddle-classCatholicfamily.Still,itwasfarfromaneasylife.Therewasneverenoughmoney;

theymovedfrequentlyinsearchoflowerrents;

andhisfather,acivilservantandillustratorwasanalcoholicwhohadtobeinstitutionalized.Yettheearlylettershewrotetohismotheraresurprisinglyoptimistic,concernedmainlywithfood,clothes,allowancesandschoolwork.At14camehisfirstunforgettablevisittoLondon,includingMadameTussaud'

s,wherehewas"

delightedwiththeroomofHorrors,andtheimagesofthemurderers."

Asuperbstudent,ConanDoylewentontomedicalschool,wherehewasattractedbyDr.JosephBell,aprofessorwithanuncannyabilitytodiagnosepatientsevenbeforetheyopenedtheirmouths.ForatimeheworkedasBell'

soutpatientclerkandwouldwatch,amazed,athowthelocationofacalluscouldrevealaman'

sprofession,orhowaquicklookataskinrashtoldBellthatthepatienthadoncelivedinBermuda.In1886,ConanDoyleoutlinedhisfirstnovel,AStudyinScarlet,whichhedescribedas"

asimpletaleofmysterytomakealittleextramoney."

Itsmaincharacter,initiallycalledSherringfordHopeandlatercalledSherlockHolmes,wasbasedlargelyonBell.ButHolmes'

firstappearancewentalmostunnoticed,andthestrugglingdoctordevotednearlyallofhissparetimetowritinglonghistoricalnovelsinthestyleofSirWalterScott—novelsthathewasconvincedwouldmakehisreputation.Itwasn'

ttobe.In1888,HolmesreappearedinAScandalinBohemia,ashortstoryinStrandMagazine.Andthistime,itsherotookanimmediatehitandConanDoyle'

slifewouldneverbethesame.

Passage3

TheInternet,E-commerceandglobalizationaremakinganeweconomicerapossible.Inthefuture,capitalistmarketswilllargelybereplacedbyanewkindofeconomicsystembasedonnetworkedrelationships,contractualarrangementsandaccessrights.

Hasthequalityofourlivesatwork,athomeandinourcommunitiesincreasedindirectproportiontoallthenewInternetandbusiness-to-businessInternetservicesbeingintroducedintoourlives?

IhaveaskedthisquestionofhundredsofCEOSandcorporateexecutivesinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.Surprisingly,virtuallyeveryonehassaid,"

No,quitecontrary."

Theverypeopleresponsibleforusheringinwhatsomehavecalleda"

technologicalrenaissance"

saytheyareworkinglongerhours,feelmorestressed,aremoreimpatient,andareevenlesscivilintheirdealingswithcolleaguesandfriends--nottomentionstrangers.Andwhat'

smorerevealing,theyplacemuchoftheblameontheverysametechnologiestheyaresoaggressivelychampioning.

Thetechnogurus（领袖）promisedusthataccesswouldmakelifemoreconvenientandgiveusmoretime.Instead,theverytechnologicalwondersthatweresupposedtoliberateushavebeguntoenslaveusinawebofconnectionsfromwhichthereseemstobenoeasyescape.

Ifanearliergenerationwaspreoccupiedwiththequesttoencloseavastgeographicfrontier,the.generation,itseems,ismorecaughtupinthecolonizationoftime.Everysparemomentofourtimeisbeingfilledwithsomeformofcommercialconnection,makingtimeitselfthemostscarceofallresources.Our,voicemailandcellphones,our24-hourInteractnewsandentertainmentallseizeforourattention.

Andwhilewehavecreatedeverykindoflabor-andtime-savingdevicetoserviceourneeds,wearebeginningtofeellikewehavelesstimeavailabletousthananyotherhumansinhistory.Thatisbecausethegreatproliferationoflabor-and-time-savingservicesonlyincreasesthediversity,paceandflowofcommodifiedactivityaroundus.Forexample,isagreatconvenience.However,wenowfindourselvesspendingmuchofourdayfranticallyrespondingtoeachother'

selectronicmessages.Thecellphoneisagreattime-saver,exceptnowwearealwayspotentiallyinreachofsomeoneelsewhowantsourattention.

Socialconservativestalkaboutthedeclineincivilityandblameitonthelossofamoralcompassandreligiousvalues.Hasanyonebotheredtoaskwhetherthehyperspeedcultureismakingallofuslesspatientandlesswillingtolistenanddefer,considerandreflect?

Maybeweneedtoaskwhatkindsofconnectionsreallycountandwhattypesofaccessreallymatterinthee-economyera.Thisnewtechnologyrevolutionisonlyabouthyperefficiency,thenwerisklosingsomethingevenpreciousthantime--oursenseofwhatitmeanstobeacaringhumanbeing.

Passage4

Attheageoftwelveyears,thehumanbodyisatitsmostvigorous.Ithasyettoreachitsfullsizeandstrength,anditsownerhisorherfullintelligence;

butatthisagethelikelihoodofdeathisleast.Earlier,wewereinfantsandyoungchildren,andconsequentlymorevulnerable;

later,weshallundergoaprogressivelossofourvigorandresistancewhich,thoughimperceptibleatfirst,willfinallybecomesosteepthatwecanlivenolonger,howeverwellwelookafterourselves,andhoweverwellsociety,andourdoctors,lookafterus.

Thisdeclineinvigorwiththepassingoftimeiscalledageing.Itisoneofthemostunpleasantdiscoverieswhichweallmakethatwemustdeclineinthisway,thatifweescapewars,accidentsanddiseaseweshalleventually"

dieofoldage"

andthatthishappensataratewhichdifferslittlefrompersontoperson,sothatthereareheavyoddsinfavorofourdyingbetweentheagesofsixty-fiveandeighty.Someofuswilldiesooner,afewwilllivelonger—onintoaninthortenthdecade.Butthechancesareagainstit,andthereisavirtuallimitonhowlongwecanhopetoremainalive,howeverluckyandrobustweare.

Normalpeopletendtoforgetthisprocessunlessanduntiltheyareremindedofit.Wearesofamiliarwiththefactthatmanages,thatpeoplehaveforyearsassumedthattheprocessoflosingvigorwithtime,ofbecomingmorelikelytodietheolderweget,wassomethingself-evident,likethecoolingofahotkettleorthewearing-outofapairofshoes.Theyhavealsoassumedthatallanimals,andprobablyotherorganismssuchastrees,oreventheuniverseitself,mustinthenatureofthings"

wearout"

.

Mostanimalswecommonlyobservedoinfactageaswedo,ifgiventhechancetolivelongenough;

andmechanicalsystemslikeawoundwatch,