【每日阅读训练第三期——速度越障2系列】【2-19】文史哲

fox0923

今天早点发，希望4月党的TX们加油！


速度1 （271words）
Irish Immigrants in America during the 19th Century


Though life in Ireland was cruel, emigrating to America was not a joyful event...it was referred to as the American Wake for these people knew they would never see Ireland again. Those who pursued this path did so only because they new their future in Ireland would only be more poverty, disease, and English oppression. America became their dream. Early immigrant letters described it as a land of abundance and urged others to follow them through the "Golden Door." These letters were read at social events encouraging the young to join them in this wonderful new country. They left in droves on ships that were so crowded, with conditions so terrible, that they were referred to as Coffin Ships.
Even as the boat was docking, these immigrants to America learned that life in America was going to be a battle for survival. Hundreds of runners, usually large greedy men, swarmed aboard the ship grabbing immigrants and their bags trying to force them to their favorite tenement house and then exact an outrageous fee for their services. As the poor immigrant had no means of moving on, they settled in the port of arrival. Almshouses were filled with these Irish immigrants. They begged on every street. One honest immigrant wrote home at the height of the potato famine exodus, "My master is a great tyrant, he treats me as badly as if I was a common Irishman." The writer further added, "Our position in America is one of shame and poverty." No group was considered lower than an Irishman in America during the 1850s.


速度2 （244 words）
Free land did not lure them. They rejected the land for the land had rejected them; yet even so they always spoke reverently of the old sod in Ireland. All major cities had their "Irish Town" or "Shanty Town" where the Irish clung together. Our immigrant ancestors were not wanted in America. Ads for employment often were followed by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY." They were forced to live in cellars and shanties, partly because of poverty but also because they were considered bad for the neighborhood...they were unfamiliar with plumbing and running water. These living conditions bred sickness and early death. It was estimated that 80% of all infants born to Irish immigrants in New York City died. Their brogue and dress provoked ridicule; their poverty and illiteracy provoked scorn.
The Chicago Post wrote, "The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses...Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country."
Instead of apologizing for themselves they united and took offense. Insult or intimidation was often met with violence. Solidarity was their strength, they helped each other survive city life. They prayed and drank together. The men seemed to do more drinking than praying, yet it was their faith and dogged determination to become Americans that led one newspaper to say, "The Irish have become more Americanized than the Americans."


速度3 （286 words）
The Church played an integral part in their lives. It was a militant Church--a Church who fought not only for their souls but also for their human rights. After the religious riots in Philadelphia where many Catholic churches were burned, the mayor of New York asked Archbishop Hughes, "Do you fear that some of your churches will be burned."
"No sir, but I am afraid some of yours will be. We can protect our own."
Later, public officials asked the Archbishop to restrain New York's Irish. "I have not the power," he said. "You must take care that they are not provoked." No Catholic church burned in New York.
Actually the Irish arrived at a time of need for America. The country was growing and it needed men to do the heavy work of building bridges, canals, and railroads. It was hard, dangerous work, a common expression heard among the railroad workers was "an Irishman was buried under every tie." Desperation drove them to these jobs.
Not only the men worked, but the women too. They became chamber maids, cooks, and the caretakers of children. Early Americans disdained this type of work, fit only for servants, the common sentiment being, "Let Negroes be servants, and if not Negroes, let Irishmen fill their place..." The Blacks hated the Irish and it appeared to be a mutual feeling. They were the first to call the Irish "white nigger."
A prominent hotel keeper was asked why all the women servants in his hotel were Irish. He replied, "The thing is very simple: the Irish girls are industrious, willing, cheerful, and honest--they work hard, and they are very strictly moral. I should say that is quite reason enough."


速度4 （204 words）
The Irish were unique among immigrants. They fiercely loved America but never gave up their allegiance to Ireland...and they kept their hatred of the English. Twice they tried to invade Canada, believing that they could trade Canadian land for Ireland's freedom. In New York City, during the Civil War, they rioted against the draft lottery after the first drawing showed most of the names were Irish. For three days the city was terrorized by Irish mobs and only after an appeal for peace by Archbishop Hughes did it end. In Pennsylvania they formed a secret organization called the Molly Maguires to fight mine owners who brutalized the miners and their families. They ambushed mine bosses, beat, and even killed them in their homes. The Irish used brutal methods to fight brutal oppression. They loved America and gladly fought in her wars. During the Civil War they were fierce warriors, forming among other groups, the famous "Irish Brigade". A priest accompanied them and, before each battle, they would pray together before charging into the enemy--even against insurmountable odds. Their faith guided them. They felt the English might have a better life on earth, but they were going to have a better life after death.


速度5 (221 words)
The days of "No Irish Need Apply" passed. St.Patrick day paraded replaced violent confrontations. The Irish not only won acceptance for their day, but persuaded everyone else to become Irish at least for St.Patrick's Day. The Orangemen or New York City copied the St.Pat's Day parade in 1870 and, as they marched, played "Boyne Water", "Derry" and other songs derogatory towards the Catholics. Fights broke out and only the police (themselves mostly Irish) saved the Orangemen and women. The next year another Orange parade was scheduled...the police banned it.
The appearance of large numbers of Jews, Slavs, and Italian immigrants led many Americans to consider the Irish an asset; their Americanization was now recognized. Hostility shifted from the Irish to the new nationalities. Through poverty and subhuman living conditions, the Irish tenaciously clung to each other. With their ingenuity for organization, they were able to gain power and acceptance.
In 1850 at the crest of the Potato Famine immigration, Orestes Brownson, a celebrated convert to Catholicism, stated: "Out of these narrow lanes, dirty streets, damp cellars, and suffocating garrets, will come forth some of the noblest sons of our country, whom she will delight to own and honor."
In little more than a century his prophecy rang true. Irish-Americans had moved from the position of the despised to the oval office.




越障 （727 words）


Lesson From History - Innovation lessons from the 1930s
History suggests that even the deepest downturns can create huge opportunities for companies with money and ideas.
December 2008 ? Tom Nicholas
Recent turmoil in global financial markets and its spillover into the real economy have generated considerable interest in the Great Depression. There’s much to be fascinated with, both in the parallels (banking failures, a large spike in real-estate foreclosures, and global uncertainty, for example) and the points of contrast (such as the speed and coordination of the response of central banks and finance ministries in 2008).
Can the business practices of the 1930s yield useful lessons for executives setting priorities in today’s uncertain and evolving environment? For investments to promote innovation, the answer may be yes. Executives are often told to maintain investment during downturns. It’s easy to question this countercyclical advice, however, in times like the Depression or the present, when the volatility of financial markets (an indicator of uncertainty) reaches historic highs. Is the typical behavior of executives—act cautiously and delay investment projects until confidence returns—the wiser course?
Many companies hesitated to innovate during the 1930s. Consider, for example, patent applications as a proxy for resources devoted to innovation. The growth rate of US patent applications by companies with R&D laboratories was considerably lower during the 1930s than in the preceding decade. On the whole, corporate executives considering plans for research investments preferred to wait and see.
Furthermore, patent applications were far more synchronized with the business cycle during the Depression, when the cycle was extremely volatile, than they had been during the ’20s, when economic conditions were buoyant (exhibit). From 1929 to 1937, for example, there were five years of GDP growth and four years of GDP contraction. Patent applications generally followed the same pattern, lagging behind by one year: the number of patent applications increased during years following GDP growth and decreased during years following GDP contraction, with two exceptions: 1934 and 1935. As the economy whipsawed companies during the 1930s, they appear to have regularly adjusted their views about the payoff from innovation.
Yet several successful companies did not delay such investments. One was DuPont. In April 1930, a noted DuPont research scientist, Wallace Carothers, recorded the initial discovery of neoprene (synthetic rubber). Although the company’s price levels and sales fell by roughly 10 and 15 percent, respectively, that year, DuPont boosted R&D spending to develop the new technology commercially. A buyer’s market for research scientists and low raw-material prices helped the company to keep the cost of its research investments manageable. Neoprene, which DuPont publicly announced in November 1931 and introduced commercially in 1937, became one of the 20th century’s major innovations. By 1939, every automobile and airplane manufactured in the United States had neoprene components. Similarly, DuPont discovered nylon in 1934 and introduced it in 1938 after intensive R&D and product development.
DuPont isn’t the only such example. Many new technology companies—for instance, Hewlett-Packard and Polaroid—that became leading innovators later in the century were established as entrepreneurial start-ups during the 1930s. Radio Corporation of America, the high-tech company whose stock was bludgeoned during the Great Crash, returned to profitability in 1934 as it shifted its innovation efforts from radio to the nascent television market. In total, US companies founded at least 73 in-house R&D labs each year from 1929 to 1936.
Of course, these examples don’t mean that aggressive investments for innovation would have been wise for every company during the 1930s or are universally wise today. But taken together, the patent research and the experience of successful innovators in those years suggest that although delay is the natural response to uncertainty, some companies should continue innovating even in an extraordinarily deep economic downturn—especially with technologies that take a long time to commercialize after discovery. Companies that delay these investments may forego significant growth opportunities when uncertainty subsides and the economy recovers.
The experience of the 1930s also illustrates a broader point. Although deep downturns are destructive, they can also have an upside. The Depression-era economist Joseph Schumpeter emphasized the positive consequences of downturns: the destruction of underperforming companies, the release of capital from dying sectors to new industries, and the movement of high-quality, skilled workers toward stronger employers. For companies with cash and ideas, history shows that downturns can provide enormous strategic opportunities.

kevin405hu

哇，沙发
读的好慢
1‘35
1’39
1‘39
1’12
0‘56

5’20

kaitlynyl

狐狐辛苦了。速度：均按时读完
越障：不难
MI:We should learn from 1930s that innovation is good for companies even in the downturns.
The author raises a question and then answers in order to explain that we can learn from 1930s in today's uncertain environment.
He tells the patent application example to present that companies hesitated to innovate then lagging behind.Then he gives example of D to present that companies innovated in the 1930s achieved good result.
The author thinks that trough the examples companies should be wise on innovation and encourages companies to innovate even in the downturns.We can learn from the experience in the 1930s many positive results in the downturns.

双色鹿

矮油Cathy在楼下哎~~~
今天状态不是特别好，读的慢死了。。。
1. 1min27s  Irish immigrants went to America to escape from poverty and disease and to find opportunity they wanted, but the lift in America is not so good, because the position of them in America is very low.
2. 1min42s   No employee opportunity is given for Irish immigrants. They had a short life, 80% infant died. They did a lot of crimes, living in poor houses. They became Americanize.
3. 1min41s   Many churches were burned but the New York mayor didn’t fear about that. The church in New York sustained well. Hardest work was done by Irish men even women. Black also didn’t like Irish people.
4. 1min34s   Irish people love America but they also didn’t give up Ireland, and they hated English. They want to invade Canada. During Civil War, Irish people killed mine owner and workers. They fight in faith.
5. 1min30s   Irish people finally gained acceptance. They had their festival, and the festival was accepted by America. Later American gave Irish people a higher position in the country.
越障：6min35s  
MI: During the deepest downturns, there may exist a lot of investment opportunities.
Many companies decided to delay their investment plan during the depression, but some companies did investment during depression and gained a lot of profits.
An example in detail is about patent application, DuPont.
The passage also gives some other examples of success investment during depression.
However, not all companies can gain profit during depression, it depends, but the author emphasis that there do exist opportunities of investment even during the deepest downturns.

cathynine

速度 1:30+ 一篇 （还是觉得好慢）

       爱尔兰人移民美国
       爱尔兰移民初到美国象征了一个很低的地位
       教会和一些东西改变了爱尔兰移民在美国的地位
       爱尔兰在美国是一个很独特的群体 他们爱美国也从不减少自己对自己国家的热爱
       爱尔兰人在美国的地位改变  被接受

（昨天正好做了一篇有关 在美国的爱尔兰移民 的文章 今天又看到了更详细的 好激动。 中午回来做越障）
 占到小鹿后面的座了  哇哈哈

lei825

1'57
1'54
1'43
1'27
1'37

越障
T：6‘29
TS:经济低谷期也可以是发展的好机会
逻简：1930年代的大萧条时期的经济状况---整体来说各企业的创新投入与GDP增长或降低基本成正比，其它或观望或DELAY----但有些企业没有观望也没DELAY，而是继续投入创新，并在后期得到了迅猛的发展（比如合成橡胶，尼龙或其它高科技）----总结：经济低谷期也可以是发展的好机会（资本和资源从表现不好的公司和行业抽出到健康有发展的公司）

CHRISTINE2010

占位。。

Yolanda妍

速度：1'39  1'32  1'31  1'19  1'25
越障：6'12
Companies should encourage innovation even in depression times. This is what we learn from history of 1930's.
举例说明在1930年经济大萧条时期不同公司的表现，那些继续鼓励innovation的企业获得了较大的产量。

Rena张

占
-------
速度：

Irish emigrated to America to pursuit a better life without poverty, disease, and English oppression. However, their life in America was still a nightmare. Their position there is the lowest. 1' 24''

Irish was not welcomed in America, and considered as bad neighbours. The death of infant in that time was high. However, their dream to become an America was never defeated. 1'18''

Irish was distained. They came at a time of need for America. The country wan growing and in need of labours. The irish, both men and women, did everything they could to make a living. "Let negroes be the servants, if not negroes, let irishman fill their place." The hate between negroes and irish was mutual.  1'35''

The irish were quite unique. They loved A, were allegiant to I, and hated E. They involved themselves into wars to seek for the freedom. And they believe that the E might have a better life on earth, but they were going to have a better life after death.  1'14''

Finally the day of acceptance came, the festivals of irish were celebrated in A, and they had moved from the position of the despised to the oval office. 1'01''
今天好没状态啊~~~越障看不进去……囧o(╯□╰)o~~~

babybearmm

速度： 47''  41''  41''  40''  34''

越障： 5'10''

MI: to advocate cooperates to invest in innovations during the economic downturn

1. Opening: in current economic lows:
1) parallel: listing a bunch of economic indicators
2) non-parallel: actions of IMF...potential growth opportunities
Raise a question: HOW? Let's learn from the history -

2. Illustration: historical example of the great depression
(1). overall trends:
GDP from 1929-1937: rised at first half, then plunged
patent application was approximately one-year lagging. In the 1930s, the # of patent application is at historical low.
Data indicates that the majority of companies cut their funding on the R&D, in line with the economic output (GDP).

(2). However, it turned out that the companies that had greatly invested in R&D during the depression finally became the winner.
Example: DuPont   synthetic rubber  
1937: issued into market
1939: overriding market coverage
outcomes: a great success
similar examples: HP, ...

3. Lessons learned:
Economic adversary is a double-edged sword: while it places harsh challenges to all the companies, it provides an precious opportunity for the real good ones - the ones with money and ideas - to stand out, to survive, and to leave their rivals far behind.
Advocacy: invest in technological innovations during this gloomy economy.