阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Norman Bethune was a Canadian doctor who lost his life for worthy causes around the world．Bethune first attempted to socialize the medical system in Canada．He then joined the Spanish Civil War, and later travelled to China to assist the Red Army．

　　From 1928 to 1936, Bethune worked as a thoracic(胸的)surgeon in Montreal．He became famous there for his treatment of tuberculosis(肺结核)patients．Although he cured hundreds of cases successfully, many of his poorer patients became ill again when they returned to crowded, unsanitary(不卫生的)homes．Bethune realized they could not be cured without proper living conditions and medical care．He wanted the medical system to provide the same level of health care for everyone．Bethune, and others with similar ideas, developed a plan for socialized medicine．However, when they presented it to the government they received a strong negative reaction．Bethune became unpopular among other doctors who thought his ideas were too radical(激进的)．

　　In the winter of 1936, Bethune volunteered to help in the Spanish Civil War．He gave up his position as a famous surgeon to establish a mobile blood transfusion service．The service collected blood from donors(捐赠人)and delivered it to hospitals and to soldiers at the battlefront(前线)．On many occasions, Bethune risked his life to deliver blood to the front line．

　　In 1938, Bethune went to China to help Mao Tse-tung and the Red Army fight the Japanese．He became the Red Army's Medical Chief and trained thousands of Chinese as medics and doctors．He also designed the world's first mobile medical unit despite limited equipment．The unit saved the lives of many soldiers．Unfortunately, Bethune soon lost his life assisting the Chinese．He died on November 12, 1939, from an infection．The world lost a great unselfish hero with Bethune's death．

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阅读理解(Reading Comprehension)

　　Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia．A member of the Continental Congress(大陆会议)，he was the author of the Declaration of Independence(独立宣言)at the age of 33．

　　After American independence was won．Jefferson worked for the revision(修改)of the laws of his home state of Virginia．to make them accordant with(符合)the spirit of freedoms in the new Constitution of the United States．

　　Although he had drafted(起草)the state's Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom(宗教自由法案)in 1777, it was not passed in the state．In January 1786, the bill was reintroduced and, with the support of James Madison, passed as An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom．

　　In the election of 1800, Jefferson defeated his old friend John Adams to become the third president of the new United States．The last years of his life were spent in retirement at Monticello, during which period he founded, designed, and directed the building of the University of Virginia．

　　Jurist(法学家)，diplomat(外交家)，writer, philosopher, architect(建筑师)，gardener, Thomas Jefferson requested that only three of his many accomplishments be noted on his tomb：

　　Author of the Declaration of American Independence

　　Author of the Virginia Statute(法令)for Religious Freedom

　　And Father of the University of Virginia

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阅读理解

　　Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted．Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment(环境)friendly products have

contributed to the pollution problem．One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of．

　　However, today, more and more consumers are choosing“green”and demanding that：the products they buy should be safe for the environment．Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these：“Will this shampoo damage the environment?”“Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”

　　A result study showed that two out of five adults now consider the environmental

safety of a product before they buy it．This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green”, that is, friendly to the environment．

　　Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds．Some supermarket products carry labels(标签)to show that the product is green．Some companies have made the manufacturing(生产)of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising．

　　The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how：they do business．No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it”．The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act．

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阅读理解

　　Without most people realizing it, there has been revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only used by large rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology,：small computers have come onto the market which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them．

　　The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processor system, or WPS as they are often called．40％ of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．

　　There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as retyping letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours．

　　But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is t

he increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units(显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．

　　Whatever the arguments for and against word processors, they are a key feature：of this revolution in office practice．

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阅读理解

Dear John,：

　　Thank you very much for your letter．I am glad that you enjoyed your holiday with me．We enjoyed having you and your sister here．We hope that you both will be able to come again next year．Perhaps you'll be able to stay longer next time．A week is not really long enough, is it? If your school has five weeks holiday next year, perhaps you'll be able to stay with us for two or three weeks．

　　We have been long back at school for three weeks now．It feels like three months! I expect that you are both working very hard now that you are in Grade One．I shall have to work hard next year when I am in Grade One．Tom and Ann won't be in Grade One until 2006．

　　They went for a picnic yesterday but I didn't go with them because I cut my foot and I couldn't walk very well．They went to an island and enjoyed themselves there．Do you still remember the island? That's where all five of us spent the last day of our holiday．

　　Tom, Ann and I send our best wishes to Betty and you．We hope to see you soon．

Yours sincerely,：

Michael

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阅读理解

　　Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed．When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, then a habit is formed．Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of．It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits．Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live．Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them．

　　There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help．Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty．

　　Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on．These are all easily formed habits．Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided(避免)．

　　We should keep away from(远离)all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others．

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　　Bolton，Vermont——Fourteen-year-old Ashley Stevens fell out of his canoe into the frigid Winooski River in Vermont, US, climbed onto the muddy bank and picked fiddleheads for five hours as his wet clothes stiffened and dried in the frosty spring air．

　　It was worth it．On that early May day．Ashley made $50 for the 86 pounds of ferns he hauled in to the weigh station．

　　And he's made about that much every day of the fiddlehead season．

　　“I know where to go, ”said Ashley, who grew up along the Winooski．

　　For four or five weeks a year in Vermont, fiddleheads, young ferns found near water in the northeast, are big business for anyone who cares to pick them．Before they uncurl to their mature height, the plants resemble violin heads．

　　The ferns, which taste like asparagus when cooken, are usually fried in butter or olive oil and served as side dish．

　　Restaurants offer them as a seasonal specialty; supermarkets sell them by the pound．

　　John Farrar, the fiddlehead king of Richmond, Vermont, parks his pickup every evening and waits for the pickers to bring in their mesh bags of fiddleheads for weighing．Farrar often collects more than 450 kilograms of the tightly curled green disce．

　　He drives them to WS Wells and Son in Wilton, Maine, where they are prepared for sale fresh, in cans, and dried in soup mix．Wells processes about 35 tons a year, all from local pickers who bring in the fiddleheads by bag or bucket．

　　Farrar is careful to take only ostrich ferns．Some other kinds are said to cause cancer in cows or stomach upset in humans．

　　“They all kind of look like fiddleheads, ”said Butch Wells, owner WS Wells and Son, “I've had people drive for two hours with 90 kilograms of the wrong kind．”

　　He said he believed he was having some fiddleheads for supper that night, “I've had them in stews, and I've had them in quiches, which all sometimes called Impossible Pie．And we just have them plain, as a side dish．”

　　Even his kids eat fiddlebads．

　　“They like pickled fiddleheads, ”Wells said．“They don't like them any other way．”

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阅读理解

　　It's only 34 centimetres tall but, as the highest honour in the world of cinema, an Oscar is worth its weight in gold．

　　Just saying its name draws up images of red carpets, bubbling champagne(冒泡的香槟), beautiful stars and, most importantly of all, success．

　　When the 76th Academy Awards were presented this morning in Los Angeles, US, the winners became headline news across the world just as the first Academy Awards．Organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place at a Holly wood hotel on May 16, 1929．All the guests knew who had won in advance; the present system of keeping it a secret until the envelope is opened was introduced in 1941．

　　The trophy(奖品)is the figure of a knight(骑士)holding a sword．The first awards were solid bronze but a metal shortage during World War Ⅱ meant the trophies were made of plaster(石膏)for a while．Nowadays, the figures are made of metal and given an outer coating of gold．

　　Officially known as the Academy Award of Merit, it isn't clear where the nickname(昵称)Oscar came from．One popular explanation is that an Academy librarian said it looked like her uncle Oscar and the name just stuck．

　　The timing of the ceremony has only been disturbed on three occasions．The first was in 1938 when serious floods in Los Angeles delayed the awards by one week．Then in 1968 the ceremony was moved from April 8 to April 10 out of respect for Dr．Martin Luther King, who had been assassinated(暗杀)a few days earlier．Another assassination－a failed attempt on President Ronald Reagan－saw the Oscars delayed by 24 hours in 1981．

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阅读理解

　　Good evening．Tonight's broadcast brings together music from different corners of the world．The records we have chosen for you are from classical Western music, Indian music, pop and a Negro spiritual(黑人的圣歌)．In this broadcast we shall study the language of music．We shall try to find out how music says what people feel．You will hear a Beethoven piano piece, a composition from the sitar(西他，一种弦乐器), and songs sung by a pop group and some others．I shall be trying to explain why they are all good music．

　　The feeling in each of these four musical compositions is sadness．You can find sadness in words, in paintings, and in music．The word“music”comes from the Greek word“muse”．The muses were goddesses of the arts．Music is only one of the arts．It is like the spoken language, but uses sounds differently．In the spiritual and the pop song you will hear only the piano or the sitar．I shall be saying a few words after each record．Music is now heard everywhere, in shops and buses and at home．We shall be trying to find out more about how music works．It is worth making the effort．Only then can we say why one piece of music is good and another bad．

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阅读理解

　　With people still fearing the return of the SARS virus, the news that China plans to soon start testing a vaccine(疫苗)on humans was most welcome．

　　Work on the vaccine began in April and it was tested on 18 healthy monkeys in October．Every one of the animals survived when infected(感染)with SARS．

　　“We cannot tell yet whether the vaccine will be successful in humans, but we can say it is effective in animals, especially monkeys, ”said Yin Hongzhang of the State Food and Drug Administration(国家食品药物监督管理局)．

　　The vaccine, which is made up of dead SARS cells, will first be tested on about 200 people and then on a further 1000．Anyone can test the vaccine if they are healthy and under 65 years of age．

　　The World Health Organization(WHO)has welcomed China's achievement．But they also say that it will take one or two years before the anti SARS efforts are complete．

　　“A vaccine is only one element in bringing SARS under control, ”said Dr Julie Hall, the WHO's SARS expert in Beijing．“We still need to develop a strong system of reporting and monitoring．”

　　She also believes scientists around the world should share information and research results so that a safe and effective vaccine can be found as soon as possible．

　　SARS started in southern China at the end of 2003, killing more than 800 people and infecting at least 8000 others worldwide．

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