Oil Refining An important new industry, oil refining, grew after the Civil war. Crude oil, or petroleum - a dark, thick ooze from the earth - had been known for hundreds of years, but little use had ever been made of it. In the 1850's Samuel M. Kier, a manufacturer in western Pennsylvania, began co

Raising Oysters In the oysters were raised in much the same way as dirt farmers raised tomatoes- by transplanting them. First, farmers selected the oyster bed, cleared the bottom of old shells and other debris, then scattered clean shells about. Next, they "planted" fertilized oyster eggs, which wi

Plate Tectonics and Sea-floor Spreading The theory of plate tectonics describes the motions of the lithosphere, the comparatively rigid outer layer of the Earth that includes all the crust and part of the underlying mantle. The lithosphere(n.[地]岩石圈)is divided into a few dozen plates of various size

Plankton浮游生物.Scattered through the seas of the world are billions of tons of small plants and animals called plankton. Most of these plants and animals are too small for the human eye to see. They drift about lazily with the currents, providing a basic food for many larger animals.Plankton has been

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit8:American RevolutionThe American Revolution was not a sudden and violent overturning of the political and social framework, such as later occurred in France and Russia, when both were already independent nations. Significant changes were ushered in, but they were not breathtaking.

Life doesn't always give us the joys we want.生活并非总是如你所愿。We don't always get our hopes and dreams, and we don't always get our own way.希望有时会落空，梦想有时会破灭，我们不能一切随心所愿。But don't give up hope, because you can make a difference one situation and one person at a time.但别放弃希望，因为事物并非一成不变；不同时间，不同场合，你会呈现不同的面貌。Look

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit16:The War between Britain and France16. the war between Britain and FranceIn the late eighteenth century, battles raged in almost every corner of Europe, as well as in the Middle East, south Africa ,the West Indies, and Latin America. In reality, however, there was only one major w

03 The Definition of &ldquoPrice&rdquoPrices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products boug

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit10:Types of SpeechStandard usage includes those words and expressions understood, used, and accepted by a majority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictio

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit7:Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and , in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the product and in part from his policy of expanding

05 The Beginning of DramaThere are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The on most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the wo

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit14:A Rare Fossil Record14 A Rare Fossil RecordThe preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rate occurrence in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher cha

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit11:Archaeology ArchaeologyArchaeology is a source of history, not just a bumble auxiliary discipline. Archaeological data are historical documents in their own right, not mere illustrations to written texts, Just as much as any other historian, an archaeologist studies and tries to

Dufficulties arise in the lives of us all.生活中困难在所难免，What is most important is dealing with the hard times, coping with the changes, and getting through to the other side where the sun is still shining just for you.最重要的是要挺过艰难的时刻，积极应对种种变故，冲破黎明前的黑暗，你终会看到只属于自己的灿烂阳光。It takes a strong person to deal with

A Grain of Sand一粒沙子William Blake/威廉.布莱克To see a world in a grain of sand,And a heaven in a wild fllower,Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,And eternity in an hour.从一粒沙子看到一个世界，从一朵野花看到一个天堂，把握在你手心里的就是无限，永恒也就消融于一个时辰。 NSDA“SDcamps”全国英语演讲与辩论大赛（大学组）/SDcamps全国中小学生英语演讲与辩论大会（中小学及幼儿组）/美式辩论赛（以下简称大赛/大会）现诚招全

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit12:Museums12 MuseumsFrom Boston to Los Angeles, from New York City to Chicago to Dallas, museums are either planning, building, or wrapping up wholesale expansion programs. These programs already have radically altered facades and floor plans or are expected to do so in the not-too-

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit15:The Nobel Academy15 The Nobel AcademyFor the last 82years, Sweden&#39s Nobel Academy has decided who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, thereby determining who will be elevated from the great and the near great to the immortal. But today the Academy is coming under heavy

A Forever Friend永远的朋友"A friend walk in when the rest of the world walks out.""别人都走开的时候，朋友仍与你在一起。”Sometimes in life,有时候在生活中，You find a special friend你会找到一个特别的朋友Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.他只是你生活中的一部分内容，却能改变你整个的生活。Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop他会把你逗得开怀大笑；So

新概念优美背诵短文50篇 Unit6:TelevisionTelevision-----the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by rapid change and growth-is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution

04 ElectricityThe modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets

A Greek to Remember一位值得纪念的希腊人Diogenes was a famous Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C.,who established the philosophy of cynicism.He often walked about in the daytime holding a lighted lantern,peering around as if he were looking for something.When auestioned about his odd behavior,he would

Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind, it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees, 青春不是生命的一段时光，不是指红润的脸颊、红扑扑的嘴唇和柔软的双膝；it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, it is the freshness of the deep spring of life.它是一种精神状态，是指不懈的干劲、丰富的想象

Work and PleasureTo be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great

Born to WinEach human being is born as something new, something that never existed before. Each is born with the capacity to win at life. Each person has a unique way of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and thinking. Each has his or her own unique potentials---capabilities and limitations. Each ca

新东方优美背诵短文50篇 Unit43:Statistics43.StatisticsThere were two widely divergent influences on the early development of statistical methods. Statistics had a mother who was dedicated to keeping orderly records of government units (states and statistics come from the same Latin root status) and a gentleman

新东方优美背诵短文50篇 Unit44:Obtaining Fresh water from icebergs44.Obtaining Fresh water from icebergsThe concept of obtaining fresh water from icebergs that are towed to populated areas and arid regions of the world was once treated as a joke more appropriate to cartoons than real life. But now it is being

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"从前，有个孩子马上就要诞生了。于是有一天他问上帝：“听说明天您就送我去人间了，但是，我这么弱小和无助，我在那儿怎么生活呢？”God replied, "Among the many angels, I chose o

新东方优美背诵短文50篇 Unit41:American Black Bears41.American black bearsAmerican black bears appear in a variety of colors despite their name. In the eastern part of their range, most of these brown, red, or even yellow coats. To the north, the black bear is actually gray or white in color. Even in the same

新东方优美背诵短文50篇 Unit42:Coal-fired power plants42.Coal-fired power plantsThe invention of the incandescent light bulb by Thomas A. Edison in 1879 created a demand for a cheap, readily available fuel with which to generate large amounts of electric power. Coal seemed to fit the bill, and it fueled the ea

新东方优美背诵短文50篇 Unit45:The Source of Energe45.The source of EnergyA summary of the physical and chemical nature of life must begin, not on the Earth, but in the Sun in fact, at the Sun&rsquos very center. It is here that is to be found the source of the energy that the Sun constantly pours out into spa