阅读理解

　　Read the following advertisement and answer the questions below according to the table．

　　(p/t＝part time; stenographer速记员；exp＝experienced; req’d＝required)

阅读理解

　　Devin, who was the first-born by 30 seconds, might be described as the trouble-maker．Michael, who plays the keyboard and paints is known as the artistic one, while Elliot is considered as the smartest．Shira is the most friendly sister, and Iran is known for having the most common sense．The hardest part about being a quintuplet(五胞胎), they say, is finding privacy．

　　On the opposite side, they also develop well and healthy in the midst of the constant tumult(吵闹)in the home they call “Camp Pisner”．

　　“There’s always somebody going through the same thing at the same time, ”says Iran．

　　“And you always have somebody to talk to,” adds Shira．“It’s like a friend because they’re the same age and you are going through the same problems．”

　　With rich treatments and multiple births becoming more common, the Pisner kids offered some advice for raising children from multiple births．

　　“Don’t dress your kids alike, ”suggested Michael．“Take it one step at a time, ”said Iran, knowing that his parents did just that．“Don’t get too far ahead．”Shira, the only girl in the bunch, said, “Make sure you treat them as individuals．”And Elliot added, “When it comes to school, don’t put them all in the same class．”

阅读理解

　　May be you’ve known the Los Angeles quake which happened last year．It killed sixty-one people, destroyed a lot of buildings and the city’s highways．

　　The Japan earthquake happened exactly a year later, to the day and also in the early morning．The earthquake that hit Kobe on Tuesday morning was the first big one to hit a big Japanese city for more than 70 years．About 439 people had been dead by early afternoon and an overhead highway fell down just like on Los Angeles．

　　90 percent of the earthquakes took place in two geographic areas in the world．One is the Pacific Ocean, the other extends from the East Indies to Atlas Mountains．

　　In the last year, Japan has experienced several quakes bigger than Tuesday’s．But those mostly hit thinly populated areas of the north．Tuesday’s quake hit an area of west-central Japan including the port of Kobe．It was the hardest hit because it is a big industrial city of Osaka．It also hit the ancient capital Kyoto－that is the second most populous area of the country after the Tokyo．

　　It was the first time that a big quake had hit a big city since the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923．That one measured 7.9．Fires that followed this killed about 140 000 people and more than 560 000 homes were destroyed．

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　　New York：when the first jet struck World Trade Center at 8∶48 a. m. on Tuesday, the people in 2 World Trade Center with a view of the instant damage across the divide had the clearest sense of what they, too, must do：get out fast．

　　Katherine Hachinski, who had been knocked off her chair by the blast of heat exploding from the neighboring tower, was one of those．Despite her 70 years of age, Ms Hachinski, an architect working on the 91st floor of 2 world Trade Centre, the south tower, went for the stairs．Twelve floors above her, Judy Wein, and executive, screamed and set off too．

　　But others up and down the 110 floors, many without clear views of the damage across the way and thus unclear about what was happening, were not so sure．And the 18 minutes before the next plane would hit were ticking off．

　　Amid the uncertainty about what was the best thing to do, formal announcements inside the sound tower instructed people to stay put, assuring them that the building was sound and the threat was limited to the other tower．

　　Some left, others stayed．Some began to climb down and, when meeting with more announcements and other cautions to stop or return, went back up．The decisions made in those instants proved to be of great importance, because many who chose to stay were doomed when the second jet crashed into the south tower, killing many and stranding many more in the floor above where the jet hit．

　　One of those caught in indecision was the executive at Fuji Bank USA．

　　Richard Jacobs of Fuji Bank left the 79th floor with the other office workers, but on the 48th floor they heard the announcement that the situation was under control．Several got in the lifts and went back up, two minutes or so before the plane crashed into their floor．

　　“I just don’t know what happened to them．” Mr．Jacobs said．

阅读理解

　　The Great Hanshin-Awaji(阪神)Earthquake at 5∶46 a. m. on January 17, 1995, Kobe(神户)and its surrounding areas suffered a killer earthquake．Only two other events in this century, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and World War Ⅱcaused more deaths in Japan than this earthquake．The epicenter(震源)was at the northern tip of Awaji Island．The quake registered(记录)7.2 on the Richter(里氏震级)．The greatest amount of damage was seen in the Japanese port city of Kobe, and at final count 6348 people had lost their lives．

　　The people of the area were quite unprepared for such a big earthquake．Experts had said that most modern buildings would be quite safe even from an earthquake as strong as the Great Kanto Earthquake．This was clearly not true．Television cameras showed the many buildings that had fallen over on its side looking as if it had been pushed over by a giant(巨人)．

　　Thousands of people were homeless．However, some of the finest human qualities were seen in the time of crises．People formed long lines for water and other supplies．They shared what they had with one another．People from young to old stopped to talk to each other and give a few encouraging words．The people living in the area knew that their old life had been destroyed．They believe they can rebuild their life, and a better one．

阅读理解

　　Early people had very little effect on the environment．They lived in caves in very small ‘clan’ groups．They collected or killed only enough for the clan’s survival．Early clans were nomadic, which means that they did not stay in one place．Instead, they moved around, following the animals that were their main food source and seeking areas where seasonal plants grew wild．Moving around seasonally helped to protect the environment．The land had time to recover and animals had time to breed(繁殖)before the clan returned for the next season．

　　As time went by, these small family clans joined with others to form larger groups for protection．Joining with other clans gave them more hunters and more women to help cut up the meat and share it between families．Eventually, people tamed(驯养)wild animals such as dogs and horses．People settled around rivers and fertile plains to share responsibilities and duties．Then, people began to plant crops instead of moving to areas where the plants grew．This development changed the environment．

　　Traditional forms of work also changed．Some people were batter at performing a particular task than other clan members, so they began to specialize in things they were good at doing．This also meant that they began to exchange their goods for things that others produced．

　　People began to communicate with distant tribes．Land was cleared for roads．Foreign plants and animals were transported to places where they had not existed before．Specialization also gave people more free time．So art, dance and music became important ways of expressing feelings and thoughts．This was how many great civilizations started．

　　Compared to the past, modern civilization has experienced many changes to become the highly developed society that exists today．Populations have increased rapidly．Forests have been cleared for farms．Inventions and technology have made work easier．

　　However, pollution and other serious problems have also resulted from human progress．As concerned citizens, it is up to us to learn from past mistakes and to help maintain and improve our environment．

阅读理解

　　Sad stories are not very nice to read about, but if we think and talk about them, we may be able to prevent more accidents．

　　How can fire or hot things be a danger in the house？Matches, of course, are always dangerous in the hands of young children．A little fire on waste land can easily get out of control．A wind comes, sparks(火花)are blown on to the roof of a house, and the whole building may be burnt to the ground before you can even call the fire brigade．Kerosene(煤油)lamps, too, can be very dangerous．Quite recently there was a bad accident in a village house．The mosquito-net(蚊帐)over a baby’s bed was blown against a lamp and caught fire．The bed-clothes and even the clothes of the baby were burnt before the fire was discovered．

　　Long grass rubbish round a house can also lead to a big fire, as most people know．However, not everybody is careful with such things as paper bags and toys; these will burn up in a flash if you hold them near a fire．

　　Young children often reach up to a table to take a bottle down by its handle．If the bottle or pot is full of boiling water, you can guess what will happen．Similarly, when a baby’s bath is prepared, cold water should be put in first．If any hot water has to be used, this should be put into the bath after the cold water and not before it．

　　Many fireworks(烟花)can lead to blindness or other injuries, especially those which are pushed into bamboo sticks．Wooden spears or swords should be used only by children with sense enough not to injure other people．

　　Very young children often have to be watched carefully．They put everything they find into their mouths to see whether it can be eaten, or sucked! Medicines have to be put out of their reach．A pill which might be harmless for an adult can sometimes kill a baby．Older children have to be careful when drinking from a bottle．Some of them walk about as they drink．Tip up the bottle to get the last drop out, then fall over something on the ground．If they are unlucky, they fall in such a way that the broken glass makes a horrible wound in the face or neck．

　　This is not a complete list of the dangers in and near a house, but it is enough to remind you to be careful．

阅读理解

　　Long ago there was a little boy who wanted to be a soldier more than anything else in the world．His brothers and sisters played other games while he was playing soldiers．

　　Later he went to a military(军事的)school and studied very hard．When he was less than eighteen, he became a soldier．But the small man wanted power(权力)．He wanted to tell people and nations and the whole world what to do．He kept on working and studying until he became a general in the French Army．

　　His name was Napoleon Bonaparte, and he finally became Emperor of France．He was famous as an emperor, and for a while he won all the wars and became a national hero, but he was not a kind man．He could be charming(迷人的)when he wanted to be．But he was also rude and very cruel, and many people died so that he could win his wars．

　　Napoleon did one thing that was very important to the United States．He sold a huge piece of land in North America to the United States and got a lot of money and he could go on fighting a war with England．And Napoleon rose to great power．

　　Then things began to go bad for him．In June of 1815 he lost the Battle of Waterloo to England, and his days of power and greatness were suddenly over．And six years later he died on a far rock island．

阅读理解

A good friend of mine lives with six hundred wild animals on a Greek island．Ever since he left school(where I first knew him)he has traveled all over the world collecting animals for his very own zoo．He hoped to collect two examples of every kind of animal on his island, like Noah before the Great Flood．But the flood that my friend was afraid of, was a flood not of water, but of people．I think you have heard of my friend; he writes books about his travels, and about the wild and wonderful animals that he collects．The money from the books helps to pay for all the food that these animals eat．My friend told me that when he was out looking for water last week(there is not enough water on the island, though there is plenty all round it), he found oil．He needs money for his travels, and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for all his life; but he knows that if he tells anybody else about it, it will be the end of his zoo, and his life’s work．So, if I know my friend, he will not tell anybody(except you and me)about what he found－because oil and water do not mix．

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　　Italian Lakes and Greek Islands(12 Days)

　　Prices starting from ＄1999

　　Your tour begins in Milan, Italy, and moves on to the pretty Italian Lake District and the attractive resort(胜地)of Stresa, your home for two nights．Collette Vacations has carefully chosen the Costa Victoria as your home away from home for your 7-night journey along the waterways of the Mediterranean．The cruise ship is filled with the warmth and culture of Italy and is richly designed with entertainment(娱乐)areas and very good living conditions．It will take you to the places of your dreams．

　　You’ll spend 4 days touring Greek cities you’ve always heard about．In Katakolon, you will have the only unguided tour to nearby Olympia on the whole journey．Then with a local guide you will visit the Greek islands of Santorini, which is often related to the story of the lost city of Atlantis, and Mykonos, a wonderful island with beautiful beaches．

　　Your journey ends in Verona, home of the love story Romeo and Juliet, with a fun-filled farewell dinner－a perfect ending to a pleasant journey．

　　12 Day, 25 Meals：10 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches, 9 Dinners

　　Day 1　Overnight flight to Italy

　　Day 2-3　Regina Palace, Stresa, Italy

　　Day 4-10　Costa Victoria(Costa cruises)

　　Day 11　Hotel Leopardi, Verona, Italy

　　Day 12　Leave for home

　　Please Note：