unit 1
Abstract Art
But nowadays, abstract art has become part of the permanent possessions of contemporary civilization. Galleries along the Madison Avenue give scores of superb exhibitions on typical abstract works, appealing to many people who have a preference for abstract art. The Shadow of Egypt, a café in this district, has become the home to those aggressive abstract artists. Consequently, it is not a coincidence for you to meet one of these artists of great reputation in the flesh. They are asked for signatures and given bunches of fragrant flowers plus they are given a great deal of praise by their faithful fans.
抽象藝術曾經頗受爭議，一方面，抽象藝術家們不再畫精緻的畫像，而是試圖採用特別的技巧給人們以不同的視覺衝擊；另一方面，他們的作品，包括用大理石和易碎的黏土雕刻出來的雕像，都以表達感情為其明確的目的。有些對抽象藝術反感的傳統學者說抽象藝術是極其明顯地荒謬可笑，說它既不是藝術，又不是幾何學。他們的傳統藝術委員會還預言了它的迅速消失。
A Russian Poem
Since childhood, Anton had often recited poems, accompanied on the piano and violin by pianists and violinists, at wedding ceremonies before brides and bridegrooms exchanged rings. Gradually, he found writing poems the most appropriate way to convey his joy and sorrow. When his poem Contradictory Blank won him a national championship and a scholarship to the Moscow University from a sponsor, he was just an unknown librarian. After getting his diploma, he devoted his life to writing poems. Using concrete but flexible language and the minimum of words is his style. He tried out different patterns and preferred nursery rhyme in particular. The following is a translation of one of his works made up of 3 sections：
Little sparrow with heavy load，
Ran out of energy and very cold；
No compass and all sweat salty ，
Can you go through the endless darkness?
Little balloon let out by the thread，
Flew over cottages and was very glad；
With warmth transformed from sunlight，
He said he could forever fly；
Take it easy, little balloon；
Don't tease the sparrow with his wound；
On the bare branch and have a rest；
This diamond heart will eventually get success.
俄國童謠
從童年時起，安東就常常在鋼琴師或小提琴師的伴奏下在婚禮上朗誦詩歌，為新郎新娘交換戒指前的儀式助興。漸漸地，他發現寫詩是表達他的歡樂和悲傷的最合適方式。在他還是個不知名的圖書管理員時，他的詩《矛盾的空白》就獲得了全國詩歌創作冠軍，併為他贏得一位贊助人提供的、到莫斯科大學深造的獎學金。獲得文憑後，他將一生都投入到詩歌創作中。使用具體而靈活的語言和最少的詞語數量是他的風格。他還喜歡嘗試不同的詩歌形式，特別是童謠。下面有三部分組成的譯文就是他的作品中的一首：
小麻雀，負重擔，
筋疲力盡擋風寒，
汗水成鹽無指引，
能否穿越無邊暗？
小氣球，脫繩系，
飛越農舍真高興，
陽光給予它溫暖，
永遠高飛不費力；
別緊張，小氣球
別笑麻雀傷口留，
光光的樹梢歇片刻，
恆(鑽石)心終把成功求。
6-3
Let's Help Adolescents
Whether they are male or female, adolescents feel like deciding on everything themselves in spite of parents' instruction, especially when they face problems like sex, mental stress, etc., which make them feel ashamed and embarrassed .Thus they often automatically get into trouble due to their imperfect comprehension and judgement. Some are addicted to cigarettes, only several packets of which will hurt their lungs and make them breathless quickly. Others can't quit drinking alcohol, whose harmful effects include causing young pregnant women to abort or give birth to abnormal babies. The worst is drug abuse, for the withdrawal is tough once their bodies are accustomed to the drugs. Meanwhile, those who share needles bought from illegal chemists are at great risk of being infected with desperate AIDS. If so, neither injecting nor taking pills can guarantee their survival .
However, don't be disappointed at or have prejudice against our children so easily. After all, being awkward is an appendix of youth. As long as we strengthen communication with them instead of only banning this or banning that, we will surely help them avoid anything unfit.
幫助青少年
不論男女，青少年們都喜歡不顧家長的指導，自己對一切作決定，特別是當他們面對如性、心理壓力等一些使他們覺得羞愧和尷尬的問題時。因此，由於他們理解力和判斷力的不足，他們常常會無意識地陷入困境中。有的對香菸上癮，只要幾包煙就會對他們的肺造成損害，使他們很容易就氣喘吁吁；有的無法戒除酒精，它帶來的不良後果包括造成年輕的懷孕女性流產或生下不正常的嬰兒；最糟糕的是濫用毒品，因為一旦他們的身體對毒品習慣了，要想戒毒就相當困難了。同時，那些共用從非法藥劑師處購買的注射器的青少年冒著感染令人絕望的艾滋病的極大風險。一旦感染上，不管是打針還是吃藥都沒法保證他們的生存了。
然而，請不要輕易就對我們的孩子失望或抱有偏見。畢竟，不成熟是年輕的必然附屬品。只要我們加強和他們的溝通，而不是僅僅禁止這樣，不準那樣，我們一定能幫助他們避開不健康的東西。
6-4
Refresh Our Environment
As the director stated on behalf of his researching group, the data of this graph makes a clear presentation of the future environmental tendency. On one hand, the quantity of fuel keeps on decreasing by 9% per year while the growth of a wide range of pollution has been a global trend. On the other hand, the mild but steady going up of the average temperature is resulting in catastrophes like widespread floods. Without disagreement, they subscribe to the view that it is humans' existence and their random energy consuming that result in this phenomenon.
Many people have a commitment that developing nuclear power or energy from outer space will stop bad consequences coming about. However, scientists and educators are opposed to this view even if our needs may be met on the whole. They tend to advocate refreshing our circumstances by saving energy and recycling waste. It is suggested that we use energysaving appliances such as electrical motors, microwaves and so on and not be casual about little things like recycling a can. So please glance around and see what you can do. So long as everybody makes a contribution, we will not have to put up with this problem any more.,恢復環境生機
正如那位主任代表他的研究小組所說明的那樣，這張圖表的數據清楚地描述了未來環境的趨勢：一方面，燃料的數量以每年9%的速度持續減少，然而，大範圍汙染的增長已經成為一種全球趨勢；另一方面，平均氣溫的輕微卻穩定的升高正在造成像廣泛的洪澇那樣的災難。無不同意地，他們一致贊成是人類的存在和任意的能源消耗才造成了這一現象。
許多人都信奉開發核能和外太空能源會防止糟糕的後果發生。然而，即使我們的需要可以基本上得到滿足，科學家和教育家們仍然反對這一觀點。他們更傾向於擁護用節省能源和回收廢料的方法恢復環境生機，並建議我們要使用節省能源的器具，如電力發動機、微波爐等，還建議我們不要對如回收罐子這種小事漫不經心。因此，看看你身邊是否有你能做的事。只要每個人都作出貢獻，我們就不必再忍受這個問題的困擾了。
6-5
A Volcanic Eruption
As the best candidate, I was appointed to collect and evaluate information for a database about diverse natural disasters, such as hurricanes, typhoons or thunderstorms. Sometimes I did this by giving out questionnaires to those who went through them. But sometimes I had to go through actual disasters myself. The Musaki Volcano was one of them.
At that time, I lived in a
bungalow alongside the volcano with a novelist who came for the appreciation of its eruption. One day, when I was drawing diagrams on the balcony and he was bathing inside, the volcano erupted unexpectedly. The ash and lava fountains shooting highly into the sky varied from 50 to 100 meters in height. It was absolutely fantastic! I even noticed a rainbow appear in the fog caused by a heat wave.But, glancing around our situation, I foresaw the potential danger and found no guarantee of our safety. The uncomfortable gas almost made us unconscious. Sweats of anxiety began to drop. Managing to stop panicking and trembling, we quickly put on our protective suits, helmets and
boots and eventually made our way to a safe place. How lucky we were even though my precious equipment and documents were all burnt to the ground！火山爆發
作為最好的候選人，我被委派為一個數據庫收集和評估各種自然災害的信息，例如颶風、颱風或雷暴等。有時我通過向經歷過這些災害的人分發調查問卷來收集信息，有時卻得親自經歷實際的災害。Musaki火山就是其中之一。
那時，我和一名來欣賞火山爆發的小說家同住在火山邊上的一座平房裡。有一天，當我正在陽臺上畫圖表而他在屋裡洗澡時，火山突然爆發了。噴射到天空中的火山灰和岩漿噴泉從50米到100米不等。這一情景絕對地奇異，我甚至還注意到一條彩虹出現在熱浪造成的霧裡。
然而，向四周看了一下我們的處境，我馬上預見到了潛在的危險，也發現了我們的安全毫無保障。令人不舒服的氣體幾乎使我們失去知覺，憂慮的汗水開始流淌下來。我們努力使自己不要驚慌和顫抖，迅速穿上保護套裝、頭盔和靴子，最後成功前往安全的地方。儘管我珍貴的設備和文件都燒得精光，但是我們真的非常幸運。
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