2016-05-23 10:19:25| 分类： Collection | 标签： |举报 |字号大中小 订阅
0523
重温经典：《简爱》中的独立女性。
词数 473 建议阅读时间 6分钟
IN the 19th century the novels started to become popular. Thousands upon thousands of novels were published. ______ those novels, very few are remembered today. However, there are exceptions – Jane Eyre ______ Charlotte Bronte is a good example.
It was published in 1847 but is still hugely popular – not just respected – nearly 170 years later. When the world marks the 200th anniversary of Bronte’s birth on April 21, many readers can’t help reaching ______ their favorite novel on the bookshelf to experience the whirlwind (跌宕起伏的) romance again.
However influential the novel is now, it had a difficult early life. At the time it was still difficult for women writers ______[take] seriously in a literary world ______ was full of very sexist men. And if we think about the story we can see why such men would have taken offense (生气). Jane, Bronte’s heroine, is a very independent girl and woman. She does not keep to “her place” in the world.
In fact, Jane Eyre has become the main model for all modern romantic fiction. For a love story to be a love story, there has to be conflict between the lovers. They have to be different to each other, so different that sparks (火花) fly. This is definitely the case with Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester.
Jane and Mr Rochester are from different social backgrounds. She is lowborn; he is highborn. He wants to deceive (欺骗) and control her; she refuses to be deceived and controlled. In the novel this leads to furious (激烈的) scenes between the two, and all readers remember when Rochester asks Jane to run off with him – in other words, to be his mistress (情人). She is having none of[不允许；不同意，不接受] that. As she says, her “soul will not consent (同意) to it”.
But as surely as there are differences between the lovers and conflicts between them, there must be a coming together in the end in a romance. In Jane Eyre, this coming together is very much on Jane’s terms[按...的条件/条件]. Rochester is blinded in the fire that burns down his home, and so he is ______[weak] . Jane looks after him, seeing him back to health. But now he is weaker than her. When she agrees to marry him, it is a kind of victory. This feature of the novel has been copied a thousand times by others.
Jane Eyre is the story of a woman who refuses to accept anything less than a life that she has lived on her own terms. She struggles, she fights. She is a rebel (反抗者) in everything she does – as a poor servant, as a woman, as a lover. Why is the novel so popular? Quite simply, the world is full of people who identify with Jane Eyre.
From fast to healthy food
IT’S easy to just go get fast food when you’re hungry, ______ it can also be unhealthy and pricey. Since I always eat out when I’m hungry, I decided to test myself and avoid fast food for five days and simply prepare my own food at home using cool, healthy recipes.
Day 1: The struggle is real
When I woke up in the morning, I was unsure if I could make it through______ whole week without eating fast food because food, in general, is my weakness. ______ breakfast at school, I ate a Cheerios cereal bar (谷物棒) – nothing major, but it’s a start. I went to the healthy side for lunch and got myself a salad. I looked out the window on my bus ride home, and McDonald’s was calling to me. It was so hard not to stop. I broke out of that trance (发呆), refocused on my goal and searched for healthy recipes on Pinterest, a photo sharing website, to cook when I got home.
The recipe that stood out the most to me was baked salmon (鲑鱼) and asparagus (芦笋). I had never cooked fish at all before, but it came out______[amaze]! Day one completed.
Day 2: Trying new things
The other choice I came across on Pinterest was zucchini (西葫芦) noodles. I know it may sound strange, but it was absolutely delicious. Zucchini isn’t my all-time favorite, but I was shocked by how good this ______[taste] . The ingredients I needed included garlic, a zucchini, lemon juice and olive oil. The garlic made the noodles taste a little better, if you ask me. This recipe was my favorite so far.
Day 3: Shaking up breakfast
Two more days until my healthy eating was over, and I felt really good about myself. A day before, I had come across a healthy recipe for breakfast: almond (扁桃仁) butter banana open sandwich. Don’t let the term “sandwich” fool you – The banana actually serves as the “bread” for this recipe. Best breakfast I ever had.
Day 4: At-home Chipotle (墨西哥连锁餐厅)
Instead of going out for Mexican food, I found an easy burrito (玉米煎饼) bowl to make myself. Bonus: This recipe is really good for vegetarians. I needed ingredients like black beans, an avocado (牛油果), tomatoes, lettuce, rice and sour cream. Delicious! A wonderful burrito bowl, inspired by Chipotle.
Day 5: Going all out
My final day, and I accomplished eating healthy. To top it off, I cooked dinner for my family! Baked honey mustard chicken was my last healthy recipe. Chicken is my favorite meat, especially when ______[bake] , and this recipe made me feel like I should have my own restaurant. The recipe called ______ chicken, rosemary (迷迭香), mustard, honey, olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Learn from speeches
WE are all familiar with the phrase “act locally, think globally”. However, with the growing popularity of English in China, many believe learning a foreign language means not staying true to Chinese culture or keeping Chinese roots.
But three past winners of the 21st Century National English Speaking Competition – all of ______ now live international lives – don’t agree. Read ______ to see how they look at this issue, what the competition meant to them and how it prepared them to make sure Chinese voices are heard on the world stage.
Wang Guan
Wang Guan, 31, fourth-place winner in 2006, senior CCTV correspondent (特派记者) based in Washington DC, US
Looking back, the preparations and the competition itself did two things for me: they significantly (显著地) improved my ability to speak the English language, and they improved my ability to think critically (批判性地) under pressure. Those skills certainly came in handy (派上用场). As a journalist, every once in a while【偶尔；有时】 I sit down for one-on-one interviews with heads of state, ministers (部长) and heads of international organizations. You certainly don’t want to waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with someone as important as former (之前的) US Secretary of State John Kerry by only asking softball questions (简单的问题). The abilities to have a conversation in English ______ whichever important person is sitting across from you, to think critically and clearly and to ask tough follow-up questions are what’s required (要求) of a good journalist.
Zhan Cheng
Zhan Cheng, 39, third-place winner in 1999, vice-dean (副院长) of the School of Interpreting (口译) and Translation Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
The competition completely changed my path. It built up my public speaking skills as well as my confidence and resourcefulness (足智多谋). These qualities ______[prove] useful in my later career as an English educator, public speaking trainer and conference interpreter. South African hero Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” These touching words connected with my heart. My job as an educator and interpreter often means that I have to stand on the world stage. China’s peaceful rise means that more of its voice will be heard around the world. The world needs more than ever to learn that young people in China not only have the ability to communicate across languages, but are also capable (有……能力的) of using their sharp thoughts and great minds to contribute (贡献) to other cultures.
Chen Jiehao
Chen Jiehao, 24, Grand Champion in 2012, researcher at The New York Times
The competition allowed me to spend time with people with similar ambitions (抱负) and thoughts. And representing China in the International Public Speaking Competition further ______[broad] my horizons (开阔视野). ______ all the foreigners I met, none said that the real China was the same as ______ they expected or knew from the media. It made me reflect on (反省) the way we present ourselves to the world – although we’ve done a lot to make Chinese voices heard, the way we express ourselves, similar to the way computers translate things, often ends up not being detailed enough. We tell the world how good we are without telling them why and how. With limited information, foreigners can never have a real understanding of China. Since we have the ability to speak to foreigners in their languages, we need to give ______[balance] and accurate (准确的) information about China, no matter whether it is good or bad.
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