英语晨读材料-如何生命永恒.doc

Be Late for School! 上学迟到了！Drriinnggg! Thats the sound kids up and down the country do not want to hear the alarm bell.The school year has just started and children across the UK have to wake up bright and early to go to school. But students at one school in north-east England can lie in for an extra hour before they go to school. Monkseaton High School has been allowing its pupils to come into school an hour later than other schools. The headmaster, Dr Paul Kelley, says that this approach helps students pay more attention in class. He feels that young people are more productive later on in the day and that a late start may be better for their school career than an early one. Dr Kelley told the BBC that teenagers dont function very well in the morning and their need to sleep is biological. It seems that this novel approach to teaching shows positive results. The school has already seen a drop in the number of pupils playing truant by 27%. More importantly, Dr Kelley also said that exam results have improved by 20-30% over the past year. Lessons at Monkseaton High School begin at 10am and finish at 3.40pm; however, the school opens from 8am to 5pm.“叮铃”这是全国各地的学生都不喜欢听到的声音，电铃的声音。新的学年刚刚开始，英国全国各地的学生必须一大早就醒来去上学。但是英格兰东北部一所学校的学生现在可以在床上多睡一个小时再去上学。蒙克西顿高中现在允许学生们比其他学校迟一个小时上学。校长Paul Kelley表示，这个方法可以帮助学生在课堂上更加集中精力。他感到，一天中稍晚的时候孩子们的效率更高，迟一点上学对他们的学习生涯更好。Paul Kelley告诉BBC，“青少年在早上的状态不是特别好，他们对睡眠的需求是生物钟决定的。”他们新颖的教学方法似乎产生了积极的效果。这所学校学生的逃课率降低了27%。更重要的是，Kelley表示，过去一年，考试成绩提高了20%至30%。蒙克西顿高中的课程从上午10:00开始，到下午3:40结束。然而，学校从上午8:00到下午5:00开放。1.extra adj. 额外的, 附加的，外加的additional，extra，supplementary这些形容词均有“另加的，额外的”之意。additional由名词additon派生出的形容词，指在原有基础上添加上去的。extra指不包括本身而额外加上去的部分。supplementary由名词supplement派生而来，指对原有的追加或补究。2.allow vt.允许, 许可(做某事) 例句：I dont think he would allow it. 我想他不会允许的。 Do they allow smoking in the cinemas? 他们允许在电影院里抽烟吗?3.headmaster n.私立学校的男校长;（尤指私立学校的）校长 例句：The headmaster is marking the papers. 校长正给考卷评分数。4.productive adj.多产的, 富饶的 例句：They lived on the produc -tive land. 他们生活在富饶的土地上。富有成效的; 有益的 例句：We had a productive meeting that solved some problems. 我们开了一个富有成效的会议, 解决了一些问题。5.function vi.工作, 运行, 起作用 例句：The machine will not function properly if it is not kept well-oiled. 机器没有上好油, 就不会顺利地运转。6.biological adj.生物学的1.Thats the sound kids up and down the country do not want to hear the alarm bell.up and down上上下下 例句：She was jumping up and down. 她上上下下地蹦着。 He stared me up and down. 他上下打量我。2.The school year has just started and children across the UK have to wake up bright and early to go to school. wake up醒来; 唤醒, 弄醒 例句：I woke up in the night feeling cold. 我夜间醒来感到很冷。引起注意 例句：The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers. 作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号, 以引起读者的注意。3.The school has already seen a drop in the number of pupils playing truant by 27%. play truant旷课, 逃学 例句：The teacher supposed that the absent pupil was ill, but some of his friends suspected he was playing truant. 老师猜想那个没到的学生是病了, 但他的一些朋友怀疑他是逃学。4.Lessons at Monkseaton High School begin at 10am and finish at 3.40pm; however, the school opens from 8am to 5pm.however表示转折：尤其用于谈及一个既成事实时，表示转折，其意为“可是”“仍然”等。可放在句首、句中或句末，通常用逗号与句子其他成分隔开。如：My father, however, did not agree. 但是，我父亲不同意。My room is small; however, its comfortable. 我的房间很小，但却很舒服。My room is small; however, its comfortable. He said that it was so; he was mistaken, however. 他说情况如此，可是他错了。注：however不能像 but(但是)那样直接连接两个句子(注意正句中的标点符号)注意正句中的标点符号。A discovery in the last week has turned physics on its head. A team of scientists have said that they recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos travelling faster than light. No-one thought that was possible. It is a finding that could overturn one of Einsteins long-accepted fundamental laws of the Universe. The finding was made by researchers at Cern in Switzerland and Gran Sasso in Italy. The speed of light is a cornerstone in Einsteins theory of special relativity, which is what gives us the concept of causality: causes precede effects. Among the implications of this challenge to mainstream theory is the fact that it could mean time travel is possible, a hypothesis that has long convinced writers of science fiction. But the experiment has its sceptics. A physicist from the University of Surrey, Jim Al-Khalili, believes that the current consensus is correct and that the light-speed barrier is impossible to surpass. He has tried to pick holes in the methodology of the Cern researchers. So sure is Al-Khalili that they have made an error in their measurements that he has decided to defend the laws of physics by challenging the laws of social convention. Al-Khalili said: If the Cern experiment proves to be correct. I will eat my boxer shorts on live TV.上周的一个重大发现彻底改变了物理学。一些科学家表示，他们记录到一种叫做中微子的次原子粒子的速度超过光速。所有人都认为这是不可能的。该发现可能会推翻长期以来为人们所接受的爱因斯坦关于宇宙的基本定律。该现象是瑞士欧洲核子研究委员会和意大利的巨岩发现的。光速是爱因斯坦狭义相对论的基石，为我们提供了因果关系的概念：原因先于结果出现。对主流理论提出的其中一个挑战是，这意味着时光穿梭是可能的，该假设长期以来一直使科幻小说作家信服。但是也有人怀疑这次实验。萨里大学物理学家Jim Al-Khalili相信现在的共识是正确的，光速障碍是不可能克服的。他试图找出欧洲核子研究委员会这次实验的漏洞。Jim Al-Khalili确信科学家们在测量过程中犯了错误，他决定挑战社会管理法，捍卫物理学定律。Jim Al-Khalili表示，“如果欧洲核子研究委员会的实验是正确的，我会在电视直播中吃掉我的拳击短裤。”1.overturn vt.使垮台; 推翻 例句：The rebels overturned the government. 反叛者们推翻了政府。2.fundamental adj.基本的; 重要的, 必要的 例句：Fresh air is fundamental to good health. 新鲜空气对健康是不可缺少的。basic，essential，fundamental，radical，vital这些形容词均有“基本的，基础的”之意。basic普通用词，指明确、具体的基础或起点。essential语气比basic和fundamental强，强调必不可少，暗含某物如缺少某部分，则失去本质特征的意味。fundamental书面用词，不如basic使用广泛，侧重指作为基础、根本的抽象的事物。radical着重指事物的根本或其来源。vital正式用词，侧重指维持生命、活力必不可少的，或生死攸关的。3.cornerstone n.奠基石 例句：The mayor laid the cornerstone of the new library. 市长为新图书馆奠基。基础 例句：Wage control is the cornerstone of the governments economic policy. 控制工资是政府经济政策的基础。4.precede vt.vi.在之前发生（或出现）；先于 例句：The days that preceded were filled with activity. 前几天排满了活动。5.hypothesis n.（有少量事实依据但未被证实的）假说, 假设, 前提 例句：We have proved the hypothesis. 我们已经证明了这种假设。hypothesis，assumption，presumption，supposition这些名词均有“假设，假想”之意。hypothesis书面用词，指有待作进一步检验或证实的假设。assumption侧重主观推测或主观设想。presumption着重指以可能性为依据的假设。supposition可与assumption换用，还可表某种试探性的主观看法或建议。6.surpass vt.超过; 优于; 多于; 非所能办到 例句：He surpassed all his rivals. 他比他的所有对手都强。7.defend vt.vi.保卫,防御；保护 例句：They defended very well in the game. 在那场比赛中他们防守得很好。defend，protect，safeguard，guard，shield，shelter，harbour这些动词均有“保护、保卫”之意。defend普通用词，指用武力或其它措施使人或物不受损害，消除危险。用作比喻时，指坚持某种行动、决定或意见。 protect普通用词，指用某种手段作为防御工具以防危险或伤害。safeguard语气强，指采取积极措施预防可能发生的一切攻击或危险。guard普通用词，指保持警惕以防可能的攻击或伤害。shield语气比protect强，但侧重防止迫在眉睫的攻击或伤害。shelter通常指寻找安全地方躲避风雨或使人免遭危害。harbour贬义词，指隐匿或非法保护、窝藏。.A discovery in the last week has turned physics on its head. turn on its head改变，转变2.He has tried to pick holes in the methodology of the Cern researchers.pick holes挑出漏洞例句：They pick holes in everything I suggest. 只要是我提的建议他们就挑毛病。3.A physicist from the University of Surrey, Jim Al-Khalili, believes that the current consensus is correct and that the light-speed barrier is impossible to surpass. impossible，带有dis- ，im- ，in- ，un- ， -less等的词缀都表示否定含义possible，probable这两个词都是形容词，都有“可能”之意，但词义有细微的差异。一般说来，possible表示“有可能”的意味；probable则表示“可能发生”的意味。因此，前者可译作“可能的”、“可为的”；后者则译作“大概的”、“或然的”。试对比下列的例句：The doctors are trying in every way possible （every possible way） to save the terminal patient医生们正在用一切可能的方法去挽救那临终病人。Its possible to prevent