趣味英语高中年级阅读材料
很久很久以前开始课外英语阅读的历程之后，就深深地被英语阅读所表达的故事所吸引，虽然内容很短，但是故事却非常有趣。今天小编给大家带来趣味英语高中年级阅读，希望大家喜欢并且能够有所收获。
趣味英语高中年级阅读(一)
You can succeed from anywhere
About 500 years ago, the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus proved the Earth was round. Now American author Thomas Friedman tells us the Earth is flat in his bestseller: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
If he is not joking, then why is the world flat? Friedman attributes it to technological forces. Because of the Internet and the World Wide Web, he believes geographical barriers (障碍) are disappearing. Individuals and companies around the world can collaborate (合作) or compete on the same level.
Bill Gates explains the meaning of this transformation best. Thirty years ago, he tells Friedman, if you had to choose between being born a genius in Shanghai and an average person in Poughkeepsie (A city in southeast New York), you would have chosen Poughkeepsie because your chances of living a prosperous life were much greater there. "Now," Gates says, "I would rather be a genius born in China than an average guy born in Poughkeepsie." This shows that success today is determined more by ability than by location.
Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven by ambitious individuals: freelancers (自由撰稿人) and innovative new businesses all over the world, especially in India and China. They can compete not just for low-wage manufacturing but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well.
Big companies have played another important role in this globalization process. They move their factories from one country to another to cut costs. It's usual now for an engineer in China to be working for an American company. The Internet keeps them in constant touch with their American counterparts (伙伴). People everywhere, from the US to China, have standardized procedures for getting their work done.
The Reuters news agency provides a good example. The company moved its financial operations from London and New York to India. The Indian employees have the necessary technical skills. But the salaries and office rents are less than one-fifth of what they would be in New York or London.
趣味英语高中年级阅读(二)
One of the greatest
CRISTIANO Ronaldo has said new rumors (谣传) that he will move to Real Madrid are "lies". This follows months of speculation (猜测) over whether he will stay at Manchester United.
"Whoever says that [I want to move] is a liar because I am happy at Manchester United, I want to stay," Ronaldo said. "I feel at home here."
In mid 2008, he announced a plan to move to Real Madrid, and there were rumors that the Spanish were willing to pay up to 70 million pounds for him. But the Red Devils wouldn’t let him go. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson even threatened to leave him off the field during games if he didn’t stop trying to negotiate a deal.
On the field, it’s been an amazing year for the 23-year-old winger.
He had a stunning (惊人的) season for Manchester United in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League, leading the team to victory in both, with an unheard-of 42 goals. The fact that he was the Premier League’s top scorer is even more impressive because he is a midfielder and not a striker.
Then, earlier this month, Ronaldo was crowned European Footballer of the Year. He became only the third Portuguese star to win the honor.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Ronaldo. On the field, he’s been accused of diving, or pretending other players have fouled (对……作了犯规行为) him. His performances for the Portuguese national team have also been criticized.
Some critics say Ronaldo "chokes" in big games, and finds it difficult to perform against better opponents. A missed penalty (点球) in the European Cup final almost spelled disaster for his team.
The pressure is now on for Ronaldo to redeem (挽救) himself and return to form. Sir Alex Ferguson maintains (主张) that he will be one of the greatest football stars the world has ever seen.
"There are a lot of things in his favor to go on and become a legend. The answers will come in the next few years."
