阅读理解

　　On October 16th, 2003, when he came back to the earth after a 21-hour trip to space, Yang Liwei's smile was seen across the world above the magic words：“China's first spaceman”．The 38-year-old astronaut was sent into space at 9∶00 am on 15th by China's Shenzhou V spacecraft, which orbited(绕轨道而行)the earth 14 times．He landed safely at 6∶23 am the next day, making China the third country to successfully send a person into space, after the former(以前的)Soviet Union(苏联)and the US．Yang was satisfied with his job．“I have seen many landing scenes before on video, and I think ours was one of the most successful, ”he said on a special plane to Beijing after landing．

　　While in space, Yang recorded everything he saw as well as showing China's national flag and the United Nations'flag to the people watching on TV at home．He also ate a meal of chicken and fried rice, before taking a 3-hour nap(小睡)．The whole project went according to the plan, but space exploration is not as easy as it seems．He experienced extremely high temperatures, while the gravitational forces(地心引力)on take-off and landing were strong enough to force tears from his eyes．

　　Born into an ordinary family in Liaoning Province, he became a pilot in the Chinese Air Forces in 1987, spending 1,350 hours in the air．He joined the Chinese space program 11 years later．He has spent five years training to become a spaceman．“I eat all of my meals at the space programmer's dining room and have never been able to take my son to kindergarten, ”he said．“I've never met his teachers．But becoming China's first spaceman has made all the effort worthwhile．“When I boarded the spacecraft for the first time, I couldn't help feeling excited, ”he said．“I decided that I had to fly it．”To Chinese people, Yang is now a hero．His trip is a giant leap forward for China．

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阅读理解

　　Some of the greatest success stories of history have followed a word of encouragement or an act of confidence by a loved one or a trusting friend．

　　Had it not been for a confident wife, Sophia Peabody, we might not have listed among the great names of literature(文学)the name of Nathaniel Hawthorne．

　　When Nathaniel, a heartbroken man, went home in the middle of June 7, 1849 to tell his wife that he was a failure and had been fired from his job in a customs house, she surprised him with a cry of joy．She said simply, “Good．Now you can write your book．”

　　“Yes, ”replied the man, with a sad voice, “and what shall we live on while I am writing it?”

　　To his amazement, she opened a drawer and pulled out a substantial(充实的)amount of money．

　　“Where on earth did you get that?”he exclaimed(惊叫)．

　　“I have always known you are a man of genius(天才)，”she told him．“I knew that someday you would write a masterpiece．So every week, out of the money you gave me for housekeeping, I saved a little bit．So here is enough to last us for one whole year．”

　　Hawthorne began to write his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter(红字)relentlessly(不屈不挠地)that autumn with the full support of Sophia, who painted decorative fire screens and lampshades(灯罩)for her sister Elizabeth to sell in Boston．

　　From his wife's trust and confidence came one of the greatest novels of American literature, The Scarlet Letterin 1850．Hawthorne read the final pages to his wife．He wrote, “It broke her heart and sent her to bed with a grievous(令人忧伤的)headache, which I look upon as a triumphant(胜利的)success．”

　　The Scarlet Letter, or his wife, allowed Hawthorne to devote himself to his writing later．

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　　Millions of hamburgers are eaten by people in every corner of the world every day．Together with hot dogs and Coca-Cola, hamburgers have been the most important American contribution to international eating habits．

　　The name“hamburger”has nothing to do with ham(火腿)．It is believed that the hamburger was first brought to the United States by Germans from the city of Hamburg some time in the 1850s．The first known reference(提及)to hamburgers was in a newspaper in Washington State in 1889．

From then on the hamburger became a kind of popular American fast food．

　　Now young people in Asia, Europe and South America have learned to eat while on the move：a hamburger in one hand and a soft drink in the other．There have been cries of anger from Italy and Spain about the shortening of the usual lunch break．Instead, young people have discovered a lunch for which they don't have to stop at all．

　　However, there are clouds over the hamburger's world．People who concern about health dislike the high animal fat in the hamburger．They think the time saved seems a high price to pay for poor health．The packages in which hamburgers are usually served are causing serious pollution problems in many large cities．Big hamburger companies are destroying large areas of South American rainforest to produce the cheap meat they need．So, will the hamburger celebrate its next century?

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　　April Fool's Day is traditionally a day to play practical jokes on others, send people on fool's errands(差事)，or try to make people believe that something false was true．It was thought to have originated(起源)in France．

　　In the sixteenth century, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 and celebrations lasted until April 1st．When New Year's Day was changed from March 25 to January 1st in the mid-1560's by King Charles IX, there were some people who still celebrated it on April 1st and those people were called April Fools．

　　It is fun to see how different countries celebrate this“foolish”holiday．In France, the April Fool's is called“April Fish”．The French fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends'backs and when the“fools”discover this trick, they were called“April Fish”!

　　In England, tricks can be played only in the morning．If a trick is played on you, you are a“noodle”．In Scotland, April Fool's Day lasts two days and you are called an“April Gowk(杜鹃鸟；呆子)”if you are fooled by others．

　　In Portugal, April Fool's is celebrated on the Sunday and Monday before Lent(四旬斋)．The traditional trick there is to throw flour at your friends．

　　In America, Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April．One common trick is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying, “Your shoelace(鞋带)is untied．”

　　Have you got any terrific plan for the coming April Fool's?Be careful, someone around may already have the surprising gift for you, too!

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Vancouver's Chinatown is the second biggest Chinatown in North America's, after San Francisco's．Mandarin and Cantonese are the mother tongues in 30 percent of Vancouver homes, which makes Chinese the largest“minority”ethnic(人种的)group．There are lots of interesting markets with many varieties of fresh and dried seafood and mushrooms．You'll also find inexpensive house ware(家用器皿)and traditional Chinese medicine．

　　Vancouver's Chinatown is also a popular tourist attraction and wealthy commercial district．Its busy streets are full of color and commerce(商业)；even the tower-topped telephone booths add to the atmosphere．During the summer, on weekend evenings, Keefer and Pender Streets become a busy open-air night market．Shop displays spill onto the pavements．The Sam Kee Building in Pender Street is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records(吉尼斯世界记录)as being the narrowest building in the world, at only six-foot(two metres)wide．Another main attraction in Chinatown is the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which was built in 1986 at a cost of ＄ 5.3 million with the craftsmen(工匠)and materials all imported from China．Next door to the Garden is the Chinese Cultural Centre with gates hand-painted in traditional color．

　　In the past, Chinatown was regarded as nothing more than a ghetto site(贫民窟)．Chinese immigrants first arrived on the province during the 1850s, when the Fraser Gold rush occurred．Many Chinese laborers were imported to build the railway tracks with terrible working conditions and low pay．Many years had passed Chinese Canadians were finally granted citizenship in 1947．

　　Modern Chinatown is filled with many shops that sell various herbs, sweet cakes and other items．Eating in Chinatown is not only unique but also rewarding, as you will be presented with an assortment of tasty dishes．The atmosphere in any restaurant is always busy so be patient when you are eating there．It is considered common polite behavior to pay a tip to the waiters who are serving even though it is not in the Chinese custom to accept tips．

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　　Niagara Falls, in east central North America, is the second largest waterfall on the globe next to Victoria Falls in southern Africa．It located on the Niagara River, in western New York and southeastern Ontario．One fifth of all the fresh water in the world lies in the four Upper Great Lakes－Michigan, Huron, Superior and Erie．All the outflow empties into the Niagara river and finally cascades(成瀑布落下)over the falls．Niagara Falls consists of three separate waterfalls：Horseshoe Falls(sometimes called Canadian Falls), American Falls, and the smaller, neighboring Bridal Veil Falls(新娘面纱瀑布)．While not especially high, Niagara Falls is very wide, and is by far the most voluminous(容量大的)waterfall in North America．

　　Niagara Falls is a great tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors each year．The falls may be viewed from parks located on either side of the river, from observation towers, from boats, from Goat Island, and from the Rainbow Bridge, located a short distance downstream．Visitors also may enter the Cave of the Winds, situated behind a curtain(帘)of falling water near the base of the American Falls．

　　The Niagara is a fairly young river, only 12,000 years old!The Niagara Escarpment, which was created by erosion(侵蚀)is much older．The Niagara's large volume of flow, averaging about 5,520cu．m．per second, give the river great power potential(电能)．In 1950 the United States and Canada signed an agreement to build power station, and soon after that the major power stations were built．The Canadians built the twin Sir Adam Beck-Niagara power stations at Queenstown, Ontario．The Americans constructed the Robert Moses-Niagara Power Plant near Lewiston, New York．Both projects, each located about 6 km below Niagara Falls．Much of the electricity is used by industries in the nearby cities of Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario．

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　　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(魁北克省)－is known as“French Canada”．This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest．

　　Canada left the British Empire 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(菜单), for example．Outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you'll see traffic signs in French．And in restaurants, it's almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland of French Canada．However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels 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 or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French．However, if they start at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the atmosphere．The atmosphere is the mixture of gases and other materials that surround the Earth in a thin, mostly transparent(透明的)shell．It is held in place by the Earth's gravity．It reaches over 560 kilometers(348 miles)from the surface of the Earth, so we are only able to see what occurs fairly close to the ground．Early attempts at studying the nature of the atmosphere．used clues from the weather, the beautiful multi-colored(有多种不同颜色的)sunsets and sunrises, and the twinkling of stars．With the use of sensitive(灵敏的)instruments from space, we are able to get a better view of the functioning of our atmosphere．

　　Life on Earth would not be possible without the atmosphere．Obviously, it provides the oxygen we need to breathe．But it also serves other important functions．It moderates(缓和)the planet's temperature, reducing the extremes that occur on airless worlds．For example, temperatures on the moon range from 120℃(about 250)in the day to－170℃(about－275)at night．It also recycles water and other chemicals．The atmosphere also protects us by absorbing(吸收)and scattering(驱散)harmful radiation from the sun and space．Of the total amount of the sun's energy that reaches the Earth, 30％ is reflected back into space by clouds and the Earth's surface．The atmosphere absorbs 19％．Only 51％ is absorbed by the Earth's surface．

　　The density(密度)of air also decreases rapidly with altitude．At 3 km(2 miles)air density has decreased by 30％．People who normally live closer to sea level experience temporary breathing difficulties when traveling to these altitudes．The highest permanent human settlements are at about 4 km(3 miles)．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Is there life on Mars(火星)?We do not know．But we are sure that earth people do not live on Mars．Earth people need oxygen to breathe．There is almost no oxygen on Mars．It is uncertain exactly how life arose on Earth, so it is difficult to determine how common such mechanisms are．But if life also arose on Mars, this would show that those mechanisms operated not just once, but twice, arguing that life may well be common elsewhere．

　　Living on Mars would be like living on a very high mountain．There would be little air．It might be 50 degree above zero at noon and 100 degree below zero at night．

　　Many people think there may be plants on Mars．We know that Mars has carbon．This is a kind of material found in all plants and animals on earth．Through a telescope, Mars looks red．In some places, it seems gray．At times, the gray colour turns gray－green, then brown, then gray again．The gray-green colour may be a kind of plant life changing colour with seasons．

　　Mars is a spectacular(引人入胜的)place, and will remain so even if it is finally proved to be lifeless．Today, we don't know for sure if there is or ever was life on Mars．But one thing is certain－one day, there will be．

　　Will man go to Mars one day?If they do, they will have to take along their own oxygen, food, clothing, and shelter(住所)．

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　　for National Geographic News October 15, 2003

　　China successfully launched its first manned space mission today．Carrying a single yuhangyuan, the Chinese term for astronaut, the Shenzhou 5 rocket blasted off(点火起飞)from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China．It was to orbit(绕轨道而行)Earth 14 times before returning．

　　“The successful launch of Shenzhou 5 is the glory of our great motherland, ”China's President Hu Jintao said after the launch was declared a success, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency．“The long-cherished space dream of the Chinese nation has finally come true, ”Hu Shixiang, deputy director-general of China's manned space flight program, told Xinhua．

　　China's first astronaut, 38-year-old Yang Liwei, said“I feel good, ”34 minutes after the launch at 9 a.m．local time．Yang was described as an athletic former fighter pilot who has an 8-year-old son, likes swimming and skating, and has not seen his younger brother or elder sister in three years while he prepared to become China's first man in space．

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