In 1812 Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French led his Grand Army into Russia. He was prepared for the fierce resistance of the Russian people defending their homeland. He was prepared for the long march across Russian soil to Moscow the capital city. But he was not prepared for the devastating enemy that met him in Moscow -- the raw bitter bleak Russian winter.
1812年，法国皇帝拿破仑(nian _fa guo huang di na po lun)·波拿巴率大军入侵俄罗斯。他准备好俄罗斯人民会为保卫祖国而奋勇抵抗。他准备好在俄罗斯广袤的国土上要经过长途跋涉才能进军首都莫斯科。但他没有料到在莫斯科他会遭遇劲敌—俄罗斯阴冷凄苦的寒冬。
In 1941 Adolf Hitler leader of Nazi Germany launched an attack against the Soviet Union as Russia then was called. Hitler's military might was unequaled. His war machine had mowed down resistance in most of Europe. Hitler expected a short campaign but like Napoleon before him was taught a painful lesson. The Russian winter again came to the aid of the Soviet soldiers.
1941年，纳粹德国元首阿道夫·希特勒进攻当时被称作苏联的俄罗斯。希特勒的军事实力堪称无敌。他的战争机器扫除了欧洲绝大部分地区的抵抗。希特勒希望速战速决，但是，就像在他之前的拿破仑一样，他得到的是痛苦的教训。仍是俄罗斯的冬天助了苏维埃士兵一臂之力。 第二单元
Even the automobile industry which has remained largely unchanged for the last seventy years is about to feel the effects of the computer revolution 即便是过去70年间基本上没有多少变(nian jian ji ben shang mei you duo shao bian)化的汽车工业，也将感受到计算机革命的影响。
The automobile industry ranks as among the most lucrative and powerful industries of the twentieth century. There are presently 500 million cars on earth or one car for every ten people. Sales of the automobile industry stand at about a trillion dollars making it the world's biggest manufacturing industry.
汽车工业是20世纪最赚钱最有影响力(shi4 ji4 zui4 zhuan4 qian2 zui4 you3 ying3 xiang3 li4)的产业之一。目前世界上有5亿辆车，或者说每10人就有1辆车。汽车工业的销售额达一万亿美元左右，从而成为世界上最大的制造业。
The car and the roads it travels on will be revolutionized in the twenty-first century. The key to tomorrow's \"smart cars\" will be sensors. \"We'll see vehicles and roads that see and hear and feel and smell and talk and act\" predicts Bill
Spreitzer technical director of General Motors Corporation's ITS program which is designing the smart car and road of the future.
汽车及其行驶的路途，将在21世纪发生重大变革。未来“智能汽车”的关键在于传感器。“我们会见到能看、能听、有知觉、具嗅觉、会说话并能采取行动的车辆与路途，”正在设计未来智能汽车和智能路途的通用汽车公司ITS项目的技术主任比尔·斯普雷扎预言道。 第四单元
The mere fact that America still attracts millions of people is evidence that it is not in decline. People aren't attracted to a place of decline. Signs of decline are sure to be found in a place as complex as America: debt crime the homeless drugs dropouts. But the main characteristic of America the first and most enduring impression is dynamism energy aggressiveness forward movement. 仅看美国依然吸引着千百万人这一事实就足以证明美国并未衰落。人们不会被吸引到一个衰落的地方。在美国这样一个错综复杂的国家，当然能看到衰落的迹象，如债务、犯罪活动、无家可归者、吸毒、逃避现实社会的人。但美国的主要特征，亦即它给人的最初的、最持久的印象，却是充满活力、生机勃勃、不断进取、积极向上。 It is so hard to think of this nation in decline when you know that there are vast regions of the planet which are absolutely paralyzed incapable of any improvement at all.
如果你知道世界上有广大地区完全处于瘫痪状态，无法取得任何进步时，那就难以想象这个国家在衰落。
It is difficult for me to agree with Paul Kennedy's thesis in The Rise and Fall of Great Powers that America must inevitably follow historical precedent. That's the way history used to be
-- all powerful nations declined and gave way to other empires. But maybe there is another way to look at what is happening. I have a sense that what is going on here concerns much more than the fate of a nation.
我很难同意保罗·肯尼迪在《列强之兴衰》中的论点，即美国将不可避免地重蹈历史覆辙。历史一直如此循环—强国衰落，为新兴的帝国所取代。但或许我们能从另外一个角度看待正在发生的一切。我有种感觉，这个国家正在发生的一切不仅仅关乎一国之命运。
It may be that the Euro-centered American nation is declining as it gives way to a new Pacific civilization that will include but not be limited to America. Historically speaking America may not decline but instead fuse with the Pacific
culture to create a kind of vast Pacific collage a mix of Hispanic and Asian cultures linked through the most modern communication technologies. 以欧洲为中心的美国或许是在衰落，正由一个新的太平洋文化所取代，这一文化包括但并不局限于美国。从历史的角度来看，美国或许不会衰落，相反，它将与太平洋文化相融合，创建一种广泛的太平洋拼盘文化，一种依靠最现代的通讯技术连接的拉丁文化与亚洲文化的混合文化。 第六单元(di4 liu4 dan1 yuan2)
As Godbey points out the stress we feel arises not from a shortage of time but from the surfeit of things we try to cram into it. \"It's the kid in the candy store\" he says. \"There's just so many good things to do. The array of choices is stunning. Our free time is increasing but not as fast as our sense of the necessary.\"
正如戈德比所指出的，我们的紧张感并非源于时间短缺，而是因为我们试图在一个个时段中塞入过多的内容。“就像糖果店里的孩子，”他说，“有那么多美好的事情要做。选择之多，令人眼花缭乱。我们的空余时间在增加，但其速度跟不上我们心中日益增多的必须做的事。”
A more successful remedy may lie in understanding the problem rather than evading it.
更有效的解决方式或许在于去理解这一问题，而不是回避这一问题。
Before the industrial revolution people lived in small communities with limited communications. Within the confines of their village they could reasonably expect to know everything that was to be known see everything that was to be seen and do everything that was to be done.
工业革命前，人们居住在交通联系不方便的小社区里。在本村范围内，人们自然而然地期望了解该了解的一切，见到该见的一切，做该做的一切。
Today being curious by nature we are still trying to do the same. But the global village is a world of limitless possibilities and we can never achieve our aim. 如今，生性好奇的我们仍试图这么做。然而，地球村是一个有着无限可能的世界，我们永远无法实现自己的目标。
It is not more time we need: it is fewer desires. We need to switch off the cell-phone and leave the children to play by themselves we need to buy less read less and travel less we need to set boundaries for ourselves,or be doomed to mounting despair
背诵 第一单元
The offensive had already lasted three days, but we had not gained much ground. Our troops engaging the enemy at the front were faced with strong/fierce/stiff resistance. The division commander instructed our battalion to get around to the rear of the enemy and launch a surprise attack. To do so, however, we had to cross a marshland and many of us were afraid we might get bogged down in the mud. Our battalion commander decided to take a gamble. We started under cover of darkness and pressed on in spite of great difficulties. By a stroke of luck, the temperature at night suddenly dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius and the marsh froze over. Thanks to the cold weather, we arrived at our destination before dawn and began attacking the enemy from the rear. This turned the tide of the battle. The enemy, caught off guard, soon surrendered. 第二单元
Automobiles changed the world during the 20th century, particularly in the United States and other industrialized nations. They are indeed of great use to us, but they have brought some hazards as well, such as noise and air pollution, and highway fatalities. It is reported that automobile accidents rank among the leading causes of death and injury throughout the world. Fortunately modern innovators are reinventing the automobile. New propulsion systems, fuels, designs, and means of manufacturing cars have all developed rapidly in the past decade. For example, by using the satellite-aided global positioning system (GPS), a computer in the automobile can locate the vehicle's precise position, and with the application of sensors, smart cars can eliminate most car accidents. 第四单元
Professor Huntington's paper greatly inspired me. According to him, in a plural / pluralistic society, there will inevitably be different opinions. The key is to deal with them in such a way that they can play a constructive rather than destructive role.
He argues that in a plural/pluralistic society we must stress/attach importance to interpersonal relationships, cooperation, and looking at issues from the perspective of other people. If some groups regard themselves as superior and treat other ethnic groups or religions with disrespect, the whole society may be paralyzed.
I am convinced that if we put into practice the ideas mentioned above, then there is the possibility of creating a new civilization. 第六单元
There is no question that today we are under constant pressure to work longer hours, to produce more, to possess more, and to become a success. Workaholism, a modern addiction, has thus arisen. The cause of workaholism is the perception that by working longer hours and completing more projects, we will enhance our self-worth.
Many women today feel the same stress to produce and get ahead and, at the same time, to nurture their offspring and shoulder a variety of domestic responsibilities.
Research shows that workaholism tends to distance us from our immediate families. It forces us to labor longer and longer hours, leaving a minute fraction of time to be physically and emotionally available to our loved ones. Intimacy among family members is doomed to die in the process.
因篇幅问题不能全部显示，请点此查看更多更全内容