阅读理解

　　Surprisingly, no one knows how many children receive education in English hospitals, still less the content or quality of that education．Proper records are just not kept．

　　The latest survey shows that the extent and type of hospital teaching differ a great deal across the country．It is found that half the hospitals in England which admit children have no teacher．A further quarter have only a part time teacher．The special children’s hospitals in major cities do best; general hospitals in the country and holiday areas are worst off．

　　From this survey, one can estimate(估计)that fewer than one in five children have some contact with a hospital teacher and that contact(接触)may be as little as two hours a day．Most children interviewed were surprised to find a teacher in hospital at all．They had not been prepared for it by parents or their own school．If there was a teacher they were much more likely to read books and do maths or number work; without a teacher they would only play games．

　　Reasons for hospital teaching range from preventing a child falling behind and maintaining the habit of school to keeping a child busy, and the latter is often all the teacher can do．Parents referred to many of the teachers as “the library lady” or just “the helper”．

　　Children tend to depend on their school friends to keep in touch with school work．Several parents spoke of requests for work being ignored or refused by the school．Once back at school, children rarely get extra teaching, and are told to catch up as best they can．

　　Many short stay child patients catch up quickly．But schools do very little to reduce the anxiety about falling behind expressed by many of the children interviewed．

阅读理解

　　There was one thing that I found rather strange on my first day to work at Monk’s House．The floors in the house were very thin．The bathroom was directly above the kitchen, and when Mrs．Wolf was having her bath before breakfast, I could hear her talking to herself．On and on she went, talked, talked, talked, asking questions and giving herself the answers．I thought there must have been two or three people up there with her．Later Mrs．Woolf explained that Mrs．Woolf always said the sentences out loud what she had written during the night．She needed to know if they sounded right and the bath was a place for trying them out．

　　I was not allowed to make coffee at Monk’s House－Mr．and Mrs．Woolf came into the kitchen at eight o’clock every morning to make it．When we carried the breakfast trays to Mrs．Woolf’s room I noticed that there were pencils and paper beside her bed so that when she woke up she could work, and sometimes it seemed as though she had had very little sleep．

　　Mrs．Woolf’s bedroom was outside the house in the garden．I used to think how inconvenient it must be to have to go out in the rain to go to bed．Her bedroom had been added on to the back of the house; the door faced the garden and a window at the side opened out on to a field．Because the writing room was small．Mr．Woolf had had a large one built for her at the end of the garden against the church wall．

　　I can always remember her coming out of her writing room only for lunch each day．She used to walk down through the thin and very graceful, with large, deep set eyes．She wore long skirts in the fashion of the day, any silk jackets of the same color, which suited her well．I pressed her clothes and did any sewing that was necessary．

　　Her cigarettes were made from a special tobacco called My Mixture．Mr．Woolf bought it for her in London, and in the evenings, they used to sit by the fire and make these cigarettes themselves．

阅读理解

　　It is the goal of politicians everywhere－how to win and keep the trust of voters．

Now researchers at the University of St Anurew’s in Scotland say they may have the answer．They believe politicians could learn a lot from recent advances in science．A growing number of studies have shown that people do judge a book by its cover．Researchers say most of us make quick judgments about a person on the basis of how they look．

　　Studies suggest that people are less likely to trust those with particularly masculine(男性的)features, such as a square jaw, small eyes or a big nose．“They are considered dominant(支配的)and less trustworthy,” says Ms Cornwell．“It doesn’t mean that men who look more masculine are less trustworthy－it’s just our first impression．” Those with less masculine features－large eyes, a smaller nose and thinner lips－are thought to be more trustworthy．

　　The researchers are putting their science to the test at the Royal Society’s annual summer exhibition in London．They have manipulated the faces of Prime Minister Tony Blair, Conservative leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy accentuating(强调)their dominant and trustworthy features．“We have used a computer program to change the shape of their faces and features．We hope it will help people to understand our work．”

　　So should we expect to see them at the exhibition getting tips?

　　“I don’t think it’s something they will want to try, ” says Ms Cornwell．“It’s not really possible with television．We all know what they look like．”

阅读理解

　　When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to grandma’s generation．Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best．

　　But in many other homes, this china and silver elegance has given way to a stoneware(粗陶器)and stainless steel informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual Friday look．For hosts and guests the change means greater simplicity and comfort．For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times．

　　Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke on Trent，announced that it is eliminating 1 000 jobs one fifth of its total workforce．That brings to more than 4 000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery(陶器)region．Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier．

　　Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoking have their roots in earthshaking social shifts．A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining．Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television．

　　Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual．In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party．Too often, the perfect moment never comes．Iron a fine patterned tablecloth? Forget it．Polish the silver? Who has time?

　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side．The fine points of etiquette(礼节)that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed．” “Keep your elbows off the table．”)must be picked up elsewhere．Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially．

阅读理解

　　The man who brings my milk used to knock for his money for the week I was eating breakfast on Saturday morning．Just lately he has been arriving before I get up．Workforce shortages mean that four men are sharing five rounds, so he has to start earlier．

　　Delivering milk to people’s homes is hardly good business, especially when the customer may have a choice of two or three firms serving a single road．In spite of my local difficulties, however, labor troubles are not as great as a few years ago．There are enough men prepared to make an early morning start for the sake of an open air job with a fair measure of freedom．If they did stop calling, women would find it hard work to collect all the milk they need from self service stores．Dairies(乳品业)know that stopping deliveries in the United States resulted in falling sales．

　　Marketing ideas have included introducing extra lines, in addition to dairy products, which the milkmen can carry to increase business．One dairyman said, “It won’t be long before the milkmen deliver potatoes, and it seems as though variety will be limited only by the size of the trucks．

　　So the milkman is likely to remain a familiar figure, and the dairy products he sells are unlikely to change very much in this decade．Flavored(有味道的)milk is popular on the Continent．In Britain those who like it buy plain milk and add their own flavoring．Even the returnable bottle continues to be used．As long as it has a reasonable life－30 to 40 trips are usual－the cost of collection and cleaning is worthwhile．