21 世纪英文报刊阅读(三) Passage 1: 该不该告诉孩子童话是假的 ? The hot debate topic from popular internet show I Can I Bibi ( 《奇葩说》 ) has become popular on social media Weibo: Should parents tell their children that fairy tales are fake? Some people think we shouldn’t. Fairy tales give kids hope and teach life lessons. But others think that children need the ability to distinguish ( 区分 ) real from fake, and this role is best played by their parents. Do you think parents should tell their children that fairy tales are fake? 参与学校:湖北省云梦县第一高级中学 组织学生: Yes Hu Enqi, 16 There is no doubt that the world of fairy tales is beautiful, but the real world is cruel ( 残酷的 ). If children are always absorbed in fairy tales, they might not adjust themselves to society. That’s why there are so many “giant babies” in society. Although children are delicate ( 脆弱的 ), we can’t underestimate ( 低估 ) their ability to deal with the darkness. It is parents’ duty to tell children that beauty and darkness are coexistent. They need to be stronger to adapt to ( 适应 ) society. Li Ziyi, 16 It’s important to tell kids the wisdom in fairy tales, not whether or not they’re fake. If I’m a parent, I will tell my kids: “Dear, the Queen’s poisoned apple is fake, but in our daily lives, fake apples may disguise ( 伪装 ) many other seductions ( 诱惑 ) that you need to be cautious of.” In this way, the truth may better protect children from danger. Fairy tales can never solve all problems. After all, dangers are always present in both fairy tales and reality ( 现实 ). No Yuan Siyi, 16 Not every fairy tale is fake – they’re adapted from our lives. The essence ( 本质 ) of fairy tales is to teach children the most basic truths based on the real world. The content of fairy tales is not meaningless. Parents could regard them as companions ( 同伴 ) to children when they grow up. Children will gradually understand the truth. Hu Pei, 16 As a kid bathed in fairy tales, I don’t want to be told that they are fake. Fairy tales motivate kids to read, help shape their world outlook, spark their imaginations and entertain. Even if parents tell the kids the cruel reality, they may miss the point. Instead, they may be filled with fear of the future and the world, which is not our intention. Passage 2: 谷歌年度搜索,回顾2019“英雄”瞬间。 词数 320 建议阅读时间 6分钟 With 2019 coming to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect on the year we’ve had. To help us reflect, search engine Google released Google – Year in Search 2019, a video to capture ( 捕捉 ) what trended ( 流行 ). This year, searches for “heroes” – both superheroes and everyday heroes – increased around the world. “Throughout history, in times of uncertainty, the world looks for heroes,” the video said. “People look to heroes to remind them of what’s good, what’s possible and what to put their hope in,” Adweek magazine further explained. The video starts with the superheroes in Avengers: Endgame ( 《复仇者联盟 4 :终局之战》 ). Released in April, it became the top box office movie of all time. It is shown along with the search words: “What heroes are there in the world?” The video also sings the songs of she-heroes, most notably Arya Stark from the TV series Game of Thrones ( 《权力的游戏》 ). Stark brings justice to those who have harmed her family. These onscreen heroes aside, searches also shot up for everyday heroes just filling their duties or stopping to help others in need. Whether they’re championship athletes, groundbreaking ( 革新的 ) artists, programmers changing the world with a keyboard, firefighters saving Notre Dame Cathedral, scientists capturing the first images of a black hole, or a dog guiding the first blind man to ever finish a marathon, “hero” is the word to describe them. To such heroes who have been a constant influence through their everyday actions, this year’s top search is a tribute ( 致敬 ), “because living a life for something bigger than yourself is a hero’s journey”, said the video. The year wasn’t short on controversies, but Google has a way of looking at the last 12 months that makes hopeful heroism real and empowering ( 赋能的 ). For everyone who made this year’s theme possible, the search engine has a message: “To everyone using their powers to empower others – search on.” Passage 3: 的时间管理法。词数 402 建议阅读时间 7 分钟 How many times have you complained, “There aren’t enough hours in the day!”? Holly Gabrielle White, a vlogger who graduated from University of Cambridge, probably disagrees. After she began school in August 2016, White started a channel on the video-sharing website YouTube. It records her daily life on campus. Now she has more than 270,000 subscribers ( 订阅者 ) to her channel. In her videos, the 22-year-old gets up at 6:30 am and goes to bed at 10:30 pm every day. In between, she balances studying, cooking, house cleaning and exercising. Sometimes she finds time to meet up with friends and speak to her family online. A similar case happened to college students in China. Months ago, the official Tsinghua University microblog account showed pictures of students’ plans, study notes and daily schedules ( 日程安排 ). In one of them, an undergraduate tightly arranges his daily life. He usually goes to bed at 1:00 am and gets up at 6:00 am. Although he only takes 10 classes a week, the rest of his day will be fully booked. He starts his day by pre-reading his textbooks at 6:40 am, and ends with a summary of his studies. When he feels like it is hard to stick to his schedule, he writes encouragements to himself, like, “You’re the best”, and “Go for it”. Both students’ hard work has certainly paid off. White was at the top of her 152 other classmates; and the Chinese undergraduate won a first-class scholarship ( 奖学金 ) four years in a row. The two have something in common. They have regular schedules and get up early to study. They squeeze as much into the schedule as they can. More importantly, they learn a way of managing time well and efficiently ( 高效地 ). Some may wonder how they can avoid exhaustion ( 疲劳 ), stress and burnout ( 精疲力竭 ). White’s video Time Management & Organization Tips All Students Should Know may provide an answer. She advises to write our tasks in a set order on a to-do list. We should also know how to avoid and release stress because, “Mental health is as important as our physical health.” To White, dancing is something she takes as a reward after completing everything on the list. Then enough sleep to rest her body and get ready to do a good job the next day. Indeed, things must be carefully planned before we act, then “twice as much can be accomplished ( 完成 ) with half the effort”, as the old Chinese saying goes. Passage 4: 两年攻坚克难,长征 5 号一飞升天。词数 390 建议阅读时间 7 分钟 China’s biggest and most powerful carrier rocket ( 运载火箭 ), the Long March 5, kicked off its latest space mission on Dec 27, 2019 at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. The rocket, coded ( 编号 ) as Long March 5 Y3, carried the Shijian 20 technological experiment satellite ( 卫星 ). At more than eight tons, it is the heaviest and most advanced communications satellite yet built by China. About 33 minutes later, the satellite entered its planned orbit ( 轨道 ), 36,000 kilometers above Earth. The success of the flight will lay the foundation for a series of future Chinese space projects. These include exploring Mars, returning moon samples ( 样本 ) and constructing a space station, Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told Xinhua. The Shijian 20 satellite will test the key technologies of the DFH 5 platform, China’s new-generation large satellite platform, and offer communication and broadcasting ( 广播 ) service, according to Xinhua. The Long March 5 made its maiden ( 首次的 ) flight on Nov 3, 2016 from Wenchang. The rocket is about 57 meters long, equivalent to the height of a 20-story building. The Long March 5 is much larger than China’s previous carrier rockets. It has a takeoff weight of about 870 tons and a thrust ( 推力 ) of more than 1,000 tons. The carrying capacity ( 运载力 ) of the Long March 5 rocket equals that of other large-scale rockets in the global industry. Wang Xiaojun, president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, told Xinhua this will greatly improve China’s ability to launch spacecraft ( 宇宙飞船 ) and set up the future development of new-generation carrier rockets and heavy-lift launch vehicles. The design team made efforts to decrease the weight of the rocket. For instance, the thickness of the rocket shell in some parts is only a few millimeters, according to Li Linsheng, a structural ( 结构的 ) strength analysis designer. “In 2020, we will use the Long March 5 to launch the Chang’e 5 probe ( 探测器 ) to the moon and also send a rover ( 太空车 ) toward Mars,” Wang Xiaojun said. “Rockets to fulfill these missions are in the testing phases.” China will continue to be the world’s most frequent user of carrier rockets this year after gaining the title in 2018, with 33 successful launches in 2019. Next year is also expected to be a busy one for the nation’s space launch industry. A host of new types of rockets, such as the Long March 5B, Long March 8, Smart Dragon 2 and Kuaizhou 11, will make their debuts ( 首秀 ). Passage 5: 《我是山姆》:关于父爱的故事。词数 280 建议阅读时间 4 分钟 Few truly understand a father’s love is like a mountain. But in the 2001 US film I Am Sam, I saw this kind of love. The Los Angeles Times said it was a “most inviting and accessible film that turns upon a mental condition that most people would prefer not to think about.” Sam Dawson is a man with an intellectual ( 智力的 ) disability. He has a 7-year-old daughter Lucy whose homeless mother abandoned them both. Sam’s difficulties become problematic, and Lucy is taken away. Sam finds a lawyer named Rita, whose work schedule ( 日程 ) is too full to take care of her son. When Rita works on Sam’s case, Sam encourages Rita to repair her relationship with her son. Sam’s lawsuit ( 诉讼 ) fails, so Lucy is sent to a foster home, but she escapes in the middle of the night to go to