2021年1月23日发(作者：ecuador)
Unit1

Have
you
ever
heard
people
say
that
they
tend
to
be
more
of
a
right
-
brain
or
left
-
brain
thinker?
From
books
to
television
programs,
you
have
probably
heard
the
term
1)(mentioned)
numerous
times,
or
perhaps
you
have
even
taken
an
online
test
to
2)(determine) which type best describes you.

Do different parts of the brain really control different bodily and mental functions? Over the
years, a theory that has 3)(gained) in popularity is that the right brain and the left brain are
4)(responsible) for different modes of thought and that the way in which a person thinks will
depend on which side of his brain works more actively.

People who rely more 5)(heavily) on the right half of their brain tend to be more imaginative
and
spontaneous.
They
are
interested
in
patterns,
shapes
and
sizes,
for
the
right
brain
is
associated
with
6)(artistic)
ability
like
singing,
painting,
writing
poetry,
etc.
Left
-
brain
dominated people are quite 7)(opposite) in the way they think. They tend to be more logical
and 8)(analytical) in their thinking and usually stand out in mathematics and word skills.

While
the
different
functions
of
the
two
brain
parts
may
have
been
9)(distorted)
and
exaggerated by popular psychology, understanding your strengths and weaknesses in certain
areas can help you develop better ways to learn and study. For example, if you are usually
10)(stumped) in trying to follow verbal instructions, an activity often cited as a right
-
brain
characteristic,
you
can
benefit
from
writing
down
directions
and
developing
better
organizational skills.


Unit2

I was once in a relationship with a woman who was the most brilliant, creative and driven
person I'd ever known. I told her these things often because she didn't see herself this way,
despite 1)(achieving) great success and acclaim (
称赞
) in her professional field. She was also
2)(gorgeous) and sexy, though she seemed not to realize this either, so I told her these things
too. But while I thought it was more important to praise her brilliance, it seemed to mean
more to her that she was 3)(considered) attractive.

My
experience
with
this
girlfriend
exemplifies
a
common
phenomenon
in
life
–
when
it
comes to complimenting a woman, men often walk a very difficult line. Of course, 4)(context)
matters. In a professional setting, talking about appearance is often inappropriate, but at a
singles club, it may be important. She will be very pleased if a man thinks her clothes and
5)(accessories)
are
pretty,
or
her
hair
looks
wonderful.
However,
things
in
between
these
two
cases
are
unclear.
Women
have
every
right
to
be
recognized
and
6)(appreciated)
for
their intelligence and creativity. But at the same time, they want to be admired for their looks
as well, for example, their perfect skin 7)(complexion) and elegant outfits.

Unfortunately,
most
guys
don't
understand
this.
If
we
receive
compliments
from
women,
they're usually about our achievements, not our looks. Most of us don't expect a woman to
tell us how 8)(handsome) or sexy we are, and some of us would find it hard to regard such
a(n) 9)(comment) as sincere.

I'm
not
saying
it's
very
hard
to
be
a
guy
these
days.
It
is
important
for
every
man
to
understand
how to treat
women with
both
respect and
10)(admiration). But
as
far
as
the
right
balance
of
these
two
is
concerned,
we
really
have
no
frame
of
reference,
especially
when it comes to looks.

Unit3

In some urban centers, workaholism (
工作狂
) is so common that people do not consider it
unusual:
They
accept
the
lifestyle
as
normal.
Government
workers
in
Washington
D.C.,
for
example, 1)(frequently) work 60 to 70 hours a week. They don't do this because they have to;
they do it because they want to.

Workaholism
can
be
a
serious
problem.
True
workaholics,
being
deeply
2)(immersed)
in
their work, allow themselves little or no time to take breaks. They like to work without being
3)(disrupted), and they probably don't know how to relax.

But
is
workaholism
always
bad?
Perhaps
not.
There
are
people
who
work
well
under
4)(stress). Besides, some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest
in their own 5)(sphere). Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For
most
workaholics,
work and
entertainment
are
the
same
thing.
Their
work
6)(challenges)
them, keeping them busy and genuinely engaged.

Why do workaholics enjoy doing their jobs so much? Of course they get paychecks from it,
but
it
is
hard
to
7)(quantify)
the
pleasure
with
money.
It
offers
more
than
8)(financial)
security.
Psychologists
claim
that
work
gives
people
an
identity
and
provides
them
with
self
-
confidence. People have a feeling of satisfaction when they 9)(administrate) a business
well
or
complete
a
challenging
piece
of
work.
In
addition,
most
jobs
provide
a
socially
acceptable way for people to meet others. So, though some people are compulsive (
强迫性的
)
about their work, their 10)(addiction) seems to be a safe or even an advantageous one. They
feel empty and incomplete when they are involved in activities not related to work.


Unit4

Farming invariably interferes with the habitats of plants and animals. However, this does not
necessarily
mean
that
agriculture
and
biodiversity
are
1)(incompatible).
In
fact,
quite
the
opposite is true. The sustainable cultivation of plants for food and feed actually enables us to
2)(preserve) biodiversity.

By 2007, there were more than twice as many people living on the planet as there were in
1961. Over the same period, the total amount of 3)(available) arable (
可耕的
) land grew by
just
10
percent.
In
comparison
with
population
growth,
the
expansion
of
arable
land
was
small. And there are limits to further expansion. A large 4)(proportion) of the earth's surface
– like deserts – is not suitable for cultivation, and other areas are 5) (utilized) by humans for
roads and buildings. Some land that is rich in biodiversity needs to be preserved and thus
should not be 6)(converted) into arable land. The tropical rain forests, for example, have the
highest
species
density in the
world,
and
changing
this
land
for
crop
cultivation would
be
7)(dreadful) to these species' habitats and, indeed, existence.

By 2050, global demand for food
will have
risen
by
70
percent. But
the
expansion of
land
available for cultivation has its limits. This is one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture
today:
How
do
we
8)(balance)
the
increased
demand
for
food
with
the
need
to
maintain
biological diversity, now and in the future?

Efficient and 9)(sane) use of land will be key to preserving natural animal and plant habitats.
To
achieve
this
aim
will
depend
to
a(n)
10)(considerable)
extent
on
the
use
of
modern
agricultural methods. If these methods are successfully applied, we believe that agriculture
and biodiversity can coexist in harmony.