The Science of Falling in Love

Love is often described as heartwarming,heart-wrenching and even heartbreaking.

So, what does the brain have to do with it?

Everything!

==The journey from first spark to last tear is guided by a symphony of neurochemicals and brain systems.==

As you begin to fall for someone, you may find yourself excessively daydreaming about them, and wanting to spend more and more time together.

This first stage of love is what psychologists call ==infatuation, or passionate love== .

Your new relationship can feel almost ==intoxicating== , and ==when it comes to the brain, that’s not far from the truth== .

Infatuated individuals show increased activation in the ventral tegmental area.

The VTA is the reward-processing and motivation hub of the brain, firing when you do things like ==eat a sweet treat== , ==quench your thirst== , or in more extreme cases, take drugs of abuse.

Activation releases the “feel good” neurotransmitter dopamine, ==teaching your brain to repeat behaviors in anticipation of receiving the same initial reward==.

This increased VTA activity is the reason love’s not only ==euphoric== , but also draws you towards your new partner.

At this first stage, it may be hard to see any ==faults== in your new perfect partner.

This ==haze== is thanks to love’s influence on higher cortical brain regions.

Some newly infatuated individuals show decreased activity in the brain’s ==cognitive== center, ==the prefrontal cortex== .

As activation of this region allows us to engage in critical thought and pass judgment, it’s not surprising we tend to see new relationships through rose-colored glasses.

While this first stage of love can be an intense ==rollercoaster== of emotions and brain activity, it typically only lasts a few months, ==making way== for the more long-lasting stage of love, known as attachment, or compassionate love.

As your relationship develops, you may feel more relaxed and committed to your partner thanks in large part to two hormones: oxytocin and vasopressin.

Known as pair-bonding hormones, they signal trust, feelings of social support and attachment.

In this way, romantic love is not unlike other forms of love, as these hormones also help bond families and friendships.

Further, oxytocin can inhibit the release of stress hormones, which is why spending time with a loved one can feel so relaxing.

As early love’s suspension of judgment fades, it can be replaced by a more honest understanding and deeper connection.

Alternatively, as your rose-colored glasses begin to lose their ==tint== , problems in your relationship may become more evident.

No matter the reason a relationship ends, we can blame the pain that accompanies heartbreak on the brain.

==The distress of a breakup== activates the ==insular== cortex, a region that processes pain—both physical, like ==spraining== your ankle, as well as social, like the feelings of ==rejection== .

As days pass, you may find yourself once again daydreaming about or ==craving== contact with your lost partner.

The drive to reach out may feel overwhelming, like an extreme hunger or thirst.

When looking at photos of a former partner, heartbroken individuals again show increased activity in the VTA, the motivation and reward center that drove feelings of longing during the initial stages of the relationship.

This emotional ==whirlwind== also likely activates your body’s alarm system, the stress axis, leaving you feeling shaken and restless.

As time goes on, higher cortical regions which ==oversee== reasoning and impulse control, can ==pump== the brakes on this distress and craving signaling.

Given that these regions are still maturing and making connections through adolescence, it’s no wonder that first heartbreak can feel particularly ==agonizing== .

Activities like exercise, spending time with friends, or even listening to your favorite song can ==tame== this heartbreak stress response, while also triggering the release of feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine.

And given time and support, most can heal and learn from even the most ==devastating== heartbreak.

爱常常被形容为温暖人心、令人心痛甚至心碎。

那么，大脑与爱有什么关系呢？

息息相关！

==从最初的心动到最后的泪水，这一旅程由一系列神经化学物质和大脑系统引导。==

当你开始爱上某人时，你可能会发现自己过度地幻想他们，并且想要花越来越多的时间在一起。

爱情的第一阶段就是心理学家所说的 ==迷恋，或激情之爱== 。

你新的恋情可能会让人感觉几乎 ==如痴如醉== ，而 ==就大脑而言，这并非言过其实== 。

处于迷恋状态的人腹侧被盖区的激活会增强。

腹侧被盖区是大脑处理奖励和产生动机的中枢，当你做诸如 ==吃甜食== 、==解渴== 之类的事情时，或者在更极端的情况下，吸食毒品时，它就会被激活。

这种激活会释放“感觉良好”的神经递质多巴胺，==促使你的大脑重复这些行为，期待获得同样的初始奖励== 。

腹侧被盖区活动的增强不仅是爱情让人 ==欣喜若狂== 的原因，也是它将你吸引到新伴侣身边的原因。

在这个第一阶段，你可能很难看到你完美新伴侣的任何 ==缺点== 。

这种 ==朦胧感== 要归功于爱情对大脑更高皮层区域的影响。

一些刚陷入迷恋的人，其大脑的 ==认知== 中枢，即前额叶皮层的活动会减少。

由于这个区域的激活使我们能够进行批判性思考和做出判断，所以我们倾向于戴着玫瑰色眼镜看待新恋情也就不足为奇了。

虽然爱情的第一阶段可能是情感和大脑活动的激烈 ==过山车== ，但它通常只持续几个月，==为更持久的爱情阶段让路== ，这个阶段被称为依恋，或深情之爱。

随着你们关系的发展，在很大程度上要归功于两种激素，你可能会对伴侣感到更放松和更有归属感： 催产素和加压素。

它们被称为伴侣关系激素，传递信任、社会支持感和依恋感。

这样一来，浪漫之爱与其他形式的爱并无不同，因为这些激素也有助于维系家庭和友谊。

此外，催产素可以抑制压力激素的释放，这就是为什么与爱人共度时光会让人感觉如此放松。

随着早期爱情中判断的暂停逐渐消失，它可能会被更真实的理解和更深层次的联系所取代。

或者，当你的玫瑰色眼镜开始失去 ==色彩== 时，你们关系中的问题可能会变得更加明显。

无论一段关系结束的原因是什么，我们都可以将心碎带来的痛苦归咎于大脑。

==分手的痛苦== 会激活脑岛皮层，这个区域处理身体疼痛，比如 ==扭伤== 脚踝，也处理社交疼痛，比如被 ==拒绝== 的感觉。

随着时间的推移，你可能会发现自己再次幻想或 ==渴望== 与失去的伴侣联系。

想要联系的冲动可能会让人感觉难以抗拒，就像极度的饥饿或口渴一样。

当看到前任伴侣的照片时，心碎的人腹侧被盖区的活动会再次增强，腹侧被盖区是在恋情最初阶段引发渴望感的动机和奖励中枢。

这种情感 ==旋风== 也可能会激活你身体的警报系统，即应激轴，让你感到震惊和不安。

随着时间的推移，负责 ==监督== 推理和冲动控制的更高皮层区域可以 ==踩下刹车== ，抑制这种痛苦和渴望信号。

鉴于这些区域在整个青春期仍在发育并建立联系，难怪第一次心碎会感觉格外 ==痛苦== 。

像锻炼、与朋友共度时光，甚至听你最喜欢的歌曲这样的活动可以 ==缓解== 这种心碎的应激反应，同时还会触发感觉良好的神经递质多巴胺的释放。

并且只要有时间和支持，大多数人即使经历了最 ==毁灭性== 的心碎也能痊愈并从中学习。

Vocabulary, Phrases and Sentences

Word	Chinese Definition	Phonetic Symbol
The journey from first spark to last tear is guided by a symphony of neurochemicals and brain systems	从最初的心动到最后的泪水，这段旅程由一系列神经化学物质和大脑系统共同引导
symphony	交响乐
infatuation	迷恋，热恋
passionate love	热烈的爱
intoxicating	令人陶醉的的
eat a sweet treat	吃甜食
quench your thirst	解渴
euphoric	兴高采烈地	/juːˈfɔːrɪk/
haze	薄雾
prefrontal	前额的
cortex	皮质
rollercoaster	过山车
make way for	让路
tint	色调
insular	岛屿的
sprain	扭伤
crave	渴望
whirlwind	旋风
oversee	监督
pump	抽水机
agonize	苦苦思索，焦虑不已
tame	驯服
devastate	摧毁

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The Myth of Cupid and Psyche

“Beauty is a ==curse== ,” Psyche thought as she looked over the cliff’s edge where she’d been abandoned by her father.

She’d been born with the physical perfection so complete that she was worshipped as a new ==incarnation== of Venus, the goddess of love.

But real-life human lovers were too ==intimidated== even to approach her.

When her father asked for guidance from the Oracle of Apollo, the god of light, reason, and ==prophecy== .

He was told to abandon his daughter on a rocky crag, where she would marry a ==cruel and savage serpent-like winged evil== .

Alone on the crag, Psyche felt Zephyr the West ==Windgently== lifting her into the air.

It set her down before a palace.

” ==You are home== ,” she heard an unseen voice say.

“Your husband awaits you in the bedroom, if you dare to meet him.”

She was brave enough, Psyche told herself.

The bedroom was so dark that she couldn’t see her husband.

But he didn’t feel serpent-like at all.

His skin was soft, and his voice and manner were gentle.

She asked him who he was, but he told her this was the one question he could never answer.

If she loved him, she would not need to know.

His visits continued ==night after night== .

Before long, Psyche was pregnant.

She rejoiced, but was also ==conflicted== .

How could she raise her baby with a man she’d never seen?

That night, Psyche approached her sleeping husband holding an oil lamp.

What she found was the god Cupid who sent gods and humans ==lusting after== each other with the ==pinpricks== of his arrows.

Psyche dropped her lamp, burning Cupid with hot oil.

He said he’d been in love with Psyche ever since his jealous mother, Venus, asked him to embarrass the young woman by ==pricking== her with an arrow.

But taken with Psyche’s beauty, Cupid used the arrow on himself.

He didn’t believe, however, that gods and humans could love as equals.

Now that she knew his true form, their hopes for happiness were dashed, so he flew away.

Psyche was left in despair until the unseen voice returned and told her that it was indeed possible for her and Cupid to love each other as equals.

Encouraged, she set out to find him.

But Venus ==intercepted== Psyche and said she and Cupid could only wed if she completed a series of impossible tasks.

First, Psyche was told to sort a huge, messy pile of seeds in a single night.

==Just as she was abandoning hope== , an ant colony ==took pity== on her and helped with the work.

Successfully passing the first trial, Psyche next had to bring Venus the ==fleece== of the golden sheep, who had a reputation for ==disemboweling== ==stray== adventurers, but a river god showed her how to collect the fleece the sheep had ==snagged== on ==briars== , and she succeeded.

Finally, Psyche had to travel to the Underworld and convince Proserpina, queen of the dead, to put a drop of her beauty in a box for Venus.

Once again, the unseen voice came to Psyche’s aide.

It told her to bring barley cakes for Cerberus, the guard dog to the Underworld and coins to pay the boatman, Charon to ferry her across the river ==Styx== .

With her third and final task complete, Psyche returned to the land of the living.

Just outside Venus’s palace, she opened the box of Proserpina’s beauty, hoping to keep some for herself.

But the box was filled with sleep, not beauty, and Psyche collapsed in the road.

Cupid, now recovered from his wounds, flew to his sleeping bride.

He told her he’d been wrong and foolish.

Her ==fearlessness in the face of the unknown proved== that ==she was more than his equal== .

Cupid gave Psyche ==amborsia== , the ==nectar== of the gods, making her ==immortal== .

Shortly after, Psyche bore their daughter.

They named her Pleasure, and she, Cupid, and Psyche, whose name means soul, have been complicating people’s love lives ever since.

“美貌是一种 ==诅咒== ，”普绪刻望着悬崖边缘，心中想道。她就是在此处被父亲遗弃的。

她生来便拥有极致的美貌，被人们当作爱神维纳斯的新 ==化身== 来崇拜。

但现实生活中的凡人甚至都不敢接近她。

当她的父亲向光明、理性与 ==预言== 之神阿波罗的神谕寻求指引时。

他被告知要将女儿遗弃在一块岩石峭壁上，在那里她将嫁给一条 ==残忍野蛮、长着翅膀的蛇形怪物== 。

独自待在峭壁上时，普绪刻感到西风之神泽费罗斯 ==轻轻地== 将她托举到空中。

它把她放在一座宫殿前。

“ ==你到家了== ，”她听到一个看不见的声音说道。

“你的丈夫在卧室等你，要是你敢去见他的话。”

普绪刻告诉自己，她有足够的勇气。

卧室里非常昏暗，她看不见自己的丈夫。

但他一点也没有蛇的感觉。

他的皮肤很柔软，声音和举止都很温柔。

她问他是谁，但他告诉她这是他永远无法回答的一个问题。

如果她爱他，就不需要知道。

他一夜又一夜地前来。

不久之后，普绪刻怀孕了。

她很高兴，但也 ==矛盾重重== 。

她怎么能和一个从未见过的男人一起抚养孩子呢？

那天晚上，普绪刻拿着一盏油灯走近熟睡的丈夫。

她发现的是爱神丘比特，他用箭尖让众神和人类彼此 ==渴望== 。

普绪刻失手掉落油灯，滚烫的油烫伤了丘比特。

他说，自从他嫉妒的母亲维纳斯让他用箭 ==刺痛== 这位年轻女子，使她难堪以来，他就爱上了普绪刻。

但丘比特被普绪刻的美貌吸引，结果却把箭射向了自己。

然而，他不相信神和人能平等相爱。

现在她知道了他的真实模样，他们对幸福的希望破灭了，于是他飞走了。

普绪刻陷入了绝望，直到那个看不见的声音再次出现，告诉她她和丘比特确实有可能平等地相爱。

受到鼓舞，她出发去寻找他。

但维纳斯 ==拦住== 了普绪刻，并说她和丘比特只有完成一系列不可能的任务才能成婚。

首先，普绪刻被告知要在一个晚上把一大堆杂乱的种子分类整理好。

==就在她快要放弃希望的时候== ，一群蚂蚁 ==同情== 她，帮她完成了这项工作。

普绪刻成功通过了第一项考验，接下来她必须给维纳斯带回金毛羊的 ==羊毛== 。这只羊以 ==剖腹== ==流浪== 冒险者而闻名，但一位河神告诉她如何收集羊挂在 ==荆棘== 上的羊毛，她成功了。

最后，普绪刻必须前往冥界，说服冥后普罗塞尔皮娜给维纳斯一滴她的美貌装在一个盒子里。

那个看不见的声音再次来帮助普绪刻。

它告诉她要给冥界的看门狗刻耳柏洛斯带大麦饼，还要给船夫卡戎硬币，好让他渡她过 ==冥河== 。

完成了第三项也是最后一项任务后，普绪刻回到了人间。

就在维纳斯的宫殿外，她打开了装有普罗塞尔皮娜美貌的盒子，希望能给自己留一些。

但盒子里装的是睡眠，而不是美貌，普绪刻倒在了路上。

丘比特，现在伤口已经痊愈，飞向了他熟睡的新娘。

他告诉她，他错了，而且很愚蠢。

她 ==面对未知时的无畏证明== 了 ==她与他不相上下== 。

丘比特给了普绪刻 ==神食== ，即众神的 ==琼浆玉液== ，使她 ==长生不老== 。

不久之后，普绪刻生下了他们的女儿。

他们给她取名为快乐，从那以后，她、丘比特和名字意为灵魂的普绪刻就一直在扰乱人们的爱情生活。

Vocabulary, Phrases and Sentences

Word	Chinese Definition	Phonetic Symbol
curse	诅咒
incarnation	化身
intimidate	恐吓
prophecy	语言
savage	野蛮的
serpent	蛇
winge	翅膀
windgently	微风轻拂
night after night	一夜又一夜
lust after	渴望
pinprick	点
prick	扎
intercepte	拦截
just as she was abandoning hope	就在她放弃希望的时候
take pity	可怜
fleece	羊毛
disembowel	去内脏
stray	偏离
snag	障碍
briar	多刺野灌木
styx	冥河
fearlessness in the face of the unknown	面对未知的无畏
she was more than his equal	她比他强
amborsia	琥珀色
nectar	花蜜
immortal	不朽的

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The History of Marriage

There have been many different things written and said about marriage.

From the sweetly inspirational to the ==hilariously cynical== .

But what many of them have in common is that they sound like they express a universal and timeless truth, when in fact early everything about marriage, from its main purpose to the kinds of relationships it covers to the rights and responsibilities in volved, has varied greatly between different eras, cultures, and social classes.

So, let’s take a quick look at the evolution of marriage.

Pair bonding and raising children is as old as humanity itself.

With the rise of ==sedentary== agricultural societies about 10,000 years ago, marriage was also a way of securing rights to land and property by designating children born under certain circumstances ==as rightful heirs== .

As these societies became larger and more complex, marriage became not just a matter between individuals and families, but also an official institution governed by religious and civil authorities.

And it was already well established by 2100 BCE when the earliest surviving written laws in the Mesopotamian Code of Ur-Nammu provided many specifics governing marriage, from punishments for ==adultery== to the legal status of children born to slaves.

Many ancient civilizations allowed some form of multiple simultaneous marriage.

And even today, less than a quarter of the world’s hundreds of different cultures prohibit it.

But just because something was allowed doesn’t mean it was always possible.

==Demographic== realities, as well as the link between marriage and wealth, meant that even though rulers and elites in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel had multiple ==concubines== or wives, most ==commoners== could only afford one or two tending towards ==monogamy== in practice.

In other places, the tables were turned, and a woman could have multiple husbands as in the Himalayan Mountains where all brothers in a family marrying the same woman kept the small amount of ==fertile== land from being constantly divided into new households.

Marriages could vary not only in the number of people they involved but the types of people as well.

Although the names and laws for such arrangements may have differed, publicly recognized same-sex unions have popped up in various civilizations throughout history.

Mesopotamian ==prayers== included blessings for such couples, while Native American Two-Spirit individuals had relationships with both sexes.

The first instances of such arrangements actually being called “Marriage” come from Rome, where the Emperors Nero and Elagabalus both married men in public ceremonies with the practice being ==explicitly== banned in 342 AD.

But similar traditions survived well into the Christian era, such as Adelphopoiesis, or “brother-making” in Orthodox churches, and even an actual marriage between two men recorded in 1061 at a small ==chapel== in Spain.

==Nor was marriage even necessarily between two living people.==

Ghost marriages, where either the bride or groom were ==deceased== , were conducted in China to continue ==family lineages== or appease restless spirits.

And some ==tribes== in Sudan maintain similar practices.

Despite all these differences, a lot of marriages throughout history did have one thing in common.

With crucial matters like property and reproduction ==at stake== , they were way too important to depend on young love.

Especially among the upperclasses, matches were often made by families or rulers.

But even for commoners, who had some degree of choice, the main concern was practicality.

The modern idea of marriage as being mainly about love and ==companionship== only emerged in the last couple of centuries.

With industrialization, urbanization, and the growth of the middle class more people became independent from large extended families and were able to ==support a new household== on their own.

Encouraged by new ideas from the Enlightenment, people began to focus on individual happiness and pursuits, rather than familial duty or wealth and status, at least some of the time.

And this focus on individual happiness soon led to other transformations, such as easing restrictions on divorce and more people marrying at a later age.

So, as we continue to debate the role and definition of marriage in the modern world, it might help to keep in mind that marriage has always been shaped by society, and as a society’s structure, values, and goals change over time, its ideas of marriage will continue to change along with them.

关于婚姻，人们写下了许多不同的文字，也说了许多不同的话。

从温馨励志到 ==极其愤世嫉俗== 。

但它们许多的共同之处在于，听起来都像是表达了一个普遍且永恒的真理，而实际上，婚姻的方方面面，从其主要目的到涵盖的关系种类，再到涉及的权利和责任，在不同的时代、文化和社会阶层之间都有很大差异。

那么，让我们快速了解一下婚姻的演变。

伴侣关系和养育子女与人类本身一样古老。

大约一万年前，随着 ==定居== 农业社会的兴起，婚姻也是一种通过指定在特定情况下出生的子女 ==为合法继承人== 来确保土地和财产权利的方式。

随着这些社会变得更大、更复杂，婚姻不仅成为个人和家庭之间的事情，也成为由宗教和民事当局管理的官方制度。

到公元前2100年，这一制度已经确立得很好了，当时美索不达米亚的《乌尔纳姆法典》中最早留存的书面法律提供了许多关于婚姻的具体规定，从对 ==通奸== 的惩罚到奴隶所生孩子的法律地位。

许多古代文明允许某种形式的一夫多妻制。

即使在今天，世界上数百种不同文化中，也只有不到四分之一的文化禁止这种制度。

但仅仅因为某种行为被允许并不意味着它总是可行的。

==人口统计学== 的现实，以及婚姻与财富之间的联系，意味着尽管古代美索不达米亚、埃及和以色列的统治者和精英有多个 ==妾== 或妻子，但大多数 ==平民== 实际上只能负担得起一两个，倾向于 ==一夫一妻制== 。

在其他地方，情况则相反，一个女人可以有多个丈夫，比如在喜马拉雅山脉，一个家庭中的所有兄弟娶同一个女人，这样可以防止少量的 ==肥沃== 土地不断被分割成新的家庭。

婚姻不仅在涉及的人数上可能不同，涉及的人员类型也可能不同。

尽管这种安排的名称和法律可能有所不同，但在历史上的各种文明中都曾出现过公开认可的同性结合。

美索不达米亚的 ==祈祷文== 中就包括对这类伴侣的祝福，而美洲原住民的双灵人则与两性都有关系。

这种安排首次被实际称为“婚姻”的例子来自罗马，皇帝尼禄和埃拉伽巴路斯都在公开仪式上与男子结婚，这种做法在公元342年被 ==明确== 禁止。

但类似的传统在基督教时代仍然存在，比如东正教教堂中的“结义”，甚至1061年在西班牙一个小 ==教堂== 记录的两名男子之间的实际婚姻。

==婚姻甚至不一定是两个在世的人之间的结合。==

在中国，为了延续 ==家族血脉== 或安抚不安的灵魂，会举行“冥婚”，即新娘或新郎一方已 ==故去== 。

苏丹的一些 ==部落== 也保留着类似的习俗。

尽管存在所有这些差异，但历史上许多婚姻确实有一个共同点。

由于财产和生育等关键问题 ==利害攸关== ，婚姻太重要了，不能仅仅依赖年轻的爱情。

尤其是在上层阶级中，婚姻往往由家庭或统治者包办。

但即使是有一定选择权的平民，主要考虑的也是实际问题。

现代关于婚姻主要是关于爱情和 ==陪伴== 的观念直到最近几个世纪才出现。

随着工业化、城市化和中产阶级的壮大，越来越多的人从大型大家庭中独立出来，能够 ==独立支撑一个新家庭== 。

在启蒙运动新思想的鼓舞下，人们开始关注个人幸福和追求，至少在某些时候不再只关注家庭责任或财富和地位。

这种对个人幸福的关注很快导致了其他变革，比如放宽对离婚的限制，以及更多的人晚婚。

所以，当我们继续辩论婚姻在现代世界中的角色和定义时，记住婚姻一直受到社会的塑造可能会有所帮助，并且随着社会的结构、价值观和目标随时间变化，其婚姻观念也将随之不断变化。

Vocabulary, Phrases and Sentences

Word	Chinese Definition	Phonetic Symbol
hilariously	滑稽地
cynical	愤世嫉俗的
sedentary	久坐不动的	/ˈsednteri/
heir	继承人	/er/
rightful	合法的
demographic	人口统计学的
adultery	通奸
concubines	妾
commoner	平民
monogamy	一夫一妻制	/məˈnɑːɡəmi/
fertile	肥沃的
prayer	祈祷
explicitly	明确的
chapel	小教堂	/ˈtʃæpl/
Nor was marriage even necessarily between two living people	婚姻甚至不必是两个或人之间的婚姻
decease	死亡
family lineage	家族血统
at stake	濒临险境
tribe	部落
companionship	陪伴
support a new household	养活一个新家庭

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How One Journalist Risked Her Life to Hold Murderers Accountable

In March of 1892, three Black grocery store owners in Memphis, Tennessee, were murdered by a mob of white men.

==Lynchings== like these were happening all over the American South, often without any subsequent legal investigation or consequences for the murderers.

But this time, a young journalist and friend of the victims set out to expose the truth about these killings.

Her reports would shock the nation and launch her career as an investigative journalist, civic leader, and civil rights advocate.

Her name was Ida B. Wells.

Ida Bell Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862, several months before the Emancipation Proclamation released her and her family.

After losing both parents and a brother to ==yellow fever== at the age of 16, ==she supported her five remaining siblings== by working as a schoolteacher in Memphis, Tennessee.

During this time, she began working as a journalist.

Writing under the pen name “Iola,” by the early 1890s she gained a reputation as a clear voice against racial injustice and become co-owner and editor of the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper.

She had no shortage of material: in the decades following the Civil War, Southern whites attempted to ==reassert== their power by committing crimes against Black people including suppressing their votes, ==vandalizing== their businesses, and even murdering them.

After the murder of her friends, Wells launched an investigation into lynching.

She analyzed specific cases through newspaper reports and police records, and interviewed people who had lost friends and family to lynch mobs.

She risked her life to get this information.

As a Black person investigating racially motivated murders, she ==enraged== many of the same southern white men involved in lynchings.

Her bravery ==paid off== .

Most whites had claimed and subsequently reported that lynchings were responses to criminal acts by Black people.

But that was not usually the case.

Through her research, Wells showed that these murders were actually ==a deliberate== , ==brutal tactic== to control or punish black people who competed with whites.

Her friends, for example, had been lynched when their grocery store became popular enough to ==divert== business from a white competitor.

Wells published her findings in 1892.

In response, a white ==mob== destroyed her newspaper presses.

She was out of town when they struck, but they threatened to kill her if she ever returned to Memphis.

So she traveled to New York, where that same year she re-published her research in a pamphlet titled Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases.

In 1895, after settling in Chicago, she built on Southern Horrors in a longer piece called The Red Record.

Her careful documentation of the horrors of lynching and ==impassioned== public speeches drew international attention.

Wells used her ==newfound fame== to amplify her message.

She traveled to Europe, where she ==rallied== European ==outrage== against racial violence in the American South in hopes that the US government and public would follow their example.

Back in the US, she didn’t hesitate to confront powerful organizations, fighting the ==segregationist== policies of the YMCA and leading a delegation to the White House to protest discriminatory workplace practices.

She did all this while ==disenfranchised== herself.

Women didn’t win the right to vote until Wells was in her late 50s.

And even then, the vote was primarily extended to white women only.

Wells was a key player in the battle for voting inclusion, starting a Black women’s ==suffrage== organization in Chicago.

But in spite of her deep ==commitment== to women’s rights, she ==clashed== with white leaders of the movement.

During a march for women’s suffrage in Washington D.C., she ignored the organizers’ attempt to ==placate== Southern ==bigotry== by placing Black women in the back, and marched up front alongside the white women.

She also ==chafed== with other civil rights leaders, who saw her as a dangerous radical.

She insisted on ==airing== , ==in full detail== , the ==atrocities== taking place in the South, while others thought doing so would be ==counterproductive== to negotiations with white politicians.

Although she participated in the founding of the NAACP, she was soon ==sidelined from the organization== .

Wells’ unwillingness to compromise any aspect of her ==vision== of justice shined a light on the weak points of the various rights movements, and ultimately made them stronger— but also made it difficult for her to find a place within them.

She was ahead of her time, ==waging== a ==tireless== struggle for equality and justice decades before many had even begun to imagine it possible.

The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. —Ida B. Wells

1892年3月，田纳西州孟菲斯市的三名黑人杂货店老板被一群白人暴徒谋杀。

像这样的 ==私刑处死== 事件在美国南部各地屡见不鲜，而且往往在事后没有任何法律调查，凶手也不会受到任何惩罚。

但这一次，一位年轻的记者，也是受害者的朋友，决心揭露这些杀戮事件的真相。

她的报道震惊了全国，并开启了她作为调查记者、公民领袖和民权倡导者的职业生涯。

她就是艾达·B·韦尔斯。

艾达·贝尔·韦尔斯于1862年7月16日出生在密西西比州的霍利斯普林斯，当时她还处于奴隶制下，几个月后《解放黑奴宣言》才让她和家人获得自由。

16岁时，她的父母和一个兄弟都死于 ==黄热病== ，此后，她在田纳西州孟菲斯市当教师，养活剩下的五个兄弟姐妹。

在此期间，她开始从事新闻工作。

她以 “伊奥拉” 为笔名写作，到19世纪90年代初，她已成为反对种族不公正的清晰声音，并成为孟菲斯《自由言论报》和《前灯报》的共同所有者和编辑。

她不愁没有素材：在内战结束后的几十年里，南方白人试图通过对黑人犯罪来 ==重新确立== 他们的权力，包括压制黑人投票、 ==破坏== 他们的生意，甚至谋杀他们。

她的朋友被谋杀后，韦尔斯对私刑展开了调查。

她通过报纸报道和警方记录分析具体案件，并采访那些因私刑暴徒而失去朋友和家人的人。

她冒着生命危险获取这些信息。

作为一个调查出于种族动机的谋杀案的黑人，她激怒了许多参与私刑的南方白人。

她的勇敢得到了回报。

大多数白人声称并随后报告说，私刑是对黑人犯罪行为的回应。

但事实并非如此。

通过她的研究，韦尔斯表明，这些谋杀实际上是一种 ==蓄意的== 、 ==残忍的策略== ，目的是控制或惩罚与白人竞争的黑人。

例如，她的朋友被私刑处死，是因为他们的杂货店生意兴隆，足以从白人竞争对手那里 ==分流== 业务。

1892年，韦尔斯发表了她的调查结果。

作为回应，一群白人暴徒捣毁了她的报社印刷机。

他们袭击时她不在城里，但他们威胁说，如果她回到孟菲斯就杀了她。

于是她前往纽约，同年，她在一本名为《南方恐怖：私刑法的各个阶段》的小册子中重新发表了她的研究。

1895年，在芝加哥定居后，她在一篇更长的文章《红色记录》中进一步阐述了《南方恐怖》的内容。

她对私刑恐怖的详细记录和 ==激昂的== 公开演讲引起了国际关注。

韦尔斯利用她 ==新获得的名声== 来扩大她的影响力。

她前往欧洲，在那里她 ==激起== 了欧洲人对美国南方种族暴力的 ==义愤== ，希望美国政府和公众能效仿他们。

回到美国后，她毫不犹豫地与强大的组织对抗，反对基督教青年会的 ==种族隔离主义== 政策，并率领一个代表团前往白宫抗议歧视性的职场做法。

她在自己被剥夺选举权的情况下做了这一切。

直到韦尔斯快60岁时，女性才赢得选举权。

即便如此，投票权主要还是只给予了白人女性。

韦尔斯是争取投票权斗争中的关键人物，她在芝加哥成立了一个黑人女性 ==选举权== 组织。

但尽管她对女性权利有着深厚的 ==承诺== ，她还是与该运动的白人领袖发生了冲突。

在华盛顿特区举行的一次争取女性选举权的游行中，她无视组织者为迎合南方的 ==偏见== 而将黑人女性安排在队伍后面的企图，与白人女性一起走在队伍前面。

她也与其他民权领袖发生了摩擦，他们认为她是一个危险的激进分子。

她坚持要 ==详细地== 揭露南方正在发生的 ==暴行== ，而其他人则认为这样做会对与白人政治家的谈判产生 ==反作用== 。

尽管她参与了全国有色人种协进会的创立，但很快就被该组织 ==边缘化== 了。

韦尔斯在正义愿景的任何方面都不愿妥协，这揭示了各种权利运动的弱点，但最终也让它们变得更强大 —— 但这也让她很难在这些运动中找到自己的位置。

她走在了时代的前列，早在许多人甚至还没有开始想象平等和正义有可能实现之前，她就为平等和正义进行了 ==不懈的== 斗争。

纠正错误的方法就是让真理之光普照。 ——艾达·B·威尔斯

Vocabulary, Phrases and Sentences

Word	Chinese Definition	Phonetic Symbol
accountable	问责
lynch		/lɪntʃ/
yellow fever	黄热病
sibling	兄弟姐妹	/ˈsɪblɪŋ/
vandalize	破坏
enrage	激怒
pay off	还清（债务）
a deliberate	蓄意……
brutal tactic	残酷的手段
divert	转移
mob	暴徒
impassion	慷慨激昂
newfound fame	新成名
rally	集会
outrage	愤怒	/ˈaʊtreɪdʒ/
segregationist	隔离主义的
disenfranchise	剥夺选举权	/ˌdɪsɪnˈfræntʃaɪz/
suffrage	选举权
commitment	承诺
clash	冲突
placate	安抚
bigotry	偏执	/ˈbɪɡətri/
chafe	恼怒
airing	晾，公开讨论
in full detail	详细说明
atrocity	暴行	/əˈtrɑːsəti/
counterproductive	适得其反
She was soon sidelined from the organization	她很快就被排除在组织之外
vision	视力
wage	工资
tireless	不知疲倦的

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The Amish

==In the land of rock and roll== , the space shuttle, and computerized living, who could imagine that about 50,000 Americans do not use telephones, electric lights, or cars, not because they are poor, but ==out of choice== ? ==As hard as this may be to imagine== , the Amish, or more properly, the Amish Mennonites, still live a traditional, rural lifestyle direct from 17th century Europe!

To understand these unique Americans better, it is necessary to understand their history. Beginning with the revolution started by Martin Luther, leader of the ==Protestant== Reformation in Germany in the 16th century, Europe was ==wracked== by religious wars for several hundred years. Modern Europe is a product of these wars and of the political and religious philosophies of those times. The main figures in this tragic period were the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants, those who rebelled against ==papal== rule from Rome. Among the thousands of ==splinter== groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule were the Mennonites, a group of particularly conservative, rural Christians situated in what is today Switzerland, part of eastern France, and southern Germany.

To make a long story short, the Mennonite Amish were so conservative that they made more enemies than friends. In order to preserve their ==peculiar== lifestyle, they began to immigrate to the British colonies in North America in about 1720 (before Canada and the United States were formed as independent countries). There they found the religious freedom they had sought. Amish settlements ==sprang up== in the colonies and territories of Pennsylvania, Ohio & Indiana as well as in Ontario, in what is today Canada. Surprisingly, there are no Amish groups today in Europe.

Little has changed about their lifestyle since then. Just how conservative are the Amish? A group of Amish looks like a ==cast== from a ==biblical== movie set. All the men wear large ==brimmed== black hats, beards (but not mustaches), and clothes made by their wives. The women wear a hair covering called a ==bonnet== , long dresses, and black shoes. Even though all Amish men and women marry, you will not see a wedding ring, for even this simplest type of jewelry is banned among them. The Amish are primarily farmers, and good ones, despite the fact that they do not use modern farm machinery. Their children are educated in local primary schools, but secondary education is in the home. Sundays are spent mostly in church. An old dialed of German mixed with English is used in church and at home. Their lives are uncomplicated and few Amish leave their homes to enter the mainstream American society.

Rural Pennsylvania where most of the Amish live is beautiful countryside. If you have the opportunity to drive through the gentle, rolling hills amidst lush farmlands, perhaps you will see a horse and buggy driven by a family dressed mostly in black. These are the Amish, an ==enduring== and ==endearing== people.

在摇滚、航天飞机和计算机化生活的时代 ，谁能想象约5万美国人不使用电话、电灯或汽车，并非因为他们贫穷，而是出于选择？尽管这可能很难想象 ，阿米什人，或者更确切地说，阿米什门诺派，仍然过着直接源自17世纪欧洲的传统乡村生活！

为了更好地了解这些独特的美国人，有必要了解他们的历史。从16世纪德国新教改革领袖马丁·路德发起的宗教改革开始，欧洲被宗教战争折磨了几百年。现代欧洲就是这些战争以及当时政治和宗教哲学的产物。这一悲剧时期的主要角色是罗马天主教会和新教徒，即那些反抗罗马教皇统治的人。在罗马宗教统治之外形成的数千个分裂团体中，门诺派是其中之一，这是一群特别保守的乡村基督徒，分布在今天的瑞士、法国东部部分地区和德国南部。

长话短说，阿米什门诺派非常保守，以至于树敌众多。为了维持他们独特的生活方式，他们大约在1720年（在加拿大和美国成为独立国家之前）开始移民到北美的英属殖民地。在那里，他们找到了他们一直寻求的宗教自由。阿米什定居点在宾夕法尼亚、俄亥俄和印第安纳的殖民地和地区以及今天加拿大的安大略省如雨后春笋般出现。令人惊讶的是，如今欧洲没有阿米什群体。

从那时起，他们的生活方式几乎没有改变。阿米什人有多保守呢？一群阿米什人看起来就像是从圣经电影片场出来的演员阵容。所有男性都戴着宽边黑帽子、留着胡须（但不留小胡子），穿着他们妻子制作的衣服。女性戴着一种叫做 无边女帽 的发饰、穿着长裙和黑色鞋子。尽管所有阿米什男性和女性都结婚，但你不会看到结婚戒指，因为即使是这种最简单的首饰在他们中间也是被禁止的。阿米什人主要是农民，而且是优秀的农民，尽管他们不使用现代农场机械。他们的孩子在当地小学接受教育，但中学教育是在家里进行。星期天大多在教堂度过。在教堂和家里使用一种夹杂着英语的古老德语方言。他们的生活简单，很少有阿米什人离开家园进入美国主流社会。

大多数阿米什人居住的宾夕法尼亚乡村风景秀丽。如果你有机会驾车穿过郁郁葱葱的农田间起伏平缓的山丘，也许你会看到一辆由大多穿着黑色衣服的一家人驾驶的马车。这些就是阿米什人，一个经久不衰且可爱的群体。 ## Vocabulary & Idioms - out of choice——出于选择/别无选择 - as hard as this may be to imagine——这可能很难想象 - =Though/Although this may be as hard as to imagine - protestant——新教 - wracked——折磨 - papal——教皇 - splinter group——从大团体中分裂出来的小团体 - peculiar——特有的 - cast——演员 - biblical——圣经的 - brim——边缘 - bonnet——阀盖 - enduring——持久的 - endearing——可爱的，讨人喜欢的 - rebel against——反抗 - Teenagers often rebel against their parents’ authorit - Among the thousands of splinter groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule were the Mennonites,a group of…… - =The Mennonites,a group of……were among the thousands of splinter groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule - spring up——兴起

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Let’s Visit New York!

New York, New York. The city so nice they named it twice.

These words were used to describe New York when it was by far the largest, richest, and most developed city in the United States. New York still remains the largest and most famous city in the U.S. today, but some of its “nice” reputation has fallen over the past thirty years with stories of ==rampant== crime making headlines around the world. How true are these stories? Is New York still a “nice” place to visit? If so, what can a tourist do in New York? Let’s take a closer look at America’s premier city.

First, as personal and social security are always ==uppermost== in the minds of travelers, just ==how “dangerous” a city is New York?== Despite the glaring headlines, New York, located in the northeastern U.S., is one of the safest cities in the U.S.. In fact, New York state (which includes New York city—thus, ” New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice” ) ranks below other big-population states like California in both violent crime( of much concern to the tourist)and property crime. Other major cities have higher crime rates, too. Thus, the foreign traveler to New York city can feel more secure here than in most other large ==metropolitan== areas of the U.S..

Besides safety, why do more foreigners visit New York than any other American city? The answer lies in the character of New York itself. No other city in the world is more ==cosmopolitan== . A walk through its hundreds of residential neighborhoods is like walking around the world itself. Place names like Chinatown and little Italy can be found on any map of New York, but smaller ethnic neighborhoods also ==abound== . Also, all these groups sponsor annual or seasonal festivals, so that nearly every week one or more of these peoples will share their cultural experiences (and food!)with other New Yorkers.

Because of this ==unsurpassed ethnic diversity== , the restaurant ==goer== will feel that he has died and gone to heaven while in New York. There is hardly a cuisine on the planet that is not represented here. Even better, many of these exotic ==restaurants are reasonably priced== . ==One is never far from a restaurant in New York== . There are thousands of Chinese restaurants alone.

Besides the internationally famous sight-seeing attractions—mostly in the ==borough== (district) of Manhattan—such as the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center with its two 110-story towers, Wall Street, the United Nations, and ==Broadway== , many other interesting places ==await== the curious traveler. The Bronx Zoo in the northern borough of the Bronx is one of the world’ s best. The borough of Queens offers a great variety of ethnic residential neighborhoods. Brooklyn contains the ==Botanical== Gardens, ==Coney== Island (a beach with an amusement park) and J. F. K. International Airport. Finally, Staten Island, the smallest borough, still ==affords a look== at what New York used to be like,including a farm!

For culture lovers, New York has more museums than any other city, but some of these are not internationally known. A visit to any of these historical, technical, ethnic, or academic museums is well worth the time. New York’s art, music, dance, and fashion scenes are a ==mecca== for the young and professional alike. The Internet website for specific information on New York city and state tourism is www . iloveny.state.ny.us. A ==toll-free== number for tourists already in the U.S. or Canada is also available at 1-800-CALL-NYS.

No matter what your interest is, if it can be found in an urban environment, it can be found in New York. Its eight million citizens ==hail== from ==every corner of the globe== ,but they are ==united in the love of their challenging but rewarding city==. As the locals there say, “Sure,you have to be a little crazy to live in New York, but you’ d be ==nuts== to live anywhere else!”

纽约，纽约。这座城市如此美妙，以至于被命名了两次。

这些词汇曾被用来形容纽约，当时它是美国迄今为止最大、最富有且最发达的城市。如今，纽约仍是美国最大且最著名的城市，但在过去三十年里，随着猖獗犯罪的报道成为全球头条新闻，它的一些“美好”声誉有所下降。这些报道有多真实呢？纽约仍是一个“值得游览”的好地方吗？如果是，游客在纽约能做些什么呢？让我们更深入地了解一下这座美国的首要城市。

首先，由于人身安全和社会安全始终是旅行者最为关心的问题，纽约到底有多“危险”呢？尽管有那些耸人听闻的头条新闻，但位于美国东北部的纽约却是美国最安全的城市之一。事实上，纽约州（包括纽约市——因此有“纽约，纽约，一座如此美好的城市以至于被命名了两次”的说法）在暴力犯罪（这是游客非常关注的）和财产犯罪方面，排名低于加利福尼亚等其他人口众多的州。其他主要城市的犯罪率也更高。因此，前往纽约市的外国游客在这里会比在美国其他大多数大城市感觉更安全。

除了安全因素，为什么来纽约的外国游客比去美国其他任何城市的都多呢？答案在于纽约自身的特点。世界上没有其他城市比纽约更具世界性。漫步在它数百个居民区，就如同环游世界一般。像唐人街和小意大利这样的地名在纽约的任何地图上都能找到，但较小的民族聚居区也比比皆是。此外，所有这些群体都会举办年度或季节性的节日，这样几乎每周都会有一个或多个这样的民族与其他纽约人分享他们的文化体验（还有美食！）。

由于这种无与伦比的种族多样性，在纽约，热衷于去餐厅就餐的人会觉得自己仿佛置身天堂。地球上几乎没有哪种烹饪风格在这里找不到代表。更棒的是，许多这些异国风味的餐厅价格都比较合理。在纽约，人们永远不会远离餐厅。仅中餐馆就有成千上万家。

除了国际知名的观光景点——大多位于曼哈顿区，如自由女神像、拥有两座110层塔楼的世界贸易中心、华尔街、联合国以及百老汇——许多其他有趣的地方也在等待着好奇的游客。位于布朗克斯区北部的布朗克斯动物园是世界上最好的动物园之一。皇后区有各种各样的民族聚居区。布鲁克林有植物园、科尼岛（一个带有游乐园的海滩）和约翰·F·肯尼迪国际机场。最后，斯塔滕岛是最小的行政区，仍然能让人领略到纽约过去的样子，包括一个农场！

对于文化爱好者来说，纽约的博物馆比其他任何城市都多，但其中一些并不为国际所熟知。参观这些历史、科技、民族或学术博物馆中的任何一个都非常值得花时间。纽约的艺术、音乐、舞蹈和时尚领域对年轻人和专业人士来说都是一个圣地。关于纽约市和纽约州旅游业具体信息的互联网网站是www.iloveny.state.ny.us。在美国或加拿大的游客还可以拨打免费电话1 - 800 - CALL - NYS。

无论你的兴趣是什么，只要是能在城市环境中找到的，在纽约都能找到。它的八百万市民来自全球各个角落，但他们都因热爱这座充满挑战却又回报丰厚的城市而团结在一起。正如当地居民所说：“当然，你得有点疯狂才能住在纽约，但要是住在别的地方，你可就疯了！”

Vocabulary & Idioms

• rampant——泛滥的
• by far + the + 最高级形容词 + 名词——最……的
  • This is by far the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me
• over/during/for the past + 数字 + 表时间的名词——过去……（时间）以来
  • We’ re having a drought because over the past seven months it has rained only twice
• headline——(新闻报道等的)标题
  • make(the)headlines/hit the headlines 成为报上的头条新闻
  • The news of the earthquake hit the headlines immediately
• Despite + N/Ving,S + V = In spite of+ N/Ving,S + V
  • Despite the fact + that 子句，S + V —— 尽管/虽然
  • Despite the drizzle,we decided to go for a walk anyway=Despite the fact that it was drizzling,we decided to go for a walk anyway
• cosmopolitan——世界性的，来自世界各地的
• abound——大量存在;充满 ，富于
  • The Great Plains of North America abound in grain crops.
• unsurpassed——无比的，没人胜过的
  • Alexander’ s achievement in anthropology surpassed his predecessors
• One is never far from a restaurant in New York=Restaurants are everywhere in New York
• mecca——向往的地方，希望一游之地
• A and B alike——A 与 B（=both A and B）
  • Juvenile crime is of concern to parents and law enforcement officials alike.
• hail from——（人）来自于 （=come from）
• metropolitan——大都会
• goer——常去的人

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