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Does the Younger Generation Know Best?

时间:2005-05-04 16:00:00

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(单词翻译)

Lesson 14

                      Does the Younger Generation Know Best?

                                             Text

                          The Younger Generation Knows Best

    Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated. They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly1 are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it. Today the difference is very marked indeed.


    The old always assume that they know best far the simple reason that they have lieen around a bit longer. They don't like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely2 what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. They take leave to doubt that the older generation has created the best of all possible worlds. What they reject more than anything is conformity3.

Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn't people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab grey suits and convict haircuts? If we turn our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional polities or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their pexsonal lives, so obsessed4 with mean ambitions and the desire to amass5 more and more material possessions? Can anything be right with the ratrace? Haven6't the old lost touch with all that is important in life?


    These are not questions the older generation can shrug7 off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn' t been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old - if they are prepared to admit it-coutd learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment8 is not "sinful".

 

 Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure; to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis orr the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the shadow of the bomb: the constant threat of complete annihilation. This is their glorious heritage. Can we be surprised that they should so often question the sanity9 of t.he generaiion that bequeathed it?


II. Read
    Read the following passages. Underline the important viewpoints while reading.

                         1. Problems of the Young

    More than 20 Chinese and American experts discovered that young people of both countries are facing the same probiems of economic and social pressures and lack of confidence.
    Wayne Meisel, director of the Campus Outreach Opportunity League of Minnesota University, said that under economic pressure American young people have to work hard and most students have to take part-time work in order to support themselves.


    "Young people today, ?he said, "are stereotyped10 as apathetic11, selfcentred, and concerned only with making money and getting ahead."
    In these circumstances, he said, young people lack confidence,whicb was not the case in the 1960s when young Americans thought themselves capable of doing anything.
    In spite of the different conditions in China, Li Xuequan, director of the, higher education section of the All-China Youth Federation12, said Chinese young people are alsc facing economic pressure and are worried about iriflation and corruption13.
Trading has appeared in many Chinese universities as students with something to sell try to make money on campus.


    Moreover, Li said, college students have begun to doubt whether what they are learning in class will help them find work,as many businesses totally ignore students of pure theory.
    So people describe students as "a lost generation tired of study", regardless
of the causes in society that are shaking their confidence.


    In order to resolve these problems, the Chinese and American experts agreed that youth organizations should call on the whole of society to create favourable14 conditions for the healthy growth of young people, as well as to enconrage them to meet the urgent needs of society and to challenge the assumption that young people are apathetic and uncaring.


    Meisel said that since last year he has sent letters of . "challenge to youth" to many young people, urging them to commit themselves to addressing such needs as feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, educating the illiterate15, consoling the lonely and sick, serving the elderly,and preserving the environment.
    The letter says: "Through service, we touch the lives of others and enrich our own. "

 

                        2. Students' Mental Health

    According to a study conducted in Tianjin, out of 50, 000 college students, 16 per cent have suffered from anxiety, nervousness, depression or problems due to the early onset16 of sexual awareness17. Of students from elementary school to high school age in shanghai, 27 per cent have some kind of emotional disorder,are tired of study, have premature18 love affairs, smoke or run away from home. In addition, most of them are bothered by impulsiveness19, envy, worry or melancholy20. Not a small number of students show a sense of inferiority, squeamishness, aggression21 or strong self-will.


   Bad psychological health causes serious repercussions22 in a teenager's individual development. In tliree main high s.chools in the southwest of China, of students leaving school, 74 per cent left due to bad health and 42.2 per cent of those suffered from emotional problems and stress.


    During puberty, teenagers go through a period of "changing times? During this time, most teenagers' bodies and sexoal desires develop. They are beginning to mature both physically23 and mentally. But most of them can not become mature in both these areas at the same time. Some teenagers' emotions remain childish, dependent and impetuous. hf we do not resolve the problems that face t.eenagers, they not only will suffer from them, but they will also probably go astray.

 

                     3. Worries Induce Emotional Problems

    More than 16 per cent of Chinese college and middle school students have emotional problems caused by concern over exams, poor relationships with their teachers and a lack. of enthusiasm for their studies.
    Some students feel depressed24, fearing they fall short of their parents' expectations.
    An unhappy family Tife can also lead to depression.
    These conclusions are the result of research into emotional problems among college and middle school students.


    According to a study of 2, 961 urban,and rural college and middle school students,. problems arise most frequently in two groups: students in their first and second year of junior middle schools and those in their last year at senior middle school . or the first year in higher-learning institutions.


    The survey also revealed that emotional problems increase as students get older.
    The percentage of students with emotional problems in junior middle schools is around 13 per cent, while the figures for students in senior middle school and higher-learning institutions are 19 and 25 per cent respectively.

 

                             4. Eager to Be Off

Me:   Mummy. I've been thinking, I think I might go to London at the end of
   the week.
Mama:   Oh yes?
Me:   Yes, a friend of mine wants someone to share a flat and I thought it
   would be a good.opportunity for me to...
Mama:   Well, that sounds a very good idea. Where exactly is.this flat?
Me:   Well, we haven't exactly got one, but I thought I might go and look -
   it's easier if you're on the spot.
Mama:   Oh yes, I'm sure it is. I hear it's very difficult to find flats in
   London these days. '
Me:   (myheart sinking as 1 think of adverts25, agencies, Evening Standards,  in
   etcetera )Oh no, it's not at all difficult, people get themselves fixed26
   up no time.
 
 
Mama:   Oh well, I suppose you know better than me. What will you live on while
   you're there?
Me:   I'll get a job. I'll have to sometime" you know. I'll write to the
   Appointments Board.
Mama:   Just any sort of job?
Me:   Whatever there is.
Mama:   Don't you want a proper career, Sarah? I mean to say, with a degree like
   yours...
Me:   No, not really, I don't know what I want to do.
Mama:   I'm not sure I like the idea of your going off all the way to London
   without a proper job and with nowhere to live... still, it's your own  
   life, I suppose. That's what I say. No one can accuse me of trying
   to keep you at home, either of you... Who is this friend of yours?
 
 
Me:   A girl cailed Gill Slater. She was at Oxford27...
Mama:   And what does she do?
Me:   Oh, She's a -she's a sort of research student.
Mama:   Oh yes? Well, it sounds like a very nice idea. After all, you won't want 
   to stay here all your life cooped up with your poor old mother, will you?
   I shall lose all my little ones at one fell swoop28, shall I?
Me:   Oh, don't be silly.
Mama:   What do you mean, don't be silly? It seems to me you're very eager to be
   off.
 
 
Me:   You know that's not it at all.
Mama:   Well, what is it then?
Me:   Well, it's just that I can't stay here all my life, can I?
Mama:   No, of course you can't, nobody ever suggested anything of the sort .   
   When have I ever tried to keep you at home? Haven' t I just said that
   you must lead your own life? After all, that's why we sent you off to
   Oxford, it was always me who said you two must go - I don't know what I
   wouldn't have given for the opportunities you,ve been given. And your
   father wasn't any too keen, believe me. In my day education was kept
   for the boys, you know.
Me:   Well, you hadn' t any boys to educate, had you? You had to make do with
    us.
 
 

                           5. A Room of One's Own

A:   Have you ever... you know... sort of... Mum's said to you, like, Could you   
   help me clear up? So you say, Yes, O. K. and you put your brother's or
   sister's things away, and then they come up and they say, Where's so and so?
   (Yeah...Yes)But then you think to yourself, Well,it's annoying to have... to
   have... to leave somebody's coat or something in the middle of the room...
   (Yes... Yes,I know...) Do you know what I mean?
B:   And when they do complain, you feel as if you haven't done your job, but
   you say, Well, I did pack it away, didn't I?... You know...what are they
   then  complaining about?
 
 
D:   It's annoying as well...
E:   I do the same. . . I mean if I find anything lying around... if it's no good
   I just throw it away...
A:   It might mean a lot...
D:   I think in my family. ..I think my mother is the most considerate... she'd 
   ask rather than my father...my father wouldn't.
A:   Well, I'm lucky...I've got a room of my own...so...
D:   I'd like a room of my own, but then again, you don't keep everything
   in your room, do you? My dad or mother goes in there and finds anything that
   she doesn't think is necessary... my mother would ask me first,but my dad...
B:   Well, frankly29, my mother wouldn't touch anything in my room, you know... she 
   just doesn' t. She feels I've put it there for some purpose... but again, if
   I go into her bedroom... (Yeah... That annoys me... ) But say if I have a
   day off from school... or when...or we, ve got some sort of holiday and
   I see things arouad and I say, well, you know, I' Il give the place a good l
   old clean, at least it'l help...and I put things neatly30, it's all tidy. ..I
   wouldn't throw anything out, because I'm not sure whether she wants it or
   not...and then she comes home, she says, Where's this? where's that?
   ... I feel awful...
 
 
D:   And you feel that...um...she doesn't appreciate...
B:   ... appreciate, you know... I even the other day moved her bedroom... er...
   (Furniture) ... furniture around.
D:   I did that in my house...
B:   I did... I thought it looked awful where it was, you know.
A:   But I... what annoys me is my room... is my room ... If... if it , s in a
   muddle31 I know where everything is... I like my room to be in a mess.
B:   But you see, we... I keep that as a sort of main bedroom, you know... (main 
   room...)Yes, sometimes I don't even sleep in my room, it,s so cold....
 
 
C:   Ooh, crumbsl
B:   How do you feel on this subject, Pamels?
D:   [with a great guffaw] Negative!
C:   I always know where everything is in my room even if it is untidy, but my
   mother comes along and I can't find anything anywhere.
A:   I like it when you get to that age where your parents seem to realize that
   you're... you're going off on your own... (Yes... You're growing up... )...you've
   got your own life to lead, so you think, Right, we'll leave all her things,
   she can do what she likes with them. It's her time, she can do what she
   likes with her time.
 
 
B:   They start frorii a certain point, don't they?
E:   Well, I don't think they always do that...They try to remember that you're
   growing up and then they forget.
D:   Yes...they try to protect you...
E:   They' re treating you like children and telling you where to put things...
C:   ...going round tidying up after you.

             6. "Intimate Elder Sisters" Allay32 Teenagers' Worries

    Xiao Lin, a third year junior high school student from Beijing, packed his books and clothes and left home, with tears in his eyes.
    He felt his divorced parents never loved him. He felt lonely, but he did not know where to go.
    He thought of 440779, a phone number to reach the so-called "Intimate Elder Sisters".
    That day was a day to remember in'his whole life. One of the sisters came to see him, and to his utter enjoyment, spent .the day playing with him .

 


    "She told me 'The world is not as cold as you think it is. There is so much love here. I love you. Your friends love you.'"
    Xiao Lin stayed at home, trying to fill it with the love he got from his Intimate Elder Sister.
    Actually, the Intimate Elder Sisters are Wu Ruomei, I.u Qin, Ge Shujuan and Huang Xiaopo, editors o# the China Chiidren's News. Since they opened the hot line in March 1988, they have received mor.e than 10,000 calls from children across the country.


   "We hope to ease their troub(es through heart-to-heart chats," said Wu Ruomei. Many of the children they talked to were disturbed by secrets they felt obliged to keep from both their parents and their teachers.
    Children reach the Elder Sisters every day by phone with a wide range of funny or astonishing questions. "I' m growing into a fatty, sister, and I don't want that," and, "What do children on other planets look like?"


    The questions are not always small and easy to solve. Yet, " Even if we just listen to these children' s sobbing33, we' re helping34 them out of their loneliness," Wu said.
    When Iittle Yanni called her Elder Sister in Beijing from Wuhan, she was weeping. "Mama is dying from cancer," she said. "I don't want her to leave me."
    After comforting little Yanni, her Sisters informed children in other parts of the country, who sent Yanni and her mother letters and gifts, encouraging them to fight the disease courageously35.


    A Beijing boy refused to be identified on the phone. But he told his Elder Sister his cousin had accidentally injured another child and had to pay all the medical fees. Afraid of informing.his parents, he had stolen 110 yuan from a classmate's home and was discovered later. He was in great distress36, but did not know what to do.
    Wu said to him, "The boy's actions are forgiveable. Once he clears up the situation, he'll.win the trust of others.?Her sense told her that the boy was talking about himself.


    After the call, Wu wrote to the boy's father, asking them to help the boy.
    A few days later, a boy appeared before the editors. It was he who had taken the money. Now, a good student in No 20. Middle School of Beijing, he often visits with his Elder Sisters.
    During the past year, Wu and her colleagues also opened the hot line for a short period in eight other cities in the country. In Nanning, capital of South China' s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous37 Region, they received 509 calls in three days.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vividly tebzrE     
adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地
参考例句:
  • The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
  • The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。
2 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
3 conformity Hpuz9     
n.一致,遵从,顺从
参考例句:
  • Was his action in conformity with the law?他的行动是否合法?
  • The plan was made in conformity with his views.计划仍按他的意见制定。
4 obsessed 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384     
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
参考例句:
  • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
  • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
5 amass tL5ya     
vt.积累,积聚
参考例句:
  • How had he amassed his fortune?他是如何积累财富的呢?
  • The capitalists amass great wealth by exploiting workers.资本家剥削工人而积累了巨额财富。
6 haven 8dhzp     
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所
参考例句:
  • It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后,这真是一个安乐窝。
  • The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。
7 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
8 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
9 sanity sCwzH     
n.心智健全,神智正常,判断正确
参考例句:
  • I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
10 stereotyped Dhqz9v     
adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的
参考例句:
  • There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子,左不过是些才子佳人,最没趣儿。
  • He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物,并且与我们的祖先有着明显的(虽然可能没有科学的)联系。
11 apathetic 4M1y0     
adj.冷漠的,无动于衷的
参考例句:
  • I realised I was becoming increasingly depressed and apathetic.我意识到自己越来越消沉、越来越冷漠了。
  • You won't succeed if you are apathetic.要是你冷淡,你就不能成功。
12 federation htCzMS     
n.同盟,联邦,联合,联盟,联合会
参考例句:
  • It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
  • Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。
13 corruption TzCxn     
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
参考例句:
  • The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
  • The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
14 favourable favourable     
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
参考例句:
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
15 illiterate Bc6z5     
adj.文盲的;无知的;n.文盲
参考例句:
  • There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
  • I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲,今天也认字了。
16 onset bICxF     
n.进攻,袭击,开始,突然开始
参考例句:
  • The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
  • Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。
17 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
18 premature FPfxV     
adj.比预期时间早的;不成熟的,仓促的
参考例句:
  • It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
  • The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。
19 impulsiveness c241f05286967855b4dd778779272ed7     
n.冲动
参考例句:
  • Advancing years had toned down his rash impulsiveness.上了年纪以后,他那鲁莽、容易冲动的性子好了一些。
  • There was some emotional lability and impulsiveness during the testing.在测试过程中,患者容易冲动,情绪有时不稳定。
20 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
21 aggression WKjyF     
n.进攻,侵略,侵犯,侵害
参考例句:
  • So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结,就不必惧怕外来侵略。
  • Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。
22 repercussions 4fac33c46ab5414927945f4d05f0769d     
n.后果,反响( repercussion的名词复数 );余波
参考例句:
  • The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
  • Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
24 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
25 adverts c82a22098d5133b18bfb64b60b66048d     
advertisements 广告,做广告
参考例句:
  • the adverts on television 电视广告
  • The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
26 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
27 Oxford Wmmz0a     
n.牛津(英国城市)
参考例句:
  • At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
  • This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。
28 swoop nHPzI     
n.俯冲,攫取;v.抓取,突然袭击
参考例句:
  • The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
  • We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。
29 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
30 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
31 muddle d6ezF     
n.困惑,混浊状态;vt.使混乱,使糊涂,使惊呆;vi.胡乱应付,混乱
参考例句:
  • Everything in the room was in a muddle.房间里每一件东西都是乱七八糟的。
  • Don't work in a rush and get into a muddle.克服忙乱现象。
32 allay zxIzJ     
v.消除,减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)
参考例句:
  • The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧,但是没有收到什么效果。
  • They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。
33 sobbing df75b14f92e64fc9e1d7eaf6dcfc083a     
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句:
  • I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
  • Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。
34 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
35 courageously wvzz8b     
ad.勇敢地,无畏地
参考例句:
  • Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the army and civilians in flooded areas fought the floods courageously, reducing the losses to the minimum. 在中共中央、国务院的正确领导下,灾区广大军民奋勇抗洪,把灾害的损失减少到了最低限度。
  • He fought death courageously though his life was draining away. 他虽然生命垂危,但仍然勇敢地与死亡作斗争。
36 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛
参考例句:
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
37 autonomous DPyyv     
adj.自治的;独立的
参考例句:
  • They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
  • This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

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