Imagine you are a citizen of Athens, enjoying a warm Mediterranean night in the Theater of Herodes Atticus. You are wearing jeans and a T-shirt, listening to a great concert. Now rewind this picture 1,839 years. You are in the same seat, only you are watching classical Greek entertainment and wearing a simple chiton, or tunic. The city of Athens is a fun mix of the old and the new, the classic and the modem. Often a little shop is located next to the ruins of a temple, which is only a block from a large, air-conditioned hotel. The great city of 2,500 years ago is still visible today. Ruins are the most obvious sign of ancient Athens, and the most famous of these is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large hill that was the center of life in Athens. On its slopes were temples, monuments, and theaters. From the top, you can see how the urban sprawl (扩展,延伸) of Athens stretches out in every direction. On the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This was once a huge temple to Athena, the city’s patron. It was first completed in 432 B.C., but has been damaged and destroyed several times. However, visitors can still see the "tricks" used in building the Parthenon. The columns along the outside lean inward, and are slightly fatter in the middle. The temple is also higher in the middle than on the sides. All these effects make the Parthenon look perfectly straight from a distance. Only a block away from the Acropolis is the neighborhood of Plaka. The area, with its little shops and restaurants, is very popular with both tourists and locals, and is an important part of modem Athenian culture. Many great thinkers, writers, and political leaders lived in ancient Athens. The ruins of their homes and favorite spots are scattered throughout the busy port city. The hill where St. Paul addressed early Christian Athenians is located near the Acropolis. Great thinkers such as Perikles and Demosthenes spoke to the civil assemblies held at the Pnyx Hill. Today the Pnyx is an open-air theater for light and sound shows. Greeks still use some ancient sites, such as the Pnyx and the Theater of Herodes Atticus. During Roman times, in 76 A.D., gladiators (角斗士) used the Panathenaic Stadium for contests. The Olympics were held there in 1896, and today people still jog and exercise in the stadium. Tourism is very important to people who live in modem-day Athens. Thousands of people come every year to see these ruins and to tour the many museums that house artifacts from ancient times. This provides many jobs and brings money into Athens, which helps the city pay for improvements. Athenians take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, and people from all around the world come to admire them. By looking around the city today, we can imagine what life was like in ancient Athens. Which tourist attraction was ancient Athens most famous for
A. Plaka.
B. Acropolis.
C. Pnyx.
D. Parthenon.
Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.Located on the shore of Sullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube- shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36000 homes in the state.Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina’s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes wasn’t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugo’s wake, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan’s Island should be able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.At first sight, the house on Sullivan’s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern" at night, according to one observer. But looks can be deceiving. The house’s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings—long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm surges. The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it. "These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach- front buildings." said Huff.Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. "The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its pant legs pulled up. " said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained. It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be()
A. fancy-looking
B. waterproof
C. easily breakable
D. extremely strong
Condoms Stirring College Campuses Handing out free condoms is quite common in many foreign universities, but the small condom vendors on Chinese college campuses have aroused heated debates. Managerial personnel at universities worry that those little boxes will trigger more sexual activity, while students argue that college authorities should not treat them like children. One day in mid-April, a student cafeteria in Tianjin’’s Nankai University was bustling with unusual excitement over a new vending machine. Though seemingly ordinary, the vending machine grabbed students’’ attention. While most female students hurried away after glancing at it, male students gathered in small groups in the vicinity, whispering about it. Some even went forward to have a closer look and then told their fellow students, laughing, "There really are some in it. " It was a condom vending machine, and condoms were the "some" the students talked about. This scene has also happened on other college campuses. In July 1999, the Shanghai Jiaotong University installed a similar machine on the second floor of its clinic. One month later, condom vending machines appeared at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and at the end of October, they appeared on the campus of the Anhui University. In early March of this year, a sex-related health-care products shop opened in the student living quarters at the Wuhan Engineering University, the first of its kind in institutions of higher learning in Wuhan. These developments have aroused many remarks and debates. Family Planning Centers vs. Universities Today, with the incidence of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS rising, condoms are considered the most effective method available to prevent transmitting STDs. As a result, the Shanghai Family Planning Committee recently opened a third channel for the distribution of condoms—the condom vending machine, in addition to the already existent channels—free handouts by various units and sales in shops and drug stores. The first 200 vending machines were installed in various communities and were well received by local residents. In only half a year’’s time, more than 60,000 condoms were sold. Encouraged by these results, the committee decided to introduce the practice in a larger area. It first thought of college students, a significant component of society. According to statistics, more than 50 percent of the AIDS sufferers in China are aged between 20 and 29. Therefore, the committee intended to put the condom vending machines on college campuses. This idea was rejected by the Shanghai Teachers’’ University. Wang Qun, an official of the university in charge of student management, is a strong opponent. "No leader or department in our university is ready to accept putting a condom vending machine somewhere on campus," she says, asking, " If something happens as a result of this, who will bear the responsibility" In contrast, the Shanghai Jiaotong University decided to accept the condom machines and installed one in the university clinic. According to Shu Peili, Deputy Director of the university’’s women’’s committee, Jiaotong University is a model unit for family planning in Shanghai. "It is our duty to offer safe, healthy and hygienic contraceptive devices for married teachers and staff members," she says. "However, they do not include students," she stresses. Recently, CCTV conducted a survey in these two universities. It revealed that most teachers and staff members at these universities are conservative regarding the condom issue. Many believe that using the vending machine will ruin the students’’ images. Do We Really Need Them Whether or not and how much college students need condoms is the focus of the debate over whether or not to put condom vending machines on campus. An official with Shanghai’’s family planning authorities notes that colleges are by no means a vacuum or a paradise, as some people expect. Everything that happens in society takes place on college campuses, he says, and it is urgent to provide sex education among college students. With society becoming more and more open, the fact that college campuses house sexual activity is undeniable and independent of whether or not society approves. Given this, the official thinks the better road is to provide positive directions. "If something happens before preventive measures are available, it will cause greater problems, including physiological and psychological harm." Wang Qun thinks the opposite. "There is no need to install condom machines on campus. It’’s true that some students have gone a bit too far sexually, but they are isolated cases. " The survey made by the Shanghai Jiaotong University indicates that the users of condom vending machines include members of the teaching staff, students and off-campus visitors. "It’’s normal to have sex," says a female Shanghai college student. She argues that sexual relationships meet basic needs of any normal person when he or she reaches a certain age, saying, " Many of us college students are over In early March of this year, a sex-related health-care products shop opened in the student living quarters at the Wuhan Engineering University, the first of its kind in institutions of higher learning in Wuhan. These developments have aroused many remarks and debates. Family Planning Centers vs. Universities Today, with the incidence of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS rising, condoms are considered the most effective method available to prevent transmitting STDs. As a result, the Shanghai Family Planning Committee recently opened a third channel for the distribution of condoms—the condom vending machine, in addition to the already existent channels—free handouts by various units and sales in shops and drug stores. The first 200 vending machines were installed in various communities and were well received by local residents. In only half a year’’s time, more than 60,000 condoms were sold. Encouraged by these results, the committee decided to introduce the practice in a larger area. It first thought of college students, a significant component of society. According to statistics, more than 50 percent of the AIDS sufferers in China are aged between 20 and 29. Therefore, the committee intended to put the condom vending machines on college campuses. This idea was rejected by the Shanghai Teachers’’ University. Wang Qun, an official of the university in charge of student management, is a strong opponent. "No leader or department in our university is ready to accept putting a condom vending machine somewhere on campus," she says, asking, " If something happens as a result of this, who will bear the responsibility" In contrast, the Shanghai Jiaotong University decided to accept the condom machines and installed one in the university clinic. According to Shu Peili, Deputy Director of the university’’s women’’s committee, Jiaotong University is a model unit for family planning in Shanghai. "It is our duty to offer safe, healthy and hygienic contraceptive devices for married teachers and staff members," she says. "However, they do not include students," she stresses. Recently, CCTV conducted a survey in these two universities. It revealed that most teachers and staff members at these universities are conservative regarding the condom issue. Many believe that using the vending machine will ruin the students’’ images. Do We Really Need Them Whether or not and how much college students need condoms is the focus of the debate over whether or not to put condom vending machines on campus. An official with Shanghai’’s family planning authorities notes that colleges are by no means a vacuum or a paradise, as some people expect. Everything that happens in society takes place on college campuses, he says, and it is urgent to provide sex education among college students. With society becoming more and more open, the fact that college campuses house sexual activity is undeniable and independent of whether or not society approves. Given this, the official thinks the better road is to provide positive directions. "If something happens before preventive measures are available, it will cause greater problems, including physiological and psychological harm. " Wang Qun thinks the opposite. "There is no need to install condom machines on campus. It’’s true that some students have gone a bit too far sexually, but they are isolated cases. " The survey made by the Shanghai Jiaotong University indicates that the users of condom vending machines include members of the teaching staff, students and off-campus visitors. "It’’s normal to have sex," says a female Shanghai college student. She argues that sexual relationships meet basic needs of any normal person when he or she reaches a certain age, saying, " Many of us college students are over 20. We are not as young as our parents think we are. We should be allowed to do what we want to do. " " Though rare, sexual behavior exists among college students," notes a male sophomore in the Political Science Department of the Nankai University. It’’s natural for them to use condoms, he believes, and nothing to be ashamed of. Liu Dalin is a scholar engaged in cultural research. He believes that college students’’ sexual desires are stronger today than in the past. Several years ago, he conducted a survey on premarital sex among 20,000 college students. The survey found that 10 percent of the male students had sex before marriage. "This rate has obviously been rising in recent years," Liu says. He notes that members of the younger generation are generally more sexually precocious, and their first ejaculation or menstrual period is commonly one or one and a half years earlier than of kids in the 1950s. Improved living standards and better nutrition account heavily for this, while the influence of different cultures disseminated through the mass media also holds a considerable weight. Earlier maturation in sex-related psychology inevitably leads to earlier sexual needs, a phenomenon commonly found in many countries and regions during their development. "It’’s a good thing," says Liu. "How could it be good for impoverished boys who don’’t have enough food to suffer undergrowth when they are 17 or 18" " It’’s not an embarrassing thing to put condom machines on campus," says sociologist Hu Shensheng. "We shouldn’’t wait until it becomes necessary. Even though there are only a few sexual relationships that exist right now, condoms should be available. " However, this practice has met strong opposition from Shanghai residents. Most of them are afraid that condom machines will produce negative effects on students. Wuhan Engineering University is the first university in Wuhan where had opened a sex-related healthcare products.
A. Y
B. N
C. NG