阅读理解

　　That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre．With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines．I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time．As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco．City life had become too much for me．

　　As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold．I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers(抢劫犯)．Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets．

　　About a block from my apartment(公寓房间)，I heard a sound behind me．I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun．The street was empty．All I saw was a shining streetlight．Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster．Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been．It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk．

　　Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore．I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise．Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found．

　　Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车)pull up to the sidewalk next to me．When a voice called from the inside, “ Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming．How could this man know my name?the door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye．“Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape．

　　It was nearly 3 A.M.by the time I got into bed．I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back．I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life．I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other．

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阅读理解：

　　Some people believe that international sport brings about good will between the nations and that if country play games together they will learn to live together．Others say that the opposite is true：that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred．There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the view that sport encourages international brotherhood．Not only was there the terrible incident with the number of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by those incidents caused mainly by minor national contests．

　　One country received its second-place medal with great anger after the hockey(曲棍球)final．There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the loser objecting to the final decision．They were certain that one of their goals should not have been dismissed and that the opposite side’s victory was unfair．Their manager was angry when he said, “This wasn’t hockey．Hockey and the International Hockey Society are finished．” The president of the society said later that such words could result in the pause of the team for at least three years．

　　The American basketball team announced that they would not give away first place to Russia, after a fighting end to their contest．The game had ended in quarrel．It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play．A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another beat it into the basket．It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match．The judges discusses the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand．The American players then decided not to receive the silver medals．

　　Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played for honor or money rather than for the love of the game．The suggestion that sportsmen should compete as individual(个人)，or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for．But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages dangerous nationalism．

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阅读理解：

　　It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle．As Christmas drew near, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade, or so we thought．We bought the latest rages．Baby-Sitter’s Club dolls, and a doll house．Then, much to our surprise, on December 23^rd, she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else．”

　　It was just too late, what will all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts, to take the time to select the “right bike” for our little girl．So here we were－Christmas Eve around 9∶00 p.m., with Almie and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, nested snug in their beds．Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child．“What if the bicycle out of clay(a kind of earth)and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?” her dad asked．“This is an expensive item and she is ‘such a big girl,’ and it would be much better for her to pick it out．” So he spent the next four hours painstakingly working with clay to make a tiny bike．

　　On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note．Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud．“Does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?” Beaming, I said, “Yes．” Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me．I’d rather keep this than get a real bike．” At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy every bicycle on the planet!

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阅读理解：

　　Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at one of those restaurants where the menu is written on a blackboard．After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check in the middle of the table．That’s when it happened：my father did not reach for the check．

　　Conversation continued．Finally I realized that I should pick up the check!After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed．I reached for the check, and my view of myself suddenly changed．I was an adult．I was no longer a kid．

　　Some people mark off(区分)their lives in years, I measure mine in small events．I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister．” These events in my life are called “milestones”(里程碑)

　　There have been other milestones．The cops(policemen)of my youth always seemed big, even huge, and of course they were older than I was．Then one day they were suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was．They were just big kids．With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player．Without ever having reached the hill, I was over it．

　　I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did．Now it’s what I do best．I never thought that I would go to the beach and not swim, yet I spent all of August at the shore and never once went into the ocean．I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra attract me．I never thought that I would prefer to stay home in the evenings, but now I find myself passing up parties．I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I fond myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject．I feel a strong desire for a religious belief that I never thought I’d want, feel close to my ancestors(祖先)long gone, and echo my father in arguments with my son．I still lose…

　　One day I bought a house．One day－what a day!–I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father．I thought then it was a milestone for me．One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him, too, another milestone．

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阅读理解：

　　Some people believe that international sport brings about good will between the nations and that if country play games together they will learn to live together．Others say that the opposite is true：that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred．There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the view that sport encourages international brotherhood．Not only was there the terrible incident with the number of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by those incidents caused mainly by minor national contests．

　　One country received its second-place medal with great anger after the hockey(曲棍球)final．There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the loser objecting to the final decision．They were certain that one of their goals should not have been dismissed and that the opposite side’s victory was unfair．Their manager was angry when he said, “This wasn’t hockey．Hockey and the International Hockey Society are finished．” The president of the society said later that such words could result in the pause of the team for at least three years．

　　The American basketball team announced that they would not give away first place to Russia, after a fighting end to their contest．The game had ended in quarrel．It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play．A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another beat it into the basket．It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match．The judges discusses the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand．The American players then decided not to receive the silver medals．

　　Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played for honor or money rather than for the love of the game．The suggestion that sportsmen should compete as individual(个人)，or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for．But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages dangerous nationalism．

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阅读理解：

　　“Opinion” is a word that is used carelessly today．It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment．This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion．Unfortunately, most attach great importance to it．“I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours,” and “everyone’s entitled to his opinion,” are common expressions．In fact, anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be branded intolerant．

　　Is that label accurate?Is it intolerant to challenge another’s opinion?It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind, For example, you may ask a friend “ what do you think of the new Ford cars?” And he may reply, “In my opinion, they’re ugly．” In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish, for it’s obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste．And as the old saying goes, “It’s pointless to argue about matters of taste．”

　　But consider this very different use of the term．A newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial(有争议的)case．Obviously the justices did not share their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes．They stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation(审议)．

　　Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes．It is not an expression of taste．Nor is it careful judgment．Yet it may contain elements of both．It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence．

　　Is everyone entitled to his opinion?Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed．We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others．

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　　Driving Offence Points System

　　What is Driving Offence Points System?

　　After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will earn the driver points besides other punishments．If a driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded．When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden to drive for a certain amount of time．

　　What are the purpose of this system?

　　This is a system designed to make road much safer．It can improve standards of driving and reduce the accident rates．

　　Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offences Points?

　　Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system．Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included．There are altogether fourteen items．

　　What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?

　　If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning letter from the Transport Department．This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points．It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better．

　　What will happen if you have got 15 points?

　　If you have got 15 points or more within two years, a court will take away your driving license．The first time you are found guilty you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months．

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　　Hong Kong pop star Zhang Guorong, 46, jumped out of a window of Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the start of April, 2003, leaving behind sorrowful fans and suicide note which newspapers said was caused by emotional(情感的)problems．His death shocked the public and incident again brought a serious topic to light-suicide．

　　Zhang was best known globally for his part in the blockbuster film “Farewell My Concubine”, where he played a homosexual(同性恋的)Chinese opera singer．The popular 1993 film won a lot of awards including the world-famous Palmed^’ Or at the Cannes Film Festival．However, such achievements could not make Zhang content with his life．It was reported that long before his death, Zhang had been suffering from depression(意志消沉)．His tragedy shows we need to learn how to reduce the pressure from our society by happily and naturally facing life．Depression, a mental illness, and suicide have often been highlighted in the past as serious social problems－and for good reason．

　　According to experts, about 5 to 20 percent of people are suffering from depression, some of whom are not even aware of the illness．And alarmingly, 10 to 15 percent of people suffering from depression will be likely to commit suicide．

　　Statistics(统计学家)also show suicide is the leading cause of death among young adults．It leads to 3.6 percent of all deaths each year in China, a survey said．Last year, 287,000 Chinese died after committing suicide．The female rate is 25 percent higher than the male rate．For this reason, the media must highlight the negative(负面的)influence of Zhang’s tragedy in its reporting．It is shameful to talk too much about his death．Although his achievements in the arts were great, his final choice cannot be praised, let alone calling his death a “perfect end” to a shining life．

　　The media should guide people－especially Zhang’s fans－to shake off their sorrow quickly, learn a lesson from their idol’s tragedy, find a release from the pressure of their lives and value their priceless lives．

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　　In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive．Some experts claim the answer is to make jobs more varied．But do more various jobs lead to greater productivity?There is evidence to suggest that while variety certainly makes the worker’s life more enjoyable, it does not actually make him work harder．As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then variety is not an important factor．

　　Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his job in his own way is important, and there is no doubt that this is true．The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated machinery which must be used in a fixed way．Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to create it．

　　Another very important consideration is how each worker contributes to the product he is making．In most factories the worker sees only one part of the product．Some car factories are now experimenting with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line．It would seem that not only is degree of the worker contribution an important factor, therefore, but it is also one we can do something about．

　　To what extent does more money lead to greater productivity?The workers themselves certainly think this is important．But perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is boring．Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more．A similar argument may explain demands for shorter working hours．Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more interesting, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them．

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阅读理解

　　We still don’t understand the influence of the mind’s power over the body, nor do we understand why there should be such power．All we can say for certain is that the mind does have power over the body in very many different ways．

　　If a man is told that he is at the North Pole and he believes what he is told, he’ll show physical signs which suggest that his body is reacting as though he were at the North Pole．He’ll go pale and shiver．When the film Lawrence of Arabia was shown, cinema managers around the world reported that the sales of ice cream rocketed．The endless desert scenes had made the moviegoers feel uncomfortably hot．

　　Hypnotists use the power of the mind over the body in order to use their influence．The hypnotist must only convince the patient that something Is true, andthe patient will act accordingly．If he convinces the patient that his arms are as heavy as lead, then the patient will be unable to lift his arms．If he convinces the patient that a piece of ice is a hot iron and he then touches the patient’s skin with the ice, a blister(水泡)will develop．The body will react to the suggestion and not to the reality, and signs of a real burn will appear．

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