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　　He's had many an unkind comment about his looks when set against the radiant beauty of girlfriend Sienna Miller.

　　But Rhys Ifans seems likely to have the last laugh because psychologists reckon that happier marriages result from attractive women who wed uglier men.

　　And women who marry handsome men had better watch out. Men who saw themselves as better looking than their wives were more likely to be disgruntled and have negative feelings about their marriage, experts found.

　　The University of Tennessee study might also explain a few other couples such as Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas and Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller.

　　The Tennessee team tested 82 newly-wed couples for facial attractiveness and the quality of their marriage.

　　Their results, in the Journal of Family Psychology, suggested most men who married attractive women were happy to bask in the glory of their partner's beauty.

　　But Professor Jim McNulty reported: "Men who were more attractive than their partner demonstrated a tendency to offer less emotional and practical support to their wives."

　　He said "evolutionary perspectives" offered an explanation.

　　Strathclyde University psychologist Alastair Ross said many men enjoyed the prestige of having a beautiful wife.

　　"Men are rated as more likeable and friendly when they have a wife who is very attractive," he added.

　　因为长相，他与美女明星西耶娜?米勒的结合可是引来了不少风凉话。

　　不过现在看来，瑞伊斯?伊凡斯可以笑到最后了，因为心理学家日前称，美女配丑男，婚姻会更幸福。

　　而嫁给"帅哥"的女性最好要提防着点。因为专家发现，认为自己的外表比妻子更具吸引力的男性容易对婚姻感到不满。

　　美国田纳西大学的这项研究或许还能为其他几对名人夫妇的结合提供解释，比如：凯瑟琳?泽塔-琼斯与迈克尔?道格拉斯，玛丽莲梦露与亚瑟?米勒。

　　田纳西大学的研究小组对82对新婚夫妇的外表吸引力和他们的婚姻质量进行了测试。

　　结果发现，"抱得美人归"的多数男士往往会沉醉于妻子的美貌给他们带来的那种"荣耀"中。研究结果在《家庭心理学》期刊上发表。

　　但吉姆?麦克纳尔蒂教授说："如果男性的外表更具吸引力，那么他们给予妻子的情感和实际支持往往较少。"

　　他说，这可以从"进化论角度"进行解释。

　　斯特拉斯克莱德大学的心理学家阿尔斯达尔?罗丝说，很多男性觉得，有个漂亮的妻子让自己很有面子。

　　他说："研究发现，抱得美人归的男性往往更可爱、更友好。"

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Love's Witness

爱情的见证

Slight unpremeditated Words are borne

By every common Wind into the Air;

Carelessly uttered, die as soon as born,

And in one instant give both Hope and Fear:

Breathing all Contraries with the same Wind

According to the Caprice of the Mind.

But Billetdoux are constant Witnesses,

Substantial Records to Eternity;

Just Evidences，who the Truth confess,

On which the Lover safely may rely;

They're serious Thoughts，digested and resolved;

And last，when Words are into Clouds devolved.

不加思索的轻率话语，

被每一次平凡的呼吸载入空气；

随便说说，刚出口即消失，

一瞬间给人希望和恐惧：

同一气息呼出万般矛盾心肠，

追随心灵无常的遐想。

但情书则是恒常的见证，

直至永恒的实体记录；

公道的证物，它道出真诚，

恋人能在其上安心依附；

它们是严肃的思想，经过深思熟虑；

当话语在云外消失，它们还将延续。

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　　The 12-year-old boy stood patiently beside the clock counter while the store clerk waited on all of the adult customers.

　　Finally he got around to the youngster, who made his purchase and hurried out to the curb, where his father was impatiently waiting in his car.

　　"What took you so long, son?" he asked.

　　"The man waited on everybody in the store before me," the boy replied. "But I got even."

　　"How?"

　　"I wound and set all the alarm clocks while I was waiting," the youngster explained happily. "It's going to be fun at six o'clock."

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　　I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was fourteen, my little sister, Ocy, was twelve and my older sister, Darlene, was sixteen. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with no money and seven school-aged kids to raise.

　　By 1946, my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special holiday offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.

　　When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy fifty pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save twenty dollars of our grocery money for the offering. Then we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house- and yard-cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us baby-sat for everyone we could. For fifteen cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three potholders to sell for a dollar. We made twenty dollars on potholders. That month was one of the best of our lives.

　　Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about eighty people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be twenty times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

　　The night before Easter, we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had seventy dollars for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.

　　But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about our old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.

　　When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting in the second row form the front. Mom put in the ten-dollar bill, and each of us kids put in a twenty-dollar bill.

　　We sang all the way home from church. At lunch, Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon, the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp twenty-dollar bills, one ten-dollar bill and seventeen one-dollar bills.

　　Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling poor. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and our late Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knives that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.

　　That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor, I thought. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed -- I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!

　　I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over one hundred students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time.

　　We sat in silence for along time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally, on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never know we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in, and she sang only one verse.

　　At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said one hundred dollars would put a roof on a church. The minister added, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.

　　Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene, Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

　　When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over one hundred dollars. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering form our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church." Suddenly it struck us! We had given eighty-seven dollars of that "little over one hundred dollars."

　　We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on, I've never been poor again.

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　　关于母亲节的来历，我们似乎并不陌生--一位名叫安娜?贾维思的女性在她母亲去世一年后，用自己的行动使这一具有悠久历史的纪念活动上升为官方节日。不过，在这之前，母亲节最早可追溯到古希腊的众神之母瑞亚，她是主神宙斯和天后赫拉的母亲。另外，不同国家，庆祝母亲节的日期也不尽相同，比如：我们熟悉的"五月的第二个星期日"实际上是采用了美国的习俗，而在英国，母亲节则定在四旬节的第四个星期日。

Ancient celebrations of motherhood

　　People in many ancient cultures celebrated holidays honoring motherhood, personified as a goddess. Here are just a few of those:

　　Ancient Greeks celebrated a holiday in honor of Rhea(Photo), the mother of the gods, including Zeus.

　　Ancient Romans celebrated a holiday in honor of Cybele, a mother goddess.

　　In the British Isles and Celtic Europe, the goddessBrigid(Photo), and later her successor St. Brigid, were honored with a spring Mother's Day.

　　Motherhood honoured in modern times

　　Mothers' Day is not celebrated on the same day throughout the world, for instance, in America Mother's Day occurs on the second Sunday in May while in Britain it is honored on the fourth Sunday in Lent(For more information on Lent, please check out Lent in "Easter's dictionary" or Carnival in "Word & Story").

** Mother's Day in Britain (March 21st, 2006 )

　　Mothering Sunday was celebrated in Britain beginning in the 17th century.

　　It began as a day when apprentices and servants could return home for the day to visit their mothers. Traditionally, men went home with a gift of "mothering cake" -- a kind of fruitcake or fruit-filled pastry known as simnel cake (Photo ).

** Mother's Day in America (May 14th, 2006)

　　Thanks to Anna M. Jarvis, Mother's Day has become an official holiday in the United States.

　　After a year when her mother died on May 9, 1905, Anna M. Jarvis attended a memorial service at their church. Inspired by the service, she thought it would be wonderful if people set aside a time to pay personal tribute to their mothers. Then, the daughter began using some of her inheritance to promote a day that would honor all mothers.

　　She and others staged a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful in the end. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

　　Carnation: the symbol of Mother's Day

　　It was Jarvis who originated the custom of wearing a carnation on Mother's Day because carnation was her mother's favorite flower.

　　A pink carnation is to honor a living mother and a white carnation is memory of a mother who passed away.

　　Vocabulary:

Rhea: 瑞亚，希腊神话中Zeus（宙斯）的母亲

Cybele: 西布莉(小亚细亚神话中的众神之母，与希腊女神Rhea等同)

Brigid: 布里奇德，凯尔特神话中的橡树之神，同时也是诗歌的保护神，因为产于沼泽的橡树是凯尔特民族的象征，所以Brigid被认为是爱尔兰国的国母。

simnel: 一种含油丰富的水果蛋糕，有时上面浇有杏仁糖浆，传统上在大斋节期间、复活节和圣诞节食用

Anna M. Jarvis: 安娜?贾维思

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上海股市昨日大涨9.29%，创下6年半以来的最大单日涨幅，周三晚间宣布的降低股票交易印花税以提振投资者信心的消息收到了效果。上证综合指数收盘上涨304.7点，报收3583.028点。

Shares in Shanghai surged by 9.29 per cent yesterday - their biggest daily gain for six-and-a-half years - as cuts in the tax on share trading announced late on Wednesday to boost investor confidence took effect. The composite index closed 304.7 points higher at 3,583.028.

在上海证交所上市的888家公司中，半数以上公司股价达到10%的涨停限制。这表明在昨日交易中买家对股票的需求可能尚未得到满足，市场今日可能进一步走高。

More than half of the 888 companies listed in Shanghai rose by 10 per cent, the maximum allowed by exchange rules. That suggests buyers' demand for shares may have been unsatisfied yesterday, and that the market could rise further today.

由于上证综指在6个月内跌幅过半，令取空存款首次投资股票的散户投资者感到失望，政府一直面临提振股市的压力。

The government had been under pressure to do something to boost shares as the Shanghai Composite index more than halved in six months, disappointing retail investors who had emptied their savings accounts to buy shares for the first time.

观察人士表示，随着奥运会日益临近，中国政府将希望股市再度上涨，因为这能够展示出中国经济迅速发展的成果。

Observers suggested that with the Olympics approaching, Beijing would prefer the stock market to be rising again as it showcases the results of its rapid economic development.

上海股市从2007年全球表现最好的市场之一，变成了走势最糟糕的一个市场。在去年2月份至10月份之间，上海股市飙升了141%。

Shanghai has turned from one of the world's best performers in 2007 to one of the worst. Prices surged 141 per cent between February and October.

但在周二交易中，上证综指一度跌至2990.79点的13个月低点，较去年10月16日的高点下跌51.2%。

But during trading on Tuesday it sank to a 13-month low of 2990.79, a 51.2 per cent fall from its peak of October 16 2007.

中央电视台在周三收盘后报导，从4月24日起，政府将把股票交易印花税从0.3%降低至0.1%。这与去年5月份的一项决定正好相反，当时有关当局将印花税率从0.1%上调至0.3%，以此为市场降温，但未能收到成效。

State television said after the markets closed on Wednesday that the government would cut the stamp duty on each share trade from 0.3 to 0.1 per cent from yesterday morning. This reversed a decision in May last year, when the authorities tripled the tax to try, unsuccessfully, to cool the market.

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　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE QUADROON GIRL

　　THE Slaver in the broad lagoon

　　Lay moored with idle sail；

　　He waited for the rising moon，

　　And for the evening gale.

　　Under the shore his boat was tied，

　　And all her listless crew

　　Watched the gray alligator slide

　　Into the still bayou.

　　Odors of orange-flowers， and spice，

　　Reached them from time to time，

　　Like airs that breathe from Paradise

　　Upon a world of crime.

　　The Planter， under his roof of thatch，

　　Smoked thoughtfully and slow；

　　The Slaver's thumb was on the latch，

　　He seemed in haste to go.

　　He said， "My ship at anchor rides

　　In yonder broad lagoon；

　　I only wait the evening tides，

　　And the rising of the moon."

　　Before them， with her face upraised，

　　In timid attitude，

　　Like one half curious， half amazed，

　　A Quadroon maiden stood.

　　Her eyes were large， and full of light，

　　Her arms and neck were bare；

　　No garment she wore save a kirtle bright，

　　And her own long， raven hair.

　　And on her lips there played a smile

　　As holy， meek， and faint，

　　As lights in some cathedral aisle

　　The features of a saint.

　　"The soil is barren， -- the farm is old，"

　　The thoughtful planter said；

　　The looked upon the Slaver's gold，

　　And the upon the maid.

　　His heart within him was at strife

　　With such accused gains：

　　For he know whose passions gave her life，

　　Whose blood ran in her veins.

　　But the voice of nature was too weak；

　　He took the glittering gold！

　　Then pale as death grew the maiden's cheek，

　　Her hands as icy cold.

　　The Slaver led her from the door，

　　He led her by the hand，

　　To be his slave and paramour

　　In a strange and distant land！

　　混血女

　　奴隶贩子把帆船停在

　　宽阔的咸水湖中；

　　他要等待上升的月亮，

　　等待黄昏的海风。

　　他的船拴在岸边，那一群

　　无精打采的水手

　　注视着一条灰白的鳄鱼

　　游入静静的湖口。

　　橙花和豆蔻的阵阵香气

　　飘送到他们身边，

　　有如天国的仙风袅袅

　　吹到罪恶的人间。

　　棕叶盖顶的屋里，农场主

　　想着心事，抽着烟；

　　奴隶贩子，象急着要走，

　　大拇指按着门闩。

　　他说："我的帆船就停在

　　宽阔的咸水湖上；

　　我只等着晚上的潮水，

　　等着上升的月亮。"

　　他们面前，仰脸站着的

　　是一个混写女郎，

　　有几分好奇，有几分害怕

　　怯生生可怜模样。

　　她脖子、胳臂露在外边，

　　一双眼又亮又大；

　　身上除了那鲜明的袍子，

　　只披着长长的黑发。

　　一丝笑意浮现在唇边，

　　圣洁、温柔、恬淡，

　　有如教堂廊道的灯火，

　　有如圣者的容颜。

　　农场主想着心事，叨咕着：

　　"这农场，地老，田荒；"

　　他看看奴隶贩子的金子，

　　又看看身边的女郎。

　　他心里有斗争，晓得是罪孽：

　　只有他，才最了解

　　是谁的情欲给了她生命，

　　他的血管里流着谁的血。

　　可是天性的呼声太微弱，

　　他抓起亮晶晶的黄金！

　　女郎的双颊死一样惨白，

　　他两手冷得象冰。

　　奴隶贩子拉着她得手，

　　把她拉出了门口，

　　带她去隔山隔海的异乡，

　　当他的奴隶和姘头！

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　　　　　　　　Enjoy Yourself While Fulfilling Responsibility

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　By Wang Yu 王羽四川师范大学

(2001年11月8日，在西安举行的第七届 "21世纪?爱立信杯"英语演讲比赛西北地区比赛中获得第一名)

专家点评:本文主题突出，以小见大，寓意深刻，语言朴实自然，表达的情感强烈，是一篇演讲佳作。

　　In my 18 years of life, there have been many things. University days are the best part of them. I can never forget the days when I stepped into my university. I was impressed by its garden-like campus, its enthusiastic students and especially its learning atmosphere. I at once fell in love with it.

　　After the arduous military training, I get absolutely absorbed in my studies. The classes given by the teachers are excellent. They provide us with information not only from our textbooks but from many other sources as well. They easily arouse my insatiable desire to take in as much as I can.

　　Frankly speaking, at first I had some difficulty following the teachers. However, through my own efforts and thanks to my teachers' guidance, I made remarkable progress. Now I've benefited a lot from lectures and many other academic reports.

　　Learning is a long process; I'll keep exploring in the treasure house of knowledge to enrich myself. This summer I got out of the ivory tower and entered the real world. A publishing house offered me a part-time job in compilation and revision.

　　At the beginning I was belittled by my colleagues. But they were really surprised when I translated seven English articles over 5,000 words on only one day. Gradually, they began to look at me with respectful eyes. In their opinion I turned out to be a useful and trustworthy colleague.

　　I also realize that only those who bring happiness for others can be truly happy. So I often take part in activities concerning public welfare. I once went to a barren mountain village with my classmates. We taught the kids there who could not afford school. While showing them how broad and how civilized the outer world is, I was deeply touched by their eagerness to learn, their honesty and their purity. I couldn't control my tears on the day when we left. The precious experience with the poor kids made me aware of the responsibility on the shoulders of us, future teachers.

　　Besides study and social practice, there are entertainments as well. I do body building every day, hoping to keep healthy and energetic. We also write a play and put it on in our spare time.

　　Campus life is the most splendid time. But different people have different choices. The majority of students cherish their beautiful season and cherish the hope that one day they'll become outstanding. But there are indeed some students still under ignorance. They gather together for eating, drinking or playing cards. They're busy in searching for a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They forget completely about their mission as college students and the hope of their motherland.

　　Finally, I do hope everybody can try their best to become a worthy citizen of the country. I do hope everybody can become the backbone of our nation and make great contributions to society!

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　译文:享受生活、不忘使命

　　在我这18年的生命中，有着许多美好的经历，而大学生活则是其中最难忘的一段。我永远不会忘记刚刚跨进大学校园的那几天:花园一样的校园，热情活跃的学生，特别是那里的学习气氛，给我留下了深刻的印象。

　　经过了一段艰辛的军事训练后，我完全融入到了学习中。老师的讲课真是棒极了。他们传授给我们的不仅是课本上的知识，还包括其他各种各样的信息。我渴望获得尽可能多的知识，是老师激发起了我这个不能满足的欲望。

坦率地说，一开始我还不能跟上老师的讲课。但是，通过我自己的努力以及老师的指导，我取得了巨大的进步。我从老师的授课和其他许多学术报告中获益匪浅。

　　学习是个循序渐进、长期的过程，我会在知识的宝库中不断探索，丰富自我。今年暑假，我跨出象牙塔，进入并接触到了真正的社会。一个出版社给了我编辑和校对的兼职工作。

　　工作初期，同事们都礁不起我。但是，当我在一天之内翻译完7篇(总字数超过5000字)的英语文章后，他们真的是

大吃一惊。渐渐地，他们开始用尊敬的眼光看待我。他们认为，我变成了一个有用并值得信赖的好同事。

　　我也同样意识到，只有那些为别人带来幸福的人才能真正的幸福。因而，我经常参加有关公众福利享业的活动。有一次，我和同学去了一个贫痔的山区村庄。在那里，我们教那些没钱上学的孩子。我向他们展示了一幅宽广、文明的外部世界的画面，但同时我也被那些孩子学习的渴望、他们的真诚和纯洁深深打动了。在我们离开的那一天，我那不争气的眼泪禁不住流了下来。这次珍贵的经历让我们这些未来的教师意识到了自己肩上的责任重大。

　　除了学习和社会实践，我还经常参加娱乐活动。我每天都锻炼身体，希望保持健康和充满活力。我们还在业余时间写剧本并排练演出。

　　园生活是最丰富多彩的。但是，不同的人有着不同的选择。大多数的学生珍惜他们的美好时光，并殷切希望将来能出类拔萃。可是，的确有学生无动于衷。他们聚在一起吃喝玩乐;他们忙于追求异性朋友;他们完全忘记了自己作为大学生的使命和祖国对他们的厚望。

　　最后，我希望每个人都能尽最大努力成为国家的有用人才。我也希望每个人都能成为我们民族的脊梁，为社会做出巨大的贡献!

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应用会话部分：

六、社会生活：

1. Diplomacy (1)

1) May I introduce you to my friend Susan?

　 恕我介绍一下我的朋友苏珊。

　 * "May I...?"是"可以……吗？"的意思，用以求取承诺或允许时使用的措辞，是极为重要的用法之一。

　 e.g. You may come if you wish.

　　　　如果你愿意的话，你就来吧。

2) This is my friend Susan.

　 这位是我的朋友苏珊。

　 * 注意这里要用"This is..."，而不说"She is..."。

3) I'm glad to meet you.

　 幸会。高兴见到你。

　 * 若要强调高兴，可如 I am so glad to...般把 so 插在里面。这 so 多见于女性使用。

4) Cathy has told me so much about you.

　 我常常听到凯茜提到你。

　 * so much about you 是"提到很多有关你的事"的意思。

5) Goodbye, it was nice meeting you.

　 再见，很荣幸认识你。

　 * 这是美国一般用于和首次认识的人道别的招呼语。

　　 也可以说做"I'm glad to have met you."。

6) How have you been?

　 你过的还好吗？

　 * 这是问人自前次离开之后情况的惯用表达。

7) I haven't seen you for a long time.

　 好久没有见到你了。

　 * 也蕴含着"如何打发日子"的意思。

8) How is it going with you?

　 你过得怎样？

　 * 问现在的情况，常用于日常会话中。

9) Please stop by (drop in) sometime.

　 请于近日过来坐坐。

　 * stop by 是"顺道来"，有时也使用 stop in 或 drop in。

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