Anniversary (纪念日) trips were a tradition nearly as old as our marriage. Each year, we took turns planning a secret trip. After our daughter Aurora was born, she came on our adventures too. We’d stayed in a historic train car in Livingston, the Ghost Rails Inn in Montana, and Chena Hot Springs in Alaska. But this anniversary required someplace special. Somewhere completely unexpected. Could we still get a surprise during our anniversary trip?
The pressure was on—and I found the perfect spot: The Shire of Montana. It was a J.R. R. Tolkien -inspired guest home, a “hobbit house (霍比特小屋)” built into a hillside near the small town of Trout Creek, a 7-hour drive from our place in Roundup. Jim and I had often talked about how fun it would be to build a hobbit house, so I knew Aurora would be excited. And she would love it, too.
Magical structures dotted the grounds—a troll mine, a wishing well, houses for dwarves (矮人) and fairies. What child wouldn’t be attracted to a village made for childsize hobbits? This was going to be the best trip yet. She might love The Shire even more than we did.
I was about to book our reservation when I saw a note on the Shire’s website: No kids allowed. That ruined everything! We couldn’t leave Aurora alone at home, and I had no Plan B. A year without an anniversary adventure was unthinkable. Could it be the big surprise for this anni-versary trip? Shall we find another destination? Were there any other places like the village made for childsize hobbits? No, No, No…All answers were the same.
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To my amazement, there was an email address on the site.
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The day finally arrived when my application was approved.
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2 . If you want to tell the history of the whole world, a history that does not privilege one part of humanity, you cannot do it through texts alone, because only some of the world has ever had texts, while most of the world, for most of the time, has not. Writing is one of humanity’s later achievements, and until fairly recently even many literate (有文字的) societies recorded their concerns not only in writing but in things.
Ideally a history would bring together texts and objects, and some chapters of this book are able to do just that, but in many cases we simply can’t. The clearest example of this between literate and non-literate history is perhaps the first conflict, at Botany Bay, between Captain Cook’s voyage and the Australian Aboriginals. From the English side, we have scientific reports and the captain’s record of that terrible day. From the Australian side, we have only a wooden shield (盾) dropped by a man in flight after his first experience of gunshot. If we want to reconstruct what was actually going on that day, the shield must be questioned and interpreted as deeply and strictly as the written reports.
In addition to the problem of miscomprehension from both sides, there are victories accidentally or deliberately twisted, especially when only the victors know how to write. Those who are on the losing side often have only their things to tell their stories. The Caribbean Taino, the Australian Aboriginals, the African people of Benin and the Incas, all of whom appear in this book, can speak to us now of their past achievements most powerfully through the objects they made: a history told through things gives them back a voice. When we consider contact (联系) between literate and non-literate societies such as these, all our first-hand accounts are necessarily twisted, only one half of a dialogue. If we are to find the other half of that conversation, we have to read not just the texts, but the objects.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How past events should be presented. | B．What humanity is concerned about. |
| C．Whether facts speak louder than words. | D．Why written language is reliable. |
| A．His report was scientific. | B．He represented the local people. |
| C．He ruled over Botany Bay. | D．His record was one-sided. |
| A．Problem. | B．History. | C．Voice. | D．Society. |
| A． How Maps Tell Stories of the World | B． A Short History of Australia |
| C． A History of the World in 100 Objects | D． How Art Works Tell Stories |
3 . China is one of the first countries to breed a medical culture. In comparison with Western methods, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adopts a vastly different approach. For thousands of years, Chinese people have accumulated rich experience in fighting all sorts of diseases, therefore forming a unique medical theory under the guidance of ancient Chinese philosophies (哲学).
The core behind TCM is that the human body's life is the consequence (结果) of the balance between Yin and Yang. Yang functions to safeguard us against outer harm, and Yin is the inner base to store and provide energy. When the balance between the two aspects is disturbed, people fall ill.
One of the traditional techniques of TCM, acupuncture (针刺疗法) means insertion of needles into superficial (表面的) structures of the body—usually at acupoints (穴位)—to restore the Yin Yang balance. It is often accompanied by moxibustion (艾灸疗法), which involves burning mugwort on or near the skin at an acupoint.
The first known text that clearly talks about something like acupuncture and moxibustion as it is practiced today is The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It is the earliest and most important written work of TCM and is considered the fundamental and most representative medical text in China.
Acupuncture and moxibustion have aroused the interest of international medical science circles. And TCM is gradually gaining worldwide recognition. The WHO issued a document in 2002 that appealed to more than 180 countries to adopt TCM as an alternative in their medical policies. In 2010, acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine were added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO. Presently, TCM has been back in the news for its effectiveness in improving the cure rate of the COVID-19 since its outbreak in January 2020.
1. What is the key feature of TCM?| A．It adopts different medical approaches. | B．It's based on ancient Chinese philosophies. |
| C．It helps to restore body's self-balance. | D．It's gained experience through rich practice. |
| A．It distinguishes acupuncture from moxibustion. |
| B．It's a foundation of world medical research. |
| C．it stresses the importance of using acupoints. |
| D．It greatly contributes to the development of TCM. |
| A．To review the development of TCM. | B．To introduce TCM to the world. |
| C．To tell TCM and Western medicine apart. | D．To argue for TCM in fighting COVID-19. |
| A．How TCM helps in the current situation. | B．Why TCM is gaining popularity. |
| C．Why TCM gets recognition from WHO. | D．How other countries adopt TCM. |
4 . As we approach Father’s Day, Let’s be real about it.
Everyone needs a father to be born, but not everyone can have a father while growing up.
Some fathers are too busy; others get divorced, disappear or die.
But almost everyone should have a father image—someone who lives up to what a father should be.
A father image is a role model—someone you want to be like. He fills you with the memories that never leaves you when you grow up.
My father image was Harold, who was in his twenties when I was10 years old. I was a foster child (收养的孩子) and lived in his home with his mother.
He had dark, curly hair and always wore a beautiful suit, a shirt and a tie. What made him my role model was that he knew my darkest secrets—even stuff my real father didn't know—and he told me things no other person would tell a little boy.
Harold dressed the store windows at Gertz Department Store in Jamaiva, N. Y., and every time I went to visit him he gave me a quarter.
I wanted to be exactly like him. I even walked like him. He always called me “Kiddo”, a name I call people I like to this day.
My friends had role models like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehring, Joe Lewis and other sports figures. I chose Harold, because he was a real person and he chose to be my mentor (指导者).
Harold, as you may have guessed, is now in Heaven ( Where else would he be?), but I think about him a lot. And whenever I have a problem, I ask myself, “What would Harold do?”
That is the reason a father role model is so important to a boy or a girl, It's a learning experience for everyone.
I guess the reason why I am writing all this is that I think there should be a Father's Day when everyone honors the person who has a lifelong impact(影响) on him. I believe every child needs just one to change his life－Happy Father's Day
1. In the author's opinion, what should the image of a father be except______?| A．a father should be patient | B．a father should tell me what is right and what is wrong |
| C．a father should be like sports figures | D．a father should have a lifelong influence on his kid |
| A．his friend’s father | B．a sports star | C．the author’s father | D．a mentor |
| A．He is working in a department store. | B．He is in Heaven now. |
| C．He is dead now. | D．The author doesn't know where is he now. |
| A．Love. | B．Respect. | C．Miss. | D．Hate. |
But something is happening to their children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become lock into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.
They call it the “curse(诅咒) of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism(自闭症). It used to be thought that autism was a kind of mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a neurological disease transmitted genetically. It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.
But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild version of autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or system but have no social skill. This very combination of symptoms makes Asperger’s sufferers into ideal computer professionals.
The Asperger’s sufferer has always been a well-known figure in popular culture. He or she was the eccentric but dedicated scholar or the strange uncle or auntie who never married. But the high numbers of such people in Silicon Valley mean that they can meet others who understand them and share their interests. And while they might not be personally attractive, they can earn truly attractive amounts of money. They can get married and have kids. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents seem to be developing serious autism.
There is little anyone can do. It takes hours of work just to make autistic child realize that anyone else exists. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found. “It may be that autistics are essentially different from normal people, but that these differences make them invaluable for the evolution of the human race,” says Dr. Kirk Whilhelmsen of the University of California. “To eliminate the genes for autism could be disastrous.
It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.
1. What does Dr Kirk Whilhelmsen think of autism?
| A．It is disastrous to society. |
| B．It is not completely a bad thing. |
| C．It is a punishment to those working in Silicon Valley. |
| D．People with autism should never marry. |
| A．Because autistic people live in Silicon Valley. |
| B．Because many people working in Silicon Valley have autism children. |
| C．Because people with autism will be driven out of Silicon Valley. |
| D．Because people with autism are not personally attractive and not liked by others. |
| A．Asperger’s sufferers are ideal computer professionals. |
| B．Asperger’s sufferers never get married and have children. |
| C．Asperger’s sufferers are ashamed of themselves and locked into their own world. |
| D．Asperger’s sufferers can be beneficial to society if they are cured. |
