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VOA慢速英语2008年（二）月

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　　An unhealthy obsession with celebrity culture is damaging the academic success of British students, a survey of teachers found on Friday, with celebrity couple the Beckhams the favorite inspiration.

　　Many students are ignoring career aspirations to pursue the chance of fame instead, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey found.

　　Almost two-thirds of teachers said sports stars were the type of celebrity most pupils wanted to emulate while more than half of students wanted to be pop stars.

　　The celebrities students aspired to be most like, the survey said, were Los Angeles-based David and Victoria Beckham, arguably Britain's most famous couple.

　　Soccer player "Becks" topped the poll, with more than half the teachers saying their students modeled themselves on the 32 year-old. In second place, with almost a third of the poll's vote, was his 33 year-old wife and pop star "Posh."

　　In an era of reality television "stars" and a media fixation with celebrities, a majority of teachers said celebrity culture negatively impacted the aspirations of their pupils.

　　Almost half of the 300 teachers polled said pupils tried to look like and/or behave like celebrities they most admired, fuelling fears that girls particularly dressed in "unsuitable," or provocative styles.

　　"We are not surprised about infiltration of celebrity culture in schools -- it reflects the current media obsession with celebrity and the effect of celebrity culture on society as a whole," ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said in a statement.

　　"Celebrities can have a positive effect on pupils. They can raise pupils' aspirations and ambitions for the future.

　　"However ... celebrity culture can perpetuate the notion that celebrity status is the greatest achievement and reinforces the belief that other career options are not valuable."

　　Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard ranked third on the favorites list with 26 percent, actress Keira Knightley finished fourth (25 percent).

　　Other celebrities on the list included U.S. heiress and socialite Paris Hilton (sixth) and Leona Lewis, a winner of Britain's "The X Factor" television talent show (ninth).

　　英国上周五公布的一项针对教师的调查发现，英国学生对明星的过度"痴迷"影响到了他们的学业。调查发现，"小贝"夫妇是英国学生最崇拜的明星。

　　这项由英国教师与讲师协会开展的调查发现，很多学生由于追逐"明星梦"而忽视了正常的成才之路。

　　近三分之二的教师称，大多数学生最想成为体育明星，一半以上的学生梦想成为流行歌星。

　　该调查称，学生们最渴望自己能成为贝克汉姆夫妇那样的名人。已移居美国洛杉矶的小贝和维多利亚堪称英国最著名的夫妇。

　　民调结果显示，足球巨星贝克汉姆最受学生崇拜，一半以上的受访教师称他们的学生以这位32岁的足球明星为榜样。小贝的爱妻、33岁的流行歌星"高贵辣妹" 以三分之一的得票率名列第二。

　　多数受访教师称，在电视选秀明星大行其道、媒体大肆宣传明星的今天，名人文化对学生的志向产生了不良影响。

　　在300名受访教师中，近一半的人称一些学生在外表或举止上效仿自己崇拜的明星，一些女孩着装"不当"或装扮过火，惹人担忧。

　　英国教师与讲师协会秘书长玛丽?鲍斯蒂德在一份声明中说："明星文化深入校园其实并不奇怪--这体现了媒体过于关注名人的现状及名人文化对整个社会的影响。"

　　"名人可以给学生带来积极影响。他们能激励学生们梦想未来。"

　　"然而，名人文化也会助长一种错误观念，即'成为明星才是最大成功，从事其它行业都没有价值'。"

　　切尔西中场球员弗兰克?兰帕德以26%的得票率成为第三大最受学生欢迎的明星，女星凯拉?奈特莉名列第四（25%）。

　　上榜的其他名人包括美国豪门女星、社交名媛帕里斯?希尔顿（第六位）及英国选秀节目"The X Factor"冠军莉欧娜?刘易斯（第九位）。

Vocabulary:

model on: 以……为榜样

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　　It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. But what is more painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let that person know how you feel.

　　A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let go.

　　The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

　　It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

　　It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone- but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.

　　Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

　　Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

　　A careless word may kindle strife; a cruel word may wreck a life; a timely word may level stress; a loving word may heal and bless.

　　The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

　　Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

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　　A blonde dyed her hair to red one day, then she takes a walk down the road and comes upon a farm. She walks up to the fenced yard where the farmer is counting his sheeps. The farmer said hello and that if she guessed how many he had, then she can keep one. The blonde thought it was a great idea, so she starts counting in her head. She finally guessed 26, which was RIGHT!!! The farmer was amazed, but he kept his word. She climbed over the fence and back with the animal in her arms. The farmer takes one look at her and the animal and says, " If I guess what natural hair color you have, can i have my dog back?"

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　　SOME years ago, large ships were sent towards the north pole, to explore the distant coasts, and to try how far men could penetrate into those unknown regions. For more than a year one of these ships had been pushing its way northward, amid snow and ice, and the sailors had endured many hardships; till at length winter set in, and the sun entirely disappeared; for many weeks there would be constant night. All around, as far as the eye could reach, nothing could be seen but fields of ice, in which the ship remained stuck fast. The snow lay piled up in great heaps, and of these the sailors made huts, in the form of bee-hives, some of them as large and spacious as one of the "Huns' graves," and others only containing room enough to hold three or four men. It was not quite dark; the northern lights shot forth red and blue flames, like continuous fireworks, and the snow glittered, and reflected back the light, so that the night here was one long twilight. When the moon was brightest, the natives came in crowds to see the sailors. They had a very singular appearance in their rough, hairy dresses of fur, and riding in sledges over the ice. They brought with them furs and skins in great abundance, so that the snow-houses were soon provided with warm carpets, and the furs also served for the sailors to wrap themselves in, when they slept under the roofs of snow, while outside it was

freezing with a cold far more severe than in the winter with us. In our country it was still autumn, though late in the season; and they thought of that in their distant exile, and often pictured to themselves the yellow leaves on the trees at home. Their watches pointed to the hours of evening, and time to go to sleep, although in these regions it was now always night.

　　In one of the huts, two of the men laid themselves down to rest.The younger of these men had brought with him from home his best,his dearest treasure- a Bible, which his grandmother had given him on his departure. Every night the sacred volume rested under his head, and he had known from his childhood what was written in it. Every day he read in the book, and while stretched on his cold couch, the holy words he had learnt would come into his mind: "If I take the wings of the morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea,even there Thou art with me, and Thy right hand shall uphold me;"and under the influence of that faith which these holy words inspired,sleep came upon him, and dreams, which are the manifestations of God to the spirit. The soul lives and acts, while the body is at rest.He felt this life in him, and it was as if he heard the sound of dear,well-known melodies, as if the breezes of summer floated around him;and over his couch shone a ray of brightness, as if it were shining through the covering of his snow-roof. He lifted his head, and saw that the bright gleaming was not the reflection of the glittering snow, but the dazzling brightness of the pinions of a mighty angel,into whose beaming face he was gazing. As from the cup of a lily,the angel rose from amidst the leaves of the Bible; and, stretching out his arm, the walls of the hut sunk down, as though they had been formed of a light, airy veil of mist, and the green hills and meadows of home, with its ruddy woods, lay spread around him in the quiet sunshine of a lovely autumn day. The nest of the stork was empty, but ripe fruit still hung on the wild apple-tree, although the leaves had fallen. The red hips gleamed on the hedges, and the starling which hung in the green cage outside the window of the peasant's hut, which was his home, whistled the tune which he had taught him. His grandmother hung green birds'-food around the cage, as he, her grandson, had been accustomed to do. The daughter of the village blacksmith, who was young and fair, stood at the well, drawing water. She nodded to the grandmother, and the old woman nodded to her, and pointed to a letter which had come from a long way off. That very morning the letter had arrived from the cold regions of the north; there, where the absent one was　　sweetly sleeping under the protecting hand of God. They laughed and wept over the letter; and he, far away, amid ice and snow, under the shadow of the angel's wings, wept and smiled with them in spirit; for he saw and heard it all in his dream. From the letter they read aloud the words of Holy Writ: "In the uttermost parts of the sea, Thy right hand shall uphold me." And as the angel spread his wings like a veil over the sleeper, there was the sound of beautiful music and a hymn. Then the vision fled. It was dark again in the snow-hut: but the Bible still rested beneath his head, and faith and hope dwelt in his heart. God was with him, and he carried home in his heart, even "in the uttermost parts of the sea.

THE END

LastIndexNext

Written By Anderson

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A; are you good at making decisions?

B: not really. Sometimes, I even let other people make key decision for me.

A: what kinds of decisions do you leave to other people?

B: there are basic decisions like which restaurant to go to. I can never seem to choose. I let my parents make big decisions for me. They chose my university and my course. I ended up studying something that I didn't like, although the university they choose was fine.

A: your parents will be choosing your girlfriend if you aren't careful! Why don't you try being more decisive? Start with some basic ones. When your friends are discussing which restaurant to eat at, make a suggestion. As you haven't suggested anything before, they'll probably accept your choice.

B: that's a good idea. You're very decisive, I've noticed. So, which bar are we going to this evening?

A: I can't make a decision. You'll have to put forward an idea.

B: you see? You're becoming more decisive already!

Intermediate

A: I find it really hard to express myself in class. I have lots of ideas, but they never seem to come out of my mouth.

B: let me give you a little advice. You know what the topics are going to be, so prepares what you would like to say in advance.

A; I often do, but I'm worried about the responses from other people.

B: you have to be realistic. Not everyone is going to agree with you, but people will respect your opinion and they will respect the fact that you have contributed something to the discussion.

A: I'm worried that what I say will not make sense.

B; we could chat about the topic before class. I could check that what you want to say is logical and it would also give you a chance to practice speaking.

A; that's a good idea. What should I do if I am in two minds about a topic?

B: that's easy. Express possibilities. People will think that you are pretty smart to be able to look at the topic from more than one angle.

A: I didn't realize that speaking in class could be so easy.

B: the most difficult thing is being able to predict what other people will say. They will reply to your statements, but you can't be sure how.

words

predict decide imagine remember judge wonder work out guess logical memory think (in)decisive suppose suggest realize consider concentrate follow genius brilliant worry nervous guilty confused

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由于波动的股市仍在继续影响并购交易，摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)已暂停出售所持中国券商中金公司(CICC)的股份。它告诉贝恩资本(Bain Capital)和TPG等参与竞购的私人股本公司，它们的出价过低。

Morgan Stanley has put the sale of its stake in mainland brokerage China International Capital Corp on hold, telling private equity bidders including Bain Capital and TPG that their offers are too low as jittery equity markets continue to take a toll on deals.

中金公司的交易表明，潜在买家与卖家之间的预期通常会相差何其之远。

The CICC deal provides evidence of just how far apart the expectations of potential buyers and sellers generally remain.

由于可以获得的借贷资金数额大幅减少，收购公司不愿为新交易支付高价，而卖方仍然希望得到6个月之前可能拿到的金额。

With their access to vast sums of borrowed money curtailed, buy-out firms are reluctant to pay top price for new deals while sellers are still hoping to get as much as they would have received six months ago.

从中金公司交易程序启动伊始，相关私人股本公司的高管就表示担心，自己也许会买在最高点。

From the beginning of the CICC process, executives from the private equity firms involved expressed concern that they might be buying at a peak.

摩根士丹利暂停拍卖所持中金公司34.3%股份，将使问题复杂化，因为这家投行已计划与上海的华鑫证券(Fortune Securities)达成新的伙伴关系。

Putting the auction for Morgan Stanley's 34.3 per cent stake in the brokerage on hold will complicate matters as the bank had planned to seal a new partnership with Fortune Securities in Shanghai.

中国政府已经告诉摩根士丹利，它在中国不能同时拥有两家投行业务合资企业。摩根士丹利曾希望，所持中金公司股份可以为自己带来至少10亿美元资金。

Morgan Stanley, which hoped to get at least $1bn for its CICC stake, has been told by the government that it cannot simultaneously be in two separate investment banking ventures in China.

摩根士丹利在中金公司的主要合作伙伴中国建设银行(CCB)已经将所持股份转让给中投公司(CIC)。

China Construction Bank, Morgan Stanley's principal partner in CICC, has transferred its stake to China Investment Corp.

去年12月，中投公司斥资50亿美元收购了摩根士丹利少数股权。这笔交易更多地被描述为对摩根士丹利的战略投资，而不是救援融资。

CIC bought a $5bn minority stake in Morgan Stanley in December in a deal that was described more as a strategic investment for Morgan Stanley than as rescue finance.

当摩根士丹利最初于1995年夏达成入股中金公司的交易时，中国市场还很沉静，大部分利润来自中国政府债券的利息。 When the CICC deal was first sealed in the summer of 1995, Chinese markets were dormant and most of profits came from the interest earned on Chinese government bonds.

但是现在，中国企业正在全球四处并购，更多公司准备上市融资，国内股市投资者人数与日俱增，全球其它国家和地区争相寻找中国投资资金，价位合适的中国券商因此拥有极大的吸引力。

But now, Chinese firms are scouring the world for mergers and acquisitions, more companies are going public, the number of investors in the domestic stock market is growing by the day and the rest of the world is lining up in search of Chinese investment capital, making Chinese brokerages hugely attractive at the right price.

中金公司高管的薪酬，远远高于中信证券(Citic Securities)等其它大陆券商。

CICC executives are paid far more than their counterparts at other mainland brokerage firms such as Citic Securities.

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The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.

-- Anonymous

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true.

-- Richard Bach

I had ambition, by which sin

The angels fell;

I climbed, and step by step, oh Lord,

Ascended into Hell

-- W. H. Davies, Ambition

What we anticipate seldom occurs: but what we least expect generally happens.

-- Benjamin Disraeli

I just need enough to tide me over until I need more.

-- Bill Hoest

People may or may not say what they mean ... but they always say something designed to get what they want.

-- David Mamet

He who awaits much can expect little.

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Ambition is not a vice of little people.

-- Michel de Montaigne

Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.

-- P. J. O'Rourke

We never reflect how pleasant it is to ask for nothing.

-- Seneca

There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

-- Oscar Wilde

Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.

-- Jean de La Fontaine

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March 22, 2008

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, families across America are coming together to celebrate Easter. This is the most important holiday in the Christian faith. And during this special and holy time each year, millions of Americans pause to remember a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world.

Easter is a holiday that beckons us homeward. This weekend is an occasion to reflect on the things that matter most in life: the love of family, the laughter of friends, and the peace that comes from being in the place you call home. Through good times and bad, these quiet mercies are sources of hope.

On Easter, we hold in our hearts those who will be spending this holiday far from home -- our troops on the front lines. I deeply appreciate the sacrifices that they and their families are making. America is blessed with the world's greatest military, made up of men and women who fulfill their responsibilities with dignity, humility, and honor. Their dedication is an inspiration to our country and a cause for gratitude this Easter season.

On Easter, we remember especially those who have given their lives for the cause of freedom. These brave individuals have lived out the words of the Gospel: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." And our Nation's fallen heroes live on in the memory of the Nation they helped defend.

On Easter, we also honor Americans who give of themselves here at home. Each year, millions of Americans take time to feed the hungry and clothe the needy and care for the widow and the orphan. Many of them are moved to action by their faith in a loving God who gave His son so that sin would be forgiven. And in this season of renewal, millions across the world remember the gift that took away death's sting and opened the door to eternal life. Laura and I wish you all a happy Easter.

Thank you for listening.

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英语陷阱(28)

There is no rule but has exceptions.

凡是规则, 都有例外.

----------------------------------------------------------

　 如同汉语一样, 英语也经常运用"否定之否定"的修饰手段来表达肯定的涵义.

上面这个句子的意思相当于Every rule has exceptions.

上一句是通过"双重否定"(double negation)或"加重否定"(cumulative negation)

的no和but的连用来加强语势; 后一句是正面的说法, 语气较弱. 在上一个句型中,but是关系代词, 表达that(or who)not的意味.

　 请看几个类例:

There is no one of us but wishes to remove all the illegal dangerous structures in Hong Kong.

我们大家都希望拆除香港所有的僭建危楼.

There is no one but knows it.

此事无人不知.

There has not been a scholar but was a man of industry.

凡是有学问的人都是勤奋的

There is no man but errs.

凡是人都会犯错误.

There no man but thanked him.

人人都感激他.

　 在下列句子中, but是从属连词, 不是关系代词:

It never rains but it pours.

不雨则已, 一雨倾盆.

Not a day but it rains.

没有一天不下雨.

Nothing is so hard but it becomes easy by a lot of practice.

无论怎样难的事, 通过大量的实践就不难了.

no man is so foolish but he may give a piece of good advice sometimes.

有时候愚蠢的人也会给人出个好主意.

　 下面的句子也是属于"否定之否定"句型, 它们也具有加强语势的修辞效果:

No language is more exempt from error and obscurity than the language of mathematics.

任何语言都比不上数学语言那么精确和明?.

He never goes to Shatin without dropping in at the Back Piaza.

他每次到沙田总要到图书广场去转一趟.

　 下面的一些英语谚语也是采用"双重否定"的结构来表达"强化肯定"的涵义:

Never sweet without sweat.

不吃苦, 何来甜.

Never smoke without fire.

无风不起浪.

Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

诚心诚意, 无事不成.

　 请注意, 在下列句中, but既不是关系代词, 也不是从属连词或并列连词, 而是介词:

No one but you can do it.

这件事只有你才干得了.

There is no hiding of evil but not to do it.

若要人不知, 除非己莫为.

　 在下列句中, 第一个but是动词, 第二个but是名词.

But me no buts .

请不要"但是,但是"地推托吧.

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