Summary Writing
When you hear the final whistle
One of the hardest things for any sportsperson to do is to know when to retire. But even harder is finding the answer to the question “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”
Some sportspeople go on playing too long. Perhaps they just can’t stand life without the “high” of playing professional sport. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time retired three times. He retired once from the Chicago Bulls, made a successful comeback with the Bulls, then retired again. His second comeback with an inferior team ended in failure and he retired forever at the age of 38. Jordan said, “There will never be anything I do that will fulfill me as much as competing did.”
Others can’t resist the chance of one last “pay day”. Muhammad Ali needed the money, but his comeback fight, at the age of 39, against Trevor Berbick, was one of the saddest spectacles in modern sport. After losing to Berbick, Ali retired permanently. Three years later he developed Parkinson’s disease.
For some people, the pain of retirement never leaves them. As Jimmy Greaves, an ex-England international footballer said, “I think that a lot of players would prefer to be shot once their career is over.” Many of them spend their retirement in a continual battle against depression, alcohol, or drugs.
But for the lucky few, retirement can mean a successful new career. Franz Beckenbauer is a classical example of a footballer who won everything with his club, Bayern Muaich. After retiring he became a successful coach with Bayern and finally president of the club. John McEnroe, the infamous “bad boy” of tennis, is now a highly respected and highly paid TV commentator. But sadly, for most sportspeople these cases are the exceptions.
People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly can anyone positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy, with the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon leads you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep you rarely manage to do so. 1. Long car journey are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on narrow, bumpy roads which are crowded with traffic.
2. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good food—always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick; no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of traveling on a ship.
Airplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and expensive. 3. Traveling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an unusual experience. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An airplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from the view, you can enjoy the extraordinary, sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: 4.
A. By comparison, trips by sea offer a great variety of civilized comforts.
B. You will never have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and tiring journey.
C. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.
D. Besides you will hesitate over the choice od the day flight or night flight.
E. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.
F. You are faced with various forms of transportation when you travel.
Psychology has a new application in the field of medicine. Many doctors, together with their patients, are looking for alternative methods of treatment of physical problems. In large hospitals, modern therapy seems to focus on the physical disease. Patients may feel they are treated like broken machines. Some doctors have recognized this as a problem. They are now using psychological therapy, in which the patient is working with the doctors against the disease with the help of medicine. The patient does not wait for the medicine and treatment to cure him or her, but instead the patient joins in the fight.
The doctor knows that a disease affects a patient’s body physically. The body of the patient changes because of the disease. He is not only physically affected, but also has an emotional response to the disease.
Because his mind is affected, his attitude and behavior change. The medical treatment might cure the patient’s physical problems, but the patient’s mind must fight the emotional ones. For example, the studies of one doctor, Carl Simonton, M. D., have shown that a typical cancer patient has predictable attitudes. She typically feels depressed, upset, and angry. Her constant depression makes her acts unfriendly toward her family, friends, doctors, and nurses. Such attitudes and behaviors prevent recovery. Therefore, a doctor’s treatment must help the patient change that. Simonton’s method emphasizes treatment of the “whole” patient.
The attitude of a cancer patient receiving radiation therapy, an X-ray treatment, can become more positive. The physician who is following Simonton’s psychological treatment plan suggests that the patient imagine that he or she can see the tumor in the body. In the mental picture, the patient “sees” a powerful beam of radiation like a million bullets of energy. The patient imagines the beam hitting the tumor cells and causing them to shrink. For another cancer patient, Dr. Simonton asks him to imagine the medicine going from the stomach into the bloodstream and to the cancer cells. The patient imagines that the medicine is like an army fighting the diseased cells and sees the cancer cells gradually dying and his blood carry away the dead cells. Both the medical therapy and the patient’s positive attitude fight the disease.
Doctors are not certain why this mental therapy works. However, this use of psychology does help some patients because their attitudes about themselves change. They become more confident because they use the power within their own minds to help stop the disease.
Another application of using the mind to help cure disease is the use of suggestion therapy. At first, the doctor helps the patient to concentrate deeply. The patient thinks only about one thing. He becomes so unaware of other things around him that he is asleep, or rather in a trance (催眠状态). Then the physician makes “a suggestion” to the patient about the medical problem. The patient’s mind responds to the suggestion even after the patient is no longer in the trance. In this way, the patient uses his mind to help his body respond to treatment.
Doctors have learned that this use of psychology is helpful for both adults and children. For example, physicians have used suggestion to help adults deal with the strong pain of some disease. Furthermore, sometimes the adult patient worries about her illness so much that the anxiety keeps her from getting well. The right suggestions may help the patient to stop being anxious. Such treatment may help the patient with a chronic(慢性的) diseases. Asthma (哮喘) is an example of a chronic disorder. Asthma is a disease that causes the patient to have difficulty in breathing. The patient starts to cough and sometimes has to fight to get the air that he or she needs. Psychology can help relieve the symptoms of this disorder. After suggestion therapy, the asthma patient breathes more easily.
Physicians have learned that the psychological method is very useful in treating children. Children respond quickly to the treatment because they are fascinated by it. For example, Dr. Basil R. Collison has worked with 121 asthmatic children in Sydney, Australia, and had good results. Twenty-five of the children had excellent results. They were able to breathe more easily, and they did not need medication. Another forty-three were also helped. The symptoms of the asthma occurred less frequently, and when they did, they were not as strong. Most of the children also felt better about themselves. Doctors have also used suggestion to change habits like nail-biting, thumb-sucking, and sleep-related problems.
Many professional medical groups have accepted the medical use of psychology and that psychology has important applications in medicine.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A.How suggestion therapy benefits adults and children.
B.How modern therapy focuses on the disease.
C.Responses from the medical world.
D.How to use the mind against disease.
2.How does psychological therapy work?
A.The patient waits for the medicine and treatment to cure him.
B.The doctor uses medical treatment to cure the patient’s problems.
C.The doctor, the medicine, and the patient work together to fight disease.
D.The patient uses his mind to cure himself.
3.What can we learn from the studies of Carl Simonton, M. D.?
A.The medical treatment can cure the patient’s mental disease.
B.The treatment of a patient for the body and the mind is necessary.
C.The mental treatment is more important than medical treatment.
D.Few patients have emotional response to the disease.
4.It can be learned from the passage that suggestion therapy cannot be used to _______.
A.help adults overcome the strong pain of some diseases
B.help the patients with chronic diseases
C.help change some bad habits
D.help cure patients of insomnia
The world has always had to face water-based natural disasters, such as tsunami and hurricanes. In an interview, Water Management Monthly talks to Dan Smith, who works in ‘disaster mitigation’ for a government ministry.
‘Dan, could you tell us what disaster mitigation means?’
‘Disaster mitigation means attempting to minimize the impact of natural disasters both before and after they happen. My department and work in two specific areas in order to try and do this: risk reduction and risk analysis. They are both equally crucial in disaster mitigation.’
‘What do you mean by risk reduction?’
‘Risk reduction means many things. It is not just referring to big engineering projects like dams. Often, small community projects can be the most effective means of risk reduction. The main way floods can be prevented is by the construction and maintenance of earth wall defences, or levees. These block the progress of rising water.
However, even the best levees can’t protect against the destructive power of a tsunami. In this case, early-warning systems are lifesavers. They can let people know as early as possible if there is likely to be flooding.’
‘What types of risk analysis do you do?’
‘Firstly, risk analysis concerns flood mapping, where we identify the parts of the country which are at most risk from flooding. Secondly, there is mitigation planning, which means helping local communities plan for when disaster strikes. Thirdly, we make sure that the country’s dams all work properly and are safe. Although many people criticize dams because of their environmental impact, there are many benefits to them too, such as hydroelectricity, irrigation, water storage, water sports and, of course, flood control. In terms of a cost-benefit analysis, we are definitely ahead.’
‘Do you think countries are better prepared now for natural disasters than they were in the past?’
‘Definitely. We are constantly developing new flood-prevention solutions. An example of one such measure can be found in the UK, with the Thames Barrier. This is an enormous engineering project designed to prevent London from flooding.’
‘Aren’t programmes like that very expensive? What lower-cost alternatives are there?’
‘Flood prevention does not have to be expensive. Sandbags, for example, can be a highly effective way of stopping flood water.’
1.The two aspects involved in minimizing the impact of natural disaster are _______.
A.the construction and maintenance of earth wall defenses
B.flood mapping and mitigation planning
C.risk reduction and risk analysis
D.small community projects and early warning systems
2.Risk analysis includes all the following except _________.
A.ensuring all dams are well functioning
B.developing new flood-prevention solutions
C.assisting communities in planning for when disaster strikes
D.identifying which parts of the country will be threatened by flooding
3.Which can be inferred from the interview?
A.Individuals are better prepared for natural disasters now than before.
B.The city of London is at potential risk of flooding.
C.There are many low-cost flood prevention alternatives.
D.Despite the environmental impact of dams, they bring many benefits.
If the salinity of ocean waters is analyzed, it is found to vary only slightly from place to place. Nevertheless, some of these small changes are important. There are three basic processes that cause a change in oceanic salinity. One of these is the subtraction of water from the ocean by means of evaporation--conversion of liquid water to water vapor. In this manner, the salinity is increased, since the salts stay behind. If this is carried to the extreme, of course, white crystals of salt would be left behind.
The opposite of evaporation is precipitation(降水), such as rain, by which water is added to the ocean. Here the ocean is being diluted(稀释) so that the salinity is decreased. This may occur in areas of high rainfall or in coastal regions where rivers flow into the ocean. Thus salinity may be increased by the subtraction of water by evaporation, or decreased by the addition of fresh water by precipitation or runoff.
Normally, in tropical regions where the sun is very strong, the ocean salinity is somewhat higher than it is in other parts of the world where there is not as much evaporation. Similarly, in coastal regions where rivers dilute the sea, salinity is somewhat lower than in other oceanic areas.
A third process by which salinity may be altered is associated with the formation and melting of sea ice. When seawater is frozen, the dissolved materials are left behind. In this manner, seawater directly beneath freshly formed sea ice has a higher salinity than it did before the ice appeared. Of course, when this ice melts, it will tend to decrease the salinity of the surrounding water.
In the Weddell Sea, off Antarctica, the densest water in the oceans is formed as a result of this freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water. This heavy water sinks and is found in the deeper portions of the oceans of the world.
1.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Typical Oceans and Their Respective Features
B.The Causes of the Changes in Salinity of Ocean Water
C.Different Oceans Have Different Salinity
D.The Precipitation and Evaporation of Oceans
2.Which of the following processes will increase salinity of ocean waters?
A.Evaporation B.Precipitation
C.Melting D.Dilution
3.According to this passage, the sea ________ is likely to have the lowest salinity.
A.in tropical areas B.off Antarctica
C.of high rainfall D.with abundant
4.The Weddell Sea _______.
A.is an example of increased salinity in freezing sea water
B.is much larger in area than the Arctic oceans
C.has a much lower salinity now than ever
D.has the denser water in its upper parts
It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of ______ files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no ______. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped ______ the profits of his five companies.
Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God,’ energetically spread both trade and religion by ______ their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends ______ magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and ______.
Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to ______ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hold onto money or he is ______. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.’ Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal ______ are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation. ‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be ______ in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful.’ Mystic meditation helped ______ a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business ______, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought ______ and profitability. The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’
One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. “Willpower and ______ mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such ______ as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,” he said.
1.A.documenting B.consulting C.managing D.persuading
2.A.exception B.mission C.decision D.distraction
3.A.decrease B.rise C.lose D.boost
4.A.introducing B.adapting C.applying D.discussing
5.A.dedicate B.devote C.attribute D.confer
6.A.meeting B.profits C.fasting D.mysticism
7.A.promote B.fire C.dispatch D.employ
8.A.disrespectful B.inflexible C.untrustworthy D.indispensable
9.A.minds B.qualifications C.religions D.presentations
10.A.objective B.compulsive C.decisive D.imperative
11.A.improve B.reverse C.save D.help
12.A.managers B.employees C.companies D.procedures
13.A.expansion B.involvement C.benefit D.experience
14.A.unconscious B.academic C.psychological D.subconscious
15.A.courses B.minds C.approaches D.touches
