What a fantastic lecture it was! The advice offered from any other 82yearolds might have made young people yawn1 and roll their eyes. But when former South African president Nelson Mandela advised two dozen local youth leaders in Los Angeles to take education seriously, his audience was listening.
The famed old man said to the young people that if they expected to improve the lives of others in the future, they must work at improving their own lives now. “Education is one of the most important weapons you have,” Mandela advised. “It will place you in a far better position to serve yourself and your community2.”
“The point is, he was young once and rebellious3 once and he kept his dream alive, just as you each have dreams,” explained South Africas ambassador to the United States, Sheila Sisulu, as she introduced Mandela to the young crowd.
Asked for specific advice about changing society by 21yearold Ahmed Younis, Mandela suggested that somehow helping arouse more American interest in foreign affairs might be a start.
“There is an impression that Americans, in general, have not followed international developments properly,” Mandela said. “Im not making that statement myself, but there are serious political analysts4 who say Americans are not well informed as to what has happened in the world.”
22yearold Omari Trice said Mandela left him full of enthusiasm5. “Hes a person who set the tone for an entire nation,” said Trice. “You come away feeling you need to be Superman in order to get things done.”
【生词注释】
1. yawnvi. 打呵欠2. communityn. 社区；社会；团体
3. rebelliousadj. 反叛的；难控制的4. analystn. 分析家；化验员
5. enthusiasmn. 热情；热心
1. From the passage, we can conclude that American youth .
A. are willing to accept the advice from worldfamous leaders
B. usually think that advice from old people is not worth considering
C. have a good understanding of the old
D. have no intention to improve the lives of others
2. Nelson Mandela makes the point in his speech that American youth leaders should .
A. improve their own lives
B. go to college for better education
C. put more importance on education
D. become interested in foreign affairs
3. What Sheila Sisulu said suggested that .
A. Nelson Mandela never lost hope in his life
B. Nelson Mandela was especially troublesome when young
C. Nelson Mandela was quite different from American youth when young
D. American youth should be no more rebellious
4. From what Trice said, we can know that .
A. he was greatly impressed and encouraged by Mandelas speech
B. he thought little of Mandelas speech
C. he must be a superman in order to change society
D. hell be more interested in international development
Days after celebrations honoring his bicentennial1, Abraham Lincoln kept his rank as best US president, according to a survey of 65 historians that landed George W. Bush 36th out of 42 overall.
Abraham Lincoln （18611865）, the first US president George Washington （17891797） and New Deal architect Franklin D. Roosevelt （19331945） were ranked the top three out of the 42 men who have been the countrys former chiefs, according to a survey by cable channel CSPAN.
John F. Kennedy came in sixth, ahead of Ronald Reagan （10th） and Bill Clinton, who jumped to 15th from 21st during the last survey in 2000, when Lincoln also ranked first.
Of all modern presidents, Bush, who left office last month after an eightyear tenure2, performed worst at 36th, nearly 10 spots behind Richard Nixon （27th）, who was forced to resign in disgrace in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal3.
Bush scored lowest in international relations, where he ranked 41st, and in economic management, where he placed 40th. His best ranking was 24th, in having “pursued equal justice for all”. He placed 25th in crisis leadership, and for his vision and agenda setting.
Reagan faired well in public persuasion, where he was propelled4 to third spot, from his 10th place overall.
Bill Clinton also received accolades5 for his public persuasion, landing a 10th spot in that category, up from 15th overall. But presidential historians were critical of the last Democratic presidents moral authority, placing him 37th, ahead of Richard Nixon （41st）, but behind Bush （35th）.
The fluidity6 of perceptions of past presidents reflects contemporary concerns, according to Edna Medford, a survey leader and participant. “Todays concerns shape our views of the past, be it in the area of foreign policy, managing the economy or human rights,” she said in a statement.
【生词注释】
1. bicentennialn. 二百年,二百周年纪念2. tenuren. （职位, 如政治地位的）任期
3. scandaln. 丑事；丑闻4. propelvt. 推进；推动
5. accoladen. 赞美；骑士爵位的授予6. fluidityn. 流动性；流质；易变性
1. Whats the rank of Abraham Lincoln in 2000?
A. The first.
B. The second.
C. The tenth.
D. The twentyfirst.
2. In which of the following did Bush score highest according to the passage?
A. International relations.
B. Economic management.
C. Pursued equal justice for all.
D. Crisis leadership.
3. What has a great effect on the change of the rank according to the passage?
A. Peoples attitudes.
B. Todays concerns.
C. Presidents characters.
D. American development.
4. How many presidents are there in all so far?
A. 36.
B. 37.
C. 42.
D. 43.
It is said that every scientist has a childhood dream of his or her future success. For Yuan Longping, the 79yearold scientist now, the dream was that he would grow grains of rice as large as peanuts, and that farmers could relax in the large shadow of their plants.
His dream came true. Yuan is known as Chinas “Father of Hybrid1 Rice”. He is known for creating a type of rice that has a high yield.
He came up with the idea of hybridizing rice in the 1960s, when China was suffering serious famine2. Ten years later, he grew a new species that produced a 20 percent higher yield than common types of rice.
Compared with the ordinary rice, the hybrid is highly adaptable. It is a stronger plant that can better bear drought or waterlogging3, as well as diseases and worms.
Half of Chinas rice crops are Yuans special rice. And the countrys total rice production has greatly increased.
Today, Yuan continues to try and increase the yield of rice. If you ask him whether rice quality or quantity should come first, his answer is always the latter.