阅读理解

　　In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会)of each new skill－ the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm(热情)for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．

　　Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(准时)for meals．In general, the controls imposed(强加的)represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community(社区)as much as the children’s own happiness．

　　As regards the development of moral standards in the child growing, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality．Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”．If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach(说教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．

　　A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment．

阅读理解

　　When people don’t know the language, the most common way to communicate is through gestures．However, many gestures have different meanings, or no meaning at all, in different part of the world．

　　In the United States, for example, nodding your head up and down means “yes”．In some parts of Greece and Turkey, however, this motion can mean “no”．In Southeast Asia, nodding your head is a polite way of saying “I heard you”．

　　In ancient Rome, when the emperor wanted to spare someone’s life, he would put his thumb up．Today in the United States, when someone puts his/her thumb up, it means “Everything is all right”．However, in Sardinia and Greece, the gesture is insulting and should not be used there．

　　In the United States, raising your clasped hands above your head means “I’m the champion．” or “I’m the winner”．It is the sign fighters make when they win a fight．When a leading Russian Statesman made this gesture after a White House meeting, Americans misunderstood and thought he meant he was a winner．In Russia, however, it is a sign of friendship．

　　In the United States, holding your hand up with the thumb and index finger in a circle and the other three fingers spread out means “Everything is O．K．” and is frequently used by astronauts and politicians．In France and Belgium, it can mean “You’re worth nothing．”

阅读理解

　　Thrills at Silverwood come in all shapes and sizes．Three big-time roller coasters, including two world-famous wooden coasters, are sure to satisfy．Tremors, the 60-mile per hour slingshot(弹弓)that drops you 103 screaming feet into a pitch black tunnel of terror．Speaking of terror, Timber Terror is Tremors’ slightly smaller but equally twisted cousin, and the properly named corkscrew(螺旋式移动)will turn your world upside down－not once, but twice．

　　Get wet…Try one of the four monster waterslides on Rumble Falls, or cruise over to Big Moose Bay and dine on the surf dished-up by the gigantic wave pool．Still not completely satisfied？Then sink your teeth into Velocity Peak, our high-speed body slide．Forget the mats and inner tubes, it’s just you, the water, pitch-darkness, 62-foot vertical drops, and oh yeah, that speeds up to 50 mph．

　　That’s just the start!

　　Silverwood has 60 plus rides and attractions．

　　We’re the Northwest’s largest theme park, plus new for 2005 lots of special events, a Christian Music Festival to an International Dance Festival．

　　Click here for more info on special events．

阅读理解

　　People and the sources of air pollution are found in the same places．This means that cities with large populations have the biggest problem of dirty air．Air pollution is caused by many different things．A major source of air pollution is the gas fumes from cars．Statistics show that 93 percent of all auto trips are within cities．Another major source of dirty air is the burning of coal and oil for energy．This energy is needed to make electricity．Of course, much more electricity is used in the city than in the country．

　　On the average, we throw away more trash and garbage than the year before．The burning of garbage contributes to air pollution．Many major industries are also responsible for the dirty air in the around cities．The fumes from iron, steel, chemical, and petroleum production add particles to the air．The effects of air pollution range from mild headaches to death．The levels of pollution found in heavy for traffic may cause headaches for loss of clear vision．Wherever coal and oil are used for fuel, fumes may kill trees and plants and cause metal to corrode．In some of the larger cities, these fumes endanger the live of human beings by contributing to lung diseases and causing early death．

阅读理解

　　My first performance in front of the audience was coming up soon．

　　I tried as hard as I could to remain calm, but my heart was racing．I stared down at my sweat-covered, shaking hands．

　　I looked up again at the audience, realizing that these were real people．They were not just my mum and dad, who would say, “Good job!” even if I messed up the entire piece．

　　What if I had the wrong music？What if I played the wrong notes?

　　As it turned out, I was never able to answer these questions because the spotlight(聚光灯)was waiting for me．I grasped my hands tightly together, drying off the sweat．

　　Slowly I walked to the mud-brown piano in the center of the room．It contained 88 demanding keys, which were waiting impatiently to be played．I swallowed the golf-ball-sized lump(隆起部分)in my throat and sat down．Slowly, I opened the music．Next, I rested my still shaking hands on the ivory(象牙色的)keys．

　　As my fingers played across the keys, I was becoming more unsure of my preparation for this moment．But the memory of my years of training came flooding back．I knew that I had practiced this piece so many times that I could play it backwards if requested．

　　Although at one point I accidentally played two keys instead of the intended one, I continued to move my fingers automatically(自动地)．

　　My eyes burned holes into(were fixed on)the pages in front of me．

　　There was no way that I was going to lose my concentration．To keep this to myself, I leaned forward and focused carefully on the music．

　　When I came to the end of the page, a warning went off inside my head：DON’T MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU TURN THE PAGE!

　　Needless to say, I obeyed myself with all my heart and mind．And, proud of my “page-turning” feat(技艺), I finished the rest of the piece without making a single mistake．

　　After the final note died away, a celebration went into action inside my head．I had finished．I had mastered the impossible．

阅读理解

COUPONS

　　Supermarkets and large drugstores often run ads in newspapers．

　　Many supermarkets also have product coupons printed in the newspaper．A coupon is a promise to take money off the price of a certain product．Coupons are often printed on small pieces of paper．

　　Coupons have product names on them．If you buy the product, you give the cashier your coupon along with everything you buy．The cashier will subtract the amount printed on the coupon from the full price of the product．Coupons are small and have lots of information printed on them．You should read them carefully．

　　One thing you will find on the coupon is an expiration date．An expiration date is the date that tells when something can not be used any more．You may also find conditions for using the coupon．Conditions tell you the rules of the coupon．They tell you how the coupon may be used．For example, a coupon may be good for only the smallest size of an item．

阅读理解

　　Dear Mum and Dad,

　　It was a great idea to send me over to Britain to learn English this summer! I’ve met so many students－from Sweden, France and all over the world．And there are lots of students from Germany here too．It’s just like being at home．What a relief to find normal people, even in England, and to speak in a normal language most of the time．

　　Of course, we do have English lessons in the day, and I have to talk to the family I stay with here．Do you know, some of my friends have said they won’t go out with us in the evening any more－they want to speak English and find English friends．I think they’re mad．The family I live with are very nice．But they have some strange habits．They drink tea all day：at breakfast, in the afternoon and at bedtime．And they eat butter with salt in it! If I go out in the evening, I often eat fish and chips．The food is wrapped up in a newspaper；at least reading the paper takes your mind off the fish and chips! Here at the coast, we travel by bus．The buses are always late．I was knocked down by an old lady the other day because I didn’t stand in the queue．English people seem very quiet and reserved, so I was very surprised to see how violent they become about queues．Also, if you ask them directions, they suddenly become very chatty and go on for hours．

　　I’d like to come back here next year to see all my friends again－oh yes, and to learn some more English…

Your loving son,

Hans

阅读理解

Superstitions

　　There are over one million superstitions(迷信), and most people believe at least one or two of them．Many people are superstitious about numbers．They think that there are lucky numbers and unlucky numbers．The number 13 is often considered unlucky．In some parts of the world, buildings have no 13th floor and streets have no houses with the number 13．In Japan, “4” is considered unlucky because in Japanese the word “four” is pronounced the same as the word “death”．The Japanese never give gifts of four knives, four napkins, or four of anything．

　　What are the lucky numbers? Seven is a lucky number in many places, and “8” is considered a lucky number in Japan and China．In China, businesses often open on August 8, and many couples register to get married at eight past eight on August 8．Superstitions about numbers are so widespread that some people－called numerologists－make a living by giving advice about numbers．In 1937, when the Toyoda family of Japan wanted to form a car company, they asked a numerologist if “Toyoda” would be a good name for the company．The numerologist said it would not be．He explained that “Toyota” would be a better name for the company．The family took his advice．As a result, millions of people drive “Toyotas” and not “Toyodas”．

　　There are many other kinds of superstitions．There are superstitions about eating, sleeping, sneezing and itching．There are superstitions about animals and holidays and horseshoes．There are even superstitions about superstitions．Those superstitions tell people how to reverse bad luck．When the Japanese bump heads, they immediately bump heads again．According to a Japanese superstition, the first bump means their parents will die, but the second bump “erases” the first bump．To reverse bad luck in general, people turn around three times, turn their pockets inside out, or put their hats on backwards．

阅读理解

　　Ron Barrister awoke once again with a slight ringing in his ears．After he showered and dressed, the condition got worse．He was also short of breath．

　　When he looked in the mirror to see if his tongue were coated or if there were some other signs of a cold coming on, he noticed that his eyes looked peculiar．He turned sideways and looked again．Sure enough, his eyes seemed to be bulging out．

　　He decided to explain his symptoms to Dr．Klien, the eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist．

　　Dr．Klien examined Ron very carefully．He took X-rays to see if he could find any reason for the bulging eyes, ringing ears, and shortness of breath．

　　After a complete examination he was stumped．Everything appeared normal and tests showed no signs of disorder．“Ron,” he said, “I really can’t find anything wrong, and I’m at a loss to explain your strange symptoms．However if you’d like another consultation, Dr．Brown is next door．She might be able to discover something I missed．”

　　After another full examination, even Dr．Brown was stumped．“I can think of nothing to tell you except that you should be admitted to the hospital for a closer examination．”

　　When Ron was being admitted to the hospital, the nurse asked him, “What size pajamas(睡衣) do you wear, Mr．Barrister?”

　　“I really don’t know, ”he replied．

　　“Well, do you know your shirt size?” She asked as she reached for a measuring tape．

　　“Yes,” answered Ron, “I wear 15.5 collar with a…”

　　The nurse measured his neck and said, “You mean a 16.5, don’t you?”

　　“No,” answered Ron, “I’ve always worn a 15.5 collar on all my shirts．”

　　“OK, but if you wear a 15．5 collar with your neck size, sooner or later you’re surely going to have a ringing in your ears, bulging eyes, and you’ll be short of breath．”

阅读理解

　　A year ago I began training to swim the English Channel．I will be 58 years old．My friends thought I had lost my mind, and my wife was somewhat worried．The question I was asked over and over was this, “Why?”

　　When a student reporter at Indiana recently asked me this question, I said, “First, let me ask you a question．What are your plans for this summer?”

　　He replied that he was going to work in a supermarket．I didn’t have to say more．He understood my point．

　　A challenge and something of an adventure are welcome whether you are 20 or 58, and preparing to swim the Channel is far better than working in a supermarket, especially when you have a choice．

　　But why did I decide to swim the Channel at 58? Perhaps I myself can hardly give a satisfactory answer．

　　The Channel has always been the greatest challenge to swimmers, a test of ability, luck, and even bravery．It is this challenge that attracts about 100 swimmers a year, who are willing to spend time, effort, and money trying it．

　　One fact that adds to my interest is that, if I succeed, I will be the oldest person ever to swim the Channel．

　　I don’t think I am a superman．I do think I have at least two things in favor：

　　First, I am training hard－now swimming 7 and a half miles a day．Second, I am a resolute (有决心的) man．Once I set up a goal, I won’t give it up easily．And this swim has long been a goal．I have a feeling－I will be mentally ready．

　　On the other hand there was a young girl who was attempting(试图) to finish her swim when the ocean got rough．She was having a hard time with the rough and cold water, when her trainer shouted to her from the boat that he thought she should give up and get out of the water．She shouted back, “I’m doing the swimming, and I’ll decide when to get out．” She made it．