1500字的英语文章

Talking about Housing Loans房屋贷款Al and Virginia Baxter are talking to their banker ,Tony Flora ,about a housing loan.艾尔和弗吉尼亚·巴克斯特正和他们的银行家托尼·费洛拉洽谈有关房屋贷款之事。Al:We'd like to get some information about mortgage loans,.艾尔：我们希望得到一些有关抵押贷款方面的知识，弗洛拉先生。We found a house that we'd like to buy.我们找到了一所我们想买的房子。Flora:Well, generally lend 80% of the bank's appraised value on 30-,35-or 40-year mortgages if the house is less than 10 years old .弗洛拉：好的，巴克斯特先生。如果房屋从建成至今尚未超过10年，我们一般借给买房者的数额是银行对房屋估价的80%，而贷款期为30、35或40年。Baxter:Oh ,it's almost a brand-new house .I think it was built two years ago .巴克斯特：哦， 这几乎是一所全新的房子，我认为是两年前修建的。A:Yes,it's a real good deal .The price is just right .艾尔：是的，这真是的桩合适的买卖，价钱也很合理。F:Bank appraisals are usually slightly lower than the actual market prices,,弗洛拉，银行的估价总是低于实际市场价格的，巴克斯特先生。so you'll have to figure on at least at a 25%-28% down payment .因此，您必须计划支付至少25%—28%的定金。A:Yes,we planned on that .We've accumulated enough in our savings for a 30% down payment.艾尔：是啊，这点我们已经估计到了，在我们的积蓄中攒的钱已足够支付30%的定金。B:What's the interest rate on mortgage loans?巴克斯特：抵押贷款的利息率是多少？F:It fluctuates a little depending on the various factors in the loan ,but around for longtime clients.弗洛拉：根据各种不同情况的贷款，利息率稍有差别，但是，对于银行的老主顾一般是8。75%左右。A:Well,we've been banking here since we got married 8 years ago , ,so I guess we qualify.艾尔：那么我们从结婚到现在8年来一直与这里的银行往来，弗洛拉先生。因此，我想我们是合乎条件的。F:Yes,you certainly do ,'s fill out this application ,so we can get started on the paperwork .弗洛拉：是的，你们当然是符合条件的，巴克斯特先生。让我们先来填写这张申请表，然后就可以开始着手票据事宜，It takes some time to complete a mortgage loan transaction.要完成抵押贷款的交易是得花点时间。B:We will need title insurance and fire insurance ,too,won't we ?巴克斯特：我们还需要产权保险和火灾保险，对吗？F:Yes,you 's our mortgage loan booklet which explains all the things which will be necessary .弗洛拉：是的，这里有一本有关我们抵押贷款的小册子，这个小册子说明了必须要办的一切手续

as the modern sport can be dated to two separate roots. Between 1859 and 1865, Major Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, England.[2] [3] In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.[4] The Courier of 23 July 1884 recorded one of the first tennis tournaments, held in the grounds of Shrubland Hall.[5]In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed a similar game — which he called sphairistike (Greek σφάίρίστική, skill at playing at ball), and was soon known simply as "sticky" — for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales.[6] He based the game on the older sport of indoor tennis or real tennis. According to most tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new first championships at Wimbledon, in London were played in 1877.[7] On May 21, 1881, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) was formed to standardize the rules and organize competitions.[8] The . National Men's Singles Championship, now the . Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.[9] The . National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887.[10] Tennis was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891.[11] Thus, Wimbledon, the . Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[12][13] Together these four events are called the Grand Slam (a term borrowed from bridge).[14] The comprehensive International Lawn Tennis Federation rules promulgated in 1924 have remained remarkably stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the addition of the tie-breaker system designed by James Van Alen.[15] The Davis Cup, an annual competition between national teams, dates to 1900.[16]In 1926, promoter . Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences.[13] [17] The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[13] [18] Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[13]In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the open era, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to make their living from tennis.[19] With the beginning of the open era, the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis has spread all over the world and has lost its upper-class English-speaking 1954, Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island.[20] The building contains a large collection of tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame honoring prominent members and tennis players from all over the world. Each year, a grass-court tournament and an induction ceremony honoring new Hall of Fame members are hosted on its grounds.网球的前身是14世纪流行於法国宫廷的一种叫「掌球戏」的游戏。规则是两名玩家隔著一条绳子，使用手掌将被布包著头发制成的球互相对打。其后这种游戏经过发展和改良，用网代替绳子，并将以手击球改为用木制球拍，随后木拍更拉上弦线。由18世纪开始，欧洲民间也开始出现这种游戏，并且於19世纪盛行於欧洲。现代的网球则於1873年12月由华尔特·科洛普顿·温菲尔德少校（Major Walter Clopton Wingfield）在英国发明，当时这个游戏是用来在后院的派对中取悦客人。他是根据老的室内网球或者称为原网球的游戏创造这项运动的。根据大多数网球历史学家，现代网球的规则也大多数从此而来，因为温菲尔德从这两项运动中借鉴了大量元素，还借鉴了法国皇室网球的一些技巧规则。1877年在英国伦敦温布尔顿举行了首场A|zh-hk:温布顿网球锦标赛;zh-hans:温布尔登网球锦标赛，为现代网球史上最早的比赛。随著国际网球联合会於1913年成立，网球运动亦於世界各地得以广泛发展。在1881年5月21日，美国国家草地网球联盟（现在的美国网球联盟）成立以规范规则和竞技制度。美国国家男子单打锦标赛，就是现在的美国公开赛，1881年首次在美国罗得岛的新港举行。美国国家女子单打锦标赛在1887年举行。网球也在法国（法国网球公开赛1891年）流行。世界著名的网球公开赛有：温布尔顿网球公开赛、美国网球公开赛、澳洲网球公开赛和法国网球公开赛。今天，这四项赛事被称为大满贯。关於草地网球的规则80年之内都没有改变，只是在1900年，由詹姆士·凡·阿兰（James Van Alen）做出了一项重要改变：1900年，著名的一年一度戴维斯杯网球公开赛在国家队之间举行。1926年，商人.派尔（）建立了首个职业网球巡回赛，队员由美国和法国网球运动员组成。最值得称道的早期职业网球选手有美国的温尼·理察斯（Vinnie Richards）和法国女子苏赞妮·冷莲（Suzanne Lenglen）。当一个队员成为职业选手后，他/她就不能参加业余选手赛。1968年，由於商业的压力导致这项制度的废弃，因此进入了一个新的时代，即所有选手都可以竞争所有赛事，而顶级选手可以靠打网球谋生。藉此，国际职业网球圈建立，借电视转播网球传遍了整个世界，从此不再是英国上流社会的专有运动。1954年，詹姆士·凡·阿兰创建了国际网球声誉礼堂，一个在罗得岛的新港的非营利博物馆。这个博物馆里面搜集了大量的网球纪念品和大量全世界网球成员的奖品和奖章。每年，在此都要举行一次草地网球赛，并且举行接纳新的声誉礼堂成员的典礼。

The conflict between technological development and tranditional culturesNowadays, conflicts between technological developments and tranditional cultures accelerate in a fierce way. More and more cries for saving the traditional cultures can be heard, while others urge a more rapid technological revolution in the new millenium. So, are technology and tradition so incompatible, or is there a balance point`in where we could reserve our ancestors’ legacy as well as keep on the hi-tech development?First, we must admit that conflict between technology and tradition do exist. Urbanization and modernization sweep across the world, changing our way of cultivating corns and wheat, denouning the old way of thinking, leaving those old-day arts and handicrafts only to be seen in museums. Despite the obvious benefits of a modern life, a considerable number people call for a rescue of traditonal culture both mathrially and , looking deeper into the matter, we will see that this conflict is inevitable, but not fatal to either technology or traditon. In one sense, the innovation of technology is actually part of the culture we had and have. Without the four great inventions of china, it is impossible for chinese to own such a splendid and colorful tradtional culture. Also it is the advanced technology that allows us to keep those ancient art crafts and masterpieces in such a good condition. Tradition is not something already dead and weak. It is facing a big challenge, and it will gain energy and renew itself through struggle. Good things in it shall survive and grow with the new power supplied by new technology. Peole should not be so pessimistic about the future of our traditional culture. Mourning too much for things that failed to survive in this challenging world will only hinder our pace to a more refined and developed life.