高级医学英语阅读与写作Chapter two
2012-06-02 22:49:01   来源：37度医学网   作者：  评论：0 点击：

Holidays in the U. S. A.
 
Holidays in the U. S. A. usually celebrate a patriotic, political, or religious event of the past. A study of patriotic holidays in the United States suggests some American values. Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September, pays tribute to the agricultural and industrial workers who have contributed to America’s growth over the past 300 years. Veterans’ Day honors the men who have served in the United States armed forces. The Thanksgiving holiday recalls America’s earliest history. Thanksgiving dinners, centering around roast turkey, are served on the third Thursdays of November in memory of the colonists. Another type of American holiday, the political celebration, commemorates significant figures or events in the United States history. Two highly esteemed presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are honored by a single holiday. Perhaps the most colorful celebration each year takes place on Independence Day, popularly called the Fourth of July. Many families plan picnics and attend public fireworks displays on this political holiday recalling the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Unlike America’s political holidays, two popular religious holidays are marked by intense preparations and lengthy celebration. Most schools and colleges are closed for a week’s vacation in the spring at Easter, the holiday honoring the resurrection of Christ. A religious holiday in which the leaving of gifts plays an even more important part is Christmas. Celebrating the birthday of Christ, Christmas occurs on December 25. Most schools close for the last two weeks of December. Like people everywhere, Americans welcome the idea of making a fresh start in life. For this reason, the first day of every new year is celebrated as a holiday.
     
5.  Read the following paragraphs and fill in the notes for each.
 
1)     Using examples (single items that serve as models or samples):
 
My friend Nhuong is a hard-working man. Although he must work in a Coca-Cola plant each day, he also goes to school full time at the community center to learn English. After his morning classes, he hurries to go to the plant, where he works until midnight, standing in the assembly line making sure that the bottles of Coke move along the conveyor belt smoothly. On the weekends, he has to do most of his studying and also try to find time to spend with his family and friends. His relatives, who have just immigrated to the United States, live with him, and he must help them become adjusted to American life. He doesn't have enough time to sleep or enjoy himself much, but he never thinks about working less. In fact, he seems to enjoy working all the time.
 
            Topic/main idea ______________________________________________
           
            Controlling phrase or word _____________________________________
           
Supporting ideas     1. _________________________________________
                         2. _________________________________________
                          3. _________________________________________
                       4. _________________________________________
 
            Logical connectors ____________________________________________
 
 
            Conclusion __________________________________________________
 
2)   Using an illustration (material that presents clarification or explanation to prove a point):
 
Not knowing a language well can sometimes cause a problem in communicating. One word in a language can have different meanings, or two words can have the same pronunciation and be similar but have different meanings. About two years ago, one of my friends told me an embarrassing story. The first year that she was in the United States she had a job in a dry-cleaning store. One day a customer came in and picked up his garments. After he paid for the cleaning and was ready to leave, he suddenly turned back to my friend and asked, “Do you dye here?” Thinking she had understood his question, my friend got angry and answered, “No, I won't die here: I'm going to die in my own country!”
 
            Topic/main idea _____________________________________________
 
            Controlling phrase or word ____________________________________
 
            Supporting ideas   1. _________________________________________
                                          2. _________________________________________
 
            Logical connectors___________________________________________
 
            Conclusion _________________________________________________
 
3)   Using facts (figures and statistics that can be proven or verified): 
 
Mount Everest was first surveyed in 1852 when it was found to be the highest mountain in the world. First, it was measured to be 29,000 feet. Later, however, someone added two feet so the height would not appear to be a round number estimate. In 1954, another team surveyed and reported the mountain to be 29,028 feet. Anyway, no matter which figure is used, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
 
            Topic/main idea _____________________________________________
 
            Controlling phrase or word_____________________________________
 
            Supporting ideas   1._________________________________________
                           2. _________________________________________
 
            Logical indicators ___________________________________________
 
            Conclusion ________________________________________________
 
4)   Using enumeration (a list of ideas named one by one):
 
According to a recent United Nations report on the population explosion of urban areas, so many people are leaving rural areas and moving to the cities that by the year 2025 there will be ninety-three metropolitan areas in the world with a population of over five million people each. Presently, there are only thirty-four such cities. With urban populations growing so rapidly, controlled growth will be impossible, with negative results. For one thing, there will be sprawling slums since there will not be enough housing available. In addition, there will be massive, regular failures of electric and water services because of the excessive demands. Moreover, the cost of these services will skyrocket, again as a result of the supply not being able to keep up with the demand. For another thing, there will be extensive unemployment and strained educational and recreational facilities. Looking forward to these things, perhaps we should all return to the quiet life of the rural countryside.
 
            Topic/main idea ______________________________________________
 
            Controlling phrase or word _____________________________________
 
            Supporting ideas1. ___________________________________________
                                        2. ___________________________________________
                                        3. ___________________________________________
                                        4. ___________________________________________
 
            Logical indicators ____________________________________________
 
            Conclusion _________________________________________________
 
6.    An essay is made up of a number of paragraphs and the paragraphs may be developed by different organizations such as example, reason, classification, etc. Read the following passage and answer the questions below it.