考研英语阅读短文练习.docx

考研英语阅读短文练习.docx

《考研英语阅读短文练习.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《考研英语阅读短文练习.docx（14页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

考研英语阅读短文练习

NationalGeographicSociety

Inspiringpeopletocareabouttheplanetsince1888

NationalGeographicDailyNewsValentine'sDay:

WhyDoWeCelebrateIt?

（Hint:

NakedRomans）

AncientRomanpriestsaredepictedstrikingwomeninaLupercaliafertilityrite.

IllustrationbyLabrousteDel.,MaryEvansPictureLibrary/Alamy

JohnRoach

forNationalGeographicNews

UpdatedFebruary13,2012

WheredidValentine'sDaycomefrom?

（ThinknakedRomans,paganism,andwhips.）Whatdoesitcost?

Andwhydowefallforit,yearafteryear?

Valentine'sDayHistory:

RomanRoots

MorethanaHallmarkholiday,Valentine'sDay,likeHalloween,isrootedinpaganpartying.（See"HalloweenFacts:

Costumes,History,UrbanLegends,More."）

Thelovers'holidaytracesitsrootstoraucousannualRomanfestivalswheremenstrippednaked,grabbedgoat-ordog-skinwhips,andspankedyoungmaidensinhopesofincreasingtheirfertility,saidclassicsprofessorNoelLenskioftheUniversityofColoradoatBoulder.

Theannualpagancelebration,calledLupercalia,washeldeveryyearonFebruary15andremainedwildlypopularwellintothefifthcenturyA.D.—atleast150yearsafterConstantinemadeChristianitytheofficialreligionoftheRomanEmpire.

Lupercaliawas"clearlyaverypopularthing,eveninanenvironmentwherethe[ancient]Christiansaretryingtocloseitdown,"Lenskisaid."Sothere'sreasontothinkthattheChristiansmightinsteadhavesaid,OK,we'lljustcallthisaChristianfestival."

ThechurchpeggedthefestivaltothelegendofSt.Valentine.

Accordingtothestory,inthethirdcenturyA.D.,RomanEmperorClaudiusII,seekingtobolsterhisarmy,forbadeyoungmentomarry.Valentine,itissaid,floutedtheban,performingmarriagesinsecret.

Forhisdefiance,ValentinewasexecutedinA.D.270—onFebruary14,thestorygoes.

Whileit'snotknownwhetherthelegendistrue,Lenskisaid,"itmaybeaconvenientexplanationforaChristianversionofwhathappenedatLupercalia."

Valentine'sDay2012:

AStrengtheningEconomy?

Today'srelativelytameValentine'sDaycelebrationisbigbusiness—the2012holidayisexpectedtogenerate$17.6billioninretailsalesintheUnitedStates.That'supfromlastyear's$15.7billion,accordingtoanannualsurveybytheU.S.NationalRetailFederation（NRF）.

Thelevelof"discretionaryspending"exhibitedbysurveyresultsis"astrongindicationoureconomycontinuestomoveintherightdirection,"federationpresidentMatthewShaysaidinastatement.

Thatis,fromtheretailers'perspective,thefactthatAmericansaregoingshoppingforcandy,flowers,andjewelsisagoodsignfortheeconomy.

ButbehavioraleconomicsprofessorDanArielysaidthatsuggestingthatanuptickinValentine'sdayspendingisasignofwidespreadrecovery,"ispremature,Ithink."

"There'saquestionofwhetherpeoplearecompensating,"saidArielyofDukeUniversity."YoucouldsaythatValentine'sDayisperfectlycorrelatedwithotherexpendituresinlife,oryoucouldsaythatValentine'sDayiscompensatingforotherthings."

Ariely,whosebooksincludethebestsellerPredictablyIrrational:

TheHiddenForcesthatShapeourDecisions,saidthere'sgoodreasontosplurgeonValentine'sDay,eveninatougheconomy.

"IfyoutreatyourselftosomethingonnextThursday,justarandomdayoftheyear,there'sanissueofwhetheritbecomesaroutine,"heexplained."ButifyousplurgeonlyatValentine'sDay,nowyourspendingismoreconfined."

AndspendValentine'sDaycelebrantswill,accordingtotheretailfederationsurvey.TheaverageU.S.consumerisexpectedtoshellout$126.03onValentine'sDaygifts,meals,andentertainment—about$10moreperpersonthanin2011.

Spousesandsignificantothersplantoinvest$74.12onValentine'sDaygiftsfortheirsignificantother—upfromlastyear's$68.98average.Pets,however,aregettingalittlelessretaillovethisyear,withaverageplannedspendingonanimalgiftsdown52centsto$4.52.

WhywegoshoppingatallonValentine'sDay,Duke'sArielysaid,hasalottodowithherdmentality.

"Herdsgiveusasenseofwhatisnormativebehavior—notnormativeintermsofrationalbutnormativeintermsofthisishowpeoplebehave,"hesaid.

OnValentine'sDay,thenormativebehavioristogooutandspendmoneyonthingssuchaschocolateandflowersasanexpressionoflove.So,whenweaskourselveswhattodo,"theanswerisverysimple,"Arielysaid.

Valentine'sDayCards

Greetingcards,asusual,willbethemostcommonValentine'sDaygifts.Fifty-twopercentofU.S.consumersplantosendatleastone,accordingtotheNationalRetailFederationsurvey.

TheGreetingCardAssociation,anindustrytradegroup,saysabout190millionValentine'sDaycardsaresenteachyear.Andthatfiguredoesnotincludethehundredsofmillionsofcardsschoolchildrenexchange.

"Givingyoursweetheartorsomeone[else]aValentine'sDaycardisadeep-seatedculturaltraditionintheUnitedStates,"saidassociationspokespersonBarbaraMiller."Wedon'tseethatchanging."

ThefirstValentine'sDaycardwassentin1415fromFrance'sDukeofOrléanstohiswifewhenhewasaprisonerintheTowerofLondonfollowingtheBattleofAgincourt,accordingtotheassociation.

DuringtheRevolutionaryWar,Valentine'sDaycards—mostlyhandwrittennotes—gainedpopularityintheU.S.Massproductionstartedintheearly1900s.

Hallmarkgotinthegamein1913,accordingtospokespersonSarahKolell.Sincethen—perhapsnotcoincidentally—themarketforValentine'sDaycardshasblossomedbeyondloverstoincludeparents,children,siblings,andfriends.

Valentine'sDayCandy:

CashCow

Anestimated50.5percentofU.S.consumerswillexchangeValentine'sDaycandyin2012,accordingtotheretailfederationsurvey—addinguptoaboutasweetbilliondollarsinsales,theNationalConfectionersAssociationsays.

About75percentofthatbillionisfromsalesofchocolate,whichhasbeenassociatedwithromanceatleastsinceMexico's15th-and16th-centuryAztecEmpire,accordingtoSusanFussell,aspokespersonwiththeassociation.

Fifteenth-centuryAztecemperorMoctezumaIbelieved"eatingchocolateonaregularbasismadehimmorevirileandbetterabletoservehisharem,"shesaid.

（Related:

secretsofancientcandy.）

Butthere'snothingchocolatyaboutValentine'sDay'smosticoniccandy:

thosedemanding,chalkylittleheartsemblazoned"BEMINE,""KISSME,""CALLME."

Abouteightbillioncandyheartsweremadein2009,theassociationsays—enoughtostretchfromRome,Italy,toValentine（map）,Arizona,andbackagain20times.

WhatIsLove?

EvolutionandInfatuation

Valentine'sDayisallaboutlove.Butwhat,exactly,isthat?

HelenFisherisananthropologistatRutgersUniversityinNewJerseyandauthorofseveralbooksonlove,includingWhyWeLove:

TheNatureandChemistryofRomanticLove.

Fisherbreaksloveintothreedistinctbrainsystemsthatenablematingandreproduction:

•Sexdrive

•Romanticlove（obsession,passion,infatuation）

•Attachment（calmnessandsecuritywithalong-termpartner）

.Thesearebrainsystems,Fishersaid,andallthreeplayaroleinlove.Theycanoperateindependently,butpeoplecraveallthreeforanidealrelationship.

"Ithinkthesexdriveevolvedtogetyououttherelookingforarangeofpartners,"shesaid.

"Ithinkromanticloveevolvedtoenableyoutofocusyourmatingenergyonjustoneatatime,andattachmentevolvedtotoleratethatpersonatleastlongenoughtoraiseachildtogetherasateam."

Valentine'sDay,Fisheradded,usedtoencompassonlytwoofthesethreebrainsystems:

sexdriveandromanticlove.

But"onceyoustartgivingthedogavalentine,youaretalkingaboutarealexpressionofattachmentaswellasromanticlove."

SpecialSeries:

7Billion

Population7Billion

Therewillsoonbesevenbillionpeopleontheplanet.By2045globalpopulationisprojectedtoreachninebillion.Cantheplanettakethestrain?

ByRobertKunzig

PhotographbyRandyOlson

OnedayinDelftinthefallof1677,AntonivanLeeuwenhoek,aclothmerchantwhoissaidtohavebeenthelong-hairedmodelfortwopaintingsbyJohannesVermeer—“TheAstronomer”and“TheGeographer”—abruptlystoppedwhathewasdoingwithhiswifeandrushedtohisworktable.ClothwasLeeuwenhoek’sbusinessbutmicroscopyhispassion.He’dhadfivechildrenalreadybyhisfirstwife（thoughfourhaddiedininfancy）,andfatherhoodwasnotonhismind.“Beforesixbeatsofthepulsehadintervened,”ashelaterwrotetotheRoyalSocietyofLondon,Leeuwenhoekwasexamininghisperishablesamplethroughatinymagnifyingglass.Itslens,nobiggerthanasmallraindrop,magnifiedobjectshundredsoftimes.Leeuwenhoekhadmadeithimself;nobodyelsehadonesopowerful.ThelearnedmeninLondonwerestilltryingtoverifyLeeuwenhoek’searlierclaimsthatunseen“animalcules”livedbythemillionsinasingledropoflakewaterandeveninFrenchwine.Nowhehadsomethingmoredelicatetoreport:

Humansemencontainedanimalculestoo.“Sometimesmorethanathousand,”hewrote,“inanamountofmaterialthesizeofagrainofsand.”Pressingtheglasstohiseyelikeajeweler,Leeuwenhoekwatchedhisownanimalculesswimabout,lashingtheirlongtails.Oneimaginessunlightfallingthroughleadedwindowsonafacelostincontemplation,asintheVermeers.Onefeelsforhiswife.

Leeuwenhoekbecameabitobsessedafterthat.Thoughhistinypeepholegavehimprivilegedaccesstoanever-before-seenmicroscopicuniverse,hespentanenormousamountoftimelookingatspermatozoa,asthey’renowcalled.Oddlyenough,itwasthemilthesqueezedfromacodonedaythatinspiredhimtoestimate,almostcasually,justhowmany