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关于经典的英语短文:Dropout Problem in America
美国的辍学问题
Articles in magazines and newspapers and special reports on radio and television reflect the concern of many Americans about the increasing dropout rate in our junior and senior high schools.
报刊杂志上的文章以及广播电台的特别报道反映了许多美国人对中学日益增长的辍学率的担忧。
Coupled with this fact is the warning that soon we will no longer have workforce to fill the many jobs that require properly-educated personnel.
伴随而来的警告是,我们很快将缺乏足够的劳动力以满足那些需要受过一定教育的人员所从事的工作。
The highest student dropout rate is not a recent development. Ten years ago, many urban schools were reporting dropout rates between 35 and 50 percent. Some administrators maintain that dropouts remain the single greatest problem in their schools. Consequently, much effort has been spent on identifying students with problems in order to give them more attention before they become failures.
不是最近才大道最高辍学率的。据报道10年前许多城市学校的辍学率就在35%到40%之间。有的管理者坚称辍学仍然是他们学校仅有的最严重的问题。结果是,为了在学生失败前给予更多的关注,学校花费了更多的努力找出有问题的学生。
Since the dropout problem doesn't only start in senior high school, special programs in junior high school focus on students who show promise but have a record of truancy, that is, staying away from school without permission. Under the guidance of counselors, these students are placed in classes with teachers who have had success in working with similar young people.
由于辍学问题不仅仅发生在高中,在初中,一些特殊项目也在开始关注那些有前途但却有逃课记录的学生,逃课也就是未经许可而缺课的行为。
Strategies to motivate students in high school include rewarding academic excellence by designating scholars of the month, or by issuing articles of clothing, such as school letter jackets formally given only to athletes.
按照咨询师的建议,这些学生被放在某些教师的班级中,而那些教师曾有过成功教育类似青年的经验。在高中,激励学生的措施包括评选月度奖学金获得者以作为对学生学术成果的回报,奖励服装类商品,如只把校服正式授予校运动员。
No one working with these students claims to know how to keep all students in school. Counselors, teachers, and administrators are in the frontlines of what seems at times to be a losing battle. Actually, this problem should be everyone's concern, since uneducated, unemployed citizens affect us all.
没有一个和这些学生打交道的人宣称知道如何把所有的学生留在学校。咨询师、教师和行政管理人员冲在这场有时看似必输的战争的前面。事实上,这是我们每个人都应该关心的问题,因为未接受教育的、无职业的公民会影响我们所有人。
关于经典的英语短文:埃及的社会结构和支付方式
Social Structure and Way of Payment in Egypt
Egyptian society had a strictly organized class structure. The majority of people consisted of farmers and craftsmen who were led by the land-owning elite of officials and priests.
埃及社会有一套严格组织起来的社会等级结构。大部分人都是农民和工匠,他们由拥有土地的官员和牧师所组成的精英阶级所领导。
Everyone belonged to a group and worked in a team, usually in huge workshops, or "Storehouses", which were controlled by the king and the temples.
每个人都隶属于一个群体,在团队里面劳作,工作常常是在国王和神殿掌控下的大型的作坊里,或叫做“储藏所”。
The organization of society was based on the master-servant principle: just as the king was the servant of the gods and was himself the master of his people, so was every Egyptian the master of one and the servant of another. At the top of this social ladder were the high officials, the intellectuals or "Scribes", and on the lowest rungs were those who did the simple but heavy work, such as kitchen staff and farm laborers. The heaviest work was done by prisoners-of-war and criminals.
整个社会的组织结构是建立在主仆原则上的:正如国王是诸神的仆人同时又是他的臣民的主人,每个埃及人都同时是一个人的主人又是另一个人的仆人。在这个社会等级结构顶端的是高级官员们、知识分子或者“抄书吏”,最底层的则是那些做着简单却繁重的工作的人们,比如在厨房里干活的人们和农场的劳工。最重的活儿是由战俘和罪犯来做的。
A working week lasted nine days and was followed by one day of rest. There was no work for almost half of the year, since nobody worked on festival days to honor the gods (and there were a lot of those in Egypt), or other special occasions.
一个工作周持续9天,休息一天之后另一个工作周又开始了。一年中大部分的时间都不用工作,因为不会有人在敬神的节日里(在埃及有许多这样的节日)或其他特殊场合里工作。
Barter, rather than circulated money, was the means of payment. A basket cost so much grain, a stone coffin so many cows or other goods. Taxes were paid in products and grain, but also in work, such as compulsory work for the king. Economic depressions, often caused by famine, could result in social unrest and even strikes.
在埃及,支付方式是以物易物,而不是使用流通的货币。一个篮子值这么多的谷子,一座石棺值那么多的母牛或者别的货物。赋税是用产品和谷物缴的,但也可以用劳务来缴税,比如强制为国王干活。通常因饥荒而引起的经济不景气会引发社会动乱甚至罢工。
关于经典的英语短文:American Way of Life
美国人的生活方式
Throughout their history, Americans have been people on the move. The early immigrants had to travel to get to the New World. Once they arrived, they settled along the East Coast. But they weren't content to stay there. Explorers and traders journeyed to the unknown western territories. Later, settlers moved west to develop these new areas.
纵观整个历史,美国一直是个迁移的民族。早期的移民者必须长途跋涉才能抵达新大陆,他们到达后就会沿着东岸定居,但却不满于长居此地,冒险家和商人旅行至未知的西部地区。稍后,移民者也向西迁移去开发这些新地区。
As a result of this westward migration, Americans eventually occupied the whole continent-from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Even today, Americans seem unable to stay put. Research says that the average American moves every five years.
由于向西迁移,美国人最后占据了整块新大陆——从大西洋到太平洋。即使到今天,美国人似乎仍然无法在一地久居。根据研究,美国人平均每五年要搬一次家。
Besides their habit of changing addresses, Americans are used to traveling. Some people make long-distance commutes to work daily. Their jobs may even require them to take frequent business trips. Most companies provide an annual vacation for their employees, and people often use that time to travel.
除了搬家的习惯以外,美国人也很习惯旅行。有些人每天上下班得做长距离的通勤,工作上甚至经常需要因公旅行。大部分的公司每年会提供年假给员工,人们通常会利用这段时间去旅行。
Some people just visit friends or relatives in distant states. Others go on low-budget weekend excursions and stay in economy motels. Those with more expensive tastes choose luxurious resorts and hotels. Camping out in the great outdoors appeals to adventurous types. Some travel in recreational vehicles (RVs) to camp out in comfort, while others "rough it" by sleeping in tents.
有些人去远一点的其他州拜访朋友或亲戚,有些则在周末有个经济的小假期,并住在花费不高的旅馆里。品位较昂贵的人选择豪华的度假地点和饭店;绝佳的户外露营则吸引冒险型的人。有些人开着旅行车出游,以舒适的方式露营;有些人则睡帐篷尝试野外生活。
Most Americans prefer to travel within their nation's borders. Why? For one thing, it's cheaper than traveling abroad, and there's no language problem. But besides that, the vast American territory offers numerous tourist attractions.
大部分美国人比较喜欢在国内旅游,为什么呢?其中一个原因是,国内旅游比国外旅游便宜,也没有语言交流的问题。但除此原因以外,占地极广的美国国土提供了许多能吸引游客的地点。
Nations lovers can enjoy beaches, mountains, canyons, lakes and a wealth of natural wonders. Major cities offer visitors a multitude of urban delights. The convenience of modern freeways, railways and airplanes makes travel in America as easy as pie.
爱好大自然的人可以到海滩、山上、峡谷、湖泊和很多大自然奇景地区游览。大城市也提供给游客们很多都市形态的娱乐。现代高速公路、铁路和飞机使得在美国旅行很容易。