U1

??Many people who are traditionally afraid of DIY are becoming enthusiastic about it. My husband and I are of no exception. Initially, we feared DIY like the plague and planned to invite experts to renovate our new house. But after we did the sums, we chose to do the renovations by ourselves. It is the recession that made us take up DIY; however, for many others, saving money is not the main factor and decorating their own house represents a different life-style and a fabulous success and adds value to their lives.

??DIY becomes increasingly popular nowadays, yet that doesn't mean there is no obstacle to it. The doers often make errors or cause potential damages, and they need more learning and practice. Many people turn to specialist magazines, television programs or the Internet for help, taking advantage of the useful information and advice.

??There are some areas to avoid without training, for example, gas and electrics, but some people tend to bite off more than they can chew and eventually blunder into an extremely dangerous situation. One of the most disastrous occasions is that a DIYer tried to install light fittings, but unfortunately he neglected earthing them first, causing an electric shock eventually. Therefore, if you encounter any DIY task in these areas, never ever hesitate to turn to the professionals for help.

??許多傳統(tǒng)上害怕DIY的人開始熱衷于DIY，我和丈夫也不例外。起初，我們害怕像瘟疫一樣的DIY，并計劃邀請專家來翻新我們的新房子。但在我們計算完總數(shù)后，我們選擇了自己裝修。正是經(jīng)濟衰退讓我們開始自己動手；然而，對許多其他人來說，省錢并不是主要因素，裝修自己的房子代表著一種不同的生活方式和巨大的成功，并為他們的生活增加了價值。

??如今，DIY越來越流行，但這并不意味著它沒有障礙。實干家經(jīng)常犯錯或造成潛在的損害，他們需要更多的學(xué)習(xí)和實踐。許多人利用有用的信息和建議，向?qū)I(yè)雜志、電視節(jié)目或互聯(lián)網(wǎng)尋求幫助。

??在沒有培訓(xùn)的情況下，有些領(lǐng)域需要避免，例如煤氣和電力，但有些人往往會犯錯誤太多，最終陷入極其危險的境地。最災(zāi)難性的情況之一是，一名DIYer試圖安裝燈具，但不幸的是，他忽略了先接地，最終導(dǎo)致觸電。因此，如果你在這些領(lǐng)域遇到任何DIY任務(wù)，請毫不猶豫地向?qū)I(yè)人士尋求幫助。

U3

??One way to make a marriage work is by being unselfish. My husband, Jim, is probably the most unselfish man I know. He makes me be willing to do things for him because of his generous nature. He often takes the initiative to rinse the dishes and take care of the children. I bet there are many times he would rather be reading, relaxing or working on the pasture , but he only does something for himself when all household chores are done and the kids have been taken care of. In return, I bake him all his favorite food as a treat. I feel very fortunate to have married him.

??Another way to make a marriage last is to have a good sense of humor. The other day Jim and I wore ourselves out after being up with the kids all night. We were both irritable on that night, and soon we started to accuse each other of some trivial matters, but then we just looked at each other and started laughing. I don’t know why, but it felt good and helped relieve the tension.

??Being able to communicate is very important for a successful marriage as well. Jim is my best friend, with whom I share most of my thoughts. We find it easy to talk about most things, so we don’t have many secrets from each other. When my mother vexes him, he tells me about it. Things like that are easier to deal with when they’re out in the open than when they’re kept inside. Thus, we have a very open, intimate and comfortable relationship.

??讓婚姻成功的一種方法是無私。我的丈夫吉姆可能是我認(rèn)識的最無私的人。他慷慨大方，使我愿意為他做事。他經(jīng)常主動去洗碗和照顧孩子。我敢打賭，很多時候他寧愿讀書、放松或在牧場上工作，但只有當(dāng)所有的家務(wù)都做完了，孩子們也得到了照顧時，他才會為自己做點什么。作為回報，我把他最喜歡的食物都烤給他吃。我感到很幸運能嫁給他。

??讓婚姻長久的另一個方法是要有幽默感。前幾天，吉姆和我和孩子們徹夜未眠，疲憊不堪。那天晚上，我們都很易怒，很快我們就開始指責(zé)對方一些瑣碎的事情，但后來我們只是看著對方，開始大笑。我不知道為什么，但感覺很好，有助于緩解緊張情緒。

??能夠溝通對于一段成功的婚姻也是非常重要的。吉姆是我最好的朋友，我和他分享了我的大部分想法。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)談?wù)摯蠖鄶?shù)事情都很容易，所以我們彼此之間沒有太多秘密。當(dāng)我媽媽惹他生氣時，他會告訴我這件事。這樣的事情在戶外比在室內(nèi)更容易處理。因此，我們有一種非常開放、親密和舒適的關(guān)系。

U4

??Social networking has changed the way we communication, do business, catch up on current events, and so much more. While many dismiss society’s proclivity （癖好） towards social networking as a(n) annoying habit, there are various advantages to staying connected to others online.

??One of the most obvious benefits of using social networks is the ability to?instantly reach people from anywhere. Social networking sites allow us to stay in touch with old high school friends who have relocated all over the country, with relatives who live halfway around the world, or meet brand new people from cities or regions you’ve never even heard of before.

??Being connected wherever we go means that we don’t have to rely on landlines, answering machines or written letters to contact somebody. We can simply open up our laptops or pick up our smartphones and immediately?start communicating with anyone on social networking or on social messaging apps.

??Social networking also provides us with real-time news information. If you want to know what’s going on in the world, all you need to do is check social media. In addition, you can customize your news and information discovery experiences by choosing to follow exactly what you want.

??Business owners and other types of professional?organizations can also use social media to connect with current customers, sell their products and expand their reach using social media. There are many entrepreneurs and businesses which thrive almost entirely on social networks and wouldn’t even be able to operate without them.

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社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)改變了我們交流、做生意、了解時事等的方式。盡管許多人忽視了社會的傾向(癖好） 鑒于社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)是一種令人討厭的習(xí)慣，在網(wǎng)上與他人保持聯(lián)系有很多好處。

??使用社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)最明顯的好處之一是能夠從任何地方立即聯(lián)系到人們。社交網(wǎng)站使我們能夠與移居全國各地的高中老朋友、居住在半個世界的親戚保持聯(lián)系，或者結(jié)識來自你從未聽說過的城市或地區(qū)的全新朋友。

??無論我們走到哪里，都能保持聯(lián)系意味著我們不必依靠座機、答錄機或?qū)懶艁砺?lián)系某人。我們可以簡單地打開筆記本電腦或拿起智能手機，立即開始在社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)或社交消息應(yīng)用程序上與任何人交流。

??社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)也為我們提供實時的新聞信息。如果你想知道世界上發(fā)生了什么，你所需要做的就是查看社交媒體。此外，您可以通過選擇完全按照自己的意愿來定制新聞和信息發(fā)現(xiàn)體驗。

??企業(yè)主和其他類型的專業(yè)組織也可以使用社交媒體與當(dāng)前客戶建立聯(lián)系，銷售他們的產(chǎn)品，并使用社交媒體擴大他們的影響力。有許多企業(yè)家和企業(yè)幾乎完全依靠社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)發(fā)展壯大，沒有他們甚至無法運營。

U5

??Although young people today can remember 150 Pokémon characters, surf the Internet?with the speed of a NASCAR racer and download homework assignments from their cell phones, studies show they lack a critical skill they’ll need in today’s complex economic world: personal money management. Children, teens and young adults in America earn and spend large amounts of money each year. Yet this same group has inadequate knowledge about their financial affairs.

??Kids don’t always learn money smarts at home. Experts agree that parents and family?members are likely to be a child’s primary teachers of education, often by default. It is no surprise that more than 70 percent of parents with children five or older feel “quite stumped by the task of teaching their kids about basic personal finances” and fewer than half feel they are “a good role model for their children regarding budgeting and spending”. Young people agree that talking about family finances happens infrequently , if at all. Parents often miss teachable moments to share practical advice, such as during back-to-school shopping. Nearly 85 percent of high school and middle school students surveyed said their parents did not take time to discuss their back-to-school finances with them before the new semester began.

???In fact, while they do “rely on parents” for some information, 98 percent of college students and 90 percent of high school students owe their knowledge?about money management to their own experiences with money.

??盡管如今的年輕人可以記住150個神奇寶貝角色，以納斯卡賽車手的速度上網(wǎng)，并從手機上下載家庭作業(yè)，但研究表明，他們?nèi)狈υ诋?dāng)今復(fù)雜的經(jīng)濟世界中所需的一項關(guān)鍵技能：個人理財。美國的兒童、青少年和年輕人每年都有大量的收入和消費。然而，這群人對自己的財務(wù)狀況知之甚少。

??孩子們并不總是在家里學(xué)習(xí)理財技巧。專家們一致認(rèn)為，父母和家庭成員很可能是孩子的主要教育老師，通常是默認(rèn)的。毫不奇怪，超過70%有五歲或五歲以上孩子的父母感到“被教孩子基本個人理財?shù)娜蝿?wù)難倒了”，不到一半的父母認(rèn)為自己是“孩子在預(yù)算和支出方面的好榜樣”。年輕人一致認(rèn)為，談?wù)摷彝ヘ攧?wù)的事情很少發(fā)生，如果有的話。家長們經(jīng)常錯過分享實用建議的可教時刻，比如在返校購物期間。近85%的受訪高中生表示，他們的父母在新學(xué)期開始前沒有花時間與他們討論返校財務(wù)問題。

??事實上，盡管他們確實“依賴父母”獲得一些信息，但98%的大學(xué)生和90%的高中生將他們的理財知識歸功于他們自己的理財經(jīng)歷。

U6

??When I was young, I lived in Fort Greene which was notorious for being a rough neighborhood. Knowing the character of every block around our building, my father taught me how to keep safe in the neighborhood. He told me if someone came to bother us, I’d better let go of his hand and walk away. It was an encounter I could vaguely?imagine: two men, younger than my father, about his size, approaching us, wordlessly, to rob us. And I was trailed by the fear that someone would interrupt our time together, that our lives would change forever, that my father would have to drop my hand. Although I snnered at people who did not understand Brooklyn, the Fort Greene my father warned us about was real.

??Despite these fears, my neighborhood was the only place I had ever lived. I knew it was a place to defend. When I enrolled in a private school on the Upper East Side, I declareed myself proudly — I was from Fort Greene.

??When I was at Yale and returned for holiday breaks and summers, I found Fort Greene had been gentrifying for a long time. The demolition and reconstruction were indisputable evidence that after I graduated I would not be able to afford to move back. However, I worried that my neighborhood might be eclipsed by change, and transformed?into something that I could understand but could not feel.

??Now, when I tell someone I am from Fort Greene, I get quite a different response. They will be exceedingly pleasant to say, “Great area.”

??當(dāng)我年輕的時候，我住在格林堡，那里因粗暴而臭名昭著。我父親了解我們大樓周圍每個街區(qū)的特點，教我如何在附近保持安全。他告訴我，如果有人來打擾我們，我最好放開他的手走開。這是一次我隱約可以想象的遭遇：兩個比我父親小的男人，和他一樣大，一言不發(fā)地走近我們，想要搶劫我們。我被一種恐懼所困擾，擔(dān)心有人會打斷我們在一起的時光，擔(dān)心我們的生活會永遠(yuǎn)改變，擔(dān)心我父親不得不放下我的手。盡管我嘲笑那些不了解布魯克林的人，但我父親警告我們的格林堡是真實的。

??盡管有這些恐懼，但我的鄰居是我唯一住過的地方。我知道這是一個需要防守的地方。當(dāng)我在上東區(qū)的一所私立學(xué)校入學(xué)時，我自豪地宣稱自己——我來自格林堡。

??當(dāng)我在耶魯大學(xué)度假和避暑時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)格林堡已經(jīng)紳士化了很長一段時間。拆遷和重建是無可爭辯的證據(jù)，證明我畢業(yè)后將無法搬回來。然而，我擔(dān)心我的社區(qū)可能會因變化而黯然失色，變成我能理解但無法感受到的東西。

??現(xiàn)在，當(dāng)我告訴別人我來自格林堡時，我得到了完全不同的回應(yīng)。他們會非常愉快地說：“大面積?！?/p>

U7

??The pool of talented individuals is dramatically increasing these days, and the competition for jobs in the arts is becoming fierce. Artists in particular face difficulty when it comes to being able to sustain themselves through their chosen career. However, being successful as an artist is not impossible.

??Finding people to buy your work is one of the most challenging?aspects of being an artist. However, connecting with potential clients is becoming increasingly easier thanks to social media platforms. These websites can be used not only to show and promote your work, but also to keep in touch with?clientele, and network with other artists.

??Due to the stiff competition in both salaried and self-employed jobs in the art world, artists find it difficult to earn enough money by only selling their artwork.?Multitasking is therefore necessary for many artists. While working at a day job, you can make use of your spare time by creating artwork. Applying for awards and residencies （藝術(shù)家為某機構(gòu)工作的駐留時間） is also helpful in broadening?your network and raising your artistic profile.

??Building an impressive portfolio is crucial, because it shows evidence of your skill. A portfolio is a collection of hand-made, computer-generated, photographic, or printed samples of the artist’s artwork. No matter how seasoned as an artist you are, it can be difficult to find recognition for your work whether it is from an employer or a gallery. Employers and gallery owners don’t have the time to research you and your artwork. A portfolio shows your talent. Being an artist is not easy, but with determination, hard work, and persistence, you may find a career in the arts tremendously rewarding.

??這些天來，人才庫急劇增加，藝術(shù)領(lǐng)域的工作競爭也越來越激烈。藝術(shù)家們尤其面臨著在他們選擇的職業(yè)生涯中維持生計的困難。然而，作為一名藝術(shù)家取得成功并非不可能。

??找人買你的作品是作為一名藝術(shù)家最具挑戰(zhàn)性的方面之一。然而，由于社交媒體平臺，與潛在客戶的聯(lián)系變得越來越容易。這些網(wǎng)站不僅可以用來展示和推廣你的作品，還可以用來與客戶保持聯(lián)系，并與其他藝術(shù)家建立聯(lián)系。

??由于藝術(shù)界受薪和自營職業(yè)的激烈競爭，藝術(shù)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)僅靠出售藝術(shù)品很難賺到足夠的錢。因此，多任務(wù)處理對許多藝術(shù)家來說是必要的。在白天工作時，你可以利用業(yè)余時間創(chuàng)作藝術(shù)品。申請獎勵和居留(藝術(shù)家為某機構(gòu)工作的駐留時間） 也有助于拓寬你的人際網(wǎng)絡(luò)，提升你的藝術(shù)形象。

??建立一個令人印象深刻的投資組合是至關(guān)重要的，因為它可以證明你的技能。作品集是藝術(shù)家作品的手工、計算機生成、攝影或印刷樣本的集合。作為一名經(jīng)驗豐富的藝術(shù)家，無論你的作品是來自雇主還是畫廊，都很難獲得認(rèn)可。雇主和畫廊老板沒有時間研究你和你的藝術(shù)品。投資組合展示了你的才華。成為一名藝術(shù)家并不容易，但只要有決心、努力和毅力，你可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)藝術(shù)事業(yè)會獲得巨大的回報。

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