NEW YORK－About one fifth of US colleges and universities don't require the standard entrance exams(升学考试)，known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test(SAT)(学业能力倾向测试)and American College Test(ACT), for many high school applicants(申请者)．

　　Fair Test, a Cambridge, Massachusetts group that supports less trust on testing, said last week it counted 383 out of 1 788 four-year schools that don't want entrance exams at all．

　　The last Fair Test count managed three years ago proved 280 schools that don't require entrance tests．The total rose for two reasons：More colleges dropped the exams, and the others clarified(澄清)their admission rules．

　　The Fair Test survey follows last month's call from the University of California to end the SAT admission requirement．President Richard Atkinson wants students judged by what they have learned, not how they have scored．

　　Last June, the elite(优秀人才)women's school, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, declared applicants no longer need submit(呈交)scores from the SAT test of reasoning．

　　Some high schools also are questioning the role of admission tests．Still the exams aren't going away．Even as some colleges give up entrance tests, others are using or replacing them．Some are giving scores less weight, asking instead for essays(论文)，references and out-of-school activities．

　　The non-profit(非赢利的)College Board, which owns the SAT, notes the majority of colleges and universities still demand a test score for applicants．The SAT and ACT were established decades ago by colleges and universities as a way of predicting(预告) a student's success．

　　Critics(批评家)have long attacked the test as unfair, mainly because whites tend to do better than other groups．

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　　Canadian millionairess Belinda Stronach lost her bid for the Conservative Party leadership on Saturday．

　　Economist Stephen Harper was chosen to lead the newly-merged right-wing party and will face off against Prime Minister Paul Martin's liberals in the national election in a few weeks' time．He got 50 percent support, easily defeating Stronach and former Ontario cabinet minister Tony Clement．

　　But for the 37-year-old Stronach, heiress to the car parts giant Magna International, this is a beginning rather than an end．Despite being a new comer to politics, she drew much attention during the campaign．

　　In 2002, Stronach was rated one of the world's most powerful women by Fortunemagazine with US ＄600 million to her name．At the time she was president and CEO of Magna International, the world's seventh biggest auto parts manufactures, which was founded by her father．

　　Stronach first joined the company board aged 23．In 1990, she married Don Walker, her father's former assistant, and the pair became Magna's power couple, with Walker rising to the rank of CEO in 1994．They had a son and daughter, now 12 and 10, before splitting in 1995．

　　Stronach has since married and divorced Johann Olav Koss, the Norwegian Olympic speed skater, and most recently was seen on the arm of former US president Bill Clinton providing tabloid gossip from Los Angeles to Frankfurt．Admirers describe Stronach as a younger, prettier version of Hillary Clinton．

　　Stronach replaced Walker as CEO in 2001 and became president of the company the following year．She resigned from both posts in January in order to compete for the leadership of the Conservative Party．

　　Stomach's defeat came despite spending millions of dollars on consultants and political advisers．But she says she will run for a seat in Parliament, ruling out both a return to Magna and a holiday．

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阅读理解

　　One Canada, Two Languages

　　Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages：English and French．There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these－Quebec is known as “French Canada”．This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventures discovered the rest．

　　Canada left the British empire(帝国)in 1867 to become an independent country, and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since．

　　Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country．Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare．

　　The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example．Outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you'll see traffic signs in French．In restaurants, it's almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland(中心地带)of French Canada．However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels(标签) and instructions in both languages．

　　In Canada's English speaking provinces, official bilingualism(双语)means that students can choose to complete a special French language course．Under this programme, they are taught most of their subjects in French．

　　If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园)or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French．However, if they start at junior high school, 25 per cent of the teaching will continue to be in English．

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　　McDonald's founders Dick and Mac McDonald started with their little drive-in restaurant in San Bernardion, California in the late 1940s．But McDonald's today serves 38 million customers each day, 20 million of them in the USA．It's about 23 000 restaurants in more than 100 countries around the world．It's one of the world's greatest business organizations, with most restaurants world-wide．It's one of the two most recognized and powerful brands in the world, the other being Coca-cola, the only soft drink supplier to McDonald's today．It's a growing company, adding more than 2000 new restaurants to their system each year．They means a new McDonald's will open somewhere in the world every five hours of every day．It produces sales of more than 31 billion a year and earns net income of more than $1.5 billion annually．McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Beijing on April 23,1992．

　　QSC ＆V has been the foundation that built McDonald's success．QSC ＆V stands for the McDonald's means that they ensure their customers receive food products that are result of the best ingredients(成分)，strict standards, and proven preparation procedures(过程)so that they will be safe, healthy, and great-tasting．Service that's fast and friendly has always been a foundation for success of McDonald's principle．This means having the cleanest and freshest facilities(设备)－from the kitchen and dining-room to the rest rooms and parking lots．Value means low prices at McDonald's．Today, value is explained to be the total experience includes nice food, friendly folks, a clean environment, quick and right service and fun!

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　　When the world was a simpler place, the rich were fat, the poor were thin, and right-thinking people worried about how to feed the hungry．Now, in much of the world, the rich are thin, the poor are fat, and right-thinking people are worrying about fatness．

　　Evolution(进化)is mostly to blame．It has designed mankind to deal with lack, not plenty．People are perfectly fit to store energy in good years to see them through lean ones．But when bad time never comes, they are stuck with that energy, stored around their expanding bellies．

　　Thanks to rising agricultural productivity, lean years are rarer all over the globe．According to the UN, the number of people short of food fell from 920 m in 1980 to 799 m 20 years later, even though the world's population increased by 1.6 billion over the period．This is mostly a cause for celebration．Mankind has won what was, for most of his time on this planet, his biggest battle：to ensure that he and his offspring had enough to eat．But every silver lining has a cloud, and the result of prosperity is a new trouble．

　　Fatness is the world's biggest public-health topic today－the main cause of heart disease, which kills more people these days than AIDS, malaria(疟疾)，war; the major risk factor in diabetes(糖尿病)；heavily connected with cancer and other diseases．Since the World Health Organization labeled fatness an “epidemic(流行病)” in 2000, reports on its fearful results have come thick and fast．

　　Will public-health warnings, combined with media pressure, persuade people to get thinner, just as they finally put them off tobacco?Possibly．In the rich world, sales of healthier foods are booming and new figures suggest that over the past year Americans got very slightly thinner for the first time in recorded history．But even if Americans are losing a few ounces, it will be many years before the country solves the health problems caused by half a century's dining to overload．And, everywhere else in the world, people are still piling on the pounds．That's why there is now an agreement among doctors that governments should do something to stop them．

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阅读理解

　　The purpose of keeping fit is to avoid illness, resist the mental and physical fatigue(疲劳)that make us more likely to contract infections, and above all to feel more pleasure in being alive．Research has shown the value of a balanced diet, fresh air, sunshine, enough rest and some forms of regular exercise for everyone．If everyone followed this plan, the number of people visiting the doctor and going to hospital would be considerably reduced．

　　Unfortunately, although most people acknowledge the importance of physical fitness, not enough of us put this into practice．We spend too much time watching others from the comfort of an armchair or a seat in the stand at a sports stadium．

　　One reason why people who are physically fit to live longer is that they do not put the heart under excessive strain(过度劳累)and so they reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel(血管)diseases．They also avoid suffering the consequences of weakened muscles, which are the cause of a great deal of back and abdominal(腹部的)trouble．

　　About 640 muscles for about 45% of our body's weight, they must have the ability to store energy and be continually supplied with fuel by the blood．Sensible exercise, suited to each individual and preferably undertaken on the advice of a doctor, is the best insurance of meeting these requirements．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Japan escaped the world's most powerful earthquake in two and half years on Friday with only 400 injuries, most of them minor．

　　Damage from the pre-dawn quake－measuring 8 on the Richter scale(里氏震级)－was relatively light, not only because it struck deep under the ocean but because Japan's population was prepared for such an event．

　　Power and water supplies were cut off for several hours after the event．There were no reports of deaths directly caused by the quake, which struck at 4∶50 am(local time)．Two fishermen are still missing, though．Police suspect they have been swept away by the tsunami(huge ocean wave)that followed the earthquake．

　　A wide area of the island suffered damage：roads were blocked, fishing boats sunk, and part of the ceiling of Kushiro airport, 900 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, caved in．

Kushiro, a city of 190,000 people, was believed to be the hardest hit．

　　In the city of Tomakomai, which is nearby, black smoke and flames rose into the sky from an oil tank fire．There were no injuries though, and the fire was contained within two hours．Officials said 188,700 barrels of crude oil(原油)were lost．

　　Residents were shaken by the event, but stayed calm despite some 25 aftershocks－at least one registering 7.1 on the Richter scale．

　　The quake was the strongest worldwide since the 8.4 -magnitude quake of June 23, 2001．That, near the coast of Peru(秘鲁)，killed 74 people．

　　Takeshi Matsumura, a Hokkaido government official, said 455 people were confirmed injured by late Friday．

　　Only 28 were seriously hurt, mostly suffering from broken bones．Located along the Pacific“Ring of Fire”, Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone(地震倾向)countries．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Every year there are hundreds of earthquake in different parts of the world．In Sept．1923, Tokyo and Yokohama were both destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed it．They had to be completely rebuilt．One of the most serious earthquakes was in China's Shanxi Province in 1556．It killed almost one million people．

　　We measure an earthquake's strength on the Richter Scale．The Richter Scale was introduced in 1935 in Southern California in the USA．It measures earthquakes on a scale of one to ten．Any earthquake measuring five or more is usually serious．

　　The Earth's crust(地壳)is made up of layers of rock called plates．As these plates move, they sometimes crash against each other, causing the crust to quake．In cities such as Tokyo, where small quakes happen quite often, many modern buildings are designed to be flexible so when the Earth moves, they move with it．

　　Earthquakes can also break up gas and oil pipes．This can cause fires to break out, which can do as much damage as the earthquake itself．

　　Another effect of earthquakes is tsunamis．These are huge waves created by earthquakes beneath the sea．They can be many meters high and cause great damage to coastal towns and cities．

　　China, Japan, Russia and the USA have the highest occurrence(发生)of earthquakes in the world．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

A visitor to Germany must plan his time carefully, because there are so many things to see and do．Germany has big cities, picturesque medieval(中古的)towns, and lovely forests and mountains．If a traveler likes the excitement of a large city, he should visit Hamburg, Berlin, or Munich．Each of these cities has its own special charm．If a person enjoys the past, he ought to explore an old fortress town such as Dinkelsbuhl or Rothenburg in southern Germany．Here he can wander through narrow, crooked(弯曲的)streets or even walk on the original city wall．If a tourist finds the beauty and peacefulness of nature attractive, he should go to one of the wooded areas of Germany．The Black Forest is very famous but the Bavarian Woods near Czechoslovakia and the Odenwald in central Germany are just as lovely．If a visitor plans his time and activities well he will certainly enjoy his stay in Germany．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Hiking is not only one of the best forms of physical exercise, but also one of the best forms of mental relaxation．It is good for all ages and especially good as a family and group activity．

　　Since there are so many different kinds of hiking．it is not possible to give any general rules to follow．Short and frequent hikes, needing no planning or special equipment, are enjoyed by most people．

　　●Keep in shape by walking at a fast pace for at least 15 minutes every day．Climbing stairs instead of using a lift and running not too far are also good ways of keeping in shape．

　　●On any hike nothing is more important than good, comfortable shoes．

　　●The things you take might include matches in a waterproof box, a knife, compass, map, first aid items and flashlight．

　　●Cameras may be taken, but don't load with too much．

　　●On longer hikes keep a comfortable, steady pace and take rest stops often．

　　●Drink only safe water．If in doubt, boil the water．

　　●Don't go along the busy roads．When you have to use a road, keep as far over on the left as possible．

　　●Leave word at home or some other place as to where you are going and when you plan to return．

　　●On almost any hike．a map is a good idea．If going into a strange place．a detailed map is most helpful．

　　●Take along a field guide on flowers, birds, rocks, or other subjects depending upon your interests．This can add greatly to the enjoyment and educational value of your hike．

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