新视野大学英语1辅导大全赠送30篇美文原文

Passage1

TheRoadtoHappiness

Thereareagreatmanypeoplewhohaveallthematerialconditionsofhappiness,i.e.health

andasufficientincome,andwho,nevertheless,areprofoundlyunhappy.Insuchcasesitwould

seemasifthefaultmustliewithawrongtheoryastohowtolive.Inonesense,wemaysaythat

anytheoryastohowtoliveiswrong.Weimagineourselvesmoredifferentfromtheanimalsthan

weare.Animalsliveonimpulse,andarehappyaslongasexternalconditionsarefavorable.Ifyou

haveacat,itwillenjoylifeifithasfoodandwarmthandopportunitiesforanoccasionalnighton

thetiles.Yourneedsaremorecomplexthanthoseofyourcat,buttheystillhavetheirbasison

instinct.Incivilizedsocieties,especiallyinEnglish-speakingsocieties,thisistooapttobe

forgotten.Peopleproposetothemselvessomeoneparamountobjective,andrestrainallimpulses

thatdonotministertoit.

Abusinessmanmaybesoanxioustogrowrichthattothisendhesacrificeshealthand

privateaffections.Whenatlasthehasbecomerich,nopleasureremainstohimexceptharrying

otherpeoplebyexhortationstoimitatehisnobleexample.Manyrichladies,althoughnaturehas

notendowedthemwithanyspontaneouspleasureinliteratureorart,decidetobethoughtcultured,

andspendboringhourslearningtherightthingtosayaboutfashionablenewbooksthatare

writtentogivedelight,nottoaffordopportunitiesfordustysnobbism.

Passage2

LoveIsDifficult

Itisgoodtolove,butloveisdifficult.Foronehumanbeingtoloveanotherhumanbeingis

perhapsthemostdifficulttaskthathasbeenentrustedtous—theultimatetask,thefinaltestand

proof,theworkforwhichallotherworkismerelypreparation.Thatiswhyyoungpeople,whoare

beginnersineverything,arenotyetcapableoflove:itissomethingtheymustlearn.Withtheir

wholebeing,withalltheirforces,gatheredaroundtheirsolitary,anxious,upward-beatingheart,

theymustlearntolove.Butlearningtimeisalwaysalong,secludedtimeaheadandfaroninto

life,andissolitude,aheightenedanddeepenedkindofalonenessforthepersonwholoves.

Lovingdoesnotatfirstmeanmerging,surrenderingorunitingwithanotherperson;itisahigh

inducementfortheindividualtoripen,tobecomesomethinginhimself,tobecomeworldin

himselfforthesakeofanotherperson;itisagreat,demandingclaimonhim,somethingthat

chooseshimandcallshimtovastdistances.Onlyinthissense,asthetaskofworkingon

themselves,mayyoungpeopleusethelovethatisgiventothem.Mergingandsurrenderingand

everykindofcommunionisnotforthem,whomuststill,foralong,longtime,saveandgather

themselves;itistheultimate,itisperhapsthatforwhichhumanlivesareasyetbarelylarge

enough.

Passage3

BusinessofInsuranceCompanies

Insurancecompaniesdotwotypesofbusiness.Oneisgeneralinsuranceagainstvarious

formsofrisk,andtheotherislong-terminsurancewhichismainlylifeinsurance.

Generalinsurerswillagreetopayapersonorcompanyasumofmoneyintheeventof

somethinghappeningornothappening.It'sabigbusinesstoday.Iftheprojectsucceeds,

shareholdersinyourcompanywillexpecttobepaidadividend.Ifyouaskaninsurerto

underwriteyourproject,thenhewillrequireapaymentinadvance,apremium.Iftheproject

succeeds,hekeepsthepremium,butyoudon'tpayhimanythingelse.Payingapremiumtoan

insurerorunderwriterisoftencheaperthanpayingadividendtoshareholders.Iffewerdividends

arepaidtoshareholders,thenmoremoneycanbekeptasretentiontofinancethecompany's

nextproject.

Anothertypeofinsurancebusinessisthelifeinsurance.Itdiffersbasicallyfromgeneral

insuranceinthatitisbasednotonriskbutoncertainty—thecertaintythateachofuswillone

daydie.Lifeinsuranceisthebasisofpensionfundswhichprovideforretirementandguard

againstothercontingenciessuchasill-health,butisbestseenbythefinancialeconomistasa

meansofcollectingmanysmallsavingstoputtogetherintolargeinvestments,inshort,asaform

ofintermediation.

Passage4

SeasonalAffectiveDisorder

Somepeoplefeelsadordepressedduringthewintermonthsinnorthernareasoftheworld.

Theymayhavetroubleeatingorsleeping.TheysufferfromaconditionknownasSeasonal

AffectiveDisorder,orS-A-D.

VictimsofS-A-Dsufferitseffectsduringtheshort,darkdaysofwinter.Theproblemsare

mostsevereinthemonthswhentherearefewerhoursofdaylight.Whenspringarrives,these

signsdisappearandS-A-Dvictimsfeelwellagain.

TheNationalMentalHealthAssociationreportsthatS-A-Dcanaffectanyone.Thegroupsays

youngpeopleandwomenareatthehighestriskforthedisorder.Itsaysthatanestimated25

percentoftheAmericanpopulationsuffersfromsomeformofS-A-D.About5percentsuffer

fromasevereformofthedisorder.Manypeopleinotherpartsoftheworldalsohavethe

condition.

Theideaofhealthproblemslinkedtoalackoflightisnotnew.Scientistshavediscussedthe

issuesincethebeginningofmedicine.Morethantwo-thousandyearsago,theGreekdoctor

Hippocratesnotedthattheseasonsaffecthumanemotions.

Today,expertsdonotfullyunderstandS-A-D,andyettheyagreethatitisaveryrealdisorder.

Totreatthedisorder,victimsofS-A-Ddonotneedtowaituntilspring.Expertsknowthat

placingaffectedindividualsinbrightlighteachdayeasesthecondition.Thereareotherthings

peoplecandotoeasetheproblem.Theycanincreasethesunlightintheirhomesandworkplaces

andspendmoretimeoutdoorsinthefreshairduringtheday.

Onestudyfoundthatwalkingforanhourinwintersunlightwasaseffectiveasspending

two-and-one-halfhoursunderbrightlightindoors.

Passage5

SuccessIsaChoice

Allofusoughttobeabletobraceourselvesforthepredictablechallengesandsetbacksthat

cropupeveryday.Ifweexpectthatlifewon'tbeperfect,we'11beabletoavoidthatimpulseto

quit.Butevenifyouarestrongenoughtopersisttheobstaclecourseoflifeandwork,sometimes

youwillencounteranadverseeventthatwillcompletelyknockyouonyourback.

Whetherit'safinancialloss,thelossofrespectofyourpeersorlovedones,orsomeother

traumaticeventsinyourlife,thesemajorsetbacksleaveyoudoubtingyourselfandwonderingif

thingscaneverchangeforthebetteragain.

Adversityhappenstoallofus,andithappensallthetime.Someformofmajoradversityis

eithergoingtobethereorit'slyinginwaitjustaroundthecomer.Toignoreadversityisto

succumbtotheultimateselfdelusion.

Butyoumustrecognizethathistoryisfullofexamplesofmenandwomenwhoachieved

greatnessdespitefacinghurdlessosteepthateasilycouldhavecrashedtheirspiritandleftthem

lyinginthedust.Moseswasastutterer,yethewascalledontobethevoiceofGod.Abraham

LincolnovercamealldifficultiesduringtheCivilWartobecomeourarguablegreatestpresident

ever.HelenKellermadeanimpactontheworlddespitebeingdeaf,dumb,andblindfromanearly

age.FranklinRoosevelthadpolio.

Thereareendlessexamples.Thesewerepeoplewhonotonlylookedadversityinthefacebut

learnedvaluablelessonsaboutovercomingdifficultcircumstancesandwereabletomoveahead.

Passage6

IsTelevisionaBlessingoraCurse?

ItisuniversallyacceptedthattelevisionisplayinganimportantpartinpeopleJslives.But,

thereisanongoingheateddiscussionastowhethertelevisionisablessingoracurse.

Televisionkeepsonebetterinformedaboutcurrentaffairs,allowsonetofollowthelatest

developmentsinpoliticsandscience,andoffersagreatvarietyofprogramswhichareboth

instructiveandstimulating.Themostdistantcountries,thestrangestcustomsandthemost

attractivescenesofnaturearebroughtrightintoone'sroomorhousehold.

However,somepeopleinsistthattelevisionisacurseratherthanablessing.Theyarguethat

ithasbroughtaboutmanyseriousproblems.Themajoroneisitseffectsonyoungpeople.

Childrenarenowsousedtogettingtheirinformationandentertainmentfromtelevisionthattheir

literacyaswellasphysicalabilityhasbeengreatlyweakened.Evenworsethanthat,vulgar

commercialsandindecentprogramsmaycultivatetheirbadtastes,distorttheirviewpoints

towardshumanlifetosuchadegreethattheirmindsmightbecorrupted.

Tosumup,televisionhasbothadvantagesanddisadvantages.Whatevereffectsithas,one

pointiscertain,televisioninitselfisneithergoodnorbad.Itistheusetowhichitisputthat

determinesitsvaluetosociety.

Passage7

FewUSWorkersWhoCouldTelecommuteDoSo

One-quarteroftheU.S.workforcecouldbedoingtheirjobsfromhomeifallthoseableto

telecommutechosetodoso,andallthosepeopleworkingfromhomecouldtranslateintoannual

gasolinesavingsof$3.9billion,accordingtotheNationalTechnologyReadinessSurvey.However,

manystillselecttoworkattheoffice.Thestudyfoundthat2percentofU.S.workers

telecommutefull-timeandanother9percentdosopart-time.Butanother14percentofworkers

havetheoptionoftelecommuting,orhavejobsconductivetothepracticebutchoosenotto."The

numberssuggestthatmanypeoplewouldratherworkattheofficeeveniftheirjoballowed

telecommuting,saidProfessorP.K.Kannan,oftheRobertH.SmithSchoolofBusinessatthe

UniversityofMaryland."Thatseemstosuggestthatevenifemployersweretosaytomorrowthat

everybodyhadtheoptionoftelecommutingandyouwouldsavealotofgas,that*snotgoingto

happen.Anhypothesiscouldbethatpeoplestillneedthe'facetime'withtheirbosses.Another

thingispeoplemissthesocialinteraction,justbeingathome."Andwithamedianone-way

commuteof10milesandamedianone-waycommutetimeof20minutes,thedailytripformany

workersisnotthatbad,headded.Ofthosewhocanalreadytelecommute,mostdosoonlyone,

twoorthreedaysperweek,thestudyfound.

Passage8

TheWholenessofLife

Thereisawholenessaboutthepersonwhohascometotermswithhislimitations,whohas

beenbraveenoughtoletgoofhisunrealisticdreamsandnotfeellikeafailurefordoingso.There

isawholenessaboutthemanorwomanwhohaslearnedthatheorsheisstrongenoughtogo

throughatragedyandsurvive,shecanlosesomeoneandstillfeellikeacompleteperson.

LifeisnotatrapsetforusbyGodsothathecancondemnusforfailing.Lifeisnotaspelling

bee,wherenomatterhowmanywordsyouhavegottenright,youaredisqualifiedifyoumakeone

mistake.Lifeismorelikeabaseballseason,whereeventhebestteamlosesonethirdofitsgames

andeventheworstteamhasitsdaysofbrilliance.Ourgoalistowinmoregamesthanwelose.

Whenweacceptthatimperfectionispartofbeinghuman,andwhenwecancontinuerolling

throughlifeandappreciateit,wewillhaveachievedawholenessthatotherscanonlyaspireto.

That,Ibelieve,iswhatGodasksofus—not“Beperfect",but"Bewhole”.

Ifwearebraveenoughtolove,strongenoughtoforgive,generousenoughtorejoicein

another?shappiness,andwiseenoughtoknowthereisenoughlovetogoaroundforusall,then

wecanachieveafulfillmentthatnootherlivingcreaturewilleverknow.

Passage9

WorkplaceFriendships

Astudyintoworkplacerelationshipshasfoundhavingaclosefriendatworkcanbeamajor

distraction.

Respondentscitedexcessivechatting,havingtoomuchfunandaninabilitytoseparatework

fromplayascontributingtoalackoffocus.

“Whenfacedwithawork-relatedproblemmanypeoplewillprioritizetheirfriendshipover

theirresponsibilitiestotheirorganization,whichbusinessesmayfindconcerning,said

psychologistandAucklandUniversityofTechnologylecturer,Dr.RachelMorrison.uWorkplace

friendshipsarelikeadouble-edgedsword.Thebenefitsofafriendlyworkplacecanbereally

positive,butorganizationsshouldbeawareofthepotentialdifficultiesandhowtomanage

friendshipsatwork.”

Accordingtothestudy,manypeoplewereconcernedaboutgoing“softer“withtheirfriends

andbeingexpectedtotreatthemwithspecialprivileges.

“Peoplenaturallywanttomaketheirfriendsfeelspecial,butthisconflictswith

organizationalpracticesornormsthataresetuparoundfairnessandequality.Difficultyin

managingtheseexpectationscancreatetensionintherelationship.^^

Respondentsalsoexperiencedagreatdealofanxietyaboutspeakingtoclosefriendsabout

substandardwork.Abasicruleoffriendshipisbeingnon-judgmentalandacceptingyourfriends

weaknesses,butgivingcriticalperformancefeedbackconflictswiththis.

“Wealsofoundissuesrelatedtoconfidentialitypractices,whichcouldmeanfriendshaveto

refrainfromsharinginformation.Thiscanbereallychallengingforclosefriendshipsthathave

normsofopennessanddisclosure,Dr.Morrisonsaid.

Dr.Morrisonsaidorganizationsshouldtrytoprovidefriendlyenvironmentsandencourage

workplacefriendships,buthavepoliciesinplacetomanagepotentialdifficulties.

Passage10

LoveYourLife

Howevermeanyourlifeis,meetitandliveit;donotshunitorcallithardnames.Itisnotso

badasyouare.Itlookspoorestwhenyouarerichest.Thefault-finderwillfindfaultsevenin

paradise.Loveyourlife,poorasitis.Youmayperhapshavesomepleasant,thrilling,glorious

hours,eveninapoorhouse.Thesettingsunisreflectedfromthewindowofthealms-houseas

brightlyasfromtherichman,sabode;thesnowmeltsbeforeitsdoorasearlyinthespring.Ido

notseebutaquietmindmayliveascontentedlythere,andhaveascheeringthoughts,asina

palace.Thetown*spoorseemtomeoftentolivethemostindependentlivesofany.Maybethey

aresimplygreatenoughtoreceivewithoutmisgivings.Mostthinkthattheyareabovebeing

supportedbythetown;butitoftenhappensthattheyarenotabovesupportingthemselvesby

dishonestmeans,whichshouldbemoredisreputable.Cultivatepovertylikeagardenherb,like

sage.Donottroubleyourselfmuchtogetnewthings,whetherclothesorfriends.Turntotheold,

turntothem.Thingsdonotchange;wechange.Sellyourclothesandkeepyourthoughts.

Passage11

ManIsHerefortheSakeofOtherMen

Strangeisoursituationhereuponearth.Eachofuscomesforashortvisit,notknowingwhy,

andyetsometimesseemingtodivineapurpose.

Fromthestandpointofdailylife,however,thereisonethingwedoknowthatmanisherefor

thesakeofothermen—aboveallforthecountlessunknownsoulswithwhosefateweare

connectedbyabondofsympathy.ManytimesadayIrealizehowmuchmyownouterandinner

lifeisbuiltuponthelaborsofmyfellowmen,bothlivinganddead,andhowearnestlyImust

exertmyselfinordertogiveinreturnasmuchasIhavereceived.Mypeaceofmindisoften

troubledbythedepressingsensethatIhaveborrowedtooheavilyfromtheworkofothermen.

Toponderinterminablyoverthereasonforone*sownexistenceorthemeaningoflifein

generalseemstome,fromanobjectivepointofview,tobesheerfolly.Andyeteveryoneholds

certainidealsbywhichheguideshisaspirationandhisjudgment.Theidealswhichhavealways

shonebeforemeandfilledmewiththejoyoflivingaregoodness,beauty,andtruth.Tomakea

goalofcomfortandhappinesshasneverappealedtome;asystemofethicsbuiltonthisbasis

wouldbesufficientonlyforaherdofcattle.

Passage12

TheWaystoDuckoutofWork

WanttowatchtheWorldCupinpeacewithoutthebossoveryourshoulder?Simple,conhim.

ABritishInternetsiteofferedfansaningeniousrangeofwaystoduckoutofworksotheycan

watchgamesincomfort.Thetimingsofthegames,intheearlymorningoratmidday,haveposed

adilemmatomillionsofsoccer-madBritonsusedtowatchinggamesintheeveningsorat

weekendsanddesperatetofollowEnglandandIrelandTsWorldCupprogresslive.TheBritish

governmenthasalreadyurgedemployerstobowtotheinevitableandtakeaflexibleattitudeto

workinghoursorsetupTVscreens."Thelastthingwewantistheentireworkforcetakingan

announcedsickieonthedayofabigmatch,“TradeandIndustrySecretaryPatriciaHewittsaid.

ButBritishsportscompanyUmbrowasurgingfanstotakethematterintotheirownhands.Its

Websitewww.wasofferingaconvincing-1ookingfalsesicknotesignedbya

fictitiousdoctor,F.Albright,tobeprintedoffandtakentoworkinadvance.Alternatively,its“Top

TenBunkOffIdeas^^includedsuchimprobableexcusesas:"IwillbelateforworktodaybecauseI

havetopickmyuncleupfromthetrainstation.Hehastwobagsbutonlyonearm."Foranother

game,afanmightclaim:"Mydogatemycarkeys.We'regoingtohitchhiketothevet.”

Passage13(91)

TheFirstCalendar

Futurehistorianswillbeinauniquepositionwhentheycometorecordthehistoryofour

owntimes.Theywillhardlyknowwhichfactstoselectfromthegreatmassofevidencethat

steadilyaccumulates.Whatismore,theywillnothavetorelysolelyonthewrittenword.Films,

videos,CDsandCD-ROMsarejustsomeofthebewilderingamountofinformationtheywill

have.Theywillbeable,asitwere,toseeandhearusinaction.Butthehistorianattemptingto

reconstructthedistantpastisalwaysfacedwithadifficulttask.Hehastodeducewhathecan

fromthefewscantycluesavailable.

Uptonow,historianshaveassumedthatcalendarscameintobeingwiththeadventof

agriculture,forthenmanwasfacedwitharealneedtounderstandsomethingabouttheseasons.

Recentscientificevidenceseemstoindicatethatthisassumptionisincorrect.

Historianshavelongbeenpuzzledbydots,linesandsymbolswhichhavebeenengravedon

walls,bones,andtheivorytusksofmammoths.Thenomadswhomadethesemarkingslivedby

huntingandfishingduringthelastIceAgewhichbeganabout35,000B.C.andendedabout

10,000B.C.Bycorrelatingmarkingsmadeinvariouspartsoftheworld,historianshavebeen

abletoreadthisdifficultcode.Theyhavefoundthatitisconnectedwiththepassageofdaysand

thephasesofthemcx)n.Itis,infact,aprimitivetypeofcalendar.Itseemsthatmanwasmakinga

realefforttounderstandtheseasons20,000yearsearlierthanhasbeensupposed.

Passage14

HowtoAskforaRaise

Oneofthemostintimidatingthingstodointhebusinessworldistoaskforaraiseatyour

currentjob.Sometimes,thebossjustdoesnotpayyouenoughmoney.Sowhatdoyoudoaboutit?

Thereisawaytorequestaraise,butyouhadbetterbecarefulwhendoingthat.

Thebestwaytomakemoremoneywithinacompanyistobeinthedirectflowofthecash.

Companieswillwanttokeepyouaroundifyouhavesomeleverage.Beingadirectcauseoftheir

profitsisagreatwaytogainsomeleverage.

Onemistakethatpeoplealwaysseemtomakeisthattheyareneversureexactlyhowmuch

moneytoaskfor.Ifyouaregoingtoaskforaraise,thenyoushouldhavesomefigureinmindof

howmuchmoreyouwant.Ifyouaresuccessfulinmeetingwithyourbossandmakingyourcase,

thenitwilllookawfulifyousittherewithablankstareasheasksyouhowmuchyouwant.

Considerarealisticpercentage,butbewillingtonegotiateindiscuss.Dosomeresearchandfigure

outexactlyhowmuchfolksmakeinyourprofessionthathavehadsimilarexperienceand

success.

Donotaskforaraisebasedsolelyuponyourpersonalneeds.Instead,concentratesolelyon

yourachievements,merits,andworthconcerningthecompany.Bydoingthis,youwillcreatea

professionalenvironmentinwhichyouwillestablishsomeleverage.

Passage15

PoliceandCommunities

Fewinstitutionsaremoreimportanttoanurbancommunitythanitspolice,yettherearefew

subjectshistoriansknowsolittleabout.Mostoftheearlyacademicinterestsdevelopedamong

politicalscientistsandsociologists,whousuallyexaminedtheirowncontemporaryproblemswith

onlyanodtowardthepast.Eventhepublicseemedconcernedonlyduringcrimewaves,periods

ofblatantcorruption,orafteraparticularlygrislyepisode.Partyregularsandreformersgenerally

viewedtheinstitutionfromapoliticalperspective;newspapersandmagazines-thenineteenth

century*smedia—emphasizedthevividandspectacular.

Yeturbansocietyhasalwaysvestedawide,indeedawesome,responsibilityinitspolice.Not

onlyweretheytomaintainorder,preventcrime,andprotectlifeandproperty,buthistoricallythey

werealsotofightfires,suppressvice,assistinhealthservices,superviseelections,directtraffic,

inspectbuildings,andlocatetruantsandrunaways.Inaddition,itwasassumedthatthepolice

werethespecialguardiansofthecitizens,libertiesandthecommunity*stranquility.Ofcourse,

theperformancenevermatchedexpectations.Therecordcontainssomesuccess,butmostlyfailure;

someeffectiveleadership,butlargelyofficialincompetenceandbetrayal.Thenotionofa

professionalpoliceforceinAmericaisacreationofthetwentiethcentury;notuntilourowntime

havecitiesbeguntotakethestepsnecessarytoproducemoderndepartments.

Passage16

NewYorkMayNeverWinItsWaronRats

VideoofratsscamperingacrossaNewYorkCityrestaurantfloormayhavedisturbed

viewersworldwidebutsomeexpertssaytherodentsarelessdangerousthanothercreaturesdrawn

torestaurants一humans.

ThevideobroadcastontelevisionaweekagoshowedratsrunningwildataKFC/TacoBell

restaurantjustonedayaftertheoutlethadpassedacityHealthDepartmentinspection.

IttookabiteoutofthesharepriceofparentcompanyYumBrandsInc.andforcedacity

HealthDepartmentshake-upthatremovedtheinspectorwhoconductedthereviewfromdutyand

ledto13morerestaurantclosuresonThursday.

TheowneroftheKFC/TacoBellfranchise,ADFCompanies,hasclosed10ofitsrestaurants

untiltheypassinspections,andthecityclosedthreeotherrestaurantsbecauseofunsanitary

conditionsormice,theHealthDepartmentsaid.

YumBrandsonFridayhiredanurbanpestcontrolexperttoreviewstandardsatitsNewYork

Cityrestaurants.

TheHealthDepartmentwarnedthatgreaterthreatstopublichealthincluderestaurant

employeeswhofailtowashtheirhandsorfoodstoredatimpropertemperatures.One

epidemiologistagreed.Still,theincidentreinforcesNewYork,sreputationofhavingamore

severeratproblemthanotherbigcities.

NewYork,scrowdedquartersforcerestaurantstostoretrashindoorsuntilitcanbe

collected,providingratswithanindoorfoodsource.Inaddition,NewYork,srealestateboom

meansconstructionispervasive,scatteringratstoawidergeographicarea.

Passage17

BeautyIndustry

Withabitofuphysicalpreparation“一artificialbreastimplants,anosejobandalittle

trimmingoffatfromthehips一youtoocanaspiretobeMissWorld.SosaysVenezuela?s

latestcandidatefortheworldbeautycontest.AndreinaPrietoadmittedthatwereitnotfbrthehelp

ofcosmeticsurgery,sheprobablywouldnothavemadetheline-up.Theraven-haired

19-year-oldwaschosenfromamong40othercontestantstorepresenttheSouthAmerican

countryattheMissWorldcompetitioninSouthAfrica.Prieto,wearingabluebikini,toldreporters

thatpriortoenteringthecompetition,shehadthreeseparateoperations:onetoimprovetheshape

ofhernose,aliposuctiontoremovefatfromherhipsandbreastimplants."Ifitwasn'tforthat,

Iprobablywouldn'tbehere,“shesaid.Shedisplayedabrilliantsmile,butdidnotsayifthattoo

wastheresultofsurgery.Oil-richVenezuelatakesthebeautyindustryveryseriouslyandhas

gainedareputationasa“factory“ofinternationalbeautycontestwinners.Venezuelanwomen

havewonfiveMissWorldtitlesandfourMissUniversecrowns.Aprivatecompany,theMiss

VenezuelaOrganization,specializesinpreparingcandidatesfortheMissWorldandMissUniverse

contests,andspendsaround$72,000oneachcontender,inclothes,dietsand,ofcourse,cosmetic

surgery.

Passage18

PopulationGrowth

Thegrowthofpopulationduringthepastfewcenturiesisnoproofthatpopulationwill

continuetogrowstraightupwardtowardinfinityanddoom.Onthecontrary,demographichistory

offersevidencethatpopulationgrowthhasnotbeenatallconstant.Accordingtopaleoecologist

EdwardDeevey,thepastmillionyearsshowthreemomentouschanges.Thefirst,arapidincrease

inpopulationaroundonemillionB.C.,followedtheinnovationsoftool-makingandtool-using.

Butwhenthenewpowerfromtheuseoftoolshasbeenexploited,therateofworldpopulation

growthfellandbecamealmoststable.

Thenextrapidjumpinpopulationstartedperhaps10,000yearsago,whenmankindbeganto

keepherds,plowandplanttheearth.Onceagainwheninitialproductivitygainshadbeen

absorbed,therateofpopulationgrowthabated.

Thesetwoepisodessuggestthatthethirdgreatchange,thepresentrapidgrowth,which

beganintheWestbetween250and350yearsago,mayalsoslowdownwhen,orif,technology

beginstoyieldfewerinnovations.Ofcourse,thecurrentknowledgerevolutionmaycontinue

withoutforeseeableend.Eitherway—contrarytopopularbeliefinconstantgeometricgrowth—

populationcanbeexpectedinthelongruntoadjusttoproductivity.Andwhenonetakesthisview,

populationgrowthisseentorepresenteconomicprogressandhumantriumphratherthansocial

failure.

Passage19

FoodandHealth

Thefoodw