感觉城市
刘元举
①都市最好的建筑大都是留在广场上。越老的广场越有味道，特别是那种椭圆形队列，极有耐心地组合成建筑博览系列，其风格的和谐与典雅令岁月粘稠。然而，到了今天，这些苍老的面孔对于周围的疾速变化却呈现一副凄哀的无奈状。高楼大厦争先恐后，顶天立地，倏忽间，竞形成了一个巨人家族，控制着广场的领空，从中透出一种现代城市的霸气。
②城市的现代锋芒是无法收敛的。不管你喜欢不喜欢愿意不愿意，你就得接受就得适应。
城市的表情在过去如果说是因含蓄而充满魅力的话，那么说城市的现在，则全然抛开了这份传统的服饰，变得简单而直露。不是吗，玻璃幕墙体通体透亮，还有什么含蓄可言?钢架交错，似裸露闪亮的筋骨，没有任何羞涩需要多余的遮掩。远去了，哥特式建筑；远去了，巴洛克的繁绮奢华；远去了，爱奥尼与陶立克柱子，就连我们古典的影壁墙、歇山顶、鸱吻、雕梁画栋也无法取悦都市的目光。大工业与现代化正在不可阻挡地改变着我们的城市的面孔，犹如一双粗暴的手，把城市陈旧的服饰一件件剥光。
③有一位作家到日本后写了一本书，题为《裸体的日本》。这个题目一针见血地道出了现代化的日本城市的流向。是否越接近现代文明就越远离了掩饰和含蓄?
④由城市及人，由城市的服饰演进说到人的装束变化，这是很有意思的。古罗马的著名建筑师威特鲁威早就给建筑下过这样的定义，他说，建筑就是组织人们的生活。城市建筑对于人们的生活的影响无论过去还是现在都是有目共睹的。城市在告别繁冗，在失去含蓄，城市中的人，势必也要适应这种流向。城市人生活状态的变化首先要从服装上表现出来。比如，过去的女人以包裹严实为尊为美，连衣裙是小翻领口，还是长袖的，腰间还有个捆扎的带子，不扎不端庄，不淑女，现在还有人穿这种连衣裙吗?不仅不穿长袖的，甚至连袖子都是多余的。由长袖而半袖，再由半袖而变成无袖；裙身过去长至膝下，甚至垂到脚面，走起路来风摆杨柳，婀婀娜娜，不乏古典韵致。从什么时候起时兴了超短?再看上衣，马甲，一些两件套装、三件套装，一些原本属于辅助性的衣服倒变成了正宗服饰，几乎取代了西服上衣西服裙，而且，这种取代没商量，马甲也好，上衣也好，越来越短，短到了可以露出肚脐眼。阳光下，上下衣之间因脱节而断层，透出的那一条子皮肤的白皙度犹如一道灿然的光带照亮行人的眼目时，城市建筑的玻璃幕墙体肯定会更加刺眼，更加热烈，城市的热情与城市的温度都会随之升高。那些阳光照不到的阴郁的古典柱廊以及浮雕的阴暗凹处，也会被这道肤线的光芒洞穿吧?城市不会再有含蓄了，而更加，易变的人们还能存留几多含蓄?
⑤睡衣式的服饰可以堂皇出现在闹市，男人忘记的背心，却以一种新的面料成为了女性的抢眼时装。还有人愿穿翻领衣裙吗?越短越好，越露越好，越透越薄越性感越好。为什么牛仔裤被体形裤取代?又被裤袜特别是那种裤子式的裤袜代替?还有短裤，更具超越优势。
⑥泳装更说明问题。比基尼正在成为一道风景线，尤其是海滨的城市。
⑦由此，我想到了南方的园林建筑。那种奇妙的造园手笔可以用几个字概括：漏、透、瘦、皱。这四个字体现了造园艺术的精髓，体现出一种千古不变的神韵。按照这四个字造出的园林，无论到了什么时候，都不会是直白的、单调的，其中的含蓄是可以让游人驻足且流连忘返的。而流行时装的这几个字则正与园林艺术达到的效果恰恰相反。
⑧或许我不该进行这种比较，时装与园林原本就不是一回事，一种追求的是艺术的永恒，一种要的只是闪烁迷人的一瞬，多一点，长久一点，那都是犯大忌的。现代人的生活观念不恰恰是改变永恒吗?谁还讲白头到老?哪还有什么举案齐眉、相濡以沫?哪来的永恒爱情?有那么一个瞬间就不得了。所以，风靡的爱情歌曲只能是“让我一次爱个够”、“不求一生相守，但求一朝拥有”、“瞬间就是永恒”之类。
⑨瞬间，只能是瞬间，再难忘的瞬间也还是瞬间，不可能代替永恒。而我，一个有着古典情结的中年北方男人更看重那种永恒。我曾冒着大雨赶到同里小镇，为的是去一睹那里的古建筑风采。那真是一批国宝：一处藻井就是一座展馆，被灰尘遮盖的彩绘极耐人寻味；一扇有着木雕的门扇就是一件艺术精品，如同屏风般的组合门扇叙述了一部《西厢记》，有莺莺，还有张生，张生与莺莺的约会是永恒的，令我感动，可惜这几道门扇朽了；燕翼楼造型奇特，特别是屋脊有着宁静的动感，有云流动时，更是神奇，跃跃欲飞，令我难过的是它已经折断了翅膀，塌了腰身。
⑩我们的城市正在日新月异，我们新的楼房都是从外部世界抄来的，很少有我们自己民族的底蕴，正像我们的服装，一茬茬虽然炫目，却也是从西方世界拿来的。“拿来主义”构成了我们城市’的时尚。我们的城市正在洋化，我们的服装也正在洋化。洋化不是不好，却也不能说就是绝对的好。还应该有一点我们民族自己的东西，比如旗袍，比如蜡染的民族服饰，我都挺喜欢。
[问题1][简答题]
文章第①段说：“这些苍老的面孔对于周围的疾速变化却呈现出一副凄哀的无奈状。”请解释这句话的含义。
[问题2][简答题]
在第②段，作者说：“大工业与现代化正在不可阻挡地改变着我们城市的面孔，犹如一双粗暴的手，把城市陈旧的服饰一件一件剥光。”从全文看，被剥光的有哪些“服饰”?请分条简要概括。
[问题3][简答题]
在第⑧段，作者说“或许我不该进行这种比较”，可是在行文中，作者还是将服装与园林作了比较，这是为什么?
[问题4][简答题]
请结合全文，说说作者对“城市”总的“感觉”是什么，并简要陈述你对作者感觉的看法。
1.随着大工业与现代化的飞速发展，具有民族特色的含蓄典雅的传统式建筑。被简单、直露的现代化的高楼大厦无情地取代，而这种趋势是难以阻挡的。
2.①具有民族特色的传统式建筑；②“以包裹严实为尊为美”的服饰观念和保守的服装；③人们追求的古典情结、永恒的情愫；④中华民族优秀的传统的审美观、价值观。
3.这是因为：二者都能反映出人们的审美观和生活观。作者想通过比较来唤醒人们：在现代化进程中，在接受外来事物的同时，要好好继承和发扬我们民族的具有优良传统的东西。
(答出大意即可)
4.第1问：①城市在变化(洋化)，城市的变化引起了人们生存状态、思想观念的变化；②传 统的优良的事物正在消逝。第2问：此为开放题，回答扣住文意，言之成理，表述清晰、完整即可。
设计任务：请阅读下面学生信息和语言素材，设计一节英语阅读课教学方案。教案没有固定格式，但须包含下列要点：
teaching objectivesteaching contents
key and difficult pointsmajor steps and time allocation
activities and justifications
教学时间：45分钟
学生概况：某城镇普通中学高中二年级学生，班级人数40人。多数学生已经达到《普通高中英语课程标准（实验）》六级水平。学生课堂参与积极性一般。
语言素材：
A Master of Nonverbal Humour
As Victor Hugo once said,"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face",and up to?now nobody has been able to do this better than Charlie Chaplin.He brightened the lives of Americans?and British through two world wars and the hard years in between.He made people laugh at a time when?they felt depressed,so they could feel more content with their lives.
Not that Charlie′s own life was easy!He was born in a poor family in 1889.His parents were both?poor music hall performers.You may find it astonishing that Charlie was taught to sing as soon as he?could speak and dance as soon as he could walk.Such training was common in acting families at this?time,especially when the family income was often uncertain.Unfortunately his father died,leaving the?family even worse off,so Charlie spent his childhood looking after his sick mother and his brother.By his?teens,Charlie had,through his humour,become one of the most popular child actors in England.He could?mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks.No one was ever bored watching him--his subtle?acting made everything entertaining.
As time went by,he began making films.He grew more and more popular as his charming character,the little tramp,became known throughout the world.The tramp,a poor,homeless man with a moustache,wore large trousers,worn-out shoes and a small round black hat.He walked around stiffly carrying a walk-ing stick.This character was a social failure but was loved for his optimism and determination to overcome?all difficulties.He was the underdog who was kind even when others were unkind to him.
How did the little tramp make a sad situation entertaining?Here is an example from one of his most?famous films,The Gold Rush.It is the end of the nineteenth century and gold has just been discovered in?Alaska.Like so many others,the little tramp has rushed there in search of gold,but without success.
Instead he and another man are hiding in a small hut during a snowstorm with nothing to eat.They are so?hungry that the little tramp tries boiling one of his leather shoes for dinner.
Charlie cuts off the leather top of the shoe and shares the shoe with the other fellow.He tries cutting?and chewing the bottom of the shoe as if it were the finest steak.Then he picks out the lace of the shoe?and eats it as if it were spaghetti.He eats each mouthful with great enjoyment.The acting is so convincing?that it makes you believe that it is one of the best meals he has ever tasted.
Charlie Chaplin wrote,directed and produced the films he starred in.In 1972 he was given a special?Oscar for his outstanding work in films.He lived in England and the USA but spent his last years in?Switzerland,where he was buried in 1977.He is loved and remembered as a great actor who could inspire?people with great confidence.
下面是针对高一年级学生的一堂教学设计的教学过程部分。
Teaching procedures :
Step 1 Analyze the task
Ask students to analyze the requirements of the exercise.
Step 2 Brainstorming and mapping
（ 1 ） Four students in a group. Ask students to review the content about difficulties and solutions in study in Section A and Section B.
（2） Ask students to do a survey about the following questions and then give some advice.
①How often do you exercise?
②How often do you eat vegetables?
③How often do you eat fruit?
④How many hours do you sleep every night?
⑤How often do you drink milk?
⑥How often do you eat junk food?
⑦How often do you drink coffee?
Step 3 Drafting
（ 1 ） Instruct the format and structure of a letter.
（2） Ask students to draft their letters independently.
Step 4 Revising and proofreading
（1） Ask students to work in groups and revise their letters.
…
根据上面所给的信息，从下列三个方面作答：
（1）该教师采用了什么教学方法?你的判断依据是什么?
（2）对该教学过程的设计进行评价。
（3）针对该教学设计的缺点提出相应的改进建议。
认知法是针对听说法的缺陷而提出的一种外语教学方法。试将两种教学方法进行比较，并评价其在中学英语教学中的应用。
Passage 2
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to re-start commercial whaling activities. Such ac-tivities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to malre a decision on the South Korean plan. The organi-zation banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eat-ing what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the pro-posal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace. "It′s really regretful to hear that Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like,thinly-disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan′s the only country which is doing scientific whaling at the moment and Korea is just trying to follow that. "
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium (水族馆) in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are liv-ing in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities.
The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding pro-grams. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year.
The Georgia Aquarium wants to import beluga whales in that_________.
Passage 2
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to re-start commercial whaling activities. Such ac-tivities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to malre a decision on the South Korean plan. The organi-zation banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eat-ing what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the pro-posal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace. "It′s really regretful to hear that Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like,thinly-disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan′s the only country which is doing scientific whaling at the moment and Korea is just trying to follow that. "
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium (水族馆) in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are liv-ing in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities.
The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding pro-grams. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year.
In which country is whale hunting permitted at the moment?
Passage 2
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to re-start commercial whaling activities. Such ac-tivities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to malre a decision on the South Korean plan. The organi-zation banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eat-ing what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the pro-posal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace. "It′s really regretful to hear that Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like,thinly-disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan′s the only country which is doing scientific whaling at the moment and Korea is just trying to follow that. "
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium (水族馆) in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are liv-ing in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities.
The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding pro-grams. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year.
What′s the best title for the passage?
Passage 2
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to re-start commercial whaling activities. Such ac-tivities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to malre a decision on the South Korean plan. The organi-zation banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eat-ing what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the pro-posal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace. "It′s really regretful to hear that Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like,thinly-disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan′s the only country which is doing scientific whaling at the moment and Korea is just trying to follow that. "
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium (水族馆) in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are liv-ing in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities.
The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding pro-grams. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year.
We can know from the last paragraph that_________.
Passage 2
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to re-start commercial whaling activities. Such ac-tivities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to malre a decision on the South Korean plan. The organi-zation banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eat-ing what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the pro-posal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace. "It′s really regretful to hear that Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like,thinly-disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan′s the only country which is doing scientific whaling at the moment and Korea is just trying to follow that. "
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium (水族馆) in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are liv-ing in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities.
The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding pro-grams. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year.
What′s Hart Jeong-hee′s attitude toward South Korea′s proposal of doing scientific whaling?
Passage 1
Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from her poor childhood home in a small Mississippi town. She was an unwanted child whose parents never married. She was brought up on her grandmother′s farm. The possibil-ity that she would become rich and famous was slim.
Oprah′s mother left her child in her mother′s care, so she could go to work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a strict and difficult life for Oprah. But it also led the way for her future.
She was a highly intelligent child. By the age of three, she had learned to read and write. She also made her first public appearance at that age. Oprah′s intelligence was resented (憎恨) by other children of her age. They called her unkind names and pushed her away. Oprah felt very isolated and unwanted. It made her feel worse that she didn′t live with her mother and father. She felt that no one loved her. This made her angry and rebellious (叛逆的). These feelings brought her much trouble as she was growing up. She often behaved badly, causing her grandmother to punish her. By the age of seven, she was too much for her grandmother to discipline.
Then Oprah went to live with her mother, Vernita, who worked very hard as a housekeeper in Milwaukee. It was hard for her to work and take care of her bright, troublesome child. They lived in poverty in a small apartment. Oprah took out all her angry feelings on her mother. When Oprah was eight, Vernita sent her to live with her father and stepmother in Nashville, Tennessee.
But she moved again a few months later when Vernita married a man with two children. Vernita wanted Oprah to be with her and her new family. Unfortunately, she felt she didn′t belong with them. She believed she wasn′t loved by anyone. Her angry and frustration grew stronger. She struck back by misbehaving and running away from home. Her parents found her impossible to discipline. When she was 14,they tried to send her to a special center for troubled girls.
But there was no room for her. So Vernita sent Oprah back to live with her father. Vernon Winfrey was by then a successful businessman and family man. He took one look at his daughter and knew she needed love, guidance and discipline. He gave her all three. It was a turning point in Oprah′s life. He was strict about his daughter′s education. He gave her homework in addition to her schoolwork. She was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day. She became an A student and a popular girl in her class. Oprah watched Barbara Waiters, a famous journalist, and decided that was what she wanted to be.
When she was still in high school, she got a part-time job reading news on the radio. In her senior year she won a beauty contest and a four-year scholarship to Tennessee State University.
While still in college she was offered a job as a news broadcaster at a local television station. She was the first female and the first African-American newscaster in Nashville. She was promoted to anchor ,the most important position on the news team,while still a senior.
After Oprah graduated she got a job with a Baltimore news station. But she soon realized that broadcast-ing news wasn′t enough for her. She had to let her personality shine through. She wanted to show emotion when she told a story, not just report it. Meanwhile the station managers were thinking the same way. They removed her from the anchor spot and wondered what to do with her. Finally they put her on an early morning talk show called People Are Talking. No one knew what to expect. The show was a great success. In a very short time, the managers and Oprah all knew what she was born to do. She was everything a talk show host should be.
She was so successful that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago. In 1985 the show was changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was broadcast nationally and soon became the most popular talk show on television. By the age of 35, Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous celebrities in America.
What does the underlined sentence imply?
Passage 1
Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from her poor childhood home in a small Mississippi town. She was an unwanted child whose parents never married. She was brought up on her grandmother′s farm. The possibil-ity that she would become rich and famous was slim.
Oprah′s mother left her child in her mother′s care, so she could go to work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a strict and difficult life for Oprah. But it also led the way for her future.
She was a highly intelligent child. By the age of three, she had learned to read and write. She also made her first public appearance at that age. Oprah′s intelligence was resented (憎恨) by other children of her age. They called her unkind names and pushed her away. Oprah felt very isolated and unwanted. It made her feel worse that she didn′t live with her mother and father. She felt that no one loved her. This made her angry and rebellious (叛逆的). These feelings brought her much trouble as she was growing up. She often behaved badly, causing her grandmother to punish her. By the age of seven, she was too much for her grandmother to discipline.
Then Oprah went to live with her mother, Vernita, who worked very hard as a housekeeper in Milwaukee. It was hard for her to work and take care of her bright, troublesome child. They lived in poverty in a small apartment. Oprah took out all her angry feelings on her mother. When Oprah was eight, Vernita sent her to live with her father and stepmother in Nashville, Tennessee.
But she moved again a few months later when Vernita married a man with two children. Vernita wanted Oprah to be with her and her new family. Unfortunately, she felt she didn′t belong with them. She believed she wasn′t loved by anyone. Her angry and frustration grew stronger. She struck back by misbehaving and running away from home. Her parents found her impossible to discipline. When she was 14,they tried to send her to a special center for troubled girls.
But there was no room for her. So Vernita sent Oprah back to live with her father. Vernon Winfrey was by then a successful businessman and family man. He took one look at his daughter and knew she needed love, guidance and discipline. He gave her all three. It was a turning point in Oprah′s life. He was strict about his daughter′s education. He gave her homework in addition to her schoolwork. She was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day. She became an A student and a popular girl in her class. Oprah watched Barbara Waiters, a famous journalist, and decided that was what she wanted to be.
When she was still in high school, she got a part-time job reading news on the radio. In her senior year she won a beauty contest and a four-year scholarship to Tennessee State University.
While still in college she was offered a job as a news broadcaster at a local television station. She was the first female and the first African-American newscaster in Nashville. She was promoted to anchor ,the most important position on the news team,while still a senior.
After Oprah graduated she got a job with a Baltimore news station. But she soon realized that broadcast-ing news wasn′t enough for her. She had to let her personality shine through. She wanted to show emotion when she told a story, not just report it. Meanwhile the station managers were thinking the same way. They removed her from the anchor spot and wondered what to do with her. Finally they put her on an early morning talk show called People Are Talking. No one knew what to expect. The show was a great success. In a very short time, the managers and Oprah all knew what she was born to do. She was everything a talk show host should be.
She was so successful that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago. In 1985 the show was changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was broadcast nationally and soon became the most popular talk show on television. By the age of 35, Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous celebrities in America.
What probably led to Oprah′s desire to be a journalist?
