English-Exercise
Exercise-1
They Say Ireland’s the Best
Ireland is the best place in the world to live in for 2005, according to a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain’s Economist magazine 1ast week.
根据上周《英国经济学人》杂志的生活质量排名，爱尔兰被评为2005年世界上最适合居住的地方。
The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the principle that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being．
这个有野心的尝试比较全球各地的幸福感基于一个原则：财富不是衡量人类满足感和幸福感的唯一方式。
The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes，health，unemployment，climate，political stability, job security, gender equality as well as what the magazine calls“freedom，family and community life”．
这个指数涵盖了111个国家的收入、健康、失业率、气候、政治稳定、工作保障、性别平等以及这个杂志所称的“自由、家庭和社区生活”的数据。
Despite the bad weather, troubled health service，traffic congestion (拥挤)，gender inequality, and the high cost of living．Ireland scored an impressive 8.33 points out of 10．
因为有坏天气，艰难的医疗服务，交通拥堵，性别平等问题和高生活消费。爱尔兰上升了8.33分出了前十
That put it well ahead of second - place Switzerland，which managed 8.07．Zimbabwe, troubled by political insecurity and hunger，is rated the gloomiest (最差的)，picking up only 3. 89points.
“Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued，”the report said,“some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown (崩溃) in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact．”
“Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old，such as stable family and community 1ife.”
The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their critics.
No.2 on the list is Switzerland．The other nations in the top 10 are Norway，Luxembourg，Sweden，Australia，Iceland，Italy，Denmark and Spain．
The UK is positioned at No.29，a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics．The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP (人均国内生产总值) after Luxembourg，took the 13th place in the survey．China was in the lower half of the league at 60th．
Rare Fossil Record
The preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rare 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 chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other animals, a lack of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well - preserved ichthyosaur fossils.
The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in black, bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine reptiles, fish and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.
Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.
Alaska
In 1858 Americans welcomed Alaska into the Union as the 49th state， symbolizing a change of attitude that held in 1867，when the peninsula was purchased from Russia. Then， most Americans had little interest in 1，500，000 square kilometers “of icebergs and polar bear“-beyond Canada’s western borders， far from the settled areas of the United States.
In those sections of the state which lie above the Arctic Circle， Alaska still is a land of icebergs and polar bear. Ice buried in the earth，which is permanently frozen to a depth of 90 or more meters. From early May until early August，the midnight sun never sets on this flat， treeless region， but the sun cannot melt the icy soil more than two - thirds of a meter down.
Alaska is America’s largest state， but only about 325，000 people live there. According to estimates， 800，000 hectares of its land area are fit for plowing but only about 640，000 hectares are being cultivated.
Arctic Alaska has been the home of Eskimos for countless centuries. It is believed that the Eskimos moved there from Mongolia or Siberia， probably crossing Bering Strait，named for Vitus Bering，the Danish sea captain who discovered Alaska on his voyage for Russia in 1741. The Eskimos are the state’s earliest known inhabitants.
Russian fur traders established settlements but， by the time Alaska was sold to the United States， most of the traders had departed.
In 1896 gold was discovered near the Klondike River in Canada just across the Alaskan border. Thousand of Americans rushed to the region on their way to Klondike；some never returned. Alaska was never completely cut off again， although even today transportation is a major problem. There are only two motor routes from the U.S mainland， and within the state， every town has its own airfield. Planes fly passengers，mail and freight to the most distant villages.
The gold that changed life so suddenly for Alaska was soon ended， and although many stories about mining camps have become part of American literature， the gold from Alaskan earth contributed less to economic progress than the fish from Alaska waters. The fish caught in a single year range in value from $80 million to $ 90 million. Fur - bearing animals are plentiful in the forests and streams.
作文
In our growth, we are always accompanied by the love from parents and relatives. However, when this love exceeds a certain limit, it turns into spoiling which can be destructive.
As shown in the picture, parents are doing everything for their child, even carrying the child’s schoolbag and controlling every aspect of the child’s life. This kind of over - protection deprives children of the opportunity to develop independence. They can’t learn to solve problems on their own and become overly dependent on their parents.
In my opinion, parents should give children appropriate space and let them experience difficulties and challenges. Only in this way can children grow up to be independent and responsible individuals.