六級(jí)精美散文背誦50篇（彩色完美閱讀版）

新東方六級(jí)精美短文背誦50篇

01TheLanguageofMusic

ApainterhangshisorherHnishedpicturesonawall,andeveryone

canseeit.Acomposerwritesawork,butnoonecanhearituntilitis

performed.Professionalsingersandplayershavegreat

responsibilities,forthecomposerisutterlydependentonthem.A

studentofmusicneedsaslongandasarduousatrainingtobecomea

performerasamedicalstudentneedstobecomeadoctor.Most

trainingisconcernedwithtechnique,formusicianshavetohavethe

muscularproficiencyofanathleteoraballetdancer.Singerspractice

breathingeveryday,astheirvocalchordswouldbeinadequate

withoutcontrolledmuscularsupport.Stringplayerspracticemoving

thefingersofthelefthandupanddown,whiledrawingthebowto

andfrowiththerightarm—twoentirelydifferentmovements.

Singersandinstrumentshavetobeabletogeteverynote

perfectlyintune.Pianistsaresparedthisparticularanxiety,forthe

notesarealreadythere,waitingforthem,anditisthepianotuner's

responsibilitytotunetheinstrumentforthem.Buttheyhavetheir

owndifficulties;thehammersthathitthestringhavetobecoaxed

nottosoundlikepercussion,andeachoverlappingtonehastosound

clear.

Thisproblemofgettingcleartextureisonethatconfrontsstudent

conductors:theyhavetolearntoknoweverynoteofthemusicand

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howitshouldsound,andtheyhavetoaimatcontrollingthesesound

withfanaticalbutselflessauthority.

Techniqueisofnouseunlessitiscombinedwithmusical

knowledgeandunderstanding.Greatartistsarethosewhoareso

thoroughlyathomeinthelanguageofmusicthattheycanenjoy

performingworkswritteninanycentury.

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02SchoolingandEducation

ItiscommonlybelievedinUnitedStatesthatschooliswherepeople

gotogetaneducation.Nevertheless,ithasbeensaidthattoday

childreninterrupttheireducationtogotoschool.Thedistinction

betweenschoolingandeducationimpliedbythisremarkis

important.

Educationismuchmoreopen-endedandall-inclusivethan

schooling.Educationknowsnobounds.Itcantakeplaceanywhere,

whetherintheshowerorinthejob,whetherinakitchenorona

tractor.Itincludesboththeformallearningthattakesplacein

schoolsandthewholeuniverseofinformallearning.Theagentsof

educationcanrangefromareveredgrandparenttothepeople

debatingpoliticsontheradio,fromachildtoadistinguishedscientist.

Whereasschoolinghasacertainpredictability,educationquiteoften

producessurprises.Achanceconversationwithastrangermayleada

persontodiscoverhowlittleisknownofotherreligions.Peopleare

engagedineducationfrominfancyon.Education,then,isavery

broad,inclusiveterm.Itisalifelongprocess,aprocessthatstarts

longbeforethestartofschool,andonethatshouldbeanintegral

partofone'sentirelife.

Schooling,ontheotherhand,isaspecific,formalizedprocess,

whosegeneralpatternvarieslittlefromonesettingtothenext.

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Throughoutacountry,childrenarriveatschoolatapproximatelythe

sametime,takeassignedseats,aretaughtbyanadult,usesimilar

textbooks,dohomework,takeexams,andsoon.Theslicesofreality

thataretobelearned,whethertheyarethealphabetoran

understandingoftheworkingofgovernment,haveusuallybeen

limitedbytheboundariesofthesubjectbeingtaught.Forexample,

highschoolstudentsknowthattherenotlikelytofindoutintheir

classesthetruthaboutpoliticalproblemsintheircommunitiesor

whatthenewestfilmmakersareexperimentingwith.Thereare

definiteconditionssurroundingtheformalizedprocessofschooling.

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03TheDefinitionof"Price”

Pricesdeterminehowresourcesaretobeused.Theyarealsothe

meansbywhichproductsandservicesthatareinlimitedsupplyare

rationedamongbuyers.ThepricesystemoftheUnitedStatesisa

complexnetworkcomposedofthepricesofalltheproductsbought

andsoldintheeconomyaswellasthoseofamyriadofservices,

includinglabor,professional,transportation,andpublic-utility

services.Theinterrelationshipsofallthesepricesmakeupthe

“system“ofprices.Thepriceofanyparticularproductorserviceis

linkedtoabroad,complicatedsystemofpricesinwhicheverything

seemstodependmoreorlessuponeverythingelse.

Ifoneweretoaskagroupofrandomlyselectedindividualsto

define“price"，manywouldreplythatpriceisanamountofmoney

paidbythebuyertothesellerofaproductorserviceor,inother

wordsthatpriceisthemoneyvaluesofaproductorserviceasagreed

uponinamarkettransaction.Thisdefinitionis,ofcourse,validas

farasitgoes.Foracompleteunderstandingofapriceinany

particulartransaction,muchmorethantheamountofmoney

involvedmustbeknown.Boththebuyerandthesellershouldbe

familiarwithnotonlythemoneyamount,butwiththeamountand

qualityoftheproductorservicetobeexchanged,thetimeandplace

atwhichtheexchangewilltakeplaceandpaymentwillbemade,the

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formofmoneytobeused,thecredittermsanddiscountsthatapply

tothetransaction,guaranteesontheproductorservice,delivery

terms,returnprivileges,andotherfactors.Inotherwords,both

buyerandsellershouldbefullyawareofallthefactorsthatcomprise

thetotal“package“beingexchangedfortheasked-foramountof

moneyinorderthattheymayevaluateagivenprice.

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04Electricity

Themodernageisanageofelectricity.Peoplearesousedtoelectric

lights,radio,televisions,andtelephonesthatitishardtoimagine

whatlifewouldbelikewithoutthem.Whenthereisapowerfailure,

peoplegropeaboutinflickeringcandlelight,carshesitateinthe

streetsbecausetherearenotrafficlightstoguidethem,andfood

spoilsinsilentrefrigerators.

Yet,peoplebegantounderstandhowelectricityworksonlyalittle

morethantwocenturiesago.Naturehasapparentlybeen

experimentinginthisfieldformillionofyears.Scientistsare

discoveringmoreandmorethatthelivingworldmayholdmany

interestingsecretsofelectricitythatcouldbenefithumanity.

Alllivingcellsendouttinypulsesofelectricity.Astheheartbeats,

itsendsoutpulsesofrecord;theyformanelectrocardiogram,which

adoctorcanstudytodeterminehowwelltheheartisworking.The

brain,too,sendsoutbrainwavesofelectricity,whichcanberecorded

inanelectroencephalogram.Theelectriccurrentsgeneratedbymost

livingcellsareextremelysmall-oftensosmallthatsensitive

instrumentsareneededtorecordthem.Butinsomeanimals,certain

musclecellshavebecomesospecializedaselectricalgeneratorsthat

theydonotworkasmusclecellsatall.Whenlargenumbersofthese

cellarelinkedtogether,theeffectscanbeastonishing.

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Theelectriceelisanamazingstoragebattery.Itcanseedajoltof

asmuchaseighthundredvoltsofelectricitythroughthewaterin

whichitlive.(Anelectrichousecurrentisonlyonehundredtwenty

volts.)Asmanyasfour-fifthsofallthecellsintheelectriceel'sbody

arespecializedforgeneratingelectricity,andthestrengthofthe

shockitcandelivercorrespondsroughlytolengthofitsbody.

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05TheBeginningofDrama

Therearemanytheoriesaboutthebeginningofdramainancient

Greece.Theonmostwidelyacceptedtodayisbasedonthe

assumptionthatdramaevolvedfromritual.Theargumentforthis

viewgoesasfollows.Inthebeginning,humanbeingsviewedthe

naturalforcesoftheworld-eventheseasonalchanges-as

unpredictable,andtheysoughtthroughvariousmeanstocontrol

theseunknownandfearedpowers.Thosemeasureswhichappeared

tobringthedesiredresultswerethenretainedandrepeateduntil

theyhardenedintofixedrituals.Eventuallystoriesarosewhich

explainedorveiledthemysteriesoftherites.Astimepassedsome

ritualswereabandoned,butthestories,latercalledmyths,persisted

andprovidedmaterialforartanddrama.

Thosewhobelievethatdramaevolvedoutofritualalsoargue

thatthoseritescontainedtheseedoftheaterbecausemusic,dance,

masks,andcostumeswerealmostalwaysused,Furthermore,a

suitablesitehadtobeprovidedforperformancesandwhentheentire

communitydidnotparticipate,acleardivisionwasusuallymade

betweenthenactingarea"andthe"auditorium."Inaddition,there

wereperformers,and,sinceconsiderableimportancewasattachedto

avoidingmistakesintheenactmentofrites,religiousleadersusually

assumedthattask.Wearingmasksandcostumes,theyoften

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impersonatedotherpeople,animals,orsupernaturalbeings,and

mimedthedesiredeffect-successinhuntorbattle,thecomingrain,

therevivaloftheSun-asanactormight.Eventuallysuchdramatic

representationswereseparatedfromreligiousactivities.

Anothertheorytracesthetheater'soriginfromthehuman

interestinstorytelling.Accordingtothisviestales(aboutthehunt,

war,orotherfeats)aregraduallyelaborated,atfirstthroughtheuse

ofimpersonation,action,anddialoguebyanarratorandthen

throughtheassumptionofeachoftherolesbyadifferentperson.A

closelyrelatedtheorytracestheatertothosedancesthatare

primarilyrhythmicalandgymnasticorthatareimitationsofanimal

movementsandsounds.

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06Television

Televisionthemostpervasiveandpersuasiveofmodern

technologies,markedbyrapidchangeandgrowth-ismovingintoa

newera,aneraofextraordinarysophisticationandversatility,which

promisestoreshapeourlivesandourworld.Itisanelectronic

revolutionofsorts,madepossiblebythemarriageoftelevisionand

computertechnologies.

Theword"television",derivedfromitsGreek(tele:distant)and

Latin(visio:sight)roots,canliterallybeinterpretedassightfroma

distance.Verysimplyput,itworksinthisway:througha

sophisticatedsystemofelectronics,televisionprovidesthecapability

ofconvertinganimage(focusedonaspecialphotoconductiveplate

withinacamera)intoelectronicimpulses,whichcanbesentthrough

awireorcable.Theseimpulses,whenfedintoareceiver(television

set),canthenbeelectronicallyreconstitutedintothatsameimage.

Televisionismorethanjustanelectronicsystem,however.Itisa

meansofexpression,aswellasavehicleforcommunication,andas

suchbecomesapowerfultoolforreachingotherhumanbeings.

Thefieldoftelevisioncanbedividedintotwocategories

determinedbyitsmeansoftransmission.First,thereisbroadcast

television,whichreachesthemassesthroughbroad-basedairwave

transmissionoftelevisionsignals.Second,thereisnonbroadcast

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television,whichprovidesfortheneedsofindividualsorspecific

interestgroupsthroughcontrolledtransmissiontechniques.

Traditionally,televisionhasbeenamediumofthemasses.Weare

mostfamiliarwithbroadcasttelevisionbecauseithasbeenwithus

foraboutthirty-sevenyearsinaformsimilartowhatexiststoday.

Duringthoseyears,ithasbeencontrolled,forthemostpart,bythe

broadcastnetworks,ABC,NBC,andCBS,whohavebeenthemajor

purveyorsofnews,information,andentertainment.Thesegiantsof

broadcastinghaveactuallyshapednotonlytelevisionbutour

perceptionofitaswell.Wehavecometolookuponthepicturetube

asasourceofentertainment,placingourroleinthisdynamic

mediumasthepassiveviewer.

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07AndrewCarnegie

AndrewCarnegie,knownastheKingofSteel,builtthesteelindustry

intheUnitedStates,and,intheprocess,becameoneofthewealthiest

meninAmerica.Hissuccessresultedinpartfromhisabilitytosell

theproductandinpartfromhispolicyofexpandingduringperiods

ofeconomicdecline,whenmostofhiscompetitorswerereducing

theirinvestments.

Carnegiebelievedthatindividualsshouldprogressthroughhard

work,buthealsofeltstronglythatthewealthyshouldusetheir

fortunesforthebenefitofsociety.Heopposedcharity,preferring

insteadtoprovideeducationalopportunitiesthatwouldallowothers

tohelpthemselves.nHewhodiesrich,diesdisgraced,Hheoftensaid.

Amonghismorenoteworthycontributionstosocietyarethose

thatbearhisname,includingtheCarnegieInstituteofPittsburgh,

whichhasalibrary,amuseumoffinearts,andamuseumofnational

history.Healsofoundedaschooloftechnologythatisnowpartof

Carnegie-MellonUniversity.Otherphilanthrophicgiftsarethe

CarnegieEndowmentforInternationalPeacetopromote

understandingbetweennations,theCarnegieInstituteofWashington

tofundscientificresearch,andCarnegieHalltoprovideacenterfor

thearts.

FewAmericanshavebeenleftuntouchedbyAndrewCarnegie's

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generosity.Hiscontributionsofmorethanfivemilliondollars

established2,500librariesinsmallcommunitiesthroughoutthe

countryandformedthenucleusofthepubliclibrarysystemthatwe

allenjoytoday.

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08AmericanRevolution

TheAmericanRevolutionwasnotasuddenandviolentoverturning

ofthepoliticalandsocialframework,suchaslateroccurredin

FranceandRussia,whenbothwerealreadyindependentnations.

Significantchangeswereusheredin,buttheywerenotbreathtaking.

Whathappenedwasacceleratedevolutionratherthanoutright

revolution.Duringtheconflictitselfpeoplewentonworkingand

praying,marryingandplaying.Mostofthemwerenotseriously

disturbedbytheactualfighting,andmanyofthemoreisolated

communitiesscarcelyknewthatawarwason.

America'sWarofIndependenceheraldedthebirthofthree

modernnations.OnewasCanada,whichreceiveditsfirstlarge

influxofEnglish-speakingpopulationfromthethousandsofloyalists

whofledtherefromtheUnitedStates.AnotherwasAustralia,which

becameapenalcolonynowthatAmericawasnolongeravailablefor

prisonersanddebtors.Thethirdnewcomer-theUnitedStates-based

itselfsquarelyonrepublicanprinciples.

Yeteventhepoliticaloverturnwasnotsorevolutionaryasone

mightsuppose.Insomestates,notablyConnecticutandRhodeIsland,

thewarlargelyratifiedacolonialself-rulealreadyexisting.British

officials,everywhereousted,werereplacedbyahome-grown

governingclass,whichpromptlysoughtalocalsubstituteforking

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andParliament.

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09Suburbanization

Ifby"suburb"ismeantanurbanmarginthatgrowsmorerapidly

thanitsalreadydevelopedinterior,theprocessofsuburbanization

beganduringtheemergenceoftheindustrialcityinthesecond

quarterofthenineteenthcentury.Beforethatperiodthecitywasa

smallhighlycompactclusterinwhichpeoplemovedaboutonfoot

andgoodswereconveyedbyhorseandcart.Buttheearlyfactories

builtinthe1840*swerelocatedalongwaterwaysandnearrailheads

attheedgesofcities,andhousingwasneededforthethousandsof

peopledrawnbytheprospectofemployment.Intime,thefactories

weresurroundedbyproliferatingmilltownsofapartmentsandrow

housesthatabuttedtheolder,maincities.Asadefenseagainstthis

encroachmentandtoenlargetheirtaxbases,thecitiesappropriated

theirindustrialneighbors.In1854,forexample,thecityof

PhiladelphiaannexedmostofPhiladelphiaCounty.Similar

municipalmaneuverstookplaceinChicagoandinNewYork.Indeed,

mostgreatcitiesoftheUnitedStatesachievedsuchstatusonlyby

incorporatingthecommunitiesalongtheirborders.

Withtheaccelerationofindustrialgrowthcameacuteurban

crowdingandaccompanyingsocialstress-conditionsthatbeganto

approachdisastrousproportionswhen,in1888,thefirst

commerciallysuccessfulelectrictractionlinewasdeveloped.Withina

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fewyearsthehorse-drawntrolleyswereretiredandelectricstreetcar

networkscrisscrossedandconnectedeverymajorurbanarea,

fosteringawaveofsuburbanizationthattransformedthecompact

industrialcityintoadispersedmetropolis.Thisfirstphaseof

mass-scalesuburbanizationwasreinforcedbythesimultaneous

emergenceoftheurbanMiddleClass,whosedesiresfor

homeownershipinneighborhoodsfarfromtheaginginnercitywere

satisfiedbythedevelopersofsingle-familyhousingtracts.

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10TypesofSpeech

Standardusageincludesthosewordsandexpressionsunderstood,

used,andacceptedbyamajorityofthespeakersofalanguageinany

situationregardlessofthelevelofformality.Assuch,thesewordsand

expressionsarewelldefinedandlistedinstandarddictionaries.

Colloquialisms,ontheotherhand,arefamiliarwordsandidioms

thatareunderstoodbyalmostallspeakersofalanguageandusedin

informalspeechorwriting,butnotconsideredappropriateformore

formalsituations.Almostallidiomaticexpressionsarecolloquial

language.Slang,however,referstowordsandexpressions

understoodbyalargenumberofspeakersbutnotacceptedasgood,

formalusagebythemajority.Colloquialexpressionsandevenslang

maybefoundinstandarddictionariesbutwillbesoidentified.Both

colloquialusageandslangaremorecommoninspeechthanin

writing.

Colloquialspeechoftenpassesintostandardspeech.Someslang

alsopassesintostandardspeech,butotherslangexpressionsenjoy

momentarypopularityfollowedbyobscurity.Insomecases,the

majorityneveracceptscertainslangphrasesbutneverthelessretains

themintheircollectivememories.Everygenerationseemstorequire

itsownsetofwordstodescribefamiliarobjectsandevents.Ithas

beenpointedoutbyanumberoflinguiststhatthreecultural

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conditionsarenecessaryforthecreationofalargebodyofslang

expressions.First,theintroductionandacceptanceofnewobjects

andsituationsinthesociety;second,adiversepopulationwitha

largenumberofsubgroups;third,associationamongthesubgroups

andthemajoritypopulation.

Finally,itisworthnotingthattheterms"standard""coHoquial”

and"slang“existonlyasabstractlabelsforscholarswhostudy

language.Onlyatinynumberofthespeakersofanylanguagewillbe

awarethattheyareusingcolloquialorslangexpressions.Most

speakersofEnglishwill,duringappropriatesituations,selectanduse

allthreetypesofexpressions.

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11Archaeology

Archaeologyisasourceofhistory,notjustabumbleauxiliary

discipline.Archaeologicaldataarehistoricaldocumentsintheirown

right,notmereillustrationstowrittentexts,Justasmuchasany

otherhistorian,anarchaeologiststudiesandtriestoreconstitutethe

processthathascreatedthehumanworldinwhichwelive-andus

ourselvesinsofarasweareeachcreaturesofourageandsocial

environment.Archaeologicaldataareallchangesinthematerial

worldresultingfromhumanactionor,moresuccinctly,thefossilized

resultsofhumanbehavior.Thesumtotaloftheseconstituteswhat

maybecalledthearchaeologicalrecord.Thisrecordexhibitscertain

peculiaritiesanddeficienciestheconsequencesofwhichproducea

rathersuperficialcontrastbetweenarchaeologicalhistoryandthe

morefamiliarkindbaseduponwrittenrecords.

Notallhumanbehaviorfossilizes.ThewordsIutterandyou

hearasvibrationsintheairarecertainlyhumanchangesinthe

materialworldandmaybeofgreathistoricalsignificance.Yetthey

leavenosortoftraceinthearchaeologicalrecordsunlesstheyare

capturedbyadictaphoneorwrittendownbyaclerk.Themovement

oftroopsonthebattlefieldmay"changethecourseofhistory,"but

thisisequallyephemeralfromthearchaeologisfsstandpoint.What

isperhapsworse,mostorganicmaterialsareperishable.Everything

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madeofwood,hide,wool,linen,grass,hair,andsimilarmaterials

willdecayandvanishindustinafewyearsorcenturies,saveunder

veryexceptionalconditions.Inarelativelybriefperiodthe

archaeologicalrecordisreducetomerescrapsofstone,bone,glass,

metal,andearthenware.Stillmodernarchaeology,byapplying

appropriatetechniquesandcomparativemethods,aidedbyafew

luckyfindsfrompeat-bogs,deserts,andfrozensoils,isabletofillup

agooddealofthegap.

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12Museums

FromBostontoLosAngeles,fromNewYorkCitytoChicagoto

Dallas,museumsareeitherplanning,building,orwrappingup

wholesaleexpansionprograms.Theseprogramsalreadyhave

radicallyalteredfacadesandfloorplansorareexpectedtodosoin

thenot-too-distantfuture.

InNewYorkCityalone,sixmajorinstitutionshavespreadup

andoutintotheairspaceandneighborhoodsaroundthemorare

preparingtodoso.

Thereasonsforthisconfluenceofactivityarecomplex,butone

factorisaconsiderationeverywhere-space.Withcollections

expanding,withtheneedsandfunctionsofmuseumschanging,

emptyspacehasbecomeaverypreciouscommodity.

Probablynowhereinthecountryisthismoretruethanatthe

PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt,whichhasneededadditionalspacefor

decadesandwhichreceiveditslastsignificantfacelifttenyearsago.

Becauseofthespacecrunch,theArtMuseumhasbecome

increasinglycautiousinconsideringacquisitionsanddonationsofart,

insomecasespassingupopportunitiestostrengthenitscollections.

Deaccessing-orsellingoff-worksofarthastakenonnew

importancebecauseofthemuseum'sspaceproblems.And

increasingly,curatorshavebeenforcedtojugglegalleryspace,

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rotatingonemasterpieceintopublicviewwhileanotherissentto

storage.

Despitetheclearneedforadditionalgalleryandstoragespace,

however,"themuseumhasnoplan,noplantobreakoutofits

envelopeinthenextfifteenyears,naccordingtoPhiladelphia

MuseumofArt*spresident.

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13SkyscrapersandEnvironment

Inthelate1960's,manypeopleinNorthAmericaturnedtheir

attentiontoenvironmentalproblems,andnewsteel-and-glass

skyscraperswerewidelycriticized.Ecologistspointedoutthata

clusteroftallbuildingsinacityoftenoverburdenspublic

transportationandparkinglotcapacities.

Skyscrapersarealsolavishconsumers,andwasters,ofelectric

power.Inonerecentyear,theadditionof17millionsquarefeetof

skyscraperofficespaceinNewYorkCityraisedthepeakdaily

demandforelectricityby120,000kilowatts-enoughtosupplythe

entirecityofAlbany,NewYork,foraday.

Glass-walledskyscraperscanbeespeciallywasteful.Theheatloss

(orgain)throughawallofhalf-inchplateglassismorethantentimes

thatthroughatypicalmasonrywallfilledwithinsulationboard.To

lessenthestrainonheatingandair-conditioningequipment,builders

ofskyscrapershavebeguntousedouble-glazedpanelsofglass,and

reflectiveglassescoatedwithsilverorgoldmirrorfilmsthatreduce

glareaswellasheatgain.However,mirror-walledskyscrapersraise

thetemperatureofthesurroundingairandaffectneighboring

buildings.

Skyscrapersputaseverestrainonacity'ssanitationfacilities,too.

Iffullyoccupied,thetwoWorldTradeCentertowersinNewYork

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Citywouldalonegenerate2.25milliongallonsofrawsewageeach

year-asmuchasacitythesizeofStanford,Connecticut,whichhasa

populationofmorethan109,000.

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14ARareFossilRecord

Thepreservationofembryosandjuvenilesisarateoccurrenceinthe

fossilrecord.Thetiny,delicateskeletonsareusuallyscatteredby

scavengersordestroyedbyweatheringbeforetheycanbefossilized.

Ichthyosaurshadahigherchanceofbeingpreservedthandid

terrestrialcreaturesbecause,asmarineanimals,theytendedtolive

inenvironmentslesssubjecttoerosion.Still,theirfossilization

requiredasuiteoffactors:aslowrateofdecayofsofttissues,little

scavengingbyotheranimals,alackofswiftcurrentsandwavesto

jumbleandcarryawaysmallbones,andfairlyrapidburial.Given

thesefactors,someareashavebecomeatreasuryofwell-preserv