随身英语阅读文章303-342

Forsomeitisacelebrationoffemininityandbeauty.

Butfeministcampaignerssaythatitisnothingotherthan

thedegradationofwomen,whoareparadedlikeanimalsin

acattlemarket.

TheMissWorldbeautypageantisnow60butremainscontroversial,

aslastweekend'sshowinLondonproved.

Insidethevenue,about110contestants（竞争者，争辩者）showed

offtheirfiguresandboastedabouttheirtalents（天赋,才能）.

Outside,dozensoffeministcampaignersheldplacardswith

messagessuchas"Sexismisprettyugly"and

shoutedslogansagainstchauvinismandwhattheycallthe

objectificationofwomen.

Feministsandbeautypageantorganisers（组织者，发起人）areold

enemies.Theshowwascreatedinthe1950stopromotetheFestival

ofBritain.Bythe70s,Women'sLibdemonstratorstriedto

disrupttheproceedings,allegingthatthewholethingwasanoffence

againstwomen'sequality.

Butsomecontestantsarguethatitcanactuallyempowerwomen.

LauraColeman,MissEngland2008,saidit"givesgirlsconfidenceand

opportunitiestheymaynototherwisehave."

Forsome,theseopportunitiesareinHollywood.About12beauty

queenslandedrolesinJamesBondmoviesandtheOscar-winning

starHalleBerryfinishedsixthin1986.Organisersarekeentopoint

outthatthecontestantsarenotairheadsbutoftenhavedegrees

andspeakseverallanguages.

Thisyear'swinneris21-year-oldVenezuelanIvianSarcos,whoinher

childhoodthoughtaboutbecominganun.Despitetheproteststhe

showislikelytocontinue,withplanstoholdnextyear'sMissWorldin

China.

Quiz小测验

1.Whatdofeministscomparebeautypageantsto?

Acattlemarket.

2.HowoldistheMissWorldbeautypageant?

Sixty.

3.Howcanthecontestbepositiveforwomen,accordingtoan

ex-participant?

Itcangivecontestantsconfidenceandopportunities,accordingto

MissEngland2008LauraColeman.

4.Whatexpressioninthearticleisanimpolitephrasefora

stupidperson?

Anairhead.

5.Isthisstatementtrue,falseornotgiven?Thewinnerofthis

years'contestwasanun.

False.IvianSarcos,fromVenezuela,thoughtaboutbeinganuninher

childhoodbutdidnotfollowthiscareer.

Glossary词汇表

femininity女性化，女人气质

feministcampaigner女权运动人士

degradation降低，贬低

tobeparaded列队展示

cattlemarket牲畜市场

beautypageant选美活动

toshowoff(something)炫耀

figure体形

toboastabout(something)自吹自擂

placard标语牌

sexism性别歧视

slogan口号

chauvinism大男子主义，沙文主义者，盲目的爱国者

objectification(客观化，对象化)ofwomen把妇女当物品展示

Women'sLib妇女解放

todisruptsomething干扰某事

women'sequality妇女平等

empower让人有能力去做什么

beautyqueen选美大赛皇后

airhead傻瓜，没头脑的人

Itisofficial:therearenowsevenbillionofus!ThisweekbabyDanica

hadhardlybeenbroughttolifeinaManilahospital'sdelivery

roomwhenshewasawardedaSymbolicSevenBillionthPerson

certificate.

ButtherewereclaimsinRussiaandIndiaofothernewly-bornbabies

being'CitizenSevenBillion'.

TheUN'spopulationdemographer,GerhardHeilig,acceptedthatit

isimpossibletoknowaccuratelywhocarriesthehonourasthe

figurescomewitha1-2%marginoferror.Butthisisanimportant

milestone.

TheUNwantedtodrawattentiontothespeedofpopulation

growthasittooklessthan13yearsfortheEarthtowelcomeabillion

morepeople.

Andtheorganisationpublishedareportthathighlightstherise

inaveragelifeexpectancyandthefactthatchildrenaremuchless

likelytodieininfancy.

Butitalsomentionsthechallengesforaspecieswithahighfertility

ratelivingonaplanetoflimitedresourcesanduneven

developmentconditions.Itpointsoutthat200millionwomenhaveno

accesstofamilyplanningadvice.

"Sexeducationhasanimpactindelayingtheageatthefirstsexual

intercourse,inincreasingtheuseofcontraception

methodsandcondoms,"saysGabrielaRiverafromtheUN's

populationagency.

Amidarticlesaboutpopulationcontrolmeasures,TheGuardian,in

Britain,inviteditsreaderstosendDanicaamessage.Acomment

signedbyFaisalAlMutarsaid:"Havingbeatenoutaround275million

otherlittlespermatozoayou'realreadyawinner!"

Quiz小测验

1.WhyhasDanicabecomefamous?

BecausesheisconsideredthesevenbillionthpersontoliveonEarth.

2.Whyisitdifficulttoknowwhothesevenbillionthperson

is?

Becausethefigurescarrya1-2%marginoferror.

3.WhyhastheUNdecidedtotalkaboutthenumberofpeople

onEarthnow?

Topointouttheimplicationsofafastgrowingpopulation.

4.Whatexpressioninthearticlereferstothefirstfewhours

ofababy'slife?

Newly-born.

5.Isthisstatementtrue,falseornotgiven?Twohundred

miIlionwornenhadbabieswhentheydidn'twantto.

Itisnotgiven.Thearticlesaysthat200millionwomenhadnoaccess

tofamilyplanningadvicebutitdoesnotmeanthattheyhad

unwantedbabies.

Glossary词汇表

broughttolife给以生命

deliveryroom产房

newly-born新生儿

demographer人口统计学家

accurately准确的

marginoferror误差

todrawattentionto引起注意，关注

populationgrowth人口增长

average平均

ininfancy初期，婴儿期

resources资源

fertilityrate受孕率

familyplanningadvice计划生育咨询

sexeducation性教育

contraceptionmethods避孕措施

condoms避孕套

populationcontrol人口控制

Thetraditionalmarriagevowsmadebycouplesontheirwedding

daycontainapromisetostaytogether"untildeathusdopart

ButaproposedchangeinthelawinMexicocouldmakethataslightly

lessbinding'twoyears'time'.Theideaistocutthedivorcerateby

creatingrenewablemarriagecontractssoloverscantrylivingwith

theirotherhalfbeforemakingalifetimecommitment.

Newlywedswouldtakeaminimumoftwoyearsbeforedeciding

whethertocementtheirrelationshiporsplitup,underplansto

alterthecity'scivilcode.

Ifitbecomeslaw,thecontractswouldmakeclearinadvancethe

responsibilityformaritalduties,suchaschildcare,schooling

andhouseholdbudgeting.

HalfofallmarriagesinMexicoCitycurrentlyendinabreak-up.The

authoroftheproposalhopesthatbeingable

torenewordissolvethemaritallinkafterafixedperiodoftimewill

leadtomoreharmoniousrelationshipsandkeepmorecouplesout

ofthedivorcecourts.

Thecustodyofdependentsincaseswherecouplesdecidenotto

staytogetherbeyondtheirinitialtermwouldalsobesetoutatthe

beginning.

It'shopedthatthiswouldavoidtheusualwranglingandemotional

turmoilexperiencedbyfamiliesgoingthroughadivorce.

Butnoteveryonethinksit'sagoodidea.Familycampaignerssayit

wouldcontributetoa"throwawayculture"whichwouldcreatemore

ratherthanlessanguishforthechildreninvolved.

Quiz小测验

1.HavetheychangedthelawinMexicotoallowfixed-term

marriages?

No.Itisaproposedchange.

2.Dotheyhopetocutthemarriagerate?

No.Theideaistocutthedivorcerate.

3.Wouldthecontractmakeclearwhoisresponsibleforduties

suchaslookingafterchildrenandfinances?

Yes.Thecontractswouldmakeclearinadvancetheresponsibilityfor

maritalduties,suchaschildcare,schoolingandhouseholdbudgeting.

4.DomostmarriagesinMexicoCityendindivorce?

No.HalfofallmarriagesinMexicoCitycurrentlyendinabreakup.

5.Isdivorceoftenupsettingforfamilies?

Yes.Itcreatesemotionalturmoil.

Glossary词汇表

marriagevows结婚誓言

untildeathusdopart（直到死为止）永不分离

divorcerate离婚率

otherhalf（另一泮）配偶

alifetimecommitment终生承诺

newlyweds新婚夫妇

tocementtheirrelationship加固他们之间的关系

splitup分手

maritalduties婚姻的责任

householdbudgeting家庭开销

abreakup分手

renew续约

dissolve解散

harmoniousrelationships和谐的关系

divorcecourts离婚法庭

custody监护

dependents被抚养者

wrangling争吵

emotionalturmoil感情波动

anguish苦恼

Whenitcomestorunningmarathons,eighthours,25minutesand16

secondsisnotaworldrecord.

ThiswasthetimeittookFaujaSinghtocompletetheToronto

WaterfrontMarathononSunday.

ButSingh,borninIndia,isnospringchicken-he's100yearsold

andhisrecentfeathasmadehimtheworld'soldestmarathonrunner.

Asanathlete,Singhwasalatestarter.Inhislate80s,afterthe

deathsofhiswifeandson,hedecidedhewasnotyetoverthe

hillandtookuprunning.

ForSingh,being100isjustanumber.Therearen't

manycentenariansinquitesuchrudehealth,buttheyareonthe

increase.LifeexpectancyintheUKtodayisaround80butatotalof

12,640menandwomenarenowcentenarianscomparedwithjust

2,500in1980,accordingtoofficialstatistics.

InBritain,pensionersthatreachthislandmarkagereceivea

congratulatorytelegramfromtheQueen,herselfan

86-year-oldseniorcitizen.

Retailersandpublicservicesarehavingtoadapttothisaging

society.Newfiguresrevealtheamountofmoneyspentannuallyby

peopleover65intheUKisnearingthe£100billion(1trillionyuan)

mark.Awholesectoroftheeconomyisnowcateringtotheneeds

ofthegreypound.

Whydosomepeoplelivetosucharipeoldage?Scientistsin

Amsterdammayhavecomealittleclosertodiscoveringthesecret

tolongevity;they'veencodedtheentireDNAsequenceofawoman

wholivedto115.

Ofcourse,theycouldjustaskFaujaSinghwhathissecretis.Theold

boyputshislonglifedowntogingercurry,teaand"beinghappy".

Quiz小测验

1.HasFaujaSinghbrokenaworldrecordforspeed?

No.FaujaSingh'srecordisforbeingtheworld'soldestmarathon

runner.

2.DidMrSinghfeeloldwhenhestartedrunning?

No.Inhislate80shedecidedthathewasnotyetoverthehilland

tookuprunning.

3.Isthisstatementtrue,falseornotgiven:Peoplewhoreach

86yearsoldsendatelegramtotheQueentocongratulate

her?

Itisfalse.Peoplewhoreach100yearsoldreceiveatelegramfromthe

Queentocongratulatethemontheirbirthday.

4.Whatexpressionusesthecolourofoldpeople'shairtorefer

totheirage?

Thegreypound.

5.WhatroledoesgingercurryplayinFaujaSingh'slife?

Hebelievesthatitcouldbeoneofthesecretsofhislongevity.

Glossary词汇表

nospringchicken原意指童子鸡，(喻)上了年纪的人

alatestarter起步较晚的人

tobeoverthehill不礼貌的表达，指走下坡路，走向衰老

(age)isjustanumber年龄只是一个数字，喻年龄不代表什么，关键的是一

个人的心态

acentenarian百岁老人

tobeinrudehealth身体健壮

lifeexpectancy平均寿命

apensioner领养老金者，委婉指老年人

alandmarkage有特殊意义的岁数

aseniorcitizen65岁以上的老年公民

theagingsociety老年社会

thegreypound灰色英镑，指老年群体的消费力

aripeoldage老年，晚年

longevity长寿

anoldboy男性老人

toputsomethingdowntosomething为什么事情做出解释

Everwonthelottery?No?Butdidthatstopyoubuyinganotherlottery

ticket?

Iftheanswerisanother'no',youmightcallyourselfanoptimist.

Butthen,accordingtoresearchersatUniversityCollegeLondon,

humanbeingsarenaturallysanguinecreatures.

Itisallinthebrain,theysay.Astudysuggestsitisveryefficientat

processinggoodnews:about80%ofpeoplehaveatendencytosee

theglassashalf-full,nothalf-empty,eveniftheydon'tconsider

themselvestobeoptimists.

Thegoodnewsisthatthisbringsahealthbenefit.

Beingupbeatandhavingapositiveoutlookonlifereduces

anxiety.Astudyofnearly100,000womenshowedalowerriskof

deathfromheartdiseaseamongstoptimists.

Buttherearepitfallstoalwayshavinganupbeatattitude.The

authorsofthestudypointoutthe2008financialcrisismayhavebeen

causedbyanalystsoverestimatingtheirassets'performance

eveninthefaceofclearevidencetothecontrary.

Therearepersonalhealthriskstoo.DrTaliSharot,leadresearcher,

said:'"SmokingKills'messagesdon'tworkaspeoplethinktheir

chancesofcancerarelow.There'saveryfundamentalbiasinthe

brain."

But,astheysay,everycloudhasasilverlining.Evenifseeing

theworldthroughrose-tintedglassesposesarisktoourhealth,

it'snotsomethingthatislikelytocauseustolosesleep.

Let'sjustkeepourchinsupandkeepsmiling!

Quiz小测验

1.Whatthingdoesthearticlementionassomethingan

optimistwoulddo?

Tokeepbuyinglotteryticketsinspiteofnotwinning.

2.Whydoscientistssaythathavingatendencytobean

upbeatindividualisinthebrain?

Theyfoundoutthatthebrainisveryefficientatprocessinggood

news.

3.Whatcouldbeanadvantageofbeingnaturallysanguine?

Itcouldreduceanxietyandbegoodforaperson'shealth.

4.Whydon'tpeoplestopsmokingassoonastheylearnthat

thehabitcankill?

Becausetheyareoptimistsbynaturetheythinkthatthechancesof

themgettingcancerarelow.

5.Whattwoeverydayobjectsfeatureinphrasesusedto

describeoptimism?

Aglass（toseetheglassashalf-full,nothalf-empty）andglasses

（seeingtheworldthroughrose-tintedglasses）.

Glossary词汇表

optimism乐观主义

sanguine（正式用语）满怀希望的

toseetheglassashalf-full,nothalf-empty表示同样半杯水，乐观的人

觉得杯子是半满，悲观的人觉得杯子是半空的。

upbeat乐观的，欢快的

tohaveapositiveoutlookonlife有一个积极的人生观

upbeatattitude乐观的态度

tooverestimate过高估计

inthefaceof纵然，面对，即使

bias偏见

everycloudhasasilverlining（喻）黑暗中总有一丝光明（原意：乌云也

有银边）

toseetheworldthroughrose-tintedglasses（喻）把世界看得过于美好

（原意：透过玫瑰色眼镜看世界）

tokeepyourchinup（喻）勇敢面对困难（原意：抬起下巴，仰起头）

"Getyourgobingearforanight!"Thatwastheinvitationtoarecent

eventinLondoncelebratingtheartofkissing.

Peoplewereaskedtoputonlipgloss,presstheirmouthsagainsta

pieceofcardandthenwriteamessagedescribinga

memorablesmacker.

Onewomanmentionedherexperienceofgivingapeckonababy's

cheek.

Anothermoanedaboutasloppykissshehadreceivedfromanew

boyfriend.

Anthropologistssuggesttheoriginsofthesnogaren'tromantic:in

primitivetimesmotherschewedfoodandgaveittotheirbabies

mouth-to-mouth.

Today,kissingetiquettevariesaccordingtolocalcustoms.Insome

countriespeoplewillgreetyouwithonepeck,inotherswithtwoor

more.

InFrance,theyaresokeenonkissingthattheyhaveevengota

smackernamedafterthem:theFrenchkiss.That'stheonewhere

tonguesgetbusy.

ButinIndiaasmoochinpubliccouldlandyouinjail.InGermany,

youwon'tbegivingyourfreedomthekiss-offbutan

inappropriatesnogcouldbethekissofdeathforyourpromotion.

TheKniggeSocietysaysthepracticeofgreetingworkcolleagueswith

akissisuncomfortableformanyGermans.

Thelongestcontinuoussnogeverrecordedlastedformorethan46

hours.AThaicouplelockedlipsinaspecialeventinthebeachresort

ofPattaya.

ButwhataboutBritain?Well,weBritsaremuchlessshythanweused

tobeaboutkissinginpublic,butnoteveryoneiskeen.In

particular,airkissingisseenasanaffectationoftherichand

beautifulclasses.Youcanevenrefertosuchpeopleasmwahs,which

isthesoundofakiss:"Darling!Mwah!"

Quiz小测验

1.Whatisawordforasmall,quickkiss?

Apeckonthecheek.

2.Doeseverybodyliketoreceivewetkisses?

No.Thewomanmentionedinthetextwasmoaningaboutthesloppy

kissshereceivedfromanewboyfriend.

3.Whatwastheoriginalpurposeofkissing,accordingto

researchers?

Itwasawayformotherstofeedtheirbabies:theychewedfoodand

gaveittotheirbabiesmouth-to-mouth.

4.InwhichcountrycouIdyoubearrestedforkissingpeople

passionatelyonthestreet?

India.

5.Putthesekissingstylesinorderofextentofcontact,from

moretoless:asmacker,aFrenchkiss,anairkiss.

Orderfrommorecontacttolesscontact:aFrenchkiss,asmacker,an

airkiss.

Glossary词汇表

agob（俚语）嘴

lipgloss唇彩

asmacker（俚语）响亮的吻

apeck（俚语）轻吻

asloppykiss心不在焉，草率的亲吻

asnog（英式俚语）长时间的接吻

aFrenchkiss法式接吻

asmooch浪漫地亲吻并拥抱在一起

togivesomethingthekiss-off（俚语）直接说不要什么东西了

thekissofdeath死亡之吻

tolocklips亲吻

airkissing空吻

affectation矫揉造作、装模做样

amwah（原意指亲脸颊发出的声音）•个无诚意的有钱社交名流

Adiscoveryinthelastweekhasturnedphysicsonitshead.

Ateamofscientistshavesaidthattheyrecordedsubatomic

particlescalledneutrinostravellingfasterthanlight.No-onethought

thatwaspossible.

Itisafindingthatcouldoverturnoneof

Einstein'slong-acceptedfundamentallawsoftheUniverse.

ThefindingwasmadebyresearchersatCerninSwitzerlandandGran

SassoinItaly.

ThespeedoflightisacornerstoneinEinstein'stheoryofspecial

relativity,whichiswhatgivesustheconceptofcausality:causes

precedeeffects.

Amongtheimplicationsofthischallengetomainstreamtheoryis

thefactthatitcouldmeantimetravelispossible,

ahypothesisthathaslongconvincedwritersofsciencefiction.

Buttheexperimenthasitssceptics.AphysicistfromtheUniversity

ofSurrey,JimAl-Khalili,believesthatthecurrentconsensusis

correctandthatthelight-speedbarrierisimpossibletosurpass.

HehastriedtopickholesinthemethodologyoftheCern

researchers.SosureisAl-Khalilithattheyhavemadeanerrorintheir

measurementsthathehasdecidedtodefendthelawsofphysicsby

challengingthelawsofsocialconvention.

Al-Khalilisaid:"IftheCernexperimentprovestobecorrect...Iwill

eatmyboxershortsonliveTV."

Quiz小测验

1.WhattheorycouIdbeaffectedbythenewdiscovery?

AlbertEinstein'stheoryofspecialrelativity.

2.Doesthenewexperimentprovethetheorymostphysicists

believe?

No,itchallengesmainstreamtheory.

3.Whatsci-fiactivitycouldbepossibleifthenewfindingsare

correct?

Timetravel.

4.WhydoesJimAl-Khalilithinktheexperimentiswrong?

Hethinksthattheresearchersmadeamistakewiththeir

methodology,thewaytheydidtheexperiment.

5.Isthefollowingstatementtrue,falseornot

given?"Al-Khaliliwillchallengesocialconventionsbyeating

hisunderwearonliveTV."

Notgiven.Al-KhaliliwillonlydothisifthenewCernexperiment

provestobetrue.

Glossary词汇表

toturnsomethingonitshead完全改变

subatomicparticle次原子粒子

tooverturn推翻

longaccepted长期被认可的

cornerstone基石

theoryofspecialrelativity狭义相对论

theconceptofcausality因果关系的概念

implications影响，含义，推断

mainstreamtheory主流理论

timetravel时空穿梭

hypothesis假设

sciencefiction科幻小说

experiment实验

sceptic怀疑论者

currentconsensus当前的共识

thelight-speedbarrier光速障碍

overcome克月艮

topickholesinsomething寻找漏洞

methodology方法论，方法学

socialconvention社会惯例，常规

Lights,camera,action!Whenwegotothecinemawesometimes

experiencescenesthatreflectreality.Butdoestheimageryaffect

ourbehaviour?

Anewstudyhasfoundthatteenagerswhoseeactorssmokingon

screenaremorelikelytotakeitup.

5,00015yearoldsintheUKwerequestionedandmanysaid

seeingblockbusterfilmsthatdepictsmokingwouldencourage

themtolightup.

ThisresearchbyBristolUniversitylookedatthepotentialinfluenceof

someofthe360topUSboxofficefilmsreleasedbetween2001and

2005thatshowedsmoking,suchasSpider-ManandTheMatrix.

Nowsomeexpertsarecallingforachangeinfilmcertificationso

theunder-18sareunabletoseeactorssmokingonthesilver

screen.

DrAndreaWaylen,wholedtheresearch,said"Wesawalinear

relationshipbetweenadolescentsmokingandthenumberoffilms

theyhadseendepictingsmoking."

IntheUK,filmswithratingsU(universal)orPG(parentalguidance)

banscenesshowingdrugmisusebutnotcigarettesmoking.

Butisseeingtheleadpuffingonacigarette

reallyglamorisingsmoking?Ifso,would

themotion-pictureindustryhavetore-thinkwhatgoesin

everyscenefromthestarttotheendcredits?

SimonClark,directorofthesmoker'sgroupForest,said:"Wegoto

thecinematoescapefromthenannystate...whatnext?Should

governmentreclassifyfilmsthatfeaturefatpeopleaswellincase

theyarebadrolemodels?"

Quiz小测验

1.Dosometeenagersgetinfluencedbyseeingactorssmoking

infilms?

Yes.Anewstudyhasfoundthatteenagerswhoseeactorssmokingon

screenaremorelikelytotakeitup.

2.Isthisstatementtrueorfalse?Everyfilmisgivena

certificatewhichsaysunder-18saren'tallowedtowatchit.

False.Thearticlesaid:"Someexpertsarecallingforachangeinfilm

certificationsotheunder-18sareunabletoseeactorssmokingonthe

silverscreen."

3.Isthisstatementtrueorfalse?Spider-ManandTheMatrix

wereboxofficehitsintheUS.

True.Thearticlesaid:"ThisresearchbyBristolUniversitylookedat

thepotentialinfluenceofsomeofthe360topUSboxofficefilms

releasedbetween2001and2005thatshowedsmoking,suchas

Spider-ManandTheMatrix."

4.ArefilmswiththeratingUorPGnotallowedtoshowpeople

smoking?

No.IntheUK,filmswithratingsU(universal)orPG(parental

guidance)banscenesshowingdrugmisusebutnotcigarette

smoking.

5.Doblockbusterfilmsbeginwiththecredits?

No.Thearticlesaid:"Wouldthemotion-pictureindustryhaveto

re-thinkwhatgoesineveryscenefromthestarttotheendcredits?"

Glossary词汇表

lights,camera,action!灯光，镜头，开拍！

imagery想象中的

blockbuster畅销大片

depict表现,刻画

boxoffice票房

filmcertification（针对观众年龄的）电影限制规定

thesilverscreen银幕

ratings评级

PG（parentalguidance）家长指导级（不适合儿童观看的）

thelead领衔主演

glamorising潇洒的

motion-picture电影

scene场面

theendcredits影片末尾的演员表

reclassify重新划定

rolemodels榜样

OddthingsarehappeningtoBrits...weseemtobedevelopinggreen

fingers!

Thenumberofpeoplegrowingtheirownfruitandveghasalmost

doubledinthepastyear,accordingtoGardeners'Worldmagazine.

GardensandallotmentsacrosstheUKhavebeenputtouseas

peoplediscoverthejoysofhome-grownproduce.

Butnoteveryonehasspaceforavegetablepatchoraflowerbed.

Andsometimesawindowboxjustisn'tenoughofagardening

challenge.

That'swhysomepeoplehavebeenturningtoguerrillagardening.

Thisiswhenpeopleplantflowersorvegetablesinpublicspacesto

makethemgreenerandmorepleasingtotheeye.

Manypeoplewouldapproveofprettifyingtownsandcities,but

guerrillagardeningisnotstrictlylegal.Therefore,thistypeof

gardeningoftentakesplaceinthedeadofnight.

Butthestereotypeofthekeengardenerisnotsomeonewhowears

combatbootsandbreaksthelaw.Itisofsomeonewho

wearswelliesandspendsalltheirtime

ingreenhousesandpottingsheds.Weexpectsuchapersonto

knoweveryaspectofhowtotendandcultivatetheirplants.

Yet,despitetheincreaseinpeoplegrowingtheirown,morethan

halfoftheUKpopulationstilldonotknowwhen18outofthetop22

fruitandvegetablesareinseason,accordingtoGardeners'World.

ItseemsthatBritainstillhassomewaytogobeforewecanjustifiably

becalledanationofgardeners.

Quiz小测验

1.WhathashappenedtoBritishpeople'shandsrecently?

Nothing.Tohavegreenfingersisanidiom,meaningtobegoodat

gardening.

2.Hasgardeningincreasedbyover100%?

No,ithasalmostdoubled.

3.Isitpossibletolegallygardenpublicproperty?

Yes,ifyouhaveanallotment,whichisrentedoffthelocalauthority.

4.Whydosomepeoplegardenatnight?

Becausetheyarebreakingthelawbygardeningillegally.

5.Isthisstatementtrue,falseornotgiven?Britswhohave

startedgardeningrecentlystilldon'tknowwhenmanyfruit

andvegetablesareinseason.

Notgiven.WeknowthatmorethanhalfoftheUKpopulationdon't

knowthisinformation,butnotwhetherthesearethesamepeople

whohavestartedgardeningrecently.

Glossary词汇表

toreapwhatonesows种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆

tohavegreenfingers形容有园艺才华的人

fruitandveg蔬果

allotment［英］（划成小块出租的）菜地

home-grown自家种植

produce农作物

vegetablepatch菜地

flowerbed花坛

windowbox放在窗台上的长花盆

guerrilla游击队式的

toprettifysomething美化某物

thedeadofnight深夜

wellies雨靴

greenhouse温室

pottingshed盆栽棚

totendsomething照顾某物

tocultivatesomething培养某物

togrowone'sown种植自己的蔬菜和水果

inseason当季的

anationofgardeners园艺大国

Drriinnggg!That'sthesoundkidsupanddownthecountrydonot

wanttohear-thealarmbell.

TheschoolyearhasjuststartedandchildrenacrosstheUKhaveto

wakeupbrightandearlytogotoschool.

Butstudentsatoneschoolinnorth-eastEnglandcanlieinforan

extrahourbeforetheygotoschool.

MonkseatonHighSchoolhasbeenallowingitspupilstocomeinto

schoolanhourlaterthanotherschools.

Theheadmaster,DrPaulKelley,saysthatthisapproachhelps

studentspaymoreattentioninclass.

Hefeelsthatyoungpeoplearemoreproductivelateronintheday

andthatalatestartmaybebetterfortheirschoolcareerthanan

earlyone.

DrKelleytoldtheBBCthat"teenagersdon'tfunetionverywellinthe

morningandtheirneedtosleepisbiological."

Itseemsthatthisnovelapproachtoteachingshowspositive

results.Theschoolhasalreadyseenadropinthenumberof

pupilsplayingtruantby27%.

Moreimportantly,DrKelleyalsosaidthatexamresultshave

improvedby20-30%overthepastyear.

LessonsatMonkseatonHighSchoolbeginat10amandfinishat

3.40pm;however,theschoolopensfrom8amto5pm.

Quiz小测验

1.DoestheheadmasterofMonkseatonHighSchoolbelieve

thatstartingschoollateisagoodthingforstudents?

Yes.DrPaulKelleybelievesitmakesthestudentsmoreproductive.

2.HaveexamresultsimprovedsinceMonkseatonHighSchool

begantoallowitsstudentstohavealiein?

Yes.Examresultsattheschoolhaveimprovedbetween20-30%.

3.AremorestudentsmissinglessonsatMonkseatonHigh

School?

No.Therehasbeena27%dropinstudentsplayingtruant.

4.Doesthisapproachmakestudentspaymoreattentionin

class?

Yes.DrPaulKelleysaysallowingstudentstohavealieinmakesthem

paymoreattentioninclass.

5.WhendolessonsatMonkseatonHighSchoolbegin?

Theybeginat1Oam.

Glossary词汇表

juststarted刚刚开始

brightandearly明亮的大清早儿

liein躺在床上

students学生

pupils小学学生

paymoreattentioninclass更集中精力听课

moreproductive生产效率更高的

schoolcareer在学生涯

function运作

biological生物的

novel新颖的

approachtoteaching教学方法

playingtruant逃学，旷课

examresults考试成绩

Theweb-savvyamongstyouwillknowthatjustasamouseisno

longeronlyarodent,atweetisn'tnecessarilyanoisemadebyabird.

Nearlyaquarterofthenewwordsaddedtothelatesteditionofthe

ChambersDictionarycomefrominternetculture,withtheeconomic

recessionandclimatechangealsocontributingstrongly.

Theinternetage'sabilitytoreinventoldwordswithnewmeanings

continues.Thecloud,youmaythink,isthethingaboveyourhead

whichproducesrain.It'snotassimpleasthatanymore.

Weallknowwhatpayis,right?Andawallisawall-asinTheGreat

Wallof...Butwhataboutapaywall?Canyouworkitout?

Movingontotheeconomy,wordssuchasquantitative

easinganddouble-diprecessionhavebecomefamiliartofollowers

ofcurrentaffairs.

Amongsttheenvironmentaltermsnowappearinginthedictionary

youcanfindupcycleandprecycleaswellascarbonoffsetting.