阅读理解

　　Attitude is an internal(内在的)state that influences the choices of personal action made by the individual(个人)．Some researchers consider that attitudes come from differences between beliefs and ideas; others believe that attitudes come from emotional states．Here, we focus on the effects of attitudes upon behavior, that is, upon the choices of action made by the individual．

　　The kinds of actions taken by human beings are obviously influenced greatly by attitudes．Whether one listens to classical music or rock, whether one obeys the speed limit while driving, whether one encourages one’s husband or wife to express his or her own ideas－all are influenced by attitudes．These internal states are acquired(获得)throughout life from situations one is faced with in the home, in the streets, and in the school．

　　Of course, the course of action chosen by an individual in any situation will be largely determined by the particulars of that situation．An individual who has a strong attitude of obeying laws may drive too fast when he is in a hurry and no police cars in sight．A child who has a strong attitude of honesty may steal a penny when she thinks no one will notice．But the internal state which remains unchanged over a period of time, and which makes the individual behave regularly in a variety of situations, is what is meant by an attitude．

　　Attitudes are learned in a variety of ways．They can result from single incidents, as when an attitude toward snakes is acquired by an experience in childhood at the sudden movement of a snake．They can result from the individual’s experiences of success and pleasure, as when someone acquires a positive attitude toward doing crossword puzzles by being able to complete some of them．And frequently, they are learned by copying other people’s behavior, as when a child learns how to behave toward foreigners by observing the actions of his parents．Regardless of these differences, there is something in common in the learning and modification(修正)of attitudes．

阅读理解

　　The film Finding Neverland(《寻找梦幻岛》)is a story of magic and fantasy(魔幻)inspired by the life of James Barrie, the author of the children’s story Peter Pan．Set in London in 1904, the film follows Barrie’s creative journey to bring Peter Pan to life, from his first inspiration(灵感)for the story until the play’s first show at the Duke of York’s Theatre．

　　As the film opens, Barrie finds himself in the middle of an artistic crisis．Unfortunately, Barrie loses his inspiration－not even his wife Mary can waken his creative senses．Fighting with writer’s block(障碍), Barrie meets the Llewelyn Davis family one lazy morning during his daily walk with his dog in London’s Kensington Gardens．Moved by the fatherless boys－Jack, George, Michael and Peter－and their beautiful mother, Barrie begins to tell them magical stories to pass the time during their walk in the park．Through the playwright’s imagination　he changes his dog into a dancing bear, stick into mighty swords, small hills into pirate(海盗)ships, kites into fairies and the Llewelyn Davis boys into “The Lost Boys of Neverland”．

　　As time goes by, a deep relationship develops between Barrie and all the members of the Llewelyn Davis family．Finally, he arrives at the point where he can’t imagine his life without them．When terrible things come, Barrie acts as a father to guide them through unimaginable sadness．

　　At the same time, Barrie’s writer’s block disappears as he’s inspired to put pen to paper and create the story of Peter Pan．The childlike innocence(天真)of the four boys leads him to imagine a world－Neverland－where no one ever grow up．It’s a place where there’s no real tragedy, and where that sense of joy－felt only by a child－is never tarnished(失去光泽)．“Peter Pan” wasn’t just a fanciful(奇怪的)story about charming children, it was also about Barrie’s own wish to never grow up．

阅读理解

　　Watercolor(水彩)is the oldest painting medium．It dates back to the early cave dwellers(居住者)who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth, with water．

　　Fresco(壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor．It is created by mixing pigments(颜料)and water and applying these to wet plaster．Of the thousands of people, who stand under Michelanglo’s heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few are aware that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world．

　　The invention of oil painting of the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century led to a decline in fresco painting and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly as a medium for doing preliminary sketches or as a tool for study．It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters reinstated(恢复)watercolor as a serious art form．The English have a notorious love for the outdoors and also a great fondness for small pictures．

　　The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until, in the twentieth century, the United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth．

阅读理解

　　Water skiing is a sport with many social, economic and health benefits to society．It is unique in that it is a sport where able and disabled persons, and people as young as 5 years and as old as 80 years of age can participate alongside each other．It is a sport that involves more than one person, and is a wonderful family activity that gathers members together for a day of fun at a favorite waterway．

　　Anyone who has put on water skis can attest to its health benefits－it is a sport that demands and develops strength, ability and endurance．The sport includes several disciplines(训练)including slalom, tricks, cable, jump, ski racing, knee-board, wake-board, and barefoot, with each of these practiced for either recreational or competitive enjoyment．

　　Safety Tips For Water-Skiers

　　Don’t take unnecessary risks while water-skiing．The following tips will help you safely enjoy this thrilling sport：

　　ALWAYS have an observer in the boat．This is a legal requirement in many states．The boat driver cannot watch the skier and operate the boat safely at the same time．

　　ALWAYS wear a Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Device(PFD)designed for water skiing．Ski belts are NOT recommended．Your approved PFD will help keep you afloat．

　　Never ski in rough water．High waves or a choppy sea will prevent the tow boat from maintaining a steady course and speed．

　　NEVER ski after dark．It is dangerous and illegal．Any boat traveling fast enough to tow a skier is traveling too fast to navigate safely at night．

　　NEVER water-ski while under the influence of alcohol or drugs．Such activity is extremely dangerous because of the impairment to your judgment and ability to respond．A recent study conducted with expert skiers who were purposely drunk indicated that even their ability to ski was dramatically reduced．

　　Use hand signals between the skier and observer．Agree before you start what each signal means so there is no confusion at a critical moment．

阅读理解

　　Our village carpenter, Alf Winn, came one day and made a kitchen cupboard for my wife．He made it just the right size to fill the useless space between the cooker and the door．When I got home that evening, Alf was drinking a cup of tea and making out his bill for the job．

　　My wife said to me, quietly, “That’s his ninth cup of tea today．”But she said, loudly, “It’s a beautiful cupboard, dear, isn’t it?”

　　“I’ll decide about that when I see the bill, ”I said．

　　Alf laughed and gave me his account for the work．I read：

　　One kitchen cupboard 10 Nov．2000

　　Cost of materials(wood)＄17.00

　　Paint and fittings ＄1.50

　　Work, 8 hours(＄1 an hour)＄8.00

　　Total ＄36.50

　　I took out my check book and my pen．I looked at the bill．Alf said, “It’s been a lovely day, hasn’t it?Quite sunny．”

　　“Yes, ”I said．“I’m glad it’s only the 10 of November．”

　　“Me too, ”said, Alf．You wait－it’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month．“Yes, colder and dearer! Kitchen cupboards will be ＄20 dearer on November 30, won’t they, Alf?”

　　Alf looked hard at me for half a minute．Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes?I gave his account back to him．

　　“If it isn’t too much trouble, Alf, ”I said．“Please add it up again．You can forget the date．”

　　I wrote him a check for ＄26.50．He was happy to accept it．

阅读理解

　　Researchers are placing robotic dogs(机器狗)in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans．Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction．“No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated(刺激), ”Edwards points out．“The problem is how we promote(使……成为现实)that, especially for those without friends or help．A robotic dog could be a solution．”

　　In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone．Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks．These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO．Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner．

　　“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice, ” says a seventy-year-old lady．“When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down．He has a mind of his own．”

　　The AIBOs respond to certain orders．The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people．Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it．A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns．

　　“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry, ”Beck says．“But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief．”

　　“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper．They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms．AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds．”

阅读理解

　　I was 9 years old when I found out my father was ill．It was 1994, but I can remember my mother’s words as if it were yesterday：“Kerrel, I don’t want you to take food from your father, because he has AIDS．Be very careful when you are around him．”

　　AIDS wasn’t something we talked about in my country when I was growing up．From then on, I knew that this would be a family secret．My parents were not together anymore, and my dad lived alone．For a while, he could take care of himself．But when I was 12, his condition worsened．My father’s other children lived far away, so it fell to me to look after him．

　　We couldn’t afford all the necessary medication for him, and because Dad was unable to work, I had no money for school supplies and often couldn’t even buy food for dinner．I would sit in class feeling completely lost, the teacher’s words muffled as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage．

　　I did not share my burden(负担)with anyone．I had seen how people reacted to AIDS．Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease．And even adults could be cruel．When my father was moved to the hospital, the nurses would leave his food on the bedside table even though he was too weak to feed himself．

　　I had known that he was going to die, but after so many years of keeping his condition a secret．I was completely unprepared when he reached his final days．Sad and hopeless, I called a woman at the nonprofit National AIDS Support．That day, she kept me on the phone for hours．I was so lucky to find someone who cared．She saved my life．

　　I was 15 when my father died．He took his secret away with him, having never spoken about AIDS to anyone, even me．He didn’t want to call attention to AIDS．I do．

阅读理解

　　In present-day China, we can find two types of fast food：western and Chinese．However, not until the recent decade has western fast food become popular in China．Before the first hamburger walked its way into the Chinese food market, we had little idea about such terms as hot dog, pizza, potato chips, let alone Kentucky and McDonald’s．It is the reform and opening-up policy：that has brought about the interflow of the food culture between China and the Western countries．

　　Fast food, both Chinese and western, has several advantages．In the first place, fast food, as is characterized by its name, is fast．The food is always ready and fresh, waiting for its customers．This saves people’s precious time, and consequently goes well with the tempo(速度)of life in modern society．

　　Secondly, it is very convenient．As we know, fast food restaurants are much the same as cafeterias．Customers may feel free to help themselves to any variety provided and eat to their hearts’ content(满足)．

　　Thirdly, fast food restaurants are environmentally comfortable．Clean dishes, shiny tables, decent service and light music all stimulate people’s appetite to eat more．

　　The above-mentioned advantages make fast food become rooted in almost all parts of the country and enjoy popularity among people．That’s also why nowadays Singapore fast food, Turkish fast food and India-Pakistan fast food have found their homes in China．

　　As every coin has two sides, fast food also has its disadvantages such as lack of nutrition, dull taste．Nevertheless, these are minor points compared with its advantages．Since most people agree with fast food, it tends to grow more rapidly．

阅读理解

　　Social workers help individuals and families who have personal, social and environmental problems which they cannot deal with on their own．

　　About fifteen years ago the former social work units, child care, medical work, work with elderly and handicapped people were combined into one social work profession．Social workers are now trained to work with any type of social work problems, any age range, and any client(顾客)group．

　　As a result, the type of work done and settings worked in by social workers become much wider than they used to be．Yet there are still openings for anyone who wants to work mainly with a particular group, for example, the children or who wants to work in a particular setting in a hospital．Social services departments are organized in geographical area teams, and these teams can deal with any problems．There, individual workers can often specialize(专攻)in work with a particular client group．

　　Social work can be annoying or discouraging．Often problems arise from causes beyond the clients or social workers’ control, such as bad housing or unemployment．Whether problems are caused by bad luck, ill health or by a combination of conditions, there are few easy answers．Social workers must accept that they may not always be able to make great improvements to their clients’ lives．

阅读理解

　　Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor．Whenever I speak to a Chinese student they always say, “My spoken English is poor．”However, their spoken English does not have to remain “poor”! I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English．

　　First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary．Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary．However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive．Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know．

　　Second, they are afraid of making mistakes．Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous．Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY．Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly．However, in speaking your aim is fluency．You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances for any mistakes he hears．

　　The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening．You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking．

　　Fourth, most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive(主动的)language learners．Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor．If you have this proactive outlook, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go．

　　If you do not use your English beyond the classroom you will forget what English you know．Remember：USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better by speaking English more．