Bicycle

　　Bicycles have become more and more popular in China．People ride bikes to their work places, to shopping areas, to schools, and so on．During the rush hours, you can often see a sea of bicycles running in all directions．With the largest number of bike riders in the world, China is often referred to as the kingdom of bicycles．

　　Compared with cars, bikes have many advantages．First, they are not very expensive, and almost every family can afford them．Second, they are very handy and convenient though they are not so fast as cars．With a bike, you can go anywhere you like, and you don’t have to look for a large parking place．By riding bikes, you can avoid traffic jams and thus save the time and the money for taking taxis．Third, they do not cause air or sound pollution．

　　Riding bikes does good to your health if you ride it regularly．In modern times, people are usually too busy to spare any time for physical exercise．Riding a bike to your work place regularly serves as a good way to keep yourself strong and healthy．

　　Therefore, a bicycle is really an important means of transportation in China．It has been very useful, convenient and necessary ever since it was invented．And I do believe it will still be so in the future．

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　　In 1997,a group of twenty British women made history．Working in five teams with four women in each team, they walked to the North Pole．Apart from one experienced female guild,the other women were all ordinary people who had never done anything like this in their lives before．They managed to survive in an environment which had defeated several very experienced men during the same time period．

　　The women set off as soon as they were ready．Once on the ice,each woman had to ski along while dragging a sledge(雪橇)weighting over 50 kilos．This would not have been too bad on a smooth surface,but for long distances,the Arctic ice is pushed up into huge piles two or three metres high,and the sledges had to be pulled up one side and carefully let down the other so that they didn’t become damaged．The temperature was always below the freezing point and sometimes strong winds made walking while pulling so much weight almost impossible．It was also very difficult for them to put up their tents when they stopped each night．

　　In such conditions,the women were making good progress if they covered fourteen or fifteen kilometers a day．But there was another problem．Part of the journey was across a frozen sea with moving water underneath the ice and at some points the team would drift back more than five kilometers during the night．That meant after walking in these very severe conditions for ten hours one day,they had to spend part of the next day covering the same ground again．Furthermore,each day it took three hours from waking up to setting off and another three hours every evening to set up the camp and prepare the evening meal．

　　So,how did they manage to succeed?They realized that they were part of a team．If any one of them didn’t pull her sledge or get her job done,she would endanger the success of the whole expedition．Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being completely wasted,so personal feelings had to be put to one side．At the end of their journey,the women agreed that it was mental effort far more than physical fitness that got them to the North Pole．

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Outdoor Survival Provides Adventure Worldwide

　　Although there are no state controlled survival courses in Britain or the United States,there are various independent organizations offering similar activities．

　　Students can take part in outdoor training courses through university clubs and societies．Anyone can register with such groups,which then organize courses,training and trips for all members．

　　One of the most popular outdoor training programmes in both the US and Britain,is Outward Bound(户外训练)．It was founded in 1941 in Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of adventurous types every year．

　　The courses are intended to broaden minds through experiences that build confidence,self-esteem(自尊)and character．As well as specialist courses such as canoeing, leadership skills and sailing,participants can take part in week long adventure training camps which include a host of sports and survival training education skills．

　　Michael Williams,an American student,took part in an Outward Bound course last year．He said：“We learned lots of first aid skills,lots of natural history,lots of environmental facts,and took part in a wildlife preservation programme．Beyond that,my favourite skills learned were sailing and rock climbing．”

　　Courses can last up to 40 days and are open to anyone over the age of 14．Students must be in general good health,but do not need to be experienced in outdoor-sports．There is no selection process;everyone is welcome,although new participants are advised to pick a course matching their physical capacity．

　　Most of the British courses take place in the Brecon Beacons in Wales．Another similar organization is the UK Survival School,which includes courses on learning to live with the environment,sailing and winter survival．On a basic survival weekend students will learn how to get water and food,how to make fire and cook with it,to find and build a shelter,control survival life support,how to cross rivers,send off a distress signal,and to use compasses by day and night．

　　According to the leaders,such adventures are “an awakening,an exploration into the unknown”．Outward Bound believes that participants will “use mind and body traveling some of the Earth’s roughest wilderness areas”．

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　　“Taiwan independence” secessionist(分离论者)forces should never be allowed to make Taiwan break away from China,and Chinese all over the world should unite and promote peaceful reunification of the motherland,said a declaration issued on Sunday in Port Louis．

　　There is but one China in the world,and both the Mainland and Taiwan belong to the one and same China,said the declaration issued by the “All for One China” Forum,part of the “China Day” international conference．

　　“We firmly stand by the Chinese government’s stand on China’s peaceful reunification,and firmly support the Anti-Secession Law adopted by the Chinese government in March 2005 and the four proposals for boosting(推进)cross-Straits relations put forward by President Hu Jintao in April this year,” it said．

　　The attempt to split China in the name of “Taiwan independence” runs counter to the will of the Chinese people and is doomed(注定)to failure,it added．

　　The “China Day” international conference,which ended on Sunday,was organized by the Federation of Chinese Societies and the Mauritius-China Friendship Association．

　　The conference was opened by Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and attended by representatives from 18 countries．

　　According to the Chinese media,Steven Spielberg has expressed some interest in several China-related projects and one of them is a film version of classic fantasy novel Journey to the West．Reportedly,he discussed the idea with several Chinese colleagues(同行)during his last visit to Beijing over a month ago．

　　Written during the 16th Century(Ming Dynasty)and based on folktales(民间故事)by Wu Cheng’en,the novel tells the adventure of a Tang Dynasty(618-907)Buddhist priest Sanzang(a real historical person)and his three disciples(徒弟),the Monkey King,the pig and Fiar Sand,as they travel west in search of Buddhist texts．There have been many movies,TV shows,comic series and animations based on the book or the characters of the book,which are very popular among Asian cultures．

　　Zhang Jinlai,who played the Monkey King in a TV version produced by China’s CCTV, has volunteered himself to help Spielberg to do the project “right”．He said there have been always too many unfaithful adaptations,which could only be described as disgrace to the classic,and in August or September this year, he would go to America to tell Spielberg about his concern．Zhang would also suggest making the movie in China and shooting the scenes of “the west” in India or Nepal．

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　　Of course,what is an ideal(理想)holiday for one person may be a very unpleasant one for another．The sportsman likes a kind of holiday which his lazy friend would find worse than his daily work;while the lazy man’s ideal holiday would leave the sportsman quite unsatisfied．

　　If I were allowed to choose my own holiday,I would have no doubts;I would go on a voyage(远航)in a modern passenger ship with a swimming bath．Even if my sportsman friend and my lazy friend came with me,they would both be happy;one would have plenty of games,swimming and dancing;the other could sit in a comfortable chair all day,looking at the sea and drinking lemonade(柠檬水)or beer．In a ship,one can do as one likes．If one day I find an interesting book in the ship’s library,I can spend the whole day reading it,and nobody will stop me．Perhaps the next day I shall want some exercise．Well,then I can play games with other passengers until I am hot and sweating and ready for a bath．I can go and sleep in my cabin at any time of the day or night,I can get cheap drinks during most of the day,and I can eat as I like,choosing among a variety of foods．

　　But what I like even more about a sea voyage is the chance to meet new and interesting people from many countries．What other kind of holiday gives us such a chance?Freed from(从……解脱)all the duties of life at home,we can talk,play games,swim,drink,sing and dance with our new friends．They can tell us about their own countries,their daily lives and amusements,their hopes and their fears．And in return we can tell them all about ourselves．

　　But perhaps the greatest pleasure of a sea holiday is coming to new ports in strange lands,and going ashore for a few hours to see strange places,eat strange foods and hear a strange language talked around us．Whenever I think of my ideal holiday,it is the picture of a mysterious foreign city that comes to my mind．

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　　At a few minutes past five,Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting．He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill．The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray．

　　Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly．He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water,and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps．

　　As he walked down toward the lake,Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before．

　　By the time he reached the small boat,a thick white mist(雾气)had spread over the surface of the water．He stepped into the boat, sat down,and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore．

　　The outer fringe(边缘)of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly．All he could see was the enveloping whiteness．He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake．

　　Dave rowed steadily ahead,relying on a mental picture of the surroundings．Then the mist began to rise,slowly．It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake．The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects．

　　The magic time had arrived．Dave raised his pole．Dawn was broken．He was excited with expectancy．

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　　There are about 30 species of seals．They all can be classified into two types：eared seals and true seals．Eared seals have ears that can be seen,and their flippers(鳍状肢)work well on land．True seals have tiny ears,and their flippers work better in the water．

　　Seals spend much of their time in water．But,they must return to the surface to breathe,just like other mammals(哺乳动物)．

　　A seal’s respiratory system(呼吸系统)is adapted(适合的)for water．A seal can go for 40 minutes without a breath．This allows them to dive to a depth of over 2000 feet．

　　Seals are well designed to swim in water．Their bodies are very streamlined and their flippers propel(推进)them quickly through the water．

　　Seals also spend considerable time lying around on rocky islands and beaches．But they are clumsy(笨拙的)and move slowly on land using their flippers．

　　Baby seals are born on land after a long,12 month gestation(怀孕)period．The pups develop rapidly．Some are able to swim within a few hours of birth．

　　Walruses(海象)differ from seals in that they are larger and have large tusks．They can be over 10 feet long and over 3000 pounds．

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　　Prapiroon on Thursday evening entered into south China’s Guangdong Province,with heavy rain and strong wind．The typhoon landed at the coastal area between Yangxi County and Dianbai County in western Guangdong at 7∶20 p. m．Thursday．With a speed of 33 meters per second,the wind power reached 12 degrees on the Beaufort Scale near its eye．

　　The typhoon will move toward inland area of Guangdong within 12 hours at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour．And it will enter Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,just west of Guangdong,on Friday．The strong wind and heavy rain will continue in the west region of Guangdong until Saturday．

　　Local flood-control authority called for close watch on the typhoon and asked related departments to carry out emergency measures(紧急措施)to prevent possible disasters caused by Prapiroon．

　　Before Prapiroon’s landing, 406,343 people have been moved to safety in the provinces of Hainan and Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region．Meanwhile, 62 023 vessels(船只)from Guangdong,Hainan and Guangxi had returned to harbor．

Ⅰ

　　The opening ceremony of this famous yearly competition(比赛)will begin at 11：30 a．m．There will be music groups,rappers and children’s chorus．12：25 p．m．sees the introduction of the eaters who come from all over the world．At 12：40 pm．,the historic 12-minute all-you-can-eat competition will begin．The world record stands at over 50 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes．Will anyone beat the record this year?

　　Viewing is available on a first-come-first-served basis．Television are invited to use a two-tiered(两层)stage three metres from the main stage．The area in front of the main stage is kept for photographers and television cameras without tripods(三脚架)．

Ⅱ

　　Few periods in history are as exciting as the time when the Vikings(北欧海盗)were known－and sometimes feared－through out Scandinavia,the British Isles,Russia,all the Mediterranean,Africa and even America．

　　Frjel is a family-based society, which aims to relive and describe the Vikings from a harbor－Fr?jel,on the Swedish island of Gotland．Fr?jel was one of the richest trading centres in the Viking world．

　　The members of the society aim to recreate the clothing,weapons,tools,jewellery,games,food and furniture of that long-gone period．They want to enjoy an escape to a simpler,more relaxed time,with like-minded people．They will also use the items they have made to relive that age at various public entertainments．