Why I Want a Wife 　　I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother. 　　Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene from the Midwest fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is obviously looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife? 　　I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of（了解）the children’s doctor and dentist appointments. And to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children’s clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturant（养育的）attendant to my children, arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working. 　　I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal thing are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good cook. I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene. 　　I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them. 　　I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the babysitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about the things that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed before my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d’oeuvres（冷盘，餐前小菜）, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses are replenished（重新补足）when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it. And I want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out by myself. 　　I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me so that I do not have to clutter up（弄乱）my intellectual life with jealousies. And I want a wife who understands that my sexual needs may entail more that strict adherence to monogamy（一夫一妻制）. I must, after all, be able to relate to people as fully as possible. 　　If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life, my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free. 　　When I am through with school and have acquired a job, I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of wife’s duties. My God, who wouldn’t want a wife? Decide whether the following statements are true（T）or false（F）according to the information given in the text. （　）4. Almost as if she is screaming, the author concludes her essay with “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?” which suggests that the style of the whole essay is very ironic.

Social Classes 　　 It is hard to get any agreement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance, however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part. 　　In ancient civilizations, the Sumerian, for example, which flourished in the lower Euphrates valley from 5000 to 2000 B. C., social differences were based on birth, status or rank, rather than on wealth. Four main classes were recognized. These were the rulers, the priestly administrators, the freemen （such as craftsmen, merchants or farmers） and the slaves. 　　In Greece, after the sixth century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats（贵族）, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into sub-classes. 　　In ancient Rome, too, a similar struggle between the plebs, or working people, and the landed families was a recurrent feature of social life. 　　The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth. Under the king there were two main classes—lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions. The vassal owed the lord fidelity（忠诚）, obedience and aid, especially in the form of military service. The lord in return owed his vassal protection and an assured livelihood. 　　In the later Middle Ages, however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors（前身）of the modern middle classes. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to more to another. This change affected towns more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer. 　　With the break-up of the feudal economy, the increasing division of labour, and the growing power of the town burghers, the commercial and professional middle class became more and more important in Europe, and the older privileged class, the landed aristocracy, began to lose some of its power. 　　In the eighteenth-century one of the first modern economists, Adam Smith, thought that the “whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country” provided revenue to “three different orders of people: those who live by rent, those who live by wages, and those who live by profit”. Each successive stage of the industrial revolution, however, made the social structure more complicated. 　　Many intermediate groups grew up during the nineteenth-century between the upper middle class and the working class. There were small-scale industrialists as well as large ones, small shopkeepers and tradesmen, officials and salaried employees, skilled and un-skilled workers, and professional men such as doctors and teachers. Farmers and peasants continued in all countries as independent groups. 　　During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the possession of wealth inevitably affected a person’s social position. Intelligent industrialists with initiative made fortunes by their working-class parents. But they lacked the social training of the upper class, who despised them as the “new rich”. 　　They often sent their sons and daughters to special schools to acquire social training. Here their children mixed with the children of the upper classes, were accepted by them, and very often found marriage partners from among them. In the same way, a thrifty（节俭的）, hardworking labourer, though not clever himself, might save for his son enough to pay for an extended secondary school education in the hope that they would move into a “white-collar” occupation, carrying with it a higher salary and a move up in the social scale. 　　The tendency to move down in social class is less obvious, for a claim to an aristocratic birth, especially in Europe, has always carried a certain distinction, and people have made tremendous efforts to obtain for their children the kind of opportunities they had for themselves. In the twentieth century the increased taxation of higher incomes, the growth of the social service development of educational opportunity have considerably altered the social outlook. The upper classes no longer are the sole, or even the main possessors of wealth, power and education, though inherited social positions still carries considerable prestige. Many people today are hostile towards class distinctions and privileges and hope to achieve a classless society. The trouble is that as one inequality is removed, another tends to take its place, and the best that has so far been attempted is a society in which distinctions are elastic（可变的）and in which every member has fair opportunities for making the best of his abilities. Decide which answer best completes the following statements according to the information in the passage. 3. Athens is often praised as the nursery of democracy（ ）. 　　

How did the Days of the Week Get Their Names? There was a time in the early history of man when the days had no names! The reason was quite simple:Man had not invented the week. In those days,the only division of times was the month,and there were too many days in the month for each of them to have a separate name.But when men began to build cities,they wanted to have a special day on which to trade, a market day. Sometimes these market days were fixed at every tenth day,some every seventh or every fifth day. The Babylonians decided that it should be every seventh day. On this day they didn't work, but met for trade or religious festivals. The Jews followed their example, but kept every seventh day for religious purposes. On this day the week came into existence. It was space between market days. The Jews gave each of the seven days a name,but it was really a number after the Sabbath day (which was Saturday). For example,Wednesday was called the fourth day (four days after Saturday). When the Egyptians adopted the seven-day week, they named the days after five planets, the sun and the moon. The Romans used the Egyptian names for their days of the week: the day of the sun, of the moon, of the planet Mars,of Mercury,of Jupiter,of Venus,and of Saturn. We get our names for the days not from the Romans but from the Anglo-Saxons,who called most of the days after their own gods, which roughly the same as the gods of the Romans. The day of the sun became Sannandaeg,or Sunday. The day of the moon was called Monandaeg,or Monday. The day of Mars became the day of the Tiw,who was their god of war.This became Tiwesdaeg,or Tuesday.Instead of Mercury's name,that of the god Woden was given to Wednesday. The Roman day of Jupiter,the thunder,became the day of the thunder god Thor,and this became Thursday.The next day was named for Frigg,the wife of their god Odin,and so we have Friday.The day of Saturn became Saeterndaeg,a translation from the Roman,and then Saturday. A day,by the way,used to be counted as the space between sunrise end sunset. The Romans counted it as from Midnight,and most modern nations this method. Decide the answer that best completes the following statements according to the information provided in the text. 1. In the early days there were no names for the days,because Man( ).

From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading. Our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us・ but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement.One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences^ but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place,a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way； no airship or ocean liner or streamlined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains， brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert. all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood； we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards； we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture» the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.In the first paragraph, we are told that ______.

Nonverbal Communication 　　When we think of communication, we normally think of using words — talking face to face, writing messages and so on. But in fact, we communicate far more in other ways. Our eyes and facial expressions usually tell the truth even when our words do not. 　　Then there are gestures, often unconscious: raising the eyebrows, rubbing the nose, shrugging the shoulders, tapping the fingers, nodding and shaking the head. There is also the even more subtle "body language" of posture. Are you sitting — or standing — with arms or legs crossed? Is that person standing with hands in pockets, held in front of the body or hidden behind? Even the way we dress and colours we wear communicate things to others. 　　So, do animals communicate? Not in words, although a parrot might be trained to repeat words and phrases which it doesn't understand. But, as we have learnt, there is more to communication than words. 　　Take dogs for example. They bare their teeth to warn, wag their tails to welcome and stand firm, with hair erect（竖起）to challenge. These signals are surely canine（犬的）equivalent of the human body language of facial expression, gesture and posture. 　　Colour can be an important means of communication for animals. Many birds and fish changes colours, for example, to attract partners during the mating（交配）season. And mating itself is commonly preceded by a special dance in which both partners participate. 　　Here again, there are striking similarities to youngsters who dress up to meet partners at discotheques（迪斯科舞厅）, where the music is often too loud for verbal communication. Communication there takes place through appearance and movements. 　　The most elaborate（复杂的）dances in the animal kingdom are those which bees use to communicate. With body movements alone they can tell other bees the direction and distance of a newly discovered food source. 　　All these examples may suggest instinctive rather than intelligent communication. But human body language is largely instinctive, too. And, in many ways, body language says far more than intelligent, verbal communication ever can. Decide which answer best completes the following statements according to the information in the passage. 　　3. The main difference between man and other animals, according to the author, is that( ).

Blaming the media for violence is misguided. To better understand the issue of violence and society, it is helpful to examine its historical roots. Certainly not all tribal societies were violent. For example» many native tribes in the American southwest were entirely peaceful. However for most tribal people throughout most of the world, war and violence have always been part of life. One of our oldest books, the Old Testament, tells of constant tribal wars among the peoples of the Middle East. Likewise, ancient texts such as the Greek Iliad 3 the Indian Bhagavad-Gita and the Nordic Beowul f all tell tales of war and violence. Certainly the peoples of ancient Babylonia. Greece• India, and Scandinavia were not influenced by the media, yet most of the earliest human records indicate that violence has been an ever-present part of human life. Since violence was with us long before modern media, it seems unlikely that controlling the media now would have much impact on stopping human violence.A comparison of violence in nations around the world indicates that there is no relationship between media violence and real violence. In the United States, in 1996, there were 9,390 gun-related deaths. In the same year, Japan had 15 gun-related deaths. Yet the level of violence on television in Japan is higher than that in the U.S. Japanese TV often depicts graphic violence that would not be allowed on U.S. television, and Japanese movie-goers see the same major Hollywood films that Americans see, but street crime is so rare in Tokyo that most people do not worry about it. In contrast, in American cities, people in general, and women in particular, are afraid to walk alone at night. Security is an ever-present concern in the U.S. , where citizens limit their lives in numerous ways to 【reduce the chances of joining】 the 11 »000 people who are killed by guns in America each year. However, the number of murders in the U.S. is small compared to Columbia, where, for example， 23,000 people were murdered in 1999. Columbians have much less exposure to media violence than either Americans or Japanese： they have fewer I'V stations and watch fewer films. Indeed, those committing murders in Columbia are often people from the countryside who have the least exposure to the media. Phus people who are not exposed to the media are often more likely to commit violent crimes than those exposed to it. Since C anada borders the U. S.，Canadians receive the same TV and radio programs that Americans receive, yet gun violence in Canada is nearly one hundred times lower than that in the U. S. Clearly there is no significant relationship between media violence and real life violence. We need to look elsewhere for solutions to real-life violence.According to the passage, those who are the least exposed to media violence are citizens of______.

Enthusiasm leads to success 　　We have all had to work and do things that we did not especially enjoy. Usually, some chirpy（活泼的）person would tell us to be more enthusiastic. “You’ll have more fun,” they would say. Well, they were partly right. Being enthusiastic about something means being excited about a given project. Enthusiasm entails having a strong interest in the task at hand. If you decided to learn a new language, which is not easy by any account, you would have to dedicate yourself wholehearted to the cause. Anything less would result in failure. 　　What is real enthusiasm? In your quest for success, enthusiasm means that you believe deeply in what the company is doing. You also believe that your job is important and contributes to the cause. It means that you’re willing to work your butt off（努力做某事）to achieve the company’s goals. Real enthusiasm is when you leap out of bed in the morning and attack your day with gusto（热忱）. You have zeal for the work you do and the people you work with. This pushes you to improve and become a better person. Enthusiasm means that you are stimulated by your work, and are able to find new challenges and keep growing professionally. Furthermore, most jobs have some elements that are less fun and more difficult to carry out. This is where passion really comes into play. When you love what you do, it isn’t too difficult to get psyched up and get the job done. The hard part is performing equally well in those less interesting tasks. 　　Passion helps you get ahead. Enthusiasm about a job or project usually translates into positive energy. That is, if you are excited about a project, you will be anxious to get started and get results. The mere fact of looking forward to your work will help make you more productive and effective. You will plan more effectively and pay careful attention to detail. You will carry out your plan more carefully and aim for the best results possible. Another important point is that passionate people are usually those that are thrust into positions of leadership. A leader must have zest if people are to follow him and achieve the corporate mission. A leader must inspire his troops. To inspire them, he needs to exude enthusiasm. In leaders, this translates into charisma（领袖人物的超凡魅力）. Being fervent about your work shows a willingness to do more and learn more. This will definitely help you stand out from the crowed and get to management’s attention. Increasing your enthusiasm. Most men aren’t born great－they become great. Similarly, not everyone is the enthusiastic type that falls in love with their work. However, do not despair; there are ways to become more passionate. One good way to boost your gusto is by reading about successful people, it will help you realize that you too can make it happen. Reading about real success stories often illustrates that people much like yourself have become business leaders. In most cases, they all share one trait: enthusiasm. If you want to succeed, you should be excited about your work, your life and your co-workers. Decide whether the following statements are true（T）or false（F）according to the information given in the text. （　）5. There are different ways to develop passion. One good way to achieve this is to read about successful persons.

Attitude is Everything 　　Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" 　　He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. 　　Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied," Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, clan choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life." 　　"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. 　　"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line= It's your choice how you live life." 　　I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. 　　Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business; he left the back door open one morning and was held up （拦劫） at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe （保险柜）, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination （暗码锁）. The robbers panicked and shot him. 　　Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma （外伤） center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. 　　I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “lf I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?” 　　I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. 　　"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices_. I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live." 　　"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. 　　Jerry continued, "The paramedics （护理人员 ） were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He's a dead man.’I knew I needed to take action." 　　"What did you do?" I asked. 　　"Well, there was a big, burly （魁伟的、结实的） nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if 1 was allergic （过敏的） to anything. “Yes,” I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply; I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’" 　　Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. 　　Attitude, after all, is everything 　　Decide the answer that best completes the following statements according to the information provided in the text. 4. In the emergency room, Jerry was scared because

The Lunch At the restaurant I could see my jewellery was attracting attention.The smartly-dressed gentlemen were staring until their wives nudged them and warned them to stop gawking（发呆地看着）and behave. 　　All I did to attract such attention was spread my fingers and twiddle with my showy earrings.1 wasn’t wearing rubbish.My rings were crafted with the finest gold and priceless stones from around the world.Bert，my boyfriend had said that my tiara（冕状头饰）was ostentatious（显眼的），so，not wanting to appear to have bad taste，I decided to wear my hat instead. 　　I got chummy with（与……关系亲密） my neighbour.We were rather alike，a little bit overweight，wearing similar clothes，with the only difference being that mine were real clothes with a capital C. 　　My new friend got tipsy（微醉的）over her cocktails，and told me that her name was Ruby. 　　“But you can call me Rube，”she simpered（傻笑着说）from the other side of the table. 　　The restaurant was all chandeliers（枝形大吊灯），white tablecloths and silver.And the young waiters were all dressed to the nines，looking as though they were about to perform in a stage show. 　　Neither Rube nor l were married and we soon became very friendly. 　　“You can call me Pearl，”I said.1 asked Rube how she managed to afford to dine out at this swanky place.She said she had won the lunch in a radio competition. 　　“Me too,” I replied, and both of us laughed our heads off. 　　Rube was wearing cheap，gaudy jewellery, which probably came from a market. You wouldn’t see me in that junk. 　　But by now Rube had drunk far too much sherry.She kept on asking me if she could just try on some of my jewellery，but throughout life l have learnt to never trust anybody. 　　Still，by now Rube wasn’t really a stranger and I didn’t want to be seen as mean-spirited（吝啬）in such a posh（豪华的）restaurant. 　　We had to go to the ladies room.Gold taps and all that. 　　It looked so grand that when Rube asked me again if she could try my jewels on just for a minute，l offered her the pendant（耳环，垂饰）. 　　That’s me，generous and kind.That pendant was worth a fortune.You should have seen her face. 　　She primped and preened（打扮） in the mirror admiring the pendant，but she just wasn’t satisfied. 　　“Just let me try on the rings,”she pleaded.“And the bracelets.” 　　I was worried that she might not get the rings off her chunky fingers，but I reluctantly handed them over. 　　So there she was with a stunning ring on each finger. To please her, I tried on her rubbish jewellery. 　　At this stage we were both tipsy, and it was time to say enough was enough. 　　All of a sudden，two policewomen burst into the ladies room and slapped a set of handcuffs around Rube’s beautifully-adorned wrists. 　　The policewomen then escorted（押送）poor Rube out of the ladies，despite her loud，tearful protests that she never knew nothing about no armed hold-up（武装抢劫）at the bank vaults（地下保险库）.She’d never pinched a thing in her life.Never! 　　Poor Rube.It was a shame because Bert would have to organize another heist（偷窃）before I could get hold of that sort of stuff again. 　　Just the same，some people are unfortunate，aren’t they? 　3. “Swanky”is closest in meaning to （ ）.

Like many of my generation. I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask： What is a hero?Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame. Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher povzers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous• but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?Heroes are catalysts (催化剂)for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi. India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated (实行种族隔离的)buses» restaurants» and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.Heroes may come from different cultures, but they ______.