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Why Studying History Matters

Studying a subject that you feel pointless is never a fun or easy task. If you"re study history, asking yourself the question "why is history important" is a very good first step. History is an essential part of human civilization. You will find something here that will arouse your interest, or get you thinking about the significance of history.

History grounds us in our roots. History is an important and interesting field of study, and learning the history of our home country can give us a deeper, more meaningful glimpse into our ancestral pasts, and how we got to where we are today. Many people feel like they need a sense of cultural belonging, which is something that studying your roots and being open-minded to the evolution of your culture can provide.

History enriches our experience. Reading history is an amazing experience because it enables us to reflect on the social and economic life of the people living long time ago.

According to the experts, problems faced by people regardless of the past and present are the same. With the information about the ancestors, one can become more experienced in handling challenges of life.

History makes us more empathetic. Studying history can give us insight into why our culture does certain things, and how the past has shaped it into what we know now. It also provides a rather strong foundation, for empathy across cultures. Fear and hate for others is usually caused by ignorance. We" re scared of the things that we don"t understand. History has the potential to break down those boundaries by offering us insight into entire worlds that would otherwise be foreign to us.

History can inspire us to learn more. What"s fantastic about history is the way it broadens our horizons. It"s almost impossible to learn about one historical period without having dozens of questions about related concepts. Study the 19th century England, and you might catch a glimpse of Charles Dickens" Oliver Twist. Look up Charles Dickens, and you might learn a thing or two about realism. Or maybe you end up switching your attention away from novels, and discover the history of romantic poets in England. It can go anywhere, and there is something in there for absolutely anybody. The value of history cannot be underestimated. We don"t have to live in the past, but we can definitely do better by learning from it and using the lessons learned to lead more meaningful lives.

为何学习历史很重要

学习一门你觉得毫无意义的学科，从来都不是一件有趣或轻松的事情。如果你要学习历史，问自己一个问题 “历史为什么重要 ”是非常好的第一步。历史是人类文明的重要组成部分。你会在这里找到一些能引起你兴趣的东西，或者让你思考历史的意义。

历史让我们扎根于此。历史是一个重要而有趣的研究领域，学习我们祖国的历史可以让我们更深入、更有意义地了解我们祖先的过去，以及我们是如何走到今天的。很多人觉得自己需要一种文化归属感，而学习自己的根，对文化的演变持开放的态度，就可以提供这种归属感。

历史丰富了我们的经验。阅读历史是一种奇妙的体验，因为它能让我们思考生活在很久以前的人们的社会和经济生活。

专家认为，无论过去还是现在，人们所面临的问题都是一样的。通过了解祖先的信息，可以让人更有经验地处理生活中的挑战。

历史让我们更有同理心。学习历史可以让我们深入了解为什么我们的文化会做某些事情，以及过去是如何把它塑造成现在的样子。它也为跨文化的同理心提供了相当坚实的基础。对他人的恐惧和仇恨通常是由无知引起的。我们害怕那些我们不了解的东西。历史有可能打破这些界限，为我们提供对整个世界的洞察力，否则我们将感到陌生。

历史可以激励我们去学习更多的东西。历史的奇妙之处在于它能拓宽我们的视野。学习一个历史时期，几乎不可能不对相关的概念产生几十个问题。研究19世纪的英国，你可能会瞥见查尔斯-狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》。了解查尔斯-狄更斯，你可能会学到一两个关于现实主义的东西。或者，也许你最终会把注意力从小说中转移出来，发现英国浪漫主义诗人的历史。它可以去任何地方，有什么东西在那里绝对是任何人。历史的价值不可低估。我们不必活在过去，但我们一定可以做得更好，从过去的历史中学习，用学到的经验过更有意义的生活。

A little over 18 years since he first came up with the idea of building his own rockets as a means to both reignite and lower the costs of space exploration, Elon Musk watched this weekend as his company SpaceX successfully launched its first manned spaceflight to the International Space Station. (ISS)

"This is a dream that has come true for me and for everyone at SpaceX," Musk told reporters before the first launch attempt on May 27, which has scrubbed due to weather." This is not something I thought would actually happen when starting SpaceX in 2002, I really did not think this day would occur. I expected a 90% chance that we would fail to even get to low-Earth orbit with a smaller rocket."

The SpaceX demo-2 mission, the first manned spaceflight launched from American soil since NASA retired the Shuttle program in 2011, is also the first ever operated by a commercial provider. The two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, went on to successfully dock the Crew Dragon capsule with the ISS on Saturday morning. While the mission won"t be considered a complete success until Behnken and Hurley are safely home, the return of manned spaceflight to America signals some big shifts in the months and years ahead. One of the most immediate impacts--Russia"s monopoly on astronauts access to space is over.

Since 2011, NASA has been purchasing seats aboard Russia"s Soyuz spacecraft to shuttle astronauts in the ISS. While seats started out and round $21 million each at first, they"ve since ballooned to a reported $90 million for a fall 2020 launch. In comparison, according to Nasa"s inspector general, the per-seat cost of SpaceX flights is around $55 million. "It is a nightmare scenario for the Russian space agency," one industry expert said. "We"re building a replacement to every rocket and spacecraft they provide."

Beyond providing access to astronauts, SpaceX Crew Dragon is also on the verge of widening access to citizens -- that is, if you happen to be a citizen with some deep pockets. According to Business Insider, NASA only plans to book four seats and a time on each spaceflight. With Dragon capable of comfortably seating seven, this leaves extra tickets for those interested in visiting the final frontier themselves. SpaceX has also partnered with Space Adventures, a company that has previously helped private citizens take trips to the ISS abroad Russia"s Soyuz spacecraft, to send four tourists on a trip around the Earth in late 2021 or early 2022.

"This historic mission will forge a path to making space flights possible for all people who dream of it," said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer at SpaceX, in a statement.

自从他第一次提出自己制造火箭的想法，并以此来重燃和降低太空探索的成本以来，18年多一点的时间，埃隆-马斯克在本周末看着他的公司SpaceX成功向国际空间（ISS）站发射了首次载人航天飞行。

在5月27日的首次发射尝试前，马斯克对记者说：“对我和SpaceX的每个人来说，这是一个梦想成真的事。“由于天气原因，这次发射尝试已经擦肩而过。” 这是我在2002年创办SpaceX时没有想到会真正发生的事情，我真的没有想到会有这一天。我预计有90%的可能性，我们甚至无法用小型火箭到达低地轨道。”

SpaceX演示-2任务是自2011年美国宇航局退役航天飞机项目以来，首次从美国本土发射的载人航天飞行，也是有史以来首次由商业供应商运营。两名NASA宇航员Bob Behnken和Doug Hurley在周六上午继续成功将 “乘龙号”太空舱与国际空间站对接。虽然在Behnken和Hurley安全回家之前，这项任务不会被认为是一个完整的成功，但美国载人航天的回归标志着未来数月和数年的一些重大转变。最直接的影响之一--俄罗斯对宇航员进入太空的垄断已经结束。

自2011年以来，美国宇航局一直在购买俄罗斯 “联盟号”飞船上的座位，以便在国际空间站中穿梭宇航员。虽然座椅一开始和圆每张2100万美元，但后来已经膨胀到据说2020年秋季发射的9000万美元。相比之下，根据美国国家航空航天局监察长的说法，SpaceX飞行的每个座位成本约为5500万美元。“对于俄罗斯航天局来说，这是一个噩梦般的场景，”一位行业专家说。“我们正在为他们提供的每一枚火箭和航天器建造一个替代品。”

除了提供机会给宇航员，SpaceX乘龙号还即将拓宽公民的使用的机会，也就是说如果你恰好是一个有钱的公民。据Business Insider报道，NASA计划每次太空飞行只预订四个座位。由于乘龙号能够舒适地容纳7个座位，这就为那些有兴趣亲自探访最后疆域的人留下了额外的票。SpaceX还与此前帮助私人公民前往国际空间站的俄罗斯联盟号飞船的太空冒险公司合作，将在2021年底或2022年初送4名游客环游地球。

“这项历史性的任务将为所有的有梦想的人开辟一条让太空飞行成为可能的道路，”SpaceX公司总裁兼首席运营官Gwynne Shotwell在一份声明中说到。

It was the final climb on his quest to reach the highest summit on all seven continents. When Christopher Kulish finally reached Mount Everest"s 29,035-foot peak, he joined an elite group known as the “Seven Summits Club”. But the 62-year-old Colorado attorney died suddenly Monday after returning to the first camp below the mountain"s summit. He"s the second American to die in the past week after reaching Everest"s highest point. His family believes the cause was a heart attack, . “He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth,” his brother, Mark Kulish, said in a statement to the Denver Post. “We are heartbroken at this news.”

Last week, 55-year-old Donald Lynn Cash of Utah collapsed at the Everest peak. He too had reached the highest point on all seven continents. Including Christopher and Cash, at least 11 people have died on Mount Everest this year.

The deaths come among on the popular mountain. The Nepali government granted a total of 381 permits to climb Everest this year, a number that doesn"t include guides who are on the mountain as well. For some climbers, that traffic has meant longer wait times — some the wait has exceeded two hours between the last camp and the peak. Mountaineer Vanessa O"Brien, who has also climbed the seven summits, said when there"s a crowd, being a more experienced climber won"t help you. “It doesn"t matter if you"re the best racecar driver in the world. If you"re stuck in traffic, you"re stuck in traffic,” she said in an interview.

And when a climber is stuck in that traffic, “their body is starting to deteriorate.” O"Brien, who set a record as the fastest woman to reach the highest peak on every continent, also said the descent is often harder than the climb.

Climbing expert Alan Arnette said there"s no simple explanation for the string of deaths. He said weather that has led to a shorter climbing season is one factor causing overcrowding. He also said the cost to climb Mount Everest has decreased, which means more people are making the journey. He urged the governments in charge of granting permits to limit how many people can be on the mountain at once.

Still, Christopher was no beginner. His family said he"d been mountain climbing for five decades. He arrived at the base camp nearly two months before his climb so he could give himself time to adapt to the conditions. When he made his journey, his family said he was climbing with a small group in almost ideal conditions after some of the overcrowding had cleared.

His brother described being a lawyer as a “day job” for Christopher. Climbing was his passion. “He was an inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over,” Mark Kulish said. “He passed away doing what he loved.”

这是他追求到达七大洲最高峰的最后一次攀登。当克里斯托弗·库利什最终到达珠穆朗玛峰29,035英尺的山峰时，他加入了一个被称为 “七峰俱乐部”的精英团体。但这位62岁的科罗拉多州律师周一在回到山顶下的第一个营地后突然死亡。他是过去一周内第二位登上珠峰最高点后死亡的美国人。他的家人认为原因是心脏病发作。“他在地球最高峰上看到了他的最后一次日出。”他的兄弟马克·库里什在给丹佛邮报的一份声明中说。“我们对这个消息感到心碎。”

上周，犹他州55岁的唐纳德·林恩·卡什在珠穆朗玛峰倒下了。他也曾到达七大洲的最高点。包括克里斯托弗和卡什在内，今年至少有11人死在珠峰上。

在这座受欢迎的山上，死亡人数层出不穷。尼泊尔政府今年共发放了381张攀登珠峰的许可证，这个数字还不包括在山上的向导。对于一些登山者来说，这种交通意味着更长的等待时间--有些人的等待时间已经超过了最后一个营地和山顶之间的两个小时。登山者Vanessa O"Brien也曾攀登过七座高峰，她说，当人多的时候，再有经验的登山者也帮不了你。“如果你是世界上最好的赛车手，这并不重要。如果你被堵在路上，你就会被堵在路上。”她在接受采访时说。

而当一个登山者被堵在这种交通中时，“他们的身体就开始恶化了”。奥布赖恩曾创下最快登上各大洲最高峰的女性纪录，她还表示，下山往往比攀登更难。

攀登专家阿兰·阿内特说，这一连串的死亡事件没有简单的解释。他说，导致攀登季节缩短的天气是导致人满为患的一个因素。他还说，攀登珠穆朗玛峰的成本已经降低，这意味着更多的人正在进行这次旅行。他敦促负责发放许可证的政府限制一次上山的人数。

不过，克里斯托弗并不是初学者。他的家人说，他爬山已经有五十年了。他在登山前近两个月才到达大本营，这样可以给自己时间适应条件。当他出行时，他的家人说，他是在一些拥挤不堪的情况下，在几乎理想的条件下和一个小团队一起攀登的。

他的哥哥形容做律师是克里斯托弗的 “日常工作”。攀登是他的激情。“他是科罗拉多州，西部和世界各地的山峰的老手。”马克-库里什说,“他是在做他喜欢的事情时去世的。”

【1. summit n. 最高点；顶点；山顶；（政府间的）首脑会议；峰会

This path leads to the summit. 这条路通往山顶。

The two presidents agreed to hold a summit. 两位总统商定举行一次首脑会议。

2. according to 据……所说；按……所报道；依照，按照，根据

3. grant v.（尤指正式地或法律上）同意，允许

The bank finally granted a ￡50,000 loan to me. 银行终于同意给我贷款50,000英镑。

4. exceed v. 超过（数量）；超越（法律、命令等）的限制

Its research budget exceeds $100 million a year. 其研究预算每年超过1亿美元。

5. mountaineer n. 登山者；登山运动员

The tough mountaineer succeeded in getting to the top of the mountain.

那位强壮的登山运动员胜利地登上了山顶。

6. set a record 打破纪录

7. deteriorate v. 变坏；恶化；退化

The discussion quickly deteriorated into an angry argument. 这场讨论迅速演变成愤怒的争吵。

8. descent n. 下降；斜坡

The descent to Base Camp took about three days. 往下走到大本营大约要三天时间。

9. lead to 导致，造成（后果）

Eating too much sugar can lead to health problems. 摄入过多的糖会引起健康问题。

10. in charge of 负责；主管

An experienced worker is in charge of this project. 一位有经验的工人负责这项工作。

11. inveterate adj. 积习难改的；有……瘾的

He is an inveterate liar. 他是个积习难改的骗子。

12. congestion n.（交通）拥塞；塞车

The problems of traffic congestion will not disappear in a hurry. 交通堵塞问题不会很快消失。

13. pass away 去世

He unfortunately passed away last year. 他不幸于去年去世了。】

Working out can help teenagers boost their grades, a new study suggests. Adolescents who routinely engaged in moderate to vigorous exercise showed long-term improvements in their academic performance, the British Journal of Sports Medicine study reported.

“Our study suggests that the effect of physical activity may be quite large,” John Reilly, a professor at the University of Strathclyde said. The researchers looked at a sample of about 5000 children who were involved in a long-term study that tracks children born in the U.K. between 1991 and 1992. When children reached 11 years old, their daily physical activity levels were measured using an accelerometer for three to seven days. The device, similar to a pedometer tracking the number of steps taken, recorded the average time children exercised, which was 29 minutes a day for boys and 18 for girls.

“The actual levels of daily physical activity at age 11 were quite low,” Mr. Reilly noted. The children had their academic performance tested at ages 11 and 13 with compulsory national tests for students, and also at 15 or 16 with the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam. The tests assessed the children’s abilities in English, math and science subjects. The results showed that the more children participated in moderate to vigorous physical activity, the higher their test scores were at age 11 in all three subjects. For girls, science scores were most strongly linked to exercise.

When children were tested again at age 13, their academic scores were still linked to how much they had exercised when they were 11 years old. By the time the youngsters took the GCSE exam, each 17-minute-per-day increase in physical activity for the boys was linked to an improvement in their scores. Every additional 12-minute increase a day in exercise for the girls was also linked to an increased score, especially in the science category.

The researchers have called for more studies to look at the possible academic benefits that could be derived if students exercised the recommended 60 minutes or more a day.

一项新的研究表明，锻炼身体可以帮助青少年提高成绩。据《英国运动医学杂志》研究报道，经常进行中度至剧烈运动的青少年在学习成绩上有长期改善。

“我们的研究表明，体育锻炼的效果可能相当大，”斯特拉斯克莱德大学教授约翰-赖利说。研究人员观察了大约5000名儿童的样本，他们参与了一项长期研究，该研究跟踪1991年至1992年在英国出生的儿童。当儿童达到11岁时，他们每天的身体活动水平用加速度计测量了三到七天。该装置类似于跟踪步数的计步器，记录了儿童的平均运动时间，男孩每天运动29分钟，女孩每天运动18分钟。

“11岁时的实际日常身体活动水平相当低，”Reilly先生指出。孩子们在11岁和13岁时进行了学习成绩测试，并参加了全国学生必修课测试，15岁或16岁时还参加了普通中等教育证书（GCSE）考试。这些测试评估了儿童在英语、数学和科学科目上的能力。结果显示，参加中度至剧烈体育活动越多的儿童，在11岁时，他们在所有三个科目的测试分数越高。对女孩来说，科学成绩与运动的关系最为密切。

当孩子们在13岁时再次接受测试时，他们的学习成绩仍然与他们11岁时的运动量多少有关。到年轻人参加GCSE考试时，男孩每天每增加17分钟的运动量，就与他们的分数提高有关。女生每天运动量每增加12分钟，也与分数的提高有关，尤其是科学类的分数。

研究人员呼吁进行更多的研究，看看如果学生们每天按照建议的60分钟或更多的运动时间进行锻炼，可能会带来的学业上的好处。

A seed expert who brought high-quality vegetable seeds to many countries, was awarded the 2019 World Food Prize. Simon Groot of the Netherlands is credited with introducing high-quality, disease-resistant vegetable seeds to more than 60 countries including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

Developing seeds has been the Groot family business for a long time. He is the sixth generation of, what is called, a seedsman. He began his search to create better vegetable seeds to help farmers in Southeast Asia in 1981. He was 47 then and his family’s company had just been taken over by a larger corporation.

Sixteen years earlier, he had made his first trip to Indonesia. There, Groot learned that vegetable seeds which were developed for the moderate climate of Europe, did poorly when planted in the hot tropics. He thought there was a great possibility to introduce hybrid vegetables to the area. The area lacked vegetable seed developers who were trying to create hybrids for the local climate.

“It was neither charity nor business. It was a passion for good seeds,” said Groot. Now 85, he said developing seeds has always concerned him, “I noticed the seed quality in that part of world was so much below our standards and below achievable standards.” He added that he “could not stand” that the farmers there did not have better seeds.

At the time, farmers in Southeast Asia usually saved seeds from season to season. That was because the seeds available for sale were often old. Those seeds were usually from Europe or North America and did not grow well in their tropical climate. This meant that the farmers ended up with smaller crops, and lower quality that changed greatly from season to season. The plants also could easily become infected with diseases.

Groot partnered with seed trader Benito Domingo of the Philippines. They put together a team of seed researchers and growers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the University of the Philippines. Within a few years, they developed a hybrid bitter gourd that sold successfully. Then they adapted a tomato plant, followed by eggplants, pumpkins and leafy vegetables.

The early successes led to the start of the East-West Seed Company, which now has more than 970 improved seeds of 60 vegetable crops. Over the past 40 years, the discoveries have led to the creation of a tropical vegetable seed industry aimed at small farmers. The tropical seeds are now spreading into Asia, Africa and Latin America.

It is estimated that the company’s seeds are used by 20 million farmers each year in more than 60 countries, said Kenneth Quinn, the former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. He has been the president of the Des Moines, Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation since 2000.

Of Groot, Quinn said, “he’s a truly remarkable individual with worthy accomplishments that should be recognized.”

The award was announced during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “The remarkable improvements made in these tropical vegetable seeds helped small farmers in developing nations produce more food and importantly get more income for themselves and their families,” Pompeo said. He added that the seeds fight hunger and help increase economic growth.

一位将优质蔬菜种子带到许多国家的种子专家，被授予2019年世界粮食奖。荷兰的西蒙-格罗特被誉为将高质量、抗病的蔬菜种子引入菲律宾、泰国和印度尼西亚等60多个国家。

开发种子是Groot家族由来已久的事业。他是第六代，也就是所谓的种子人。他从1981年开始寻找制造更好的蔬菜种子，帮助东南亚的农民。那时他47岁，他家的公司刚刚被一家更大的公司收购。

16年前，他第一次前往印度尼西亚。在那里，格鲁特了解到，为欧洲温和气候开发的蔬菜种子，在炎热的热带地区种植时效果不佳。他认为将杂交蔬菜引入该地区的可能性很大。该地区缺乏蔬菜种子开发商，他们正试图创造适合当地气候的杂交植物。

“这既不是慈善，也不是生意。这是一种对良种的热情，”Groot说。现年85岁的他说，开发种子一直是他关心的问题。“我注意到世界那个地方的种子质量比我们的标准低很多，低于可达到的标准。”他还说，他 “无法忍受 ”那里的农民没有更好的种子。

当时，东南亚的农民通常将种子从一季保存到另一季。这是因为可供出售的种子往往是旧的。这些种子通常来自欧洲或北美，在他们的热带气候下生长得并不好。这意味着，农民最终得到的是较小的作物，而且质量较差，每一季的变化很大。这些植物也很容易感染疾病。

Groot与菲律宾的种子贸易商Benito Domingo合作。他们组建了一个由荷兰瓦赫宁根大学和菲律宾大学的种子研究人员和种植者组成的团队。几年内，他们开发出了杂交苦瓜，并成功销售。随后，他们又改造了一种西红柿植物，接着是茄子、南瓜和叶类蔬菜。

早期的成功促成了东西方种业公司的成立，目前该公司拥有60种蔬菜作物的970多种改良种子。在过去的40年里，这些发现促成了一个针对小农户的热带蔬菜种子产业。现在，热带种子正向亚洲、非洲和拉丁美洲扩散。

据估计，该公司的种子每年被60多个国家的2000万农民使用，美国前驻越南大使肯尼斯-奎恩说。自2000年以来，他一直担任位于爱荷华州得梅因的世界粮食奖基金会主席。

对于格鲁特，奎恩说：“他是一个真正了不起的人，他的成就值得肯定。”

该奖项是在美国国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥主持的美国国务院仪式上宣布的。“这些热带蔬菜种子所做的显著改进帮助发展中国家的小农户生产了更多的粮食，重要的是为自己和家人获得了更多的收入。”蓬佩奥说。他补充说，这些种子可以对抗饥饿，并帮助提高经济增长。

【1. credit v. 归功于

The company is credited with inventing the industrial robot. 发明工业机器人是那家公司的功劳。

2. disease-resistant 抗病的

3. moderate adj. 温和的；适度的

4. tropics n. 热带，热带地区

5. hybrid adj. 杂交植物的；杂交动物的

6. tropical climate 热带气候

7. bitter gourd 苦瓜

8. ambassador n. 大使；使节

9. remarkable adj. 非凡的；显著的

10. “The remarkable improvements made in these tropical vegetable seeds helped small farmers in developing nations produce more food and importantly get more income for themselves and their families,” Pompeo said.

句子主干：“The improvements helped farmers produce food and get income,” Pompeo said.

参考译文：蓬佩奥说：“这些热带蔬菜种子的显著改良帮助了发展中国家的小农生产出更多的粮食，更重要的是为他们自己及其家庭获得了更多的收入”。】

The air crackles with expectation in China’s tiny eastern town of Maotanchang ahead of the “gaokao”, the annual national college entrance exam. More than 9 million students are taking this year. The town is famous for a middle school that puts students through strict 14-hour days in preparation for the exam, which is usually spread over two days.

This year about 9.4 million students will appear, the Xinhua state news agency said, roughly the same number since 2014 and down from a peak of 10.5 million in 2010.The fiercely competitive test is seen as a key to social mobility and the best chance for school leavers to land a white-collar job.

Just 40 percent of students are expected to enrol in undergraduate degrees subsequently, however, Xinhua said, citing the 2017 enrolmentplan of the education ministry.

But the exception is Maotanchang Middle School, whose website says 80 percent to 90 percent of its students have won college acceptances since 2010.

“My mother gave up her job and came here to keep me company,” said Xiang Licheng, a 20-year-old who came to Maotanchang to prepare for a second attempt at the exam. He said the school had taught him endurance, among other life skills. “Every time I don’t feel like studying, I will not relax, as I see the hardship my mother goes through in caring for me,” Xiang said.

Restaurant owner Zhang Xunze said he moved to Maotanchang three years ago so his son could attend the school. “We thought life was too boring and had nothing to do. So we gathered some money and started this restaurant,” said 49-year-old Zhang, whose business is a short walk from the school gate.

In the lead-up to the exams, students took part in incense-burning ceremonies to pray for good luck. They also released into the sky floating lanterns with “gaokao” messages.

在一年一度的全国高考 “高考 ”之前，中国东部小城毛坦厂的空气中充满了期待。今年有900多万学生参加。该镇因一所中学而闻名，它让学生们经历了严格的14小时备考，而考试通常分两天进行。

新华社国家通讯社说，今年约有940万名学生将出现，与2014年以来的数字大致相同，比2010年1050万的高峰有所下降.竞争激烈的考试被视为社会流动的关键，也是离校生找到白领工作的最佳机会。

不过，新华社援引教育部2017年招生计划（2017enrolmentplan）称，预计只有40%的学生随后会报考本科。

但毛坦厂中学是个例外，该校网站称，自2010年以来，该校80%至90%的学生获得了大学录取。

“我妈妈放弃了工作，来到这里陪我。”20岁的向立成说，他来到毛坦厂准备第二次尝试考试。他说，学校教会了他耐力等生活技能。"每次不想学习的时候，我都不会放松，因为我看到了母亲照顾我的艰辛。"项立成说。

餐馆老板张勋泽说，为了儿子能上学，他3年前就搬到了毛坦厂。“我们觉得生活太枯燥，无事可做。于是我们凑了点钱，开了这家餐馆。”49岁的张先生说，他的生意离学校大门很近。

在考试前，学生们参加了烧香仪式，以祈求好运。他们还向天空放飞了写有 “高考 ”字样的飘灯。

【1. crackle v.（像东西在火里燃烧一样）发爆裂声，噼啪作响

2. The town is famous for a middle school that puts students through strict 14-hour days in preparation for the exam, which is usually spread over two days.

句子主干：The town is famous for a middle school.

参考译文：毛坦厂镇因一所中学而闻名，这所学校要求学生每天严格花14个小时为高考做准备，高考考试时间通常为两天。

3. incense-burning 烧香

4. social mobility 社会流动性

5. white-collar job 白领工作

6. enrol v.（使）加入；注册；登记

7. subsequently adv. 随后，后来；接着

8. cite v. 引用；引述

9. enrolment n. 入学；注册；登记

10. keep sb. company 做伴；陪伴

I will keep you company while you’re waiting. 你等待时我会陪伴你。

11. endurance n. 忍耐力；耐久力

12. go through 经历（尤为艰难时期）

She was going through a very difficult time. 她在经历一段非常艰难的时期。

13. lead-up n.（重大事件的）准备工作

the lead-up to the election 选举的筹备工作】