新东方考研背诵美文.docx

新东方考研背诵美文.docx

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新东方考研背诵美文

01TheLanguageofMusic

Apainterhangshisorherfinishedpicturesonawall,andeveryonecanseeit.Acomposerwritesawork,butnoonecanhearituntilitisperformed.Professionalsingersandplayershavegreatresponsibilities,forthecomposerisutterlydependentonthem.Astudentofmusicneedsaslongandasarduousatrainingtobecomeaperformerasamedicalstudentneedstobecomeadoctor.Mosttrainingisconcernedwithtechnique,formusicianshavetohavethemuscularproficiencyofanathleteoraballetdancer.Singerspracticebreathingeveryday,astheirvocalchordswouldbeinadequatewithoutcontrolledmuscularsupport.Stringplayerspracticemovingthefingersofthelefthandupanddown,whiledrawingthebowtoandfrowiththerightarm—twoentirelydifferentmovements.

Singersandinstrumentshavetobeabletogeteverynoteperfectlyintune.Pianistsaresparedthisparticularanxiety,forthenotesarealreadythere,waitingforthem,anditisthepianotuner’sresponsibilitytotunetheinstrumentforthem.Buttheyhavetheirowndifficulties;thehammersthathitthestringhavetobecoaxednottosoundlikepercussion,andeachoverlappingtonehastosoundclear.

Thisproblemofgettingcleartextureisonethatconfrontsstudentconductors:

theyhavetolearntoknoweverynoteofthemusicandhowitshouldsound,andtheyhavetoaimatcontrollingthesesoundwithfanaticalbutselflessauthority.

Techniqueisofnouseunlessitiscombinedwithmusicalknowledgeandunderstanding.Greatartistsarethosewhoaresothoroughlyathomeinthelanguageofmusicthattheycanenjoyperformingworkswritteninanycentury.

02SchoolingandEducation

ItiscommonlybelievedinUnitedStatesthatschooliswherepeoplegotogetaneducation.Nevertheless,ithasbeensaidthattodaychildreninterrupttheireducationtogotoschool.Thedistinctionbetweenschoolingandeducationimpliedbythisremarkisimportant.

Educationismuchmoreopen-endedandall-inclusivethanschooling.Educationknowsnobounds.Itcantakeplaceanywhere,whetherintheshowerorinthejob,whetherinakitchenoronatractor.Itincludesboththeformallearningthattakesplaceinschoolsandthewholeuniverseofinformallearning.Theagentsofeducationcanrangefromareveredgrandparenttothepeopledebatingpoliticsontheradio,fromachildtoadistinguishedscientist.Whereasschoolinghasacertainpredictability,educationquiteoftenproducessurprises.Achanceconversationwithastrangermayleadapersontodiscoverhowlittleisknownofotherreligions.Peopleareengagedineducationfrominfancyon.Education,then,isaverybroad,inclusiveterm.Itisalifelongprocess,aprocessthatstartslongbeforethestartofschool,andonethatshouldbeanintegralpartofone’sentirelife.

Schooling,ontheotherhand,isaspecific,formalizedprocess,whosegeneralpatternvarieslittlefromonesettingtothenext.Throughoutacountry,childrenarriveatschoolatapproximatelythesametime,takeassignedseats,aretaughtbyanadult,usesimilartextbooks,dohomework,takeexams,andsoon.Theslicesofrealitythataretobelearned,whethertheyarethealphabetoranunderstandingoftheworkingofgovernment,haveusuallybeenlimitedbytheboundariesofthesubjectbeingtaught.Forexample,highschoolstudentsknowthattherenotlikelytofindoutintheirclassesthetruthaboutpoliticalproblemsintheircommunitiesorwhatthenewestfilmmakersareexperimentingwith.Therearedefiniteconditionssurroundingtheformalizedprocessofschooling.

03TheDefinitionof“Price”

Pricesdeterminehowresourcesaretobeused.Theyarealsothemeansbywhichproductsandservicesthatareinlimitedsupplyarerationedamongbuyers.ThepricesystemoftheUnitedStatesisacomplexnetworkcomposedofthepricesofalltheproductsboughtandsoldintheeconomyaswellasthoseofamyriadofservices,includinglabor,professional,transportation,andpublic-utilityservices.Theinterrelationshipsofallthesepricesmakeupthe“system”ofprices.Thepriceofanyparticularproductorserviceislinkedtoabroad,complicatedsystemofpricesinwhicheverythingseemstodependmoreorlessuponeverythingelse.

Ifoneweretoaskagroupofrandomlyselectedindividualstodefine“price”,manywouldreplythatpriceisanamountofmoneypaidbythebuyertothesellerofaproductorserviceor,inotherwordsthatpriceisthemoneyvaluesofaproductorserviceasagreeduponinamarkettransaction.Thisdefinitionis,ofcourse,validasfarasitgoes.Foracompleteunderstandingofapriceinanyparticulartransaction,muchmorethantheamountofmoneyinvolvedmustbeknown.Boththebuyerandthesellershouldbefamiliarwithnotonlythemoneyamount,butwiththeamountandqualityoftheproductorservicetobeexchanged,thetimeandplaceatwhichtheexchangewilltakeplaceandpaymentwillbemade,theformofmoneytobeused,thecredittermsanddiscountsthatapplytothetransaction,guaranteesontheproductorservice,deliveryterms,returnprivileges,andotherfactors.Inotherwords,bothbuyerandsellershouldbefullyawareofallthefactorsthatcomprisethetotal“package”beingexchangedfortheasked-foramountofmoneyinorderthattheymayevaluateagivenprice.

04Electricity

Themodernageisanageofelectricity.Peoplearesousedtoelectriclights,radio,televisions,andtelephonesthatitishardtoimaginewhatlifewouldbelikewithoutthem.Whenthereisapowerfailure,peoplegropeaboutinflickeringcandlelight,carshesitateinthestreetsbecausetherearenotrafficlightstoguidethem,andfoodspoilsinsilentrefrigerators.

Yet,peoplebegantounderstandhowelectricityworksonlyalittlemorethantwocenturiesago.Naturehasapparentlybeenexperimentinginthisfieldformillionofyears.Scientistsarediscoveringmoreandmorethatthelivingworldmayholdmanyinterestingsecretsofelectricitythatcouldbenefithumanity.

Alllivingcellsendouttinypulsesofelectricity.Astheheartbeats,itsendsoutpulsesofrecord;theyformanelectrocardiogram,whichadoctorcanstudytodeterminehowwelltheheartisworking.Thebrain,too,sendsoutbrainwavesofelectricity,whichcanberecordedinanelectroencephalogram.Theelectriccurrentsgeneratedbymostlivingcellsareextremelysmall–oftensosmallthatsensitiveinstrumentsareneededtorecordthem.Butinsomeanimals,certainmusclecellshavebecomesospecializedaselectricalgeneratorsthattheydonotworkasmusclecellsatall.Whenlargenumbersofthesecellarelinkedtogether,theeffectscanbeastonishing.

Theelectriceelisanamazingstoragebattery.Itcanseedajoltofasmuchaseighthundredvoltsofelectricitythroughthewaterinwhichitlive.（Anelectrichousecurrentisonlyonehundredtwentyvolts.）Asmanyasfour-fifthsofallthecellsintheelectriceel’sbodyarespecializedforgeneratingelectricity,andthestrengthoftheshockitcandelivercorrespondsroughlytolengthofitsbody.

05TheBeginningofDrama

TherearemanytheoriesaboutthebeginningofdramainancientGreece.Theonmostwidelyacceptedtodayisbasedontheassumptionthatdramaevolvedfromritual.Theargumentforthisviewgoesasfollows.Inthebeginning,humanbeingsviewedthenaturalforcesoftheworld-eventheseasonalchanges-asunpredictable,andtheysoughtthroughvariousmeanstocontroltheseunknownandfearedpowers.Thosemeasureswhichappearedtobringthedesiredresultswerethenretainedandrepeateduntiltheyhardenedintofixedrituals.Eventuallystoriesarosewhichexplainedorveiledthemysteriesoftherites.Astimepassedsomeritualswereabandoned,butthestories,latercalledmyths,persistedandprovidedmaterialforartanddrama.

Thosewhobelievethatdramaevolvedoutofritualalsoarguethatthoseritescontainedtheseedoftheaterbecausemusic,dance,masks,andcostumeswerealmostalwaysused,Furthermore,asuitablesitehadtobeprovidedforperformancesandwhentheentirecommunitydidnotparticipate,acleardivisionwasusuallymadebetweenthe"actingarea"andthe"auditorium."Inaddition,therewereperformers,and,sinceconsiderableimportancewasattachedtoavoidingmistakesintheenactmentofrites,religiousleadersusuallyassumedthattask.Wearingmasksandcostumes,theyoftenimpersonatedotherpeople,animals,orsupernaturalbeings,andmimedthedesiredeffect-successinhuntorbattle,thecomingrain,therevivaloftheSun-asanactormight.Eventuallysuchdramaticrepresentationswereseparatedfromreligiousactivities.

Anothertheorytracesthetheater'soriginfromthehumaninterestinstorytelling.Accordingtothisviestales（aboutthehunt,war,orotherfeats）aregraduallyelaborated,atfirstthroughtheuseofimpersonation,action,anddialoguebyanarratorandthenthroughtheassumptionofeachoftherolesbyadifferentperson.Acloselyrelatedtheorytracestheatertothosedancesthatareprimarilyrhythmicalandgymnasticorthatareimitationsofanimalmovementsandsounds.

06Television

Television-----themostpervasiveandpersuasiveofmoderntechnologies,markedbyrapidchangeandgrowth-ismovingintoanewera,aneraofextraordinarysophisticationandversatility,whichpromisestoreshapeourlivesandourworld.Itisanelectronicrevolutionofsorts,madepossiblebythemarriageoftelevisionandcomputertechnologies.

Theword"television",derivedfromitsGreek（tele:

distant）andLatin（visio:

sight）roots,canliterallybeinterpretedassightfromadistance.Verysimplyput,