2010年高考英语考点热点命题预测(一)
世纪金榜 / 袁立新
一、听力
1、高考听力主要考查考生理解文章主旨要义,获取事实性具体信息的能力。任何一段对话或独白总会围绕一个主旨展示,这需要考生自己去归纳、概括。为了说明主旨,对话或独白中总会出现一些具体信息,这些信息是理解和把握主旨必不可少的内容,也是考查重点。另外,还要求考生根据获取的口头信息推断说话者之间的关系、话语发生的场合、背景等。
2、听力要求考生听懂有关日常生活中所熟悉话题的简短独白和对话。考生应能:(1)理解主旨要义;(2)获取事实性的具体信息;(3)对所听内容作出简单推断;(4)理解说话者的意图、观点或态度。
3、高考英语听力部分的考查主要在于以下四个方面:
(1)理解主旨、要义:听一段对话或者独白,最重要的是能够抓住说话者究竟在说什么,把握住话题中心。有时候我们可能把个别细节听得很清楚,却没能抓住整段话的中心。从听的角度来看,这种“以偏概全”会产生误解,影响到交际任务的完成。例如,当你听到这样一段小对话:
W:You went to the theatre last night.What did you think of the man who played Hamlet?Wasn’t he wonderful?
M:Yes.I think he did a great job.
你就应该能判断出他们是在谈论an actor who played Hamlet,而不是theatre或者job等其他内容。
为了把握所听内容的主旨要义,不应纠缠在某些听不太明白的细节上。口语中常会有停顿、犹豫、重复,强调时会有重读,或者还会放慢语速;我们需要体会说话人的口气,抓住关键词语,从总体上把握谈话内容,也就是整段话的中心。或者说,这种理解应该是建立在语篇层面上的,没有对于语段的整体理解,也就无从把握主旨要义了。
(2)获取(与话题中心相关的)具体事实信息:在把握所听内容话题中心的同时,我们需要听清楚其中涉及的具体时间、地点、数字、人物等。例如一段在图书馆借书的对话,设题就包含了“借到什么书”这类细节的考查,如:What has the man decided to take?
高考英语听力试题中常会包含一些这样与具体信息相关的设题,但细节问题也一定会与整段材料的话题中心密切相关,而不只是为追求细枝末节而设。需要在整体理解所听材料的基础上把得到的具体信息联系在一起,在脑海里形成真正符合实际情景的“图式”,而后得出正确的理解与判断。
(3)对于说话背景、说话者之间的关系能够作出简单的推断:语言交际中我们要求不仅能听懂话语的字面含义,还应能从话题内容和语气等来推断出对话者(或说话人)的身份、所处场合、彼此之间(或与他人)的关系等。假如我们听到一段关于购物的对话,就能够判断其发生地点可能是在商店,并且知道哪一方是顾客,哪一方是营业员。日常语言交际中,判断背景、场合与说话者身份对于理解所听话语的真实含义是至关重要的,因此也成为高考英语听力测试的一个常见内容。
(4)理解说话者意图、观点或态度:弄清说话人背景与谈话场合的同时,还需要从其话语中听出“弦外之音”,理解其意图、观点或态度。例如,当我们听到酒店里的这样一段小对话:
M:We’ve been sitting here for such a long time.I wonder when our beef will be served?
W:Perhaps they had to kill the cow first...
女士提到cow,却并非真指其物,真正关心的还是所点的beef。这里只是一种讽刺口吻,表达了对酒店服务的抱怨。
高考英语听力测试还检测与听相关的各项微技能的综合运用能力,其中包括对于语境的察觉、听的过程中预测与设想、对于所听内容中所涉及事项的辨识等。几年来高考英语命题中听力部分的选材均贴近学生生活,具有鲜明的时代特征,反映出所学语言文化的背景,较为客观地检测了考生在不同语言环境中的语言运用能力。
4、高考英语听力部分的命题原则主要为:
(1)考点均匀分布。涉及所听材料的主要内容不会只是集中在某一局部,设题考虑到了材料中所涉及内容的顺序先后。
(2)首句无题。一般提问不涉及开头句内容。
(3)选择题与填空题形式并存。
(4)设题简明。为最大程度地考查“听力”,减少其他干扰,听力部分的问题与选项答案都尽可能简明扼要。
(5)不涉及与听力无关的内容,如专业性要求太高的内容等。
(6)答案惟一。
(7)干扰有效。每一个错误选项一定会对某一部分考生构成干扰。否则就将3选1的题目变成了2选1,影响测试目标的实现了。
(8)选项平行,不相包容。选项设计时考虑到其相互关系。例如:A.Beijing. B.Wuhan.,从地理概念看,二者平行。若为A.Beijing. B.China.,则当答案为A项时,B项同样成立。或者出现了不只一个答案,或者缩小了答题时考虑的范围。
5、高考英语听力部分的选材特征及总体预测:
(1)口语特征明显,其中包括如句式结构简短、停顿、重复、犹豫等。
(2)语境明确。听力材料的发生背景明确,能够从话语中甚至添加的背景音效中了解到。
(3)内容相对完整。遵循“语篇”概念,每一段听力材料都能够自成一体,或者说都是一个微型语篇。
(4)说话人身份明确。
(5)信息量足。听力材料中内容丰富,能为考查检测提供充分的信息。
(6)不含生词。与阅读要求不同,一般不含生词。但人名、地名等专有名词仍可能出现,这一点与实际交际中的情况也是一致的。
(7)内容“贴近时代、贴近生活、贴近学生”,减少非语言因素对于考查效果的影响。常见情景有:打电话、约会、看病、介绍、告别、劝告、留便条、住旅馆、找工作、购物、家用电器操作、租房、用餐、文秘、过海关、风土人情、传统、时事、人物、科普等,一般不会超过《课程标准》所列的11种(68项)功能意念项目及24个话题项目的范围。
(8)长短适宜,循序渐进。根据命题需要,第1~5段小对话一般为1~2、3个回合。第6~10段对话或独白则要长一些。
(9)总体难度水平会相对稳定,.材料的总词数仍控制在800左右,.推理判断题所占比例有可能增大,.语速会略有增加。
二、语法和词汇知识
单项选择对动词和各种从句的考查仍然是重点。预测动词考查5—6个,涉及不定式、主谓一致、动词辨析、动词短语辨析、时态、情态动词;从句考查3—4个,涉及非限制性定语从句、表语从句、状语从句、宾语从句等;另外,还将考查冠词、形容词及其比较等级、倒装、交际用语、介词、名词或代词等考点在具体语境中的灵活运用。(例证略)
三、语篇理解
1、完形填空:完形填空题基本延续传统的体裁,以记叙为主,议论为辅;题材是学生读起来非常容易理解和接受的内容。
体裁:完形的短文将会以夹叙夹议为主,当然也可能会出现少数记叙文和说明文。
题材:所选的短文以集趣味性教育性为主,反映社会生活的真实故事为主。具体将会出现和谐,奋进,感恩等方面的内容。
词量:预测短文的长度为300词左右,最短不会少于250词,最长不会少于330词。
设题:题量仍为20道小题,内容主要以考查实词为主。
要求:2010年的完形题将会加大对考生语篇理解能力的考查,以及结合文章语境,句子结构对词的运用,词的搭配,词义辨析及上下文逻辑关系掌握掌握能力的考查。
2、阅读理解:选材贴近生活,贴近时代;渗透文化意识;注重体裁、题材多样化、交际化和生活化;适当增加文章和句子的难度,生词、长难句增多。命题加大考查学生利用同义或反义关系、构词法、语法和语篇等理解生词的能力;信息量加大,对阅读速度的要求提高;语篇意识加强,设题手法灵活,提问深入;命题上既注重细节的理解力,也重视整体的理解;既重视从语言学角度考查学生的语言知识和语言技能,又重视从心理学的角度考查学生的学习策略。
(一)语篇考查热点命题范围预测:
热点一:住房——房价飙升牵动市民心,政府举措能否改变“蜗居”状态。
房价问题一向市民最关心的问题, 房价还会不会下降?高居不下的房价使得住房对于越来越多的百姓可望而不可及,政府一系列的遏制房价过快增长的重拳组合能否奏效?公租房的大量投放,能否改变“蜗居”状态?
热点二:收入差距——贫富差距大,政府有何举措调整收入差距
如何增收?有什么举措调整收入差距?如何深化垄断行业收入分配制度改革?收入分配制度改革事关全民切身利益,政府如何切分社会财富“蛋糕”成为今年热点话题。
收入与我们每个人密切相关,而不断扩大的贫富悬殊也一直受到普遍关注,数据表示,我国10%富裕家庭占城市居民全部财产45%。应该如何缓解这种现状?
热点三:物价问题——物价“涨”声一片,市民消费支出在不断上涨。
物价问题,特别是与群众生活关系密切的粮油、肉及禽蛋、蔬菜等食品价格,无论是上涨还是下降,都牵动着千家万户。
热点四:医疗改革——新医改着力解决群众 “看病难、看病贵”,而现状是大医院人满为患,小医院冷清无人问津,“看病难”改革奏效吗?
新医改方案破茧而出,2009年国家也推出多项举措改革医疗体制,大幅度降低药价。但总体看来,一些体制性弊病仍然严重,离人民群众期待距离仍远。《关于公立医院改革试点的指导意见》发布,必然激起反响。
热点五:反腐问题——反腐取得一定成效,今年将走向何方
如何加强反腐败的制度建设?如何通过建立健全各项监督制约制度等“显规则”破除消极腐败的“潜规则”?惩治腐败是否将继续保持高压姿态,如何把群众的利益放在首位?
热点六:拆迁问题——拆迁事关社会稳定 、人心安定。
《城市房屋拆迁管理条例》的出台和修改被纳入官方议程,标志着中国在城镇化进程中迎来了一次改变游戏规则的新机遇。拆
热点七:教育公平——上学什么时候能真正不贵?教育不公平的问题日益突出,在2009年公众调查中,仅有11.2%的人认为教育公平,择校费、大学高学费、教师职称评定暗箱等问题一再进入人们的视线。
《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要(2010-2020年)》(公开征求意见稿)历经磨砺后终于面世。如何让孩子在起跑线上能真正公平?这是聚焦教育的最大焦点。
热点八:养老保险——养老、医疗等各种社会保险涉及面广,参与人数众多,尤其是养老保障事关民生问题。你对目前的养老保险政策有何意见?
2009年9月,国务院决定试行《农民社会养老保险》。农民也“老有所养”,那么试行效果如何?今年会如何走向?同时,退休金“双轨制”也备受关注
热点九:就业问题——用工荒与就业难如何平衡?2010年就业问题依然严峻,农业富余劳动力还有1.2亿以上, “招工难”与“就业难”并存,大学生就业压力如何缓解?下岗工人如何再就业? 企业说缺员工,但很多大学生和农民工等依然找不到工作。
热点十:打黑——打黑风暴还要刮多久?2009年重庆打黑成绩显著震动全国,2010年打黑将会如何发展?能不能学习借鉴重庆成功“打黑”的经验,像“打黑”那样反腐呢?
2009年是高官落马较多的一年,多名省部级高官涉嫌严重违法违纪被查处。此外,重庆“打黑”使出“组合拳”,足坛“打假”上升到反腐层面。
热点十一:网络扫黄——2009“扫黄”风暴剑指互联网,全国深入整治互联网和手机媒体淫秽色情及低俗信息,一些不法者为利益仍顶风作案。您认为网络扫黄的有效措施是什么?
热点十二:民主监督——以“躲猫猫事件”、“杭州飙车案” 上海钓鱼执法”等为代表的一系列网络热点事件,体现了网民通过网络在进行民主监督方面,发挥了巨大的影响力。
热点十三:交通——高铁以及高速公路网络的完善拉近了城市之间的距离,但是城市内堵车现象愈演愈烈,人们交通出行条件亟待改善和提高。
热点十四:低碳生活——在哥本哈根全球气候大会落幕之后,全世界的人们都将目光瞄向了“低碳生活”。在2010年我们到底能够能变多少?
热点十五:网络问政——各级官员不断加入“触网”行列,通过网络来倾听吸纳百姓的建议和意见,网络问政日益成为中国民主政治的新型表达方式。
热点十六:上海世博会 时 间: 2010年5月1日至10月31日 地 点:上海市中心黄浦江两岸
主 题:城市,让生活更美好 副主题:城市多元文化的融合 城市经济的繁荣城市科技的创新 城市社区的重塑城市和乡村的互动
目 标:吸引200个国家和国际组织参展,7000万人次的参观者 。
会 徽:
上海世博会会徽图案以中国汉字“世”字书法创意为形,表达世博会“理解、沟通、欢聚、合作”的理念。
吉祥物
上海世博会吉祥物海宝(HAIBAO)寓意为“四海之宝”,以“人”为核心创意,契合上海世博会的主题。
BIE
国际展览局,英文简称为BIE,政府性质的国际展览机构,协调管理世界博览会,总部设在巴黎。
热点十七:其它热点
1、“电击治疗网瘾”:“网瘾”之见,要清楚电击疗法之所以叫停,是因为单纯依赖“现代技术”、强制手段,忽视人的心灵是与“以人为本”的教育本质背道而驰的。
2、“疑患甲流”出现的相关现象。
3、地震、矿难、干旱、水灾、交通事故等灾难的相关话题。
4、信心与希望、坚强与大爱等话题。
(二)语篇理解话题例证
1、就业与工作(Employment and jobs)
(1)
The best and worst jobs for 2010
Being an actuary,calculating statistics to determine probability and risk,is the best job to have in 2010,while working on an oil rig as a roustabout is the worst,according to a study released on Tuesday.
An actuary earns about $85,000 a year and has few physical demands,little stress,a good work environment and a positive outlook for employment and income growth,said CareerCast.com,a job search site that analyzed 200 jobs in North America.
The second-best job is software engineer,followed by computer systems analyst,biologist and historian,said CareerCast.com,which rated jobs in terms of stress,working environment,physical demands,income and hiring outlook.
Being a roustabout was rated the worst,followed by lumberjack,ironworker,dairy farmer and welder,it said.
A roustabout is a dangerous job that typically pays about $31,000 a year,with high unemployment and a negative outlook for growth,the study said.
Switching to many of the best jobs would mean returning to school,said Tony Lee,publisher of CareerCast.com’s 2010 Jobs Rated Report.This is its 12th annual study.
The worst jobs are “fairly miserable,” Lee said.They tend to require working outdoors regardless of the weather,have elements of physical danger and do not pay very well,he said.
“On top of that,the job opportunities are not very good so if you really want one of these jobs,you may even have difficulty finding one despite the fact that they’re dangerous,in bad conditions and don’t pay very well,”he said.
Last year,actuary placed second and mathematician first,while lumberjack ranked as the worst job.
1. Which is the best job in the US in 2010 ?
A. software engineer B. computer systems analyst
C. fairly miserable D. actuary
2. Which is the worst job in the US in 2009 ?
A.fairly miserable B. mathematician
C.lumberjack D. dairy farmer and welder
3. According to the passage,we can include that in the_______annual study,actuary placed second and mathematician first,while lumberjack ranked as the worst job.
A.12th B.11th
C.10th D.13th
[参考译文]
精算师为2010年北美最佳职业
本周二发布的一项研究报告称,2010年的最佳职业是从事数据计算、确定可能性和风险的精算师,最差职业是油井工人。
CareerCast.com求职网站对北美地区的200种职业进行了分析。该网站称,一名精算师一年大约能赚得8.5万美元的收入,而且无需耗费体力,压力小,工作环境好,就业和加薪前景也很乐观。
仅次于精算师的职业是软件工程师,其次是计算机系统分析员、生物学家和历史学家。CareerCast.com网站根据工作压力、工作环境、体力要求、收入和就业前景等因素对各种职业进行了评估。
该网站说,油井工人是最不理想的职业,其次是伐木工人、铁匠、奶农和焊工。
研究称,油井工人是一个很危险的职业,一年的收入一般为3.1万美元,而且不稳定、收入增长前景也不好。
CareerCast.com网站的《2010年职业评估报告》的发行人托尼•李说,如果想换到这些理想的职业,人们也许要回到学校进修。这是该网站的第12次年度调查。
李说,从事最差工作的人“相当悲惨”。无论天气状况如何,这些工作通常需要户外作业,而且会有人身安全危险,薪酬也不高。
他说:“此外,这种工作机会并不多,所以如果你真的想从事这方面的工作,还不一定能找到,尽管这种工作危险、条件恶劣,报酬也不高。”
去年,精算师排在数学家之后,位列第二大最理想的职业,最糟糕的职业是伐木工人。
(2)
The unemployment of college graduates should not be regarded as a social problem if proper guidance and assistance can be offered to them.
College graduates may find it difficult to get a job in the wake of an expanded enrollment system launched several years ago.And the employment situation facing students is not much better.
There are several reasons leading to the unemployment of young people.Firstly,many young people project expectations on their careers that are too high and they are unwilling to start their career in a low income position.Secondly, some employers tend to hire professionals of higher educational levels to do low-level job.In addition,the current education system stresses too much on academic education instead of practical skills,it leads to newly graduated students without much work experience hard to find a ideal job.
Clearly, a good job is the foundation of one’s success,but what does a “good job”really mean?
For many.a good job means a good salary and a high social position. I don’t agree.In my opinion,it is better to regard“good”as meaning the job is suitable to your personality.Suitability is the key to a good job,if you get a job which fits your personality,you will more likely succeed in it.
Therefore,a good job means one which is also suitable to your interests.That is to say, you can get enjoyment from doing it.If you don’t enjoy your job, even if it gives you a very good salary and high social position,you can’t really lead a happy and meaningful 1ife.We should work to live,not live to work.
2、低碳生活与环境(Low carbon life & Environment)
(1)
On December 8,Xinhua News Agency published a list of news keywords that it believes sum up the year 2009.The phrase “Low carbon life” had been heard in China before 2009,but in 2009,it has become popular among young Chinese who are concerned about the environment. It comes as world leaders are talking about fighting global warming in Copenha gen,Denmark.Greenhouse gases,such as carbon dioxide,are the main cause of global warming,which leads to extreme weather and other conditions.
Living a low carbon life means trying to cut carbon dioxide emissions(排放) in one’s daily life.For example,burning less coal and oil,which produce CO2.It means walking,biking or taking buses,rather than using a private car.
“A(H1N1) flu” is also on Xinhua’s list.Since April,2009 the virus has made over 100,000 people ill on the Chinese mainland and 325 people had died of it as of December 9.But as US magazine Newsweek pointed out recently,the best evidence suggests it is no more dangerous than a bad seasonal flu.
The year 2009 saw the growing impact of the Internet on society,with the word “duomaomao”,meaning hideandseek,becoming a hit on the web.On February 12,Li Qiaoming died of brain injuries several days after being detained(拘留) by police in Jinning county,Yunnan Province.Police said it was an accident sustained(遭受)while he was playing hideandseek with fellow prisoners.Netizens cast doubt on this explanation and called for an investigation(调查).It turned out that Li had been beaten to death by other prisoners.
Another phrase connected with the Internet on the list is “Net Addiction Camps”.Many parents send children obsessed(沉迷) with the web to “Net Addiction Camps”for treatment.But some camps use physical punishment or electrical shocks(电击).In 2009,some young people died as a result of the extreme methods,which led to a nationwide discussion.In November,the Ministry of Health banned the use of physical punishment to keep children off the net and dropped the term “net addiction(网瘾)”.It did not say that excessive(过度的) net use is a mental illness either.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A.A(H1N1) has spread all over the world.
B.The environment is concerned about more and more people.
C.The Internet has great impact on our society.
D.Some keywords are employed to sum up the year 2009.
【解析】选D。主旨大意题。由文中第一段On December 8, Xinhua News Agency published a list of news keywords that it believes sum up the year 2009.可知D项正确。A、B、C三项都是文章中的一部分,范围小了。
2 .What does the underlined word “Netizens” in the fifth paragraph refer to?
A.follow prisoners
B.the relatives of Li Qiaoming
C.the local people
D.the people who surf the Internet
【解析】选D。推理判断题。由文中第五段第一句The year 2009 saw the growing impact of the Internet on society, with the word “duomaomao”, meaning hideandseek, becoming a hit on the web.可知D项正确。
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The phrase “Lowcarbon life” has been popular among young people since 2009.
B.Global warming mainly results from greenhouse gases.
C.A(H1N1) flu is more dangerous than a bad seasonal flu.
D.Li Qiaoming died of an accident sustained while playing hideandseek with fellow prisoners.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。由第二段The phrase “Lowcarbon life” had been heard in China before 2009, but in 2009, it has become popular among young Chinese who are concerned about the environment.可知A项错误。由第四段But as US magazine Newsweek pointed out recently, the best evidence suggests it is no more dangerous than a bad seasonal flu.可知C项错误。由第五段It turned out that Li had been beaten to death by other prisoners.可知D项错误。由第二段Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide,are the main cause of global warming,...可知B项正确。
4. Living a low carbon life means.
A.burning less coal and oil
B.trying to cut carbon dioxide emissions in one’s daily life
C.walking,biking or taking buses
D.using a private car
【解析】选B。细节理解题。A、C两项仅为文中的两个例子; D项与题意不符;由 第三段第一句Living a low carbon life means trying to cut carbon dioxide emissions in one’s daily life.可知B项正确。
(2)
It is important to learn about protecting our environment. Here is a 5R rule for us:
1. Reduce
If you want to reduce waste,you should use things wisely.A large number of trees are being cut down to make paper.If everyone uses a little paper carelessly and throw it out.soon we would not have any trees left.Other things are also being wasted,and people don’t know what to do with the waste in big cities.So if is necessary to reduce the waste.
2.Reuse
You should always think of reusing the unable things before throwing them Out.Give your clothes you do not use or the ones which are too small to the poor.1n a family,you may pass on such clothes to younger brothers or sisters.
3.Recycle
Bottles.cans and paper can easily be recycled.By doing so we save lots of time and money.For example,coke cans are sent to a factory,where they are smashed flat and melted and the metal things are made for new coke cans.
4.Recover
When you buy a box of apples,there may be a few rotten apples,you have two choices:one is to throw the whole apples away,or you could cut off the rotten parts and use the good parts.In this way,you are recovering the eatable parts of food.
5.Repair
If one of the legs of your table is broken,you can repair it.If you want to change for better ones.If is better for you to sell the old things or give them to other people who can use them after doing some repair.It is true that North America is a“throwaway”society,but the time has come to change our way of life so that we can protect our environment.Every one of us should try our best.
3、住房问题(The Housing)
The ever-rising price of property in China has become cause of worry for an increasing number of people, shows a survey. Despite the measures taken last year to cool down the overheated real estate market , fewer people now believe that the prices would stabilize in the near future.
Only one-fifth of the 2,582 people polled by China Youth Daily’s social research centre, sina.com and ePanel Marketing Research & Consulting Co were confident that the government’s steps would check the trend. Their percentage was 60 in a similar survey conducted only two years ago. The poll results announced yesterday showed another significant change: instead of blaming real estate investors for raising the prices to earn huge profits, as respondents had done two years ago, more people now blame the government’s vulnerability in macro-control measures for the malaise.
Buying a house for most of the people is a once in a lifetime decision, which means people decide to do so only after coming across the ideal house. Surprisingly, eight in every 10 home buyers are unhappy with their houses.
The BCA has suggested strict sales regulations and contracts to ease house-owners’ sufferings. It has urged the authorities to impose severe punishment on developers found violating building and other rules and joining hands with others to bid up property prices.
Experts have suggested consumers gather thorough knowledge about a developer and their work before deciding to buy a house from it. They should check the day-light conditions and ventilation in different weather conditions in advance, if possible.
4、幸福、财富、健康(Happiness,Wealth and Health)
Many of people believe money is the source of happiness.Money can bring power, happiness and all we desire.If we have a large sum of money,maybe we would be regarded as a successful man.If we are penniless,you would be taken as a fool.But I think they are wrong.We should also bear it in mind that there is something that can’t be brought with money.We should cherish our health. I think money is necessary, but health is indispensable.Wealth can never be measured in terms of money.Wealth includes physical health,a happy family life,true love and harmony in human relation.Nowadays,we are living in a more materialistic society and consumer goods are desirable everywhere.Do you know some old sayings about money,
such as“money talks”,and“no money, no honey”?These proverbs give deep impressions when we are young.At least it makes US know about the importance of money.With time passing by, maybe we begin to know money is not the only thing that matter in life.But in reality without money we can’t live a happy life.So enough money means we can afford the cost of our living and we can have extra money to support our hobbies.Health is wealth.Health is the source of happiness.Some millionaires or billionaires cling close to their doctors,because they seldom get enough exercise to keep their health.A person,who is in good health,can afford to challenge all hardships.
Words and Expressions:
cherish 珍惜
independence 独立
harmony 和谐
money talks 金钱万能
5、发明(Invention)、高科技、时尚(High tech、State of the art)
(1)
Lewis Edson Waterman
The Pen
The first practical pen with reservoir is credited to Lewis Edson Waterman a 45 year old American insurance broker in 1884. The story goes that he was getting ready to sign a vital contract on a building site and had bought a new pen for the occasion feeling that it would create a good impression and be more convenient for the circumstances than the more usual dip nib pen. The contract was on the table, and the pen was in the client's hand. Once, twice and even a third time the pen refused to write and then it made an ink blot on the important paperwork. Mr. Waterman returned to his office in all haste, obtained a fresh contract and returned to the site - a rival broker had beaten him to it and the client had signed a contract with the competitor.
Waterman refused to be caught out again in like fashion and having an inventive mind designed his own pen and commenced to produce them in his brother's workshop. His design was based upon the physical force of capillarity where air replace the ink used giving a smooth, even, blot free flow. His idea was patented in 1884 but he continued to sell insurance while manufacturing just a few hundreds pens per year. However Waterman saw the benefits of advertising and sales increased rapidly. Gold nibs were obtained from New York and in 1900 a factory was built in Montreal, Canada to make the pens.
Lewis Waterman died in 1901 but his son Frank took over the successful business and conquered Europe with sales rising to 350,000 pens per year. Another first for Waterman was adding a clip to the cap in 1905.
(2)
“High tech”and“State of the art”are two expressions to tell about very modern technology.High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology,and high technology can be any invention,or something that uses the newest ideas or findings in science.
What is“high tech”?A computer is high tech.So is a satellite in the sky.The opposite of high tech is low tech.A wooden plow pulled by horses is low tech.So is hand cart.High tech becomes a popular expression in the United States during the early 1980s.Because of the inventions in technology people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores.The companies that make these things were proud of the things they made. They wanted everyone to know that their products were as modem as possible.So in all kinds of advertisements,companies called their products as high tech.
State of the art is something that is as modern as possible.It is a product that is made with the very latest methods and technology. Something that is state of the art is the newest design or product of business.A state of the art television set. for example,uses the most modem designs and parts.It is the best that one Can buy.
State of the art is not a new expression.Scientists have used it for years to talk about the best and most modem way of doing something.Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970s.New inventions make computers smaller and cheaper.Every computer company said that its computers were the state of the art.So this expression“state of the art”became as common and popular as computers themselves.
标签: 天气降温关心简短句子