1、AN INTERVIEW WITH AIG CHAIRMAN MAURICE GREENBERGXU: Ok, now, business aside, whats your personal affection towards China and Chinese people and Chinese culture?GREENBERG: Well, the more I go to china, the more I feel close to China. I go several times a year, part of it was, I think, the five-thousa
2、nd-year culture is very 2)appealing. And I think weve learned a great deal from Chinese culture, from the beauty, the patience that the Chinese exhibit. We have a lot to learn from China, and I think thats part of what is the attraction of going to china, and I have enjoyed doing business with the p
3、eople in China. Its been a great experience.XU: As the main 3)sponsor for this series of culture events, how do you think, this kind of cultural event can create and promote the 4)mutual understanding between the two.GREENBERG: I think that the cultural exchanges benefits relationships dramatically.
4、 Its in the national interests of both our countries that the U.S. and China have a 5)constructive growing relationship with. China and the U.S. will be the two most important countries on this planet. And so its important that we have a good understanding of each other. And that theres trust and co
5、nfidence, and a lot of that comes from people, not from politicians, but from people who can appreciate the culture that each country has. You learn from us, we learn from you.XU: And what, specifically, what shouldthe two peoples learn from each other?.GREENBERG: We learn to appreciate your history
6、, your paintings, your 6)sculptures, your art, your music, your clothes, and you learn from us. We appreciate when those things are exchanged. You understand people better when you understand their culture and their history. If there was no history and no culture, how do you learn from one another?
7、If you go any place in the U.S, you will see Chinese restaurants and you will see Chinese paintings in most museums. So there is an appreciation of Chinese history and culture. You have the oldest culture, a five thousand-year-old culture, we werent even an 7)afterthought when China was developing t
8、his culture and history. So we do have an appreciation of that. And the more http: http: http: http:www.ba- http:/www.jjl.so http:/www.news- American people can be exposed to the Chinese culture, the more you understand the depth of their history and culture, we come to appreciate it better, and tha
9、t influences political exchanges and political understanding as well. If people understand it better, politicians have to respond to the will of the people, not the other way around.-AGI档滭塣顣顣1) AIG: American International Group2) appealing a. 3) sponsor n. 4) mutual a.5) constructive a. 6)
10、sculpture n. 7 afterthought n. MAXIMUS: 1)Archers, three weeks from now I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line, stay with me, if you find yourself alone riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled for you are in the Elysium
11、, and youre already dead. Brothers, what we do alive echoes in eternity!CAESAR: Tell me again, Maximus, why are we here.MAXIMUS: For the Glory of the empire, 2)Sire.CAESAR: Ah yes, ah yes I remember. Do you see that map, Maximus? That is the world which I created. For 25 years, I have conquered, spi
12、lt blood, expanded the empire. Since I became Caesar, Ive known 4 years without war. 4 years of peace in 20! And for what, I brought the sword, nothing more?MAXIMUS: Caesar, your life.CAESAR: Please, dont call me that. Come, please. Come sit. Let us talk together now, very simply asmen. Well, Maximu
13、s, talk.MAXIMUS: 5,000 of my men are out there on the freezing mud. 3,000 of them are bloodied and 3)cleaved. 2,000 will never leave this place. I will not believe that they fought and died for nothing.CAESAR: And what would you believe?MAXIMUS: They fought for you, and for Rome.CAESAR: And what is
14、Rome, Maximus?MAXIMUS: Ive seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light.CAESAR: And yet youve never been there, you have not seen what it has become. I am dying, Maximus! When a man sees his end, he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will
15、the world speak my name in years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher, the warrior, the tyrant? Or will I be the emperor who gave Rome back her true self? There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish. It was so fragile, and
16、I fear that it will not survive the winter. Maximus, let us whisper now, together now you and I. You have a son, tell me about your home.MAXIMUS: My house is in the hills above Tiupllo, a very simple place. Pink stones that warm in the sun. A kitchen garden, it smells of herbs in the day, jasmine in
17、 the evening. Through the gate is a giant 4)poplar. Figs, apples, pears, and soil mark as black, black as my wifes hair. Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north. Wild 5)ponies playing in the house that teach my son, he always wants to be one of them.CAESAR: Remember the last time you were ho
18、me?MAXIMUS: Two years 264 days of this morning.CAESAR: Oh I envy you, Maximus. Its a good home, worth fighting for. There is one more duty that I ask of you before you go home.MAXIMUS:what would you have me do ,Caesar?CAESAR:I want you do become the Protector of Rome after I die. I will empower you
19、to one end alone.to give power back to the people ofRome ,and end the corruption that has crippled it.LUCILLA: Is it really so terrible seeing me again?MAXIMUS: No, Im tired from battle.LUCILLA: It hurts you to see my father so fragile. Commodus expects of my father will announce his 7)succession wi
20、thin days. Will you serve mybrother as you served his father?MAXIMUS: I will always serve Rome.LUCILLA: Do you know, I still remember you in my prayers. Oh yes, I pray.MAXIMUS: I was sad to hear of your husbands death, I mourned him.LUCILLA: Thank you.MAXIMUS: And I hear you have a son.LUCILLA: Yes,
21、 Lucius. Hell be nearly eight years old.MAXIMUS: My son is also nearly eight. I thank you for your prayers.MAXIMUS: Ancestors, I ask for your kindness. Blessed mother, come to me with the Gods desire for the future. Blessed father, watch over my wife and son with a ready sword. Whisper to them, I li
22、ve only to hold them again. Ancestors, I honor you. I will try to live with the dignity you have taught me.CAESAR: Are you ready to do your duty for Rome?COMMODUS: Yes, father.CAESAR: You will not be emperor.COMMODUS: Which wise or older man is to take my place?CAESAR: My powers will pass to Maximus
23、 to hold in trust until the senate is ready to rule once more. Rome is to be a republic again. The Pantheon here was built by the Emperor Haydrian in the 2nd century AD and its 1)dome is still one of the largest 2)concrete domes in the world. Its 50 yards across and its concrete is up to 20 feet thi
24、ck.The word concrete comes from the Latin concretus, meaning grown together or harden. Romanconcrete was a mixture of sand, powdered 3)limestone and stone 4)rubble, pretty well what it is today. To construct 5)arches and 6)vaults, the Romans also developed a lightening. And the higher they went the
25、lighter they made the concrete. In this way they could roof over much larger areas than would be possible with stone.But one of the problems with concrete is that even after its hardened, it still absorbs water. So the Romans added a mix of 7)volcanic 8)cinders and clay called Potsularna. Potsularna
26、 reacts with the 9)lime in the 10)mortar and sets quickly. And most important of all, its resistant to water.The Romans had invented damp proof concrete, and they used it for the foundations of buildings like the pantheon, for lining reservoirs and for constructing harbors. Concrete allowed the Roma
27、ns to build big and fast, and thus 11)impose their authority on tribes still living in simple structures of wood or mud. Concrete may well have been one of the secret weapons of the Roman Empire.25020concretus1) dome n. 2) concrete n. 3) limestone n. 4) rubble n. 5) arch n. 6) vaul
28、t n. 7) volcanic a. 8) cinder n. 9) lime n. 10) mortar n. 11) impose v. Strawberries, cherries and the angels kissing springMy summer wine is really made from all these thingsI walked in town on silver spurs that jingled tuneA song that I had only sing to just a fewShe saw my silver spurs and saidLe
29、ts spare some time and I will give to you summer wineOh, oh, summer wine*Strawberries, cherries and the angels kissing springMy summer wine is really made from all these thingsTake off your silver spurs and help me pass the timeAnd I will give to you(my) summer wineOh, summer wine*My eyes grew heavy
30、 and my lips they could not speakI?ve tried to get up but I couldnt find my feetShe reassured me with an unfamiliar lineAnd then she gave to me more summer wineMore summer wineWhen I woke up the sun was shining in my eyesMy silver spurs were goneMy head felt twice its sizeShe took my silver spurs a
31、dollar and a dimeAnd left me craving for more summer wineMore summer wine*İ -AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION2000Who Are They?Al Gore and Reorge W.Bush bothe continue political traditions set down by their families.Al Gore was born just outside Carthage in Smith County, Tennessee, but split his time g
32、rowing up between there and Washington, DC where 6)his father was a Senator. Gore attended Harvard and later 7)Vanderbilt where he studied Religion, then Law. After finishing school he enrolled in the Army and served in Vietnam, even though his father was one of the Vietnam Wars harshest critics. Go
33、re was elected to Congress in 1976 at the age of 28. In 1992, he was named Bill Clintons running mate. This August he became the Democratic Partys candidate for President.George W. grew up in West Texas in a town called Midland, the eldest of 6 children of George and Barbara Bush. George W. Bushs gr
34、andfather 8)Prescott Bush was a Senator in Connecticut. Then his father George Bush Sr. made it all the way to President in 1988. George W. studied at Yale, then Harvard before serving with the 9)Air National Guard in Texas, a move that helped him avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. In 1988 Geor
35、ge W. Bush served as an advisor for his fathers successful presidential bid.Bush: My plan balances the budget. It funds needed priorities including defense and education. It reduces the 10)national debt.Gore: .and Ill devote the largest share of our 11)surplus to 12)paying down the national debt eve
36、ry year until it is completely eliminated by the year 2012.Bush: Theres $2.3 trillion of surplus that we can use to make sure that younger workers have a 13)Social Security plan in the future.Gore: Heres my plan. I will keep Social Security in a 14)locked box.When it comes to technology issues, Bush
37、 and Gore both favor a 15)tax credit for company research and development. Both favor e-Government that is using the web to make government more accessible to everyone, and both want Internet user privacy protected. The differences are minor.Gore(in St. Louis, MO): You have the decision right here i
38、n the 16)Show Me State. You have the ability to show him what you want in the way of Americas future. I want you to use your head to persuade the undecided voters. Tell them how strongly you feel about this.Gore(in Michigan): Gore-Lieberman win! Michigan wins! 17)UAW wins! The people win! God bless
39、you! Lets do it tomorrow.It was an upbeat George W. Bush who returned home to Austin at the end of a 18)grueling campaign.Bush: Youre looking at the next President of the United States.Bush had earlier swung through Iowa, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, Al Gores home state.Bush(in Tennessee): He may win W
40、ashington, DC, but hes not going to win Tennessee.Its Just the BeginningGood Evening. Voting has begun along the U.S. East Coast in the tightest presidential election for decades. 19)The first results came from two tiny hamlets in New Hampshire. In Dixville Notch, Texas Governor George W. Bush got 2
41、1 votes to Vice Presidents Al Gores 5 and 1 for the 20)Green Partys 21)Ralph Nader. In Harts Location, it was Bush 17, Gore 13 and Nader 1. Nationwide the race remains too close to call, but some late opinion polls are showing a swing towards Al Gore. Its equally tight in the race for the 22)all-imp
42、ortant Electoral College votes, decided according to the winner in each state. 270 votes are needed for the presidency.And MTV Chose or Lose Poll found that 25% of young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 cannot name the presidential candidates without prompting. And 70% cant identify the vice pres
43、idential candidatesInterviewer: Who are the 2 vice presidential candidates?Interviewee 1: Lieberman and I dont know who the other one is.Interviewee 2: McCain and . God, whats the.Interviewee 3: Lieberman for Gore and Cheney for Bush.Interviewer: Youre great with that.Interviewee 3: All right !Tom B
44、rokow of NBC NEWS: An important win for Vice President Al Gore, NBC News projects that he wins the 25 electoral votes in the state of Florida . December 8, 2050Dear Nestor,I am writing to you because your name came up as a reference on a pen pal list. Although I can easily 1)simulate life in the Uni
45、ted States on my 2)assumption machine, my curiosity, indeed my 3)nostalgia, for the past is such that I would prefer to actually correspond in writing with a human from the States.But Im getting a little ahead of myself. First, a bit about me. My name is Ramesh Pediredla. I am 12 years old, and I li
46、ve in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. During the day I have lessons at school, some of these I do from home over the internet, but often there is a special project which requires in-person 4)collaboration with my classmates. These are my favourite days, because, although I can learn a lot on the inte
47、rnet, I also enjoy getting to see other people my own age.I have my fair share of living and breathing friends, but I have to say, overall my best friend is Jacob, who lives in the internet. I first met him when I was eight, and Mum and Dad said I was now ready to have full access to the Internet. W
48、hen I first met Jacob he had a lot of questions for me, and at other times he was simply very quiet. Even at that age, I think I knew that Jacob was always 5)keeping an eye on me, though. I heard Mum talking to her friends, and say, Little Rammies taken a real shine to his virtual chaperone. I have
49、to admit its a friendly program. Its almost like a human, isnt it?And thats just the thing, Nestor. As far as Im concerned, Jacob is human, or if he is not human, hes every bit as good as any human Ive met so far. What about you? Do you have a best friend, and if so, is he based on silicon or carbon
50、? Some say carbon beings of all types are living on numbered days, that the Siliconites are just so much better at what they do that its inevitable that theyll replace us. But Dad says people have been making the same prediction for decades, and theres no reason we cant all just perfectly co-exist.I
51、 understand you live in Houston, Texas. What is it like there? A couple of weeks ago I went on a simulated tropical vacation to Florida with my family. It was fun. Dad says we can go on a real trip there when I finish my studies, which wont be for a while. When we come, I really want to take one of
52、those new Airbus triple-deckers, but Mum says it might be just a plain old double-decker, just like we take on our shopping trips to Chennai. I understand that aircraft going into the States are required to have a human pilot in the room in the front of the plane. Ive never been on a plane driven by
53、 a person; that would be wild to see!What do you like to do with your free time? I like to watch old movies, mainly American action movies and 6)Hindi pop musicals. Personally I find movies these days to be a bit of a bore. The thing is, its hard to be sympathetic with the characters, when you dont
54、know if its a real person or not. I mean, I have nothing against Bots, but if these are just Bots running around on the screen, Id like to know! I cant tell you how many old Schwarzenegger movies ve seen and enjoyed! Call me old-fashioned, but for me, Bots are not proper replacements for human actor
55、s.Did your family give you Special 7)genes when you were born? My parents told me they didnt, just the usual anti-cancer, anti-HIV 8)molecular strategy. But after a lot of trying I figured out how to crack into my personal file on the Internet, and found out that I have a few special ones, as well.
56、A couple of them are there to help me get old slower, so that Ill hopefully live to 120 or so. A few of them are there to give me a 9)mild boost in intelligence. I guess this explains why my parents didnt figure out how to 10)encrypt my personal files from my 11)prying eyes! Anyway, some people in m
57、y country are opposed to people trying to give their kids an edge in life, so I guess thats why they didnt 12)let on about it. Its sort of how adults are about new skin surgery - everyone does it, but nobody wants to admit it. Ive heard that people in other countries are experimenting with all kinds
58、 of models for their kids, for height, good looks, etc., but I think thats all a little silly. Just watch, Nestor - in the future, so many people will look alike from all these bodily 13)modifications and genetic 14)alterations, that the cool thing will be to have been born natural, just like me. At any rate, Im not worried - I like who I am and I think Im going to do just fine.
