Unit 1
As a foreigner doing business in the United States, I feel very rushed. I am used to friendly opening exchanges when doing business. Here in Chicago, things are different. There is no time for getting to know one another. This does not seem appropriate to me. There is no chance to develop a sense of trust when people meet to talk over issues. There are no rituals like tea or coffee before discussing business, though this is a(n) convention in my country. When we discuss business it starts with a(n) leisurely chat. I think that it is important for business partners to get familiar with each other first and to feel relaxed. If the exchange is too abrupt , there is a risk that something will be forgotten. Some possibilities go without being assessed when there is too much pressure. I don't believe this is the best strategy for proper communication. Besides, the perception is that they just don't care about you as an individual here. You are basically just another means of making money.
All of this used to create a real dilemma for me. At first, it caused me to have as little interaction with American business partners as possible. Gradually, though, I have come to understand the cultural differences between our two countries. This has really helped me to feel more comfortable doing business here. Unit 2
Bill Johnson's path to Olympic gold was different than that of most. In fact, even though he was the first American man to ever win the downhill skiing event, many rejected him as a true Olympic hero. He was a rebellious kid who came from a troubled background, and he boasted too much. Moreover, he only became involved in skiing because a judge sent him to a ski school after he had stolen a car at age 17. There was no lifelong commitment to the sport. He did not exemplify the Olympic spirit. He did not gain distinction by continuously training for his event.
Still, few failed to appreciate his marvelous race in the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo. He was just a natural skier and his technique was perfect for the course. And so even before the race began, he was claiming victory. \for me. Nothing can stop me,\he talked about the millions of dollars he would be able to make after he won the race. This made many skiers hostile toward him. That just encouraged him even more. Then on the day of the event, he turned out the fastest. \throw yourself down a mountain,\medal for the United States. \ Unit 3
At first, my dad was not in favor of me marrying Will because Will is black. I guess my dad was a bit of a racist. Unfortunately, no arguments could counter dad's beliefs. Despite his protests , though, Will and I decided to go through with our wedding. On a marvelous June day we were married in the park. The wedding went off without any hostile words or embarrassing exchanges. It was actually quite beautiful. There was just one problem. Many of our friends and relatives didn't attend our wedding. I had to conclude that my dad was not the only prejudiced person we knew. Other than my father, no one had come out to speak against my relationship with Will. It did not seem appropriate for them to show their resistance to our marriage in this way. My dad had strong reservations about my marriage to Will, but at least he was there. Will and I decided to overcome this burden by showing everyone how wrong they were. We wanted not only to love one another, but also to defy racial hatred by loving one another. We probably weren't being all that realistic, but we did succeed with one person. My dad and Will have developed an amazing friendship. My dad says he has forgotten why he ever had any doubts about our marriage. Unit 4
What do we know about love? Is it, as some people would suggest, a mysterious force? Or can it be explained and possibly even created? Well, even in this scientific and reason-driven age, love seems still to defy total understanding. We can, however, know something about love and make stronger connections between individuals.
One thing that seems to affect love is distance. The common idea is that the love between people grows as they are separated. Sometimes it is true that longing for someone who has gone overseas becomes more intense.
Something that nourishes love is danger. Send both lovers to dangerous places and they will end up loving each other more. This could be caused by the worry it develops. It could also be that feelings of uncertainty or need transform into love with time.
Love gives us warmth, courage, and a feeling of being safe, but it also demands selfless devotion and sacrifice. If you are truly committed to finding true love, you should make yourself more interesting. Do things that you enjoy and try to meet people who share identical interests. Unit 5
My son has started to hang out with the wrong type of boys. He is fifteen years old and until recently I had always been grateful for how easy he has been to raise. Lately, though, he has ceased to listen to what I say. He used to be such a sweet boy, but
being in high school seems to have hardened him against authority figures. The change in his attitude has been very noticeable even to his teachers.
The other day I asked him to come straight home after school, but instead he rebelled and stayed out until ten o'clock. Later I found out that he had skipped school completely that day. I found out that he was with a(n) bunch of boys who often cause trouble. I decided to forbid him to do anything with those boys, but he didn't listen to me. In spite of my objections to him being with those boys, he was with them the very next day.
A friend of mine has a son who is having identical problems. She decided to give him a change of scenery and sent him to a private school. I'm not sure this is the best solution, though. You can't just change a boy's behavior by changing his school every time he does something wrong. It is better to help a kid establish a good set of core values. Unit 6
My name, Bobby, is used both for boys and girls. Girls spell it \It is characteristic for little boys to be given a name with a \sound at the end. For example, I often had a Jimmy, Johnny or Billy in my classes. In my second grade, I also had a Bobbie. In order not to confuse us when she called our names, our teacher assigned us the names \Girl\and \Boy\This caused me a lot of trouble on the playground. There, my friends labeled me \Girl\For my friends, the apparent contrast between my name and my sex was the source of much laughter. The fact that they labeled me as a girl was very embarrassing . I had a tendency to compensate for my name by acting more like a boy than I might have otherwise. I threw more rocks and yelled louder than the sum of all of the other boys added together. The real \teacher realized she had made a mistake, she stopped calling us \Girl\and \Boy\Unfortunately, my friends never forgot or ceased calling me \Girl\class. Also, I requested the teacher just call me \ Unit 7
My family, my boss, even my doctor had told me this would happen, but I didn't listen. They said I was getting overwhelmed and focusing too much on the negative things that happened to me. \you don't learn to control how you react to bad things that happen in your life, you are going to cause damage to your heart,\my doctor. \Getting caught in them is very destructive for you physically and emotionally. You have to learn to let these things go and focus on things you can actually change.\
undoubtedly, should have made his advice my number one priority right then. Unfortunately, I got caught in a traffic jam that very same day while driving home from work. This was the setting for the heart attack my doctor had warned me about. Instead of looking for a better outlet for my stress, I began to yell at the car in front of me. Then the muscle fibers of my heart began beating like a bag of worms instead of pumping blood. Fortunately, it was only a mild heart attack. Someone came to my aid and then accompanied me to the hospital. I have definitely learned that life is too short to worry about things you can't control. Unit 8
Having a lot of money is useless without a good education. Life isn't simply about consumption and having a good time when you're not at work. Money will only cause you grief unless you use it for the welfare of the world. That's why I believe that a good education is indispensable. A formal education with emphasis on history, literature, and culture helps a person learn how to distinguish right from wrong. Education that only teaches skills specific to a job can only render skills for performing a task. It doesn't teach you how to make important decisions. Employers tend to demand more from their employees than the ability to perform a task. Our world needs workers who pay constant attention to high standards for their performance. It is evident that far too many people today are focusing on making money and not on improving themselves. What puzzles me is why people should ignore contributions to the good of humanity while making money. It is only rational a person who gives to the world enjoys the benefits. After all, our civilization simply can't be built on the principle of making money alone.
In summary, we must educate our young people to understand and love the world around them. This is the only way to ensure a better tomorrow. Unit 9
Nobody has ever had to tell me to get out of bed. My number one asset has always been that I am much more ambitious than most. The way I see it, life is too short to make periodical concessions to comfort and fun. If you want to accomplish something remarkable, you've got to stay motivated and constantly work toward your goals. My goal has been to become a(n) journalist since I was a young boy. When I was eight, my father said, \should be more realistic about your prospects and abilities.\
I didn't want to deceive myself about how hard it would be, so I started that day by getting a job delivering newspapers. I departed from home every morning at 4:30 to do my work before school. I was fascinated with the printing machines so I always
arrived to work early to ask questions. I wasn't much of a scholar, so I eventually ended up enrolling in an average university. Still, I was keen on becoming a reporter and did not give up my dream. I wrote for the school newspaper and when I graduated, took a job sorting mail with a local media company. I later convinced them to give me a chance to write some simple articles. That's how I got my start. Unit 10
Are we fated to repeat the past because our memories are too short? Wasn't World War II supposed to provide a(n) resolution that would end all wars? Why are we still fighting? As people around the world endure the agonies of war, is it possible to even hope for a brighter tomorrow?
A recent study revealed that the quantity of wars in the world is actually decreasing. I hardly believe this means we deserve historic praise for greater understanding of our fellow men. While the number of traditional wars may have declined slightly, acts of violence around the globe are on the increase.
The end of World War II left us with an opportunity rarely seen throughout history—to start over. But, instead of seizing that opportunity and guaranteeing safety and well-being of all peoples, rich nations took advantage of the poor. We cannot continue with the assumption that our actions in other parts of the world are without consequences at home. If we do so, the heroic efforts of the soldiers of World War II will have been a waste. We will simply repeat the wars of the past.
1单元
作为一个外国人在美国做生意,我觉得很匆忙。我习惯了做生意的时候,开放交流的友好。在芝加哥,一切都不同了。你没有时间去了解彼此。这似乎并不适合我。是没有机会发展一个信任人们见面时谈的问题。没有任何仪式喜欢茶或者咖啡谈生意,虽然这是一个在我国(略)公约。当我们讨论业务开始与(氮)悠闲地聊天。我认为这是非常重要的商业伙伴熟悉彼此第一和放松。如果交流是太突然了,有一种风险,有些事情是可以遗忘。一些可能没有得到评估时,有太多的压力。我不相信这是最好的战略,适当的沟通。此外,看法是,他们只是不关心你作为个人在这里。你基本上只是另一种赚钱的方法。
这一切,用来创建一个真正的困境我。首先,它使我有小小的互动与美国商业合作伙伴尽可能。渐渐地,虽然,我已经明白了我们两国之间的文化差异。这真的让我感到更舒适,在这里做生意。 2单元