Download Unit 1 Economy

Unit 1 Economy
Reading 1
All around the world, cities make use of logos to help attract tourists; none of
these logos, however, is as recognizable as that of New York City. You’ve surely seen it
before — it consists of the letter I, a red heart symbol, and the letters N and Y. When
read aloud, it says “I Love New York.” Although this logo has come to represent New
York City, it was actually designed to promote tourism in the entire state of New York,
which, at the time, was suffering from a severe economic downturn.
It’s not a standard strategy of companies or tourism boards to focus on
developing new designs during times of financial hardship. However, it would be a bad
idea to underestimate the power of design, whether you represent a business, a city or a
state. It was the strength of this “I Love New York” design that gave New York City an
important edge in the competitive tourism industry when it needed it the most.
New York City was in bad fiscal shape during the 1970’s, to the point where the
possibility of a citywide bankruptcy was being discussed. Businesses were abandoning
the city in great numbers, unwilling to be located in an environment with a reputation
for being dirty and dangerous. Looking for new ways of coping with the economic
depression, the State of New York hired a graphic artist by the name of Milton Glaser.
Asked to come up with a new tourism marketing campaign, Glaser created the “I Love
New York” slogan and logo.
It was, of course, a huge success. Before long, the logo could be found on all
kinds of merchandise, from coffee mugs to bumper stickers, and many famous celebrities
were photographed wearing “I Love New York” T-shirts. The tourism campaign drew
millions of visitors back to the city, helping it to slowly begin to emerge from its fiscal
crisis and regain its glamorous image of the past. And it all began with Glaser’s catchy
design, which created an unforgettable new “brand” for the city.
Unit 1
Reading 2
Everyone loves getting something for free, and these days it is easier than ever to
receive a variety of free items. Companies give away free food, free T-shirts, even free
cell phones. This might not seem like a smart thing for businesses to do, but it’s actually
a well-planned strategy based on something called “freeconomics.”
One basic practice of freeconomics is letting people try something once in order
to make them become regular customers. For example, if you are given a free coffee at a
café one morning, you might come back day after day to buy the same drink. This is the
same reason a company might send you a small container of shampoo in the mail —
they hope you will buy a full bottle the next time you go shopping. Another strategy of
freeconomics is to give consumers something for free, knowing they will then need to
purchase something to accompany it. A phone company, for example, may give you a
free cell phone, but you then need to pay for an annual plan.
The concept of freeconomics has been around for a while, but the Internet has
made it more popular than ever. Because the cost of running an online business is so
low, websites are constantly offering free benefits in the hope of attracting more visitors.
While some people will simply take advantage of the free offerings, the business will
make an effort to convince them to upgrade to more attractive paid services. This is
known as the “freemium” strategy, a combination of the words “free” and “premium.”
Some experts believe freeconomics will eventually change the way business takes
place. Already, any company with a superior product can benefit by giving potential
consumers a free taste. And online, there are plenty of businesses, such as YouTube and
Google, that don’t need to sell anything to consumers at all. They simply attract millions
of people to their websites with free services, and make their profits from charging other
companies to advertise on their site. These businesses make money, and we get to enjoy
something for free.
Unit 2 Health
Reading 1
It has long been known that the food that we consume has a strong effect on our
health and well-being. With this in mind, the Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa
created the first macrobiotic diet in the 1920s. Seeking to cure himself of a chronic
disease, he put together a simple diet of brown rice, seaweed and water. Later, Michio
Kushi brought the macrobiotic diet across the Pacific to America, where he popularized it
with books and classes.
The term “macrobiotic” is derived from a Greek word meaning “long life.”
Ohsawa’s ultimate goal was to help people live longer, so he created his diet based on
the idea of yin and yang. This is a belief that everything in nature is balanced by two
opposite forces. In order to remain healthy, Ohsawa theorized, human beings also
needed such a balance. And to achieve this, they needed to eat a proper diet. Therefore,
he identified foods that had large amounts of either salt or sugar in them. These
“unbalanced” foods were eliminated from his diet in favor of more balanced foods.
The food recommended in a macrobiotic diet has changed quite a bit over the
years, but there are still some basic rules. Whole grains such as wheat, rice and barley
should make up the bulk of the diet. Also recommended are beans, seaweed and
vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli. It is best to eat food that has been grown
both naturally and locally. On the other hand, processed food and refined food such as
white flour and sugar are to be avoided. Other foods that shouldn’t be eaten include
meat, milk, coffee, chocolate and cheese.
When combined with exercise, a macrobiotic diet can help you lose weight and
lower your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. However, because it is low in
calories and certain vitamins, it is not recommended for children or pregnant women.
But if followed carefully, a macrobiotic diet might be able to help you stay healthy and
balanced!
Unit 2
Reading 2
Special Interview
By David Kim
Wed July 01 2010
Sometimes, two people can look at the same problem and come up with two very different
methods for solving it. Such is the case with practitioners of Western medicine and those of
Chinese, or Oriental, medicine. Our reporter sat down with two physicians to learn more about
what sets them apart.
Reporter: Dr. Smith, explain for us the general approach that Western physicians take toward
medicine.
Dr. Smith: In the West, modern medicine evolved around the same time as other physical
sciences, so we see it as a branch of science. As such, our medical understanding is guided by
carefully designed laboratory experiments. Likewise, the treatments we develop often come from
the laboratory in the form of chemically synthesized drugs.
Reporter: Dr. Wu, how does Chinese medicine differ from what Dr. Smith just described?
Dr. Wu: If Western medicine is a science, Chinese medicine can be thought of as an art. Just as
art is based on cultural tradition and evolves through the centuries, so does our practice of
medicine. Moreover, unlike chemical drugs, Chinese treatments typically utilize pure herbs,
administered in careful quantities and combinations.
Reporter: Dr. Smith, what is one drawback of the Western approach to medicine?
Dr. Smith: Unfortunately, we view the human body as a machine, and it follows that each illness
is seen as a defect in the machine. Repair or replace the defective part, and the machine should
function normally. However, because the human body is a complex set of systems linked with the
other, the true nature of how it works as a whole is not fully understood by Western medicine.
Reporter: Dr. Wu, what about a weakness in the Chinese approach?
Dr. Wu: I don’t think we put enough emphasis on studying and investigating the causes of
specific illnesses. Western doctors have powerful diagnostic tools at their disposal, something that
many Chinese doctors either lack or simply aren’t interested in.
Reporter: What are your predictions for the future of medicine?
Dr. Wu: I believe both traditions will work together more closely in the future. Both have
important innovations to offer, and in combination they could be quite effective.
Dr. Smith: Yes, I agree.
Unit 3 Language
Reading 1
Many languages of the world use the word “computer,” or something close to it.
But in one particular country, it can be illegal to call a computer a computer. In France, a
computer must be officially called un ordinateur. In fact, if there is a French equivalent
for any word, the English version is forbidden.
In 1994, the French government passed La Loi Toubon (the Toubon Law), making
the use of French compulsory in education, the media, and business. This means
commercial advertisements and public announcements must be made in French. The
Toubon Law has affected many aspects of French life. From restaurant menus to product
labels, all advertising of goods and services in France must be presented in French or at
least include a French translation. The reason for the law is simple: The French are very
proud of their language and do not want “Franglais” — a mixture of French and English
— to ruin it.
The Internet, however, has proved to be a bit of an obstacle for the Toubon Law.
Although the law does not apply to non-commercial communication, web pages, or
publications from individuals, French supporters of the law have tried to prosecute
certain websites that contain English. They say there is no reason why the Internet
should escape the law’s reach. But they have come up against the reality of the Internet
being a predominantly English-language medium. It is said that English is the lingua
franca of the Internet, and anyone who tries to block that will only slow their own
growth.
Although respecting and improving the quality of one’s native language is a
worthy aim, there are some concerns about legal intervention. Critics of the law claim
that it takes away individual freedom of expression. They also highlight the issue that
languages are alive and constantly changing. So the question is whether language can
be regulated by any law. For now, the answer remains to be seen.
Unit 3
Reading 2
What would the world be like if everyone could communicate in one language?
There was a man who tried to put this idea into practice: Poland’s Dr. Ludovic Lazarus
Zamenhof. His language, which was developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s, is
known as Esperanto. It is a constructed language intended for use among people who
speak different native languages. The word “Esperanto” means “a person who is hoping.”
Zamenhof’s goal was to create an easy and flexible language to foster peace and
international understanding and to resolve many of the problems that lead to strife and
conflict. It was to serve as an international auxiliary language — that is, as a universal
second tongue — not to replace ethnic languages. The number of speakers grew rapidly
over the next few decades, at first primarily in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe,
then in Western Europe and East Asia.
There are three particular features that make Esperanto easy to learn compared to
other languages. First, its system uses one letter for one sound, which means the spoken
and written language can be learned and applied very quickly. Furthermore, just 16
grammatical rules need to be learned to understand nearly all the grammar of Esperanto.
Finally, it is easy to form words from the most basic roots, and it is considered
acceptable to create your own words.
It is estimated that around two million people are currently able to speak
Esperanto. However, despite its easy-to-learn system, it was never made an official
language of any country. This could be because Esperanto is frequently criticized for
having vocabulary and grammar that is too closely related to Western European
languages. Another common criticism of the language is that it has no culture. However,
Esperanto is intentionally culturally neutral: It was intended to be a facilitator between
cultures, not the carrier of any one culture. Perhaps the future of the language depends
on the outcome of the dispute between two sides within the Esperanto-speaking
community: those who retain the original goal that Esperanto must become the universal
second language, and those who instead treat Esperanto as a kind of alternative lifestyle
with no grand ambitions.
Unit 4 Psychology
Reading 1
What are the basic requirements of life and what do we need next after those?
When you answer these questions, you’re doing the same kind of work that American
psychologist Abraham Maslow did in his “hierarchy of needs” theory. The theory states
that we must progress through various levels, satisfying the needs of each before being
able to move on to the next. He thought individuals could eventually fulfill their potential
if they could just satisfy their fundamental needs.
These most basic needs form the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy and are referred
to as physiological needs. Physiological needs include our needs for water and shelter.
Unless these are satisfied, we cannot move to the next level, safety needs. We need to
feel secure in our environment, and this feeling of security usually means protection and
freedom from fear. The third level is the need for love and belonging. People satisfy this
need through their families and homes, as well as by joining and forming groups,
making friends, and being part of a team.
In the fourth level, the need for esteem refers to the need of people to be
recognized. Here, they want to feel that others think highly of them; they may need
praise and want to feel good about themselves. They may try to accomplish this by
achieving set goals. Self-actualization, the fifth level, is the summit of Maslow’s hierarchy
of needs. It is the quest to reach one’s full human potential. In this process people tend
to have needs such as truth, justice, wisdom, and spiritual fulfillment.
Despite the appealing logic of Maslow’s hierarchy, it seems to have some limits.
Extensive research has suggested that there is little evidence for the ranking of levels and
the argument of a definite hierarchy. Moreover, the concept of self-actualization is vague,
and there’s no evidence to show that every individual can reach it.
Maslow was the first psychologist to carry out academic research on human needs.
He believed everybody should be encouraged to discover their vocations in life and
endeavor to make life better. These are still important lessons today.
Unit 4
Reading 2
“It was like that when I got here.” “I didn’t break the glass!” At one time or
another, children decide not to tell the truth. Without any training or encouragement to
lie, children can invent situations, hide the truth, ignore facts, and deny their own actions.
The reasons children lie differ according to age. At a young age, children often lie
because they are unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality. A three-year-old boy
may insist that a ghost has just been in his room. Forgetting something may also cause
children of this age to lie. As children reach the age of 5 or 6, they begin to feel guilty
when they behave badly and notice that certain tendencies disappoint their parents. As a
result, they may make up a lie to avoid some punishment or to get attention. By the
time they reach age 7 or 8, children commonly lie to avoid either punishment or doing
something that they don’t want to do. Interestingly, around this age, children may also
begin to grasp the concept of polite social lying — they may pretend they like some
birthday gift even though they don’t truly like it.
Most parents want their children to always be truthful. However, quite often, lying
is just a normal part of growing up. Nevertheless, if children are not admonished for
lying, they will neither grow to distinguish between truth and falsehood nor understand
the role of honesty in personal and social relationships.
Occasionally, even children who have grown up in very truthful homes will lie. Of
course, in these situations, parents will administer punishment to their children for lying.
But it is best to also focus on teaching children the value of honesty rather than simply
punishing them. Two of the best ways to do this are for parents to model honest
behavior and to set up an environment in which it is easy to be truthful.
Unit 5 History
Reading 1
During the US Civil War, the majority of large plantations in the South were
virtually wiped out. The huge farms that had produced cotton and tobacco could no
longer maintain previous production levels. Remarkably, it was an African American
agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver, who later provided a solution for the
difficulties encountered by the Southern agricultural industry.
Carver, who rose from slavery to receive a Master’s degree in Agricultural Science,
carried out research and realized that decades of growing only tobacco and cotton had
used up the nutrients in the soil of the South’s farmlands. He revolutionized Southern
agriculture by developing a crop rotation method for conserving the soil’s nutrients. The
key to Carver’s method was to alternate soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching
crops, such as peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans. Southern farmers
were convinced to follow Carver’s lead and began planting peanuts one year and cotton
the next, changing the South to a multi-crop farmland and liberating it from an excessive
dependence on cotton.
Carver’s work also extended to developing industrial applications for agricultural
crops. He developed hundreds of products that could be produced from peanuts and
sweet potatoes, including hand lotions, shampoos, glue, ink, dyes, and paper. By 1938,
peanuts were a major product of Alabama, resulting in a $200-million industry. As such,
his work renewed the profitability of Southern agriculture and improved the lives of
thousands of rural farmers.
In 1943, the contribution of Carver to American life was honored when US
president Franklin Delano Roosevelt unveiled a national monument dedicated to his
accomplishments. This contribution was all the more noteworthy as Carver didn’t patent
most of his inventions. Instead of personally profiting from his work, he donated the
money he earned to a foundation that would continue his work after his death.
Unit 5
Reading 2 TOEFL
The American Civil War
By 1860, the Northern states and Southern states of the US had developed into
two different regions with opposing economic and political views. Politically, the South
believed that the rights of the states were more important than a national government,
while the North needed a central government to integrate the states into a Union. The
North and South were, in particular, most sharply divided over the issue of slavery and
the reasons were their different economic interests; the North strongly opposed slavery,
while the South was firm in its position on the necessity of slavery. These disagreements
became the main reason for the American Civil War of 1861-65.
In the South, landowners, who only accounted for 5% of the population,
operated plantations to cultivate cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane, and more than 4
million slaves were essential for their sustainability. Cotton agriculture burgeoned in the
South during the industrial revolution with the development of a cotton gin and other
machines. The Southern states accumulated their wealth by growing agricultural goods.
To do so, they relied on the low-cost labor of slaves, and therefore resisted efforts to end
the practice of slavery. Meanwhile, the North had developed into an industrial capitalist
society. With the growth in the production of industrial products such as textiles, paper,
and metal, there was no longer a reliance on agriculture. Therefore, Northerners saw little
need for slavery and were more likely to oppose it.
Against this backdrop, Abraham Lincoln, who was against slavery, became
president in 1861. Seven Southern states broke away and attacked Fort Sumter at the
end of the same year, signaling the beginning of the American Civil War. By July 1864,
the war was going favorably for the North with victory at Gettysburg and finally ended
when Southern army surrendered in 1865.
The drawn-out war forced social and economic structures of the South to change.
Plantations disappeared and capitalists from the North flocked to invest in the South,
driving the rapid growth of industries such as textiles, tobacco, and iron, as well as
resources such as oil and coal. Between 1869 and 1870, American capitalism bloomed,
with industrial production as a whole doubling.
Unit 6 Media
Reading 1
When discussing the success or failure of television programs, people generally
refer to the number of viewers. This is an important statistic, as companies use it to
make advertising decisions. But did you ever wonder how this number is determined?
There is actually an entire field dedicated to this, known as audience research.
Of course, it would be impossible to find out what every person in the world is
watching at any particular time. Instead, a sample audience is surveyed. In America, this
sample consists of 25,000 households. In the past, these families were asked to keep a
diary of their viewing habits and submit it once a week. But in the 1990s, this method
was abandoned in favor of TV meters. These are devices that were attached to each
household’s televisions in order to record exactly what they watched.
Nowadays, however, most TV meters have been replaced with “people meters.”
These devices can gather more detailed information, keeping track of which people in
each household watched each program. When you sit down to watch TV, you push a
personalized button that activates the people meter. You push it again when you are
finished viewing. This lets advertisers know important things, such as which shows are
popular with women, or the average age of viewers of a certain show.
Unfortunately, there are some doubts that these rating figures are reliable. Part
of the problem is the sample size. The 25,000 American households used in audience
research represents only about 0.02% of the total population.. Therefore, the viewing
habits of 99.9% of America are being ignored.
There is also some specific criticism of people meters. They rely on people
consistently pressing their buttons when they enter or exit the room. Special cameras
have been created to fix this problem, but their high cost has prevented them from
being installed in most households. Furthermore, people increasingly watch TV in places
other than their own home, such as restaurants or other public locations. And, of course,
the growing popularity of watching shows on the Internet adds a whole new problem to
performing accurate audience research.
Unit 6
Reading 2
At the start the Information Age, the Internet provided its audience with various
types of content, which in most cases was a one-way experience. That is to say, the
audience just listened to, watched or read the content, but did not participate in creating
it themselves. But social media, a new media designed for social interaction, has changed
the Internet from a one-way medium to an interactive one.
Social media can take many different forms. The most popular of these are social
networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Young people have eagerly embraced
this new style of communication, but they’re not the only ones. Even the president of the
United States, Barack Obama, maintains his own social networking pages.
To get a better understanding of the impact that social media has had on the
Internet, as well as on society as a whole, take a look at the following statistics. More
than half of the world’s population is under 30 years old, and 96% of this younger
generation is part of an online social network. Facebook, the most popular of these sites,
gets more weekly traffic than even Google. In less than a year, it added more than 200
million users. In fact, if Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest
population in the world, trailing only India and China.
Obviously, social media has become a large part of many people’s everyday lives.
Among other things, it removes traditional barriers, allowing people of all ages and from
all cultures to communicate with one another. Some of these connections may be purely
social, as people share information about their hobbies and personal lives. However,
some may have a deeper social impact, as people use social media to spread
information about events in countries where the government has control of the
conventional media.
No matter how it is used, social media allows people to share unlimited ideas
and information, expanding their own views of the world while taking part in the creation
of a brand new online culture.
Unit 7 Biotechnology
Reading 1
Ever since the creation of Dolly, the sheep at the Roslin Institute in Scotland,
scientists have cloned a variety of animals, from goats and cows to dogs and rabbits.
Though capturing the imagination of the public, these advances in cloning technology
have given rise to concern because of their scientific and ethical implications.
Recently, the debate on cloning has moved from issues surrounding animals to
those concerning cloning humans. Human cloning is divided into two different kinds,
depending on its purpose — reproductive and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive cloning
is the creation of a clone whose DNA is identical to that of an existing human, whereas
therapeutic cloning refers to cultivating stem cells from a cloned embryo in order to cure
a disease. In therapeutic cloning, the embryo is used for tissue or organ cloning with a
view to providing transplants for the seriously ill.
New developments in therapeutic cloning have resulted in criticism from many
groups around the world. These groups claim that an embryo, no matter how small, is a
human life and therefore should be treated accordingly. They argue that it is wrong to
end such life, even if it is to be used to benefit somebody else. In contrast, though
admitting that the cloning of individual humans is undesirable, many scientists support
therapeutic cloning. They claim that embryonic stem cells can help them to study disease
in more detail than ever before and may one day enable them to succeed in curing
terminal diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or cancer.
Despite this controversy, a number of advances and achievements have been
announced by many countries. However, before these can be turned into useful medical
treatments, significant barriers — such as a severe shortage of donated human eggs for
research, opposition from certain groups, and keeping stem cells alive without
contamination — need to be overcome.
Unit 7
Reading 2
As the supply of genetically modified (GM) foods increases, many people are
unaware that some foods they are eating are a product of the GM process. Scientists in
a laboratory have artificially changed these foods by copying genes from one cell and
putting them into another in order to achieve some supposedly desirable result.
Nowadays, there are a variety of GM foods being produced, such as soybeans,
nuts, and potatoes. The reason for the modification process is to make these foods
resistant to insects and viruses so that farmers don’t need to use much herbicide. For
example, tomatoes, which are sensitive to the weather, can be supplemented with genes
from a type of fish that lives in very cold water so as to survive frost.
Its supporters argue that GM technology is the future of food and that it has
many advantages. They assert that because of GM food’s stronger resistance to nature’s
forces, farmers can produce better harvests. Moreover, it can increase the worldwide
supply of food, which can in turn help those areas suffering from food shortages. In
addition, common foods such as bananas and tomatoes can be injected with vaccines for
illnesses such as hepatitis to help prevent the spread of serious diseases.
Nevertheless, there has been increasing concern about the dangers of GM food.
Some people have an unusual reaction to specific proteins called allergens. These
allergens in some foods can be injected into another when modification takes place. And
some scientists are worried that proteins newly created during the modification process
can cause allergic reactions in some people. In addition, the ecosystem might be
destroyed by the GM process — the practice of feeding animals GM crops could lead to
health problems related to growth or metabolism.
The US, Canada, and Argentina, the world’s three largest producers of GM foods,
have challenged countries that protect against GM products. Meanwhile, the EU has
urged for a wise and careful approach to this matter, labeling products containing GM
elements, and some European companies have stopped using GM ingredients. GM food
is a complex issue. The debate on it will likely continue until we fully examine the longterm consequences.
Unit 8 Culture
Reading 1
★
a very good restaurant in its category
★★
excellent cuisine, worth a special detour
★★★
exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
Famous throughout Europe and now North America and Asia, the red-jacket
Michelin Guide has been ranking fine restaurants for more than a century. First published
in 1900, the Guide is put out annually and has become a bestseller.
The Michelin Guide ranks restaurants across Europe, as well as in several Japanese
and American cities. Their star system of ranking is universal, but short passages for each
restaurant are written in each country’s dominant language. Within the Guide, the name,
the quality, the location, phone number, price range, and working hours in winter and
summer are summarized in 3-6 lines. Several symbols, indicating outdoor seating, nonsmoking section, etc. help readers to understand quickly and easily.
Key to the Guide’s success is its impartial system for evaluating restaurants.
Inspections are carried out anonymously so each establishment does not know precisely
when it is being evaluated, although they can expect a visit from a Michelin
representative once every 18 months. The Guide is also renowned for its strictness. Stars
are given out sparingly and only to the most deserving restaurants, with only 81
restaurants in the entire world receiving three stars as of 2009.
Food in Europe is taken very seriously, especially in France, where chefs have near
superstar status. As the premier publication on food, the Michelin Guide is influential in
making, and sometimes breaking, both restaurants and chefs. If a restaurant is awarded a
star, its reputation is enhanced and it becomes booked up very quickly. So important are
these reviews that chefs have been known to kill themselves after losing even a single
star.
Having expanded into the North American and Asian markets, it is only a matter
of time before the Michelin Guide includes more countries. How would the restaurants in
your hometown measure up against the best in the world? Only time, and the Michelin
Guide, will tell.
Unit 8
Reading 2
Outrageous. Shocking. Unorthodox. These words are seldom associated with
Japan. Yet over 400 years ago a form of theater emerged as outrageous as any modernday music video. Dressed in bright costumes and colorful makeup, the actors performed
to an audience that laughed and cheered wildly. This style continues to thrive in
contemporary Japan and is known by the Chinese characters KA (sing), BU (dance), and
KI (skill), or kabuki.
The origins of kabuki date back to Kyoto in 1603, where a woman named Okuni
entertained people by singing and dancing in outrageous clothes. At that time there was
little entertainment for common people in a Japan that had a strict class-based society.
Shortly afterward, kabuki began to appeal to commoners and became their favorite
source of enjoyment.
Storylines were often developed around current events or important issues.
However, since criticizing authorities publicly was not allowed, playwrights changed the
names of the people involved and set plays in the past. In this way, writers could gossip
or complain about certain members of the ruling class.
In the early development of kabuki, most actors were women, but they were
banned from acting on stage in 1629. Since then, most actors have been men.
Consequently, it was common for a professional male actor to wear heavy makeup and
assume the role of a female character. Kabuki actors portray their characters by the use
of symbolic makeup. For example, white-faced characters are seen as good, while bluefaced characters are bad.
Kabuki is also known for the special features of its stage setup. Most actors enter
and exit the stage by walking along a long platform that cuts through the audience. This
hanamichi (literally, “flowery path”) connects actors with their audience in an intimate
way. The stage also revolves, allowing for quick set changes. And musicians, playing
flutes, drums, and the three-stringed shamisen, are seated behind a screen, heard but
not seen by the audience.
Japanese theatergoers today still actively participate as members of the kabuki
audience. They enjoy and are part of the performances as much now as in the past.
Unit 9 Environment
Reading 1
Elephants are facing an increasing threat as human behavior continues to
influence their natural environments. The number of people living in Asia and Africa has
increased fourfold since 1900, which means that elephants’ habitat has been lost to
human settlement. Combined with hunting fueled by the demand for ivory, this has led
to a dramatic decline in elephant populations over the past few decades. The figures
show an almost 90% decrease in African elephant numbers since 1930, from more than 6
million to fewer than 600,000 alive today. There are even fewer Asian elephants left; only
35,000 to 40,000 still exist.
The threat of elephant extinction is worrying in view of the vital role they play in
the ecosystem. As huge and powerful consumers, elephants are a keystone species in
their environment, affecting biodiversity in their regional habitats. They eat large
quantities of woody vegetation and are thus responsible for clearing much of the land,
contributing to the creation and maintenance of the grasslands. These grasslands provide
a habitat for other animals, such as the antelope.
Furthermore, elephant dung is important to the environment. Baboons and birds
pick through elephant dung for undigested seeds and nuts, and dung beetles reproduce
in these deposits. The nutrient-rich dung also helps damaged soil to recover. Finally, it is
a vehicle for spreading seeds over a wide area. It’s important to note that some seeds
will not grow unless they have passed through an elephant’s digestive system.
In an attempt to save elephants, they have been declared an endangered species,
and the sale of ivory was banned in 1990. Moreover, many areas of elephant habitat
have been conserved as national parks. Most environmentalists believe, however, that the
parks are too small and too isolated from each other to allow elephant populations to
recover. What most people do agree on is that without serious international cooperation,
elephants face the threat of extinction in the near future.
Unit 9
Reading 2
In December, 2001, a team of Greenpeace activists got into two small rubber
boats to try to stop Japanese whale hunters from killing a whale. They even put
themselves between the whale and the fishing boat’s sharp harpoon. News stations
across the world showed these scenes, drawing attention to Greenpeace’s concerns over
whale hunting.
The Greenpeace environmental protection organization has been receiving
publicity from activities like this for over 30 years. One of Greenpeace’s founders, Robert
Hunter, invented the phrase “mind bomb,” which means a creative and radical idea that
attracts the attention of the media. Mind bombs have been Greenpeace’s chief strategy,
contributing to its international renown.
Greenpeace started in Canada in 1971, originally to protest against nuclear bomb
testing in nearby Alaska, and has been fighting, without violence, for the environment
ever since. In fact, that approach is represented by its motto — “non-violent direct
action.” Today, Greenpeace has grown into an international organization with offices in
40 countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Among its many successes was when, in
1998, it persuaded the oil company Shell to bring its infamous offshore installation, The
Brent Spar, to land for recycling instead of dumping it in the ocean.
Despite its successes, Greenpeace has suffered setbacks in its campaigning. In
1985, Greenpeace’s ship The Rainbow Warrior was actually bombed by order of the
French government. The French were very angry with Greenpeace for its interference in
their nuclear testing program in the South Pacific. In the end, Greenpeace won: the
French stopped their tests.
Nowadays, Greenpeace is helping save old forests in Finland from logging, as
they are an important reindeer habitat. The organization is also protecting dolphins in
the English Channel from the long nets of fishing boats. And Greenpeace has helped
Antarctica to be declared a world park. This means no nations can ever own or develop
it. Greenpeace remains committed to keeping our oceans and air clean, and is even
taking on new challenges, such as stopping the practice of genetic engineering. It may
seem radical at times, but it’s our “one and only Earth” that benefits.
Unit 10 Art
Reading 1
Rembrandt, a baroque artist, ranks as one of the greatest painters in Western
history. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, the
Netherlands. Combining a deep understanding of human nature with brilliant technique,
he produced nearly 600 paintings. Rembrandt’s work is famous for his command of light
and dark, often using contrast to draw the viewer into the painting. This feature is best
shown in the Night Watch, his largest painting. It was completed in 1642, at the peak of
the Dutch Golden Age.
Viewing the painting in person, one is struck by the extreme contrast between
light and dark, which adds to the feeling of movement and depth. There is a man in the
foreground of the painting carrying a spear that almost appears to be three-dimensional.
This illusory depth shows what a genius Rembrandt was, with the ability to use light and
color, along with linear perspective, to bring his paintings to life. However, if you were to
look at a reproduction of the Night Watch, you would not be able to appreciate this. The
spear, which seems so real in person, looks completely unremarkable in a photograph.
From the late 1630s, Rembrandt began to paint landscapes. These works focused
on the darker side of nature, showing mysterious scenes such as huge fallen trees in a
storm or threatening skies. Such characteristics can be found in his painting Stormy
Landscape(1638). Toward the end of his life, Rembrandt painted some of his finest selfportraits, highlighting the effect that grief and sorrow had had on his face. They reflected
his painful family life as opposed to his successful public career. The numerous selfportraits he produced give us a remarkable record of the aging process of his own facial
features in addition to the changes of his own character.
Compared to other artists of his time, Rembrandt studied the world surrounding
him more clearly and with greater insight. The consistently high standard throughout his
work has earned Rembrandt the reputation as one of the central figures in the golden
age of Dutch art.
Unit 10
Reading 2 TOEFL
Baroque Art
After the Renaissance period had come to a close, European art was transformed
with the dawn of the Baroque period around 1600. Baroque style originated in Rome
and spread to most of Europe. The popularity and success of the Baroque movement
was encouraged by the Catholic Church’s populist movement.
In response to the challenge of the Protestant Reformation in the 17th century,
the Catholic Church promoted traditional values of spirituality. The Church intended to
use art as a tool of communicating its teachings to the illiterate as well as the educated.
Many Baroque artists drew religious themes with direct, emotional involvement.
While the classical art of the Renaissance promoted human reason, Baroque art
focused on feelings and human sensitivity. In an attempt to appeal to the senses,
Baroque artists tried to show emotion, variety, and movement in their artwork. They did
this by using strong contrasts in value. Employing different colors, they highlighted the
power of brightness and darkness to show paintings in a more emotional way. They also
dealt with real life and common people as subjects rather than idealized, perfectly
formed models like those used in the Renaissance period. Caravaggio and Annibale
Carracci are two great figures of the Baroque tradition, bringing a new richness to Italian
painting. The peak point of Baroque art was the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who
dominated the High Baroque period with his energetic and spectacular art forms.
Although the Baroque movement actually started in Rome, it eventually
influenced the artists of the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Spain, undergoing some
change in each of the countries to which it migrated. Dutch Baroque was based more on
everyday life and led to the dominance of portraiture, landscape, and still-life, as
illustrated by the works of Vermeer and Rembrandt. In France, the Baroque style was
used in the major art forms and promoted by the monarchy.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the Baroque style had been largely
replaced by the lighter Rococo movement that developed in the art world of Paris.
Nevertheless, Baroque art and its influence continued to spread around the world.
Unit 11 Biology
Reading 1
Contrary to popular belief, the octopus is an extremely intelligent creature,
possessing a highly complex brain with long-term and short-term memories. Because of
these characteristics, it has the capability to solve problems and remember its solutions.
It is a master of tricks, with the ability to avoid being eaten by predators through various
complex actions.
There is no creature in nature that is more skilled than the octopus in
transforming its appearance. In a flash, an octopus has the ability to change color or
form. Some use camouflage, the act of blending into their surroundings, to avoid
detection. Others manage to reassemble their body parts to resemble different types of
sea creatures.
There is an even more amazing type of trick that some octopuses use when they
are in a serious situation. They sacrifice one of their arms to escape a powerful attacker.
They have the capacity to break off an arm, which keeps moving for hours, sometimes
crawling all over an attacker and distracting it while the octopus gets away. Incredibly,
the octopus is able to grow a new arm out of the remaining part.
If these various strategies to escape danger don’t work, octopuses can use
another strategy: They release concentrated ink, squeezed from special sacs, to form a
cloud that looks like underwater smoke. This creates enough confusion to allow an
octopus to escape.
Octopuses have yet more weapons to protect themselves when dealing with
potential enemies. Blue-ringed octopuses, which are smaller than a human’s hand,
contain one of the deadliest poisons in the world in their saliva and use it as a defense
mechanism against enemies to paralyze them. The poison is fatal enough to kill even
people. Not surprisingly, other sea creatures try to avoid it. When implementing defense,
octopuses are experts in adapting to their circumstances and succeeding in the game of
survival.
Unit 11
Reading 2
The biggest challenge for most animals in the winter is finding enough food.
Many food sources, such as insects and green plants, become very scarce. Some animals
solve the problem by hibernating. They go into their dens for a deep sleep that allows
them to survive the winter with little or no food.
Hibernators start to prepare for the winter during the fall. Their main
preparations involve food. Some store food in their dens to eat when they awake for
short periods during hibernation. Many eat plenty of carbohydrate-rich food in the fall
while it is abundant. It is saved as body fat to be used later for energy. Additionally, the
extra fat is used as insulation against the cold winter temperatures.
The body condition of animals changes during hibernation to minimize energy
use. This is important because the hibernating animals sleep for such long periods,
hardly eating. To do this, the heart rate drops significantly, and body temperature drops
to just a few degrees above zero. For example, a hibernating chipmunk’s heart rate slows
from 80 to 4 beats per minute, and its temperature drops from 98˚F to as low as 38˚F.
Small animals, such as mice, chipmunks, and bats, sleep deeply in this way for a few days
or weeks at a time. Occasionally, they wake up for short periods to use their “toilet
rooms” and eat their stored food. However, there is a difference in the case of bears:
they can hibernate without eating, drinking, or using the toilet at all for as long as six
months.
When spring comes, special brown fat near the animal’s brain, heart, and lungs
sends a quick burst of energy. This warms these vital organs first and the animal wakes
up. After months of little or no food, the animals have used most of their fat reserves
and must rebuild their body mass. They wake up and immediately start looking for food,
which is by then plentiful.
Unit 12 People
Reading 1
Author Beatrix Potter is best remembered for writing the children’s book The
Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, although she was also a skilled and important amateur
biologist, sheep farmer, and conservationist. The characters she created, like Benjamin
Bunny and Squirrel Nutkin, touched children all over the world and sold millions of
books, but the legacy of her other works can still be appreciated today.
As a child, Beatrix was home schooled by governesses while her brother was sent
away to be educated. She was often alone and spent a lot of time in nature. This made
her develop a strong attachment to animals, and whenever she got the chance, she
secretly brought them home as companions. Studying their behavior, she practiced
drawing them and created stories about them. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was based on
letters she wrote to the son of her former governess and was inspired by the actions of
a real-life rabbit.
Sales of The Tale of Peter Rabbit had exceeded 50,000 copies within a year and
Potter started to use the earnings to purchase real estate. Her purpose in acquiring land
was to preserve the British countryside for the National Trust, an organization set up to
protect and preserve land and buildings of beauty or historical importance. She not only
bought land but also worked it as well. She learned how to farm, making a business out
of raising sheep. In her work as a farmer, Beatrix aimed to make sure that traditional
lifestyles and farming methods would not be forgotten.
When she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter left 4,000 acres of land to the National
Trust to ensure that its beauty could remain unspoiled. Her legacy is now part of the
Lake District National Park, thus helping to preserve for future generations not only the
images of natural beauty in the works she penned but also the actual places that
inspired her books.
Unit 12
Reading 2
If you were to listen to his mother, you would think that Terry Fox was “a very
ordinary young man.” Yet the legacy of his short life has been anything but ordinary. He
has been the subject of two movies and two songs, has had a mountain named after
him, and has appeared on the face of a coin.
At the age of 18, Terry, a long distance runner and basketball player, was
diagnosed with bone cancer. After having his leg amputated above the knee, the
suffering of other cancer patients he had seen convinced him that he should do
something. So, he decided to attempt to raise funds for cancer research by, incredibly,
running across Canada and showing that he was no less of a person just because cancer
had claimed one of his legs. On 12 April 1980, Terry Fox set out on his journey.
Beginning at St. John’s, his goals were to run to Vancouver, a distance of more than
8,000km, and to raise $24 million in donations, one dollar for each Canadian.
Setting off on his journey with one natural and one artificial leg, Fox somehow
managed to cover a distance of 42km a day, approximately the length of a marathon.
After 143 days he was well over halfway to achieving his goal of crossing Canada, but
that was to be his last day of running. Terry’s cancer had spread to his lungs, and he,
along with his dream of finishing his “Marathon of Hope,” was dying.
Before passing away, he helped set up the Terry Fox Run to commemorate his
Marathon of Hope. Each year, people help raise funds for cancer research by collecting
donations and running a short marathon in his memory. Upon Terry’s insistence, the run
is not competitive: There are no winners, no ribbons, no prizes. Today, his run is held
annually in over 50 countries and has raised more than $300 million for cancer research.
His hope for a cure for cancer lives on in those people his remarkable achievements
continue to inspire.
Unit 13 Social Issues
Reading 1
Consumers these days like to shop responsibly. They want to know that the
workers who made the products they’re buying were treated well and paid fairly for their
labor. They also like assurances that the manufacture of the products did not damage
the environment in any serious way. Unfortunately, conventional trade practices do little
to guarantee or even encourage that these terms are met. So the fair trade movement
was created to offer consumers a better alternative.
Coffee is one of the best-known and most successful fair trade products. In the
past, small coffee farmers in the world’s poorest countries were in trouble. They received
little payment for their coffee beans, which in turn meant that they could not afford to
provide their workers with a livable wage or safe working conditions. The only coffee
companies that were successful were those that practiced large-scale, pesticide-heavy
farming and took advantage of their laborers as a matter of policy.
Fair trade coffee emerged as a way to give more power to small coffee farmers.
To earn fair trade certification, the coffee must be produced through environmentally
friendly means, with fewer chemicals and planting techniques that integrate the coffee
bushes with other crops and local vegetation. Additionally, these farmers are required to
offer a minimum wage to their workers and guarantee certain safety conditions are met.
And finally, a portion of the profits must be invested in the improvement of the local
community and the health and education of workers and their families.
In return for meeting these criteria, small coffee farmers gain access to a market
that is hungry for socially and environmentally responsible goods and is willing to pay a
little extra for them. What’s more, fair trade coffee is mandated to sell for at least $1.26
per pound, so farmers have peace of mind that they will receive fair compensation for
their work. The popularity of this movement can be seen in major international
coffeehouses like Starbucks, where a wide selection of fair trade coffees is sold. When
you purchase fair trade certified coffee, you can be sure that your money is supporting a
fairer and healthier world.
Unit 13
Reading 2
In the past, foreigners were a rare sight in Korea, and Koreans were proud of the
fact that their country had very little ethnic diversity. But things have changed. As Korea
globalizes, the country’s population is beginning to become ethnically and racially
diverse.
It began in the 1980s, when migrant workers arrived from countries such as
Vietnam, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. They came to earn money performing what are
known as 3D jobs — dirty, difficult and dangerous tasks that Korean workers weren’t
interested in. These days, however, walking through the streets of Seoul, you can see
foreign nationals employed in a wide variety of positions. Furthermore, many Korean
farmers, unable to find Korean brides willing to live in the countryside, have married
foreign women.
Unfortunately, these multiracial families, along with others that have immigrated
to Korea, are not finding it easy to be accepted. Many Koreans have a hard time thinking
of people from other cultures as being Korean. There is a need to change these old
attitudes and find a way for everyone to live in harmony.
One country that can serve as a model for Korea is Canada. Canada has the
highest immigration rate in the world and was the first country to make multiculturalism
an official national policy. This policy is quite different from the traditional “melting pot”
concept of the United States. Rather than welcoming immigrants to adopt their culture,
the Canadian government encourages them to hold on to their own culture and identity.
At the same time, they expect the immigrants to embrace Canada as their new home
and respect the ways of Canadian society.
A country does not automatically become multicultural by allowing a large
number of immigrants through its borders. It requires truly understanding and accepting
the cultures and beliefs of these newcomers. This process can take many years, as it is
often quite difficult to change the attitudes of the older generation. Yet this is where
Korea now finds itself, taking the first few steps on the road to multiculturalism.
Unit 14 Places
Reading 1
A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is
the incredible legacy of the first emperor of China. The vast treasure lies 35km east of
Xi’an, at the foot of Lishan Mountain. Xi’an’s city museum only shows part of the region’s
greatest and most important attraction.
According to old records, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered 700,000 workers to
build his tomb after he determined the best place to be buried. Following his death 36
years later, the emperor was laid to rest in the grand underground tomb. It is reported
to have taken 36 years to construct the tomb, and that workers and supervisors involved
in the project were buried alive within it. Concealed beneath a 43m high mound for
more than 2,000 years, it wasn’t until 1974 that three peasants discovered it while
digging a well.
The model of the imperial palace, empire, and known world shows not only an
artistic achievement on an immense scale but also a virtual snapshot of life in the 2nd
century B.C. Archeologists found thousands of life-size statues in the shapes of soldiers,
horses, and chariots. It is believed that more than 8,000 statues of horses and soldiers
are buried at the site, astonishingly serving as an exact representation of the imperial
guard. The soldiers had been individually crafted, varying in size from 1.78 to 1.97m, and
in weight from 100 to 300kg, depending on their ranking in Qin Shi Huang’s army.
Aamazingly, each warrior has a different appearance and expression. The soldiers come
complete with weaponry — including swords, bows, arrows, and lances — and appear in
full uniform and battle formation.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses is one of the most sensational archeological
finds in history. So far, an extraordinary amount of treasure has been unearthed from this
site, but archeologists believe that it won’t be for a few more generations until the world
discovers all the secrets of this amazing place.
Unit 14
Reading 2
Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint Michel is a rocky islet, about one kilometer in diameter, situated on
the north coast of France, near the border of Brittany and Normandy. For most of its
history, Mont St. Michel was sometimes island and sometimes mainland owing to a
natural land bridge submerged by water during high tide.
On the summit of the monastic cone-shaped rock stands the great church, which
is an amazing Gothic-style structure towering 50m into the sky and taking up most of
the small island. This rock is nearly a mile from the shore, and in 1880 a raised road was
built across the dangerous surrounding quicksand that is exposed at low tide.
Before the first monastery was built there, the island was called Mont Tombe and
had once been used as a cemetery. It was in 708 when the construction of the famous
church was begun. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert,
bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet.
Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel’s instruction, until Michael burned a hole in the
bishop’s skull with his finger. The dedication to St. Michael initiated this architecture.
Over time, Mont St. Michel became a place of pilgrimage for Christians not only from all
parts of France but also from Great Britain, Ireland, and Italy.
Despite its beginnings, Mont St. Michel has not always been a place of God. The
walls of the structure were fortified in the 15th century to resist attacks from the English
during the Hundred Years’ War. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the island served as a jail
for religious figures opposed to the French Revolution and later for political prisoners.
Since the middle of the 19th century, it has been used as a church again.
Today the church stands as impressively as ever. But recently, cars and the
1,000,000 people they carry to this place each year have done damage to the island. For
centuries, the beauty of the island was its intriguing blend of natural and man-made
qualities. It would be terrible to lose one at the expense of the other.
Unit 15 Politics
Reading 1
The 6th century B.C. witnessed the development of rapid changes in ancient Greece as
rival city-states competed with each other for power. The two most powerful of these
city-states, Athens and Sparta, developed different systems of government, each with
unique characteristics that would have profound effects on the future of ancient Greece.
Athens entered its golden age with the introduction of democracy ruled by the
“common people.” A council, known as the Bule, had both executive and administrative
control. Members of this council were chosen by lot, rather than by election, and served
for one year. Any male citizen over the age of 30 was eligible, but only those born in
Athens were considered citizens. An assembly, open to all citizens, passed laws and
made policy decisions.
Meanwhile, an oligarchy had developed in Sparta, ruled by two kings from two great
aristocratic houses and a group of five powerful decision-makers known as Ephors, who
had full administrative and executive authority with the privilege to control the kings of
Sparta. These Ephors were, in turn, chosen by Spartiates, native Spartans over age 30
who formed the top level and were the only inhabitants to receive full legal and political
rights.
Despite their apparent attributes, the systems of these two city-states had their own
limitations. In Sparta, slaves outnumbered their masters by seven to one and the city was
built on the sacrifice of these slaves’ freedom. Accordingly, Spartan society suffered from
a fear of a slave rebellion and had to develop a military state in order to retain stability.
In contrast to Sparta, democracy could be established in Athens because its location on
the Mediterranean Sea meant that common people were able to gain power through
sea-based trade. But it was a limited democracy, where only a small percentage of men
had influence, women could not vote, and slaves did most of the work.
Unit 15
Reading 2 TOEFL
Plato’s The Republic
Ancient Athens was home to the first democracy, and it produced some great
thinkers. As democracy started to fail, the philosophers of the time tried to figure out
why and to think of ways to fix it. One of these philosophers was Plato(427-347 B.C.), a
student of Socrates(469-399 B.C.). Plato began to doubt the democracy of his time and
tried to think of a better option.
In one of his most famous works, The Republic, Plato proposed his ideal society.
It was based on what he saw as the four virtues of the state: wisdom, courage, selfdiscipline, and justice. He designated a different class of people to fulfill three of these
virtues. The wise would rule as “philosopher kings,” the brave would act as “guardians,”
the self-disciplined would do “manual work,” and the whole of society would work
together toward justice.
Plato saw people as being naturally inclined to serve one of these roles because
of their soul. The soul, according to Plato, is divided into three parts: the rational, the will,
and the appetite. If the individual is governed more by the rational element, he or she
was suited to rule. Someone who was governed by the will would make a good guardian,
and a person governed by the appetite would make a good worker.
The ultimate goals of society, for Plato, were fulfillment of needs and happiness.
Everyone has needs, and everyone has abilities. But people don’t have the range of
abilities required to meet all of their individual needs. Therefore, he felt, society must
work together to satisfy the needs of all people. When everyone specializes in their
occupation and then exchanges the fruits of their labor with others, all people can meet
their needs and be happy. Crucially, Plato believed that the perfect society would occur
only when kings became philosophers or philosophers were made kings, as it is the
wisdom of their decision-making that is the key to the success of a social unit.
Plato’s republic was designed to put in place a system that addressed the innate
characteristics of the people. Although its aim seems too impractical to become reality,
his thoughts laid the foundations of Western philosophy.